Shortly after Connor's spring semester ended in his Sophomore year at San Diego State, we all boarded a plane for our long-awaited Japan Vacation. This would be our first family vacation in years. We've taken
"short" excursions to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Pismo Beach, or Disneyland but nothing of this scale since probably 2014 when we all went to Hawaii. This was a marvelous get-away as we spent 10 days visiting
countless tourist attractions, sampling local cuisine, and experiencing the sites only to be found in Japan.
Planning for this trip began about 5 months before we boarded the plane. Everyone had to settle on dates that would work for them. Jordyn, Tyler, and Deb all had to take time off from work, while Connor had
to be done with school. Dad's schedule was more flexible, except he was co-chair of the MVBT's Chicken Teriyaki Fundraiser that would end in early May. We settled on May 17, 2026 through May 28, 2026.
Everyone was assigned duties for this trip as we would be planning it on our own. We started by creating a wish list of things we wanted to do or places we wanted to see. Jordyn created a spreadsheet where we
could separate all the activities by region. Then, decisions would have to made as to where everyone really wanted to go. There simply wasn't enough time to visit every sight on the list. Once we settled on
the various attractions we had to see, we separated the trip into 3 major cities where most of the attractions were located. We would begin our trip in Osaka, then head to Kyoto, and end in Tokyo.
Dad bought the plane tickets and figured out how much weight was allowed in our carry-ons. He read up on the food reviews to see if the meals were worth buying. He also found a way to link a map to the
spreadsheet so we could see where everything was located. It made it a little easier to plan our days. It was also helpful in picking hotels that were close to train stations. Jordyn would cull through the
list of places we wanted to visit and she would group the attractions by locale. Depending on what sight we were interested in, she also had to check to see if reservations were needed. After researching
everything, she was able to come up with an itinerary. Deb and Jordyn then booked hotels based on online reviews, personal recommendations from friends, and distance to local train stations. When Connor
returned from school he looked at the itinerary and scoured local bus and train schedules to find transportation between sights. He also identified local train lines that our JR Pass would cover. Tyler
started looking at where we would be at meal times to get an idea of what local cuisine might be available. He was also the second set of eyes on the trip. He found himself being the back-up to whomever was
guiding us through train stations or city streets. He was also mindful of who was leaving belongings behind ("Connor, lock in", or "Mom, you want your phone?").
Places we wanted to visit.
Leaving Sunday, May 17, 2026
At the gate.
Narita to Osaka Monday, May 18, 2026
After about a 10 1/2 hour flight, we disembarked the plane and headed to Passport Control (Immigration) at the Narita Airport. Once through, we proceeded to find the JR Information Office to obtain our
JR Passes. They were very helpful there as they asked where we were headed - Osaka, and booked our Shinkansen reservations for both the Narita Express to Tokyo and the connecting train to Osaka. When we
arrived at Shinagawa Station we looked for and purchased Ekiben (train bentos). Since the ride from Tokyo to Osaka was going to be a little over 2 hours, it was the perfect time to eat something to hold us
over until we arrived in Osaka. After about a total of 3 hours travel time via Shinkansen we made it to our final destination at the Shin Osaka Train Station. Using Google Maps we found the closest station
exit to our hotel, the Karaksa Hotel Grande Shin-Osaka Tower.
JR Pass.
Nintendo display at Narita.
Heading down to the Narita Express.
Narita to Shinagawa.
Shinagawa to Shin-Osaka.
Waiting for the Narita Express to take us to Tokyo.
Our first Ekibens from Tokyo to Osaka.
Chicken Karaage Ekiben.
Deb's and Ran's room in Osaka.
Himeji, Hiroshima, and Miyajima Island Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Our first full day was going to be busy. We all got up early and went outside the hotel to Lawson (convenience store) where we purchased food to eat. We all chose something that appealed to us like onigiri,
small bentos, egg salad sandwiches, or small roll cakes. Once everyone got what they wanted we proceeded to the Shinkansen Station to start our journey to Himeji Castle.
Shin-Osaka to Himeji.
At Shin-Osaka Station waiting for our Shinkansen to Himeji.
Shinkansen.
Typical Shinkansen are 16 cars long.
Matsubara Lion Dance Float on display at Himeji Station.
Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the largest and most visited castle in Japan. A sense of reverence was felt walking the halls and many rooms, and it was surprising to see how steep many of
the staircases were. Some were practically ladders. Everyone wanted to get to the top floor to look out and see the views.
Himeji Castle.
Otemon Gate.
The family out front.
Getting closer.
Finally heading inside.
Normal stairs.
View from the top level.
View of the castle grounds.
Shinto Shrine on the top floor.
Armory.
After Himeji we got on another Shinkansen that took us to Hiroshima. Upon arrival we transferred to a local bus that took us right across the street from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. It was busy at
the park as there were a great many tourists and students on field trips. We walked the plaza to the Victims Memorial Cenotaph and then onto the Flame of Peace that has been burning continuously since 1964.
From there we could see the Genbaku Dome (Hiroshima Peace Memorial), the last standing structure after the bombing. We considered visiting the museum but we were on a schedule to get to Miyajima Island in time
for low tide.
Walking up the plaza.
Victims Memorial Cenotaph.
Flame of Peace.
Children's Peace Monument.
Genbaku Dome.
We walked from the dome to a tram stop where a local tram took us to the Shin-Hakushima Station where we caught a JR train to the Miyajimaguchi Ferry Pier. Both the JR train and ferry ride to Miyajima
Island (Itsukushima) were covered by our JR Passes. We caught the next ferry to the island where we took pictures of the giant Torii gate marking the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine. We had only seen
pictures of the gate before, but now we could see how truly enormous it is. We walked the area just outside the ferry terminal where Connor got his first taste of okonomiyaki in Hiroshima. We also walked the
shopping area where we bought some omiyage to take home.
When we were done shopping we caught the ferry back to the pier where we found a little restaurant up the street called, Anagomeshi Ueno. Earlier, when we walked by on our way to the pier we could smell
something delicious emanating from this little place, so we stopped in for dinner on our way back. After an amazing meal of unagi over rice, we walked to the train station up the street and caught the local JR
train to the Hiroshima Station where we caught the Shinkansen back to Osaka.
On our second full day in Japan we had planned on visiting Nara Park in the morning to see all the deer. The thing was, when we were on Miyajima Island there were deer all over the place (pathways, sitting
areas, doorways, etc.). We didn't feel like we needed to go anymore, so we got up late and took our time heading to Nara for the Kingyo Goldfish Museum.
We arrived at the Mi Nara Shopping Center where the Kingyo Museum is located around lunch time before our reservations. Since we had some time we visited the food court located on the ground level for a
quick bite before visiting the museum. Dad and the boys had ramen from Mitsuba Mi Nara Shucchojo, while Mom and Jordyn got food from Ringer Hut.
Tyler, Connor, and Dad had ramen.
Noodles and gyoza from Ringer Hut.
This was a pretty cool attraction. All the goldfish displays were created by artists who used projection, light, music, and mirrors to showcase the goldfish in fresh and unique ways.
Outside.
Goldfish displays out front.
Check 'em out.
Nice clean displays.
Connor in a bowl.
Tyler riding a goldfish.
Jordyn.
Tyler dwarfing Jordyn.
Displays using light and dark.
Tyler sitting.
Mom & Dad sitting.
Ran & Deb.
Deb & kids.
Family picture.
Jordyn & Connor.
Connor.
Tyler.
Connor wearing goldfish hat.
Round One Entertainment Center
After the goldfish museum we took a break to play some games in the entertainment center.
Taiko Tyler.
Trying to get Stitch.
Connor trying for... something.
Part of the Kingyo Goldfish ticket included admission to the Nara Ikimono Museum. This museum had all kinds of lizards, snakes, and reptiles.
Connor.
Tyler.
Connor and his dino-friends.
Nice backdrop.
Sennichimae Shopping District
After spending most of the afternoon in Nara we got on a local train and made our way to Dotonbori. Here, we wanted to see the sites and find a place to sample Osaka's famous okonomiyaki.
The first thing we did was send our bags ahead of us to Kyoto using a luggage service. We dropped off all our baggage in the hotel lobby in the morning and headed to the Shin-Osaka Station to board our
Shinkansen to Kyoto. It was a really short train ride - about 20 minutes and the next thing we knew we were in a different and much larger train station. The Kyoto Station is centrally located in the heart
of Kyoto and was about a block and a half from our hotel, APA Hotel Kyoto Ekihigashi. This room was somewhat smaller than our last one, but it served its purpose as we were only intereted in sleeping there.
When we arrived at the Kyoto Station we walked around and shopped a little. Mom found a particular furikake that some folks back home had asked for. We decided to look for something to eat and found a Chinese
restaurant, Hyakuraku. It appeared to be a popular location for locals as most people knew exactly what they wanted.
After lunch we boarded a southbound train for the Nintendo Museum. We got in around 2:00 pm and immediately started touring the museum. It was an historically comprehensive look at Nintendo from what
it was to where it is today. We never knew that Nintendo had its humble beginnings with Hanafuda, a card game involving flower cards representing the 12 months of the year. Debbie and Jordyn took the Hanafuda
Workshop to try and learn how to play. Using interactive displays they learned basic game strategies and how to keep score. The boys, meanwhile, headed straight to the video game area where they both used
complimentary tokens to play all the various games available for visitors. Deb and Jordyn also tried their hands at some of the video games and even got their pictures taken while playing. Ran spent most of
his time in the vintage section of the museum. He was struck by how Nintendo was simply a toy manufacturer in the early years holding the Japanese licenses for games like Twister or the license for Disney
characters. They even made their own version of Lego for a time.
When we were done we headed back to Kyoto for dinner where we ate at another restaurant in the Kyoto Station called, DK Dining Tempura & Sake Ginten. Kyoto Porta Store. The Japan dining app Jordyn was using
to help us find local restaurants called Tabelog rated this site at around 3.3. While that might not sound like a particularly great score, anything above a 3 is actually quite good. We all ordered some kind
of tempura and they fried it fresh while we were waiting. Delicious.
There are a great many sites to see in and around Kyoto. Since arriving in Japan, we had been getting around either by bus or train. Kyoto was a different situation, however, since many of the places
of interest are somewhat far apart. Trying to see everything using public transit would have been prohibitive, so we elected to hire a private tour guide who would drive us to all the places we wanted to see.
This ended up being a wise investment because not only did he, Akii, know how to get around town, but he also knew the history of the sites and took pictures for us too!
Arashiyama
Our first stop was in Arashiyama where we toured the Kimono Forest and the Bamboo Forest. The Kimono Forest is situated right behind the Randen Arishiyama Station. It didn't take long to walk and see
everything, so we headed back out front where we met our tour guide who led us to the Bamboo Forest, quite literally, across the street. The Bamboo Forest was impressive with extremely tall bamboo on both
sides of the pathway. Tourists were everywhere taking pictures and admiring the site. When we reached the end, we turned around and headed back stopping to take pictures along the way.
Entry to Kimono Forest.
Mom and Ty inside Kimono Forest.
Family shot.
Pond of Dragon.
Ran & Deb.
Kids.
Heading into the Bamboo Forest.
Family pic.
This is the pic we all wanted.
Outside the Bamboo Forest.
Connor.
Jordyn.
The next stop wasn't too far away called Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple. This temple has become famous for stone statues that were all individually created by everyday people who were taught to carve by Kocho
Nishimura. Nishimura was a sculptor who became a Buddhist monk and was ordered to oversee reconstruction of Otagi Nenbutsu-ji. He urged everyone to help bring forth unique and personal figures "hiding in the
stone". These 1,200 stone carvings are known as rakan, followers of Buddha.
Stone carvings.
Parent and baby.
Parent and child.
Sunglasses.
Turned head.
Laughing.
Upside down.
Deb.
On the veranda.
Buddha.
O-naijin.
Seems oddly familiar.
I don't see the resemblance.
Open wide!
Outside.
The Shogun in 1397, Yoshimitsu, built Kitayama Palace in what was the Saionji family's villa. It would become the center of politics and culture. After he passed, his will instructed that it become a temple.
Kinkaku-ji Temple was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1994.
Kinkaku-ji.
Family.
Back.
Can get pretty close in back.
Pitching coins for good luck.
White snake mound.
Ryumon-baku.
Snacks.
Nishiki Market
After Kinkaku-ji Temple our guide drove us to Nishiki Market for lunch. He dropped us off near some restaurants and the entrance to the market. Jordyn used the Tabelog app to find a sushi place just down
the street.
Nishiki Katsuzushi.
Menu.
Today's sushi.
Watching him prepare our meal.
First, we had to read instructions on how to eat the sushi.
First Set.
Second Set.
Third Set.
Ran's Set.
Nishiki Market.
Inside Nishiki Market.
Mmm... Wagyu Beef.
Gotta try some.
That's some good meat!
Fushimi Inari Shrine
One of the must see tourist spots we had to visit was the Fushimi Inari Shrine with its thousands of Torii Gates. While we could have hiked to the Shrine, it was after lunch and it was starting to get
crowded, so we took the short cut back to the front. It was a sight to behold.
Entrance.
Out front.
Shrine.
Torii Gates.
Another family shot.
Walking the Torii Gates.
Hokan-ji Temple
Hokan-ji Temple also known as the Yasaka Pagoda rises up above the Higashiyama District. This old Kyoto neighborhood hasn't changed much over the years. The streets are narrow and the structures look as
they probably have for centuries. Visitors will wear traditional kimono or yukata and take pictures in this scenic locale in an effort to blend the old with the new.
Hokan-ji Temple up ahead.
Made it to the Temple.
Just an example of what it was like.
Heading back.
Kiyomizu-dera Temple
There was some time after Hokan-ji Temple, so our guide took us to Kiyomizu-dera Temple which was near by. This Temple offered some amazing views looking back toward downtown Kyoto.
Temple.
View.
Panoramic.
In front.
Family with Kyoto in the background.
Kyoto Station
Our guide, Akii, returned us to our hotel after a long day of touring around the greater Kyoto area. Since our hotel is so close to the Kyoto Station, we headed back there to find a place to eat. We ended
up in a small ramen place, Kyoto Ramen Koji, on the 10th floor of Kyoto Station. Afterward, we headed back downstairs for a few pictures and donuts for dessert.
Day 5 in Japan was reserved for Toei Kyoto Studio Park (Uzumasa Kyoto Village). The closest thing this can be compared to is probably Universal Studios. This is a working studio where movies and TV shows
requiring Edo period buildings and backdrops are made. There were self-guided tours to look at old movie posters, costumes, props, and special exhibits. Before lunch we caught a show where actors fought with
swords and performed stunts. We also signed up for an Escape the Room activity in the early afternoon. This wasn't the same as the Escape the Rooms back home where one would solve clues to open doors or unlock
locks. This Escape the Room was about actually trying to find the doors!
On the train ride to Toei Studio, we saw advertisements using Ultraseven to promote fiber optic Wi-Fi.
Ultraseven.
J:Com fiber optic wifi.
Toei.
Outside.
Historic shops.
More shops.
More sets.
Cherry blossoms.
Yagura.
Bridge.
100 Years of Uzumasa Period Dramas.
Jordyn.
Connor.
Armor.
Swords.
Robe.
Costumes.
Kimono.
Wigs.
Set.
Posters & set piece.
One of the cool attractions we caught while visiting Toei was the Kamen Rider Super Sentai History Exhibit. It appeared as if the costumes from all the Kamen Rider series were represented as well as all
the red costumes from the Super Sentai series. It was fun to walk through and see everything in one room. We took pictures with the characters we remembered watching 15 years ago (or in the cases of Deb and
Ran - 50 years ago).
Entry.
Deb and the original Kamen Rider.
Kamen Rider.
Kamen Rider V3.
Machine Massigler.
Kamen Rider Agito.
Himitsu Sentai Gorenger.
Deb's favorite.
Group shot.
Jordyn.
Tyler.
Connor.
First Red Power Ranger in the US.
Gallery.
Lunch at Toei.
If it's curry, it's Connor's.
Evangelion Kyoto Base.
We were done at Toei by mid-afternoon, so we took a short bus ride to the train station where we hopped on a local train back to Kyoto Station. We did some shopping, and Jordyn found a nice restaurant, Koke
Kokko, that's known for their chicken dishes. It was still early so we were able to snag a table as long as we were done by 6:00 pm. It was more than enough time. Anyway, we found the food to be delicious,
but they didn't waste any part of the chicken. We were able to eat the gizzard, but had difficulty with the liver.
Appetizer.
Entree.
Dinner in Kyoto.
Dessert.
After dinner
So, after dinner we walked around a little and then headed back to the hotel. One of the really nice things about the hotels in Japan is they have pajamas or yukatas for sleeping. Deb and I tried the
yukatas at this hotel as we had forwarded our luggage onto Tokyo so we wouldn't have to deal with it on the Shinkansen the next day.
Yukata.
The kids, meanwhile, wanted to explore a little so they went out and checked the surrounding area near the Kyoto Station. They found a McDonald's and decided to try some of the menu items only found in
Japan. Some of the food items they sampled were the Hokkaido Jaga Teriyaki, Hakata Mentai Teriyaki, Nagoya Tebasaki Chicken, Shaka Shaka Potato, hot apple pies (because they're still fried in Japan), and 3
different McFloats to drink. They weren't impressed. Of all the things they ordered they said the chicken was the only thing that was edible. Even the apple pies were a disappointment because while they were
fried (not baked like in the US), they changed the filling.
Nearly one week into our Japan vacation we were going to be busy getting from Kyoto to Tokyo and then making our scheduled appointments to various attractions we wanted to visit. We started our morning
purchasing ekiben for the Shinkansen ride from Kyoto Station to Tokyo Station. This ride would be over 2 1/2 hours long, so we were able to take our time once we boarded the train. Tyler purchased a meal that
would heat itself after he pulled a string. It was a little scary because once he pulled the string the box made a funny hissing sound, but after it was done, he really enjoyed his hot meal.
Kyoto to Tokyo.
Deb's.
Ran's.
Jordyn's.
Tyler's.
Connor's.
Enjoying ekibens.
We thought we had about 45 minutes to get to the chopstick making workshop after arriving at Tokyo Station. We didn't take into account that Tokyo Station was going to be so big that we would get lost.
It took forever just to figure out what side of the station we should exit. Once we got outside we couldn't figure out where the bus station was, so we decided to walk. We were only about a 10 or 15 minute
walk to the chopstick workshop, and if we walked at a decent pace we should be able to make it on time. We literally got there right at 2:00 pm.
There were a lot of people inside the shop and outside in line to get in. We arrived just before a group of 20-somethings from the US got in line behind us. Once the manager checked us in and surveyed the
crowd, she told the workers that our group plus the group behind us would have to go to another location about 2 blocks away. One of the workers escorted us to the other larger location in a building on the
9th floor. The elevator was tiny so Deb, the boys, and the worker all proceeded up before Jordyn and Dad. By the time the elevator returned to ground level the group of 20-somethings arrived. Jordyn and Ran
got in the elevator plus a guy and gal from the other group.
Once inside the bigger workshop we all settled into our spaces. We received instructions on how to choose the wood we wanted and then begin the process of shaping the chopsticks. Once we were all done shaving
the wood into chopsticks, we had to sand them, oil them, and decide what we wanted engraved into the handles. The entire process took about an hour.
While we were waiting for the chopsticks to be engraved, Tyler and Connor asked Deb if she could help them take a picture. It turns out the guy and gal Jordyn and Ran shared the elevator with were celebrities.
The guy is known as sunkis (Christopher Sung), a pop R&B artist, who actually resides in San Francisco. Connor recognized him because he had seen him in concert down in San Diego. The gal's online name is
Pokimane (Imane Anys), and she's an online streamer on Twitch with over 9.46 million followers (as of June 2026 she is the most-followed female streamer on Twitch).
History of chopsticks.
Raw wood.
Everyone working.
Making chopsticks.
Shaving chopsticks.
What to engrave.
Engraver.
Finished product.
sunkis.
Pokimane TikTok.
After we were finished with chopstick making we headed straight for teamLab Borderless. There are different teamLab exhibits in Kyoto, Osaka, and one other in Tokyo. We visited the teamLab located in the
MORI Building Digital Art Museum. This particular exhibit used light, sound, music, and digital images of nature with interactive displays to show the true borderless nature of the world we live in.
teamLab Borderless.
Flowers.
Water.
Walk.
Bubble Universe.
Boys.
Ran.
Deb.
Crystal World.
Deb.
Universe of Water.
Ran.
Ran & Jordyn.
Tyler & Deb.
Jordyn.
Ran.
Jordyn.
Tyler.
Connor.
For dinner we headed back to Tokyo Station which was very close to the hotel. Jordyn used the Tabelog app again and found a highly rated ramen place downstairs in the station.
Day 7 in Japan was filled with train rides and shopping. Before we took off, we stopped in at Lawson's just outside our hotel. We actually have it down now where everyone grabs a nigiri or something light
to start the day. Dad found that he loves the egg salad sandwich. Our first stop was Asakusa. Deb visited here years ago when she came for work. She really enjoyed the food found here and was hoping to find
the same places she ate at last time.
Egg Salad Sando.
Train station.
Asakusa
After visiting Senso-ji Temple we all went our separate ways. Deb and Ran walked the entire shopping area while the kids went outside the tourist spot and hit up the shops and stores in the surrounding
neighborhood. We all met up around lunch time and after getting a quick bite to eat we walked over to Don Quijote and Uniqlo just down the street. We headed back to the hotel where we were going to wait
before our reservations for Tokyo City View in the late afternoon. While we were there everyone checked their maps to see what was near the hotel and were surprised that we were very near some shopping
areas with stores we were interested in visiting. The boys found we were literally two blocks away from a Pokemon Center and Ran found an Ultraman Store very close to where we ate dinner the night before.
Since we had time we decided to check these places out.
Flamme d'Or (Golden Flame).
Shopping.
Hozo-mon Gate.
Senso-ji Pagoda.
Asakusa Kibidango Azuma.
Outside the shopping area.
Connor found a card store.
Spider-Man.
Mural just outside shopping area.
We walked about 2 1/2 blocks around the corner from our hotel and found the Pokemon Center Tokyo DX. We couldn't believe it. This place had every Pokemon related thing imaginable. They even had Japanese
Pokemon cards (they limited customers to 2 packs)! This place was pretty busy considering it was just a random Monday afternoon. The plushies were constantly being restocked while we were there, and the line
to check out was pretty long. In the end, the boys walked around and picked up omiyage for their friends, plus some packs of cards for Cousin Mason.
Outside.
Inside main lobby.
Snorlax greeted us as we exited the elevator.
Jordyn with 3 Pokemon as we entered the store.
Plushies.
More plushies.
The next stop was Tokyo Station. We discovered there is a section of the shopping area dedicated to anime and tokusatsu (special effects) shows. It wasn't that far away from where we had dinner the night
before, so we walked back to the hotel, dropped off all the Pokemon stuff, and proceeded to Tokyo Station. Sure enough, just a short distance from the restaurant we found the Ultraman Store. Connor and Dad
(mostly Dad) were really happy. Connor ended up buying a bunch of Ultraman cards (similar to Pokemon cards), and Dad bought a noren to hang by his computer. There were a number of other stores near by so we
checked all those out as well.
Ultraman World M78.
Ultraseven.
Dad posing with Ultraseven.
Kamen Rider store.
Evil Agito.
Pikachu.
Pokemon Store - Tokyo Station.
Connor & Tyler.
Connor at One Piece store.
So, we scheduled our visit to Tokyo City View in the late afternoon. We would arrive with the sun still in the sky to take pictures in daylight. Then, we hung around long enough to watch the sunset, and
then take pictures when the city lights came on after dark.
Ran & kids.
Deb & Jordyn.
View.
We're pretty high up.
Panoramic.
Buildings.
Waiting for sunset.
Sun going down.
Getting dark.
Street lights.
Lights coming on.
Deb & Jordyn.
Family.
After dark.
For dinner we went all the way to the bottom level (below street level). There were only restaurants down there, and Jordyn used Tabelog to see which was the best. We decided we'd try the tonkatsu
restaurant, Butagumi Dining. We're so glad we did. There were 4 different grades of pork available and we all chose to get the second from the bottom. We can't imagine how good the best cuts were because
what we ate was absolutely perfect. The meat was still moist, very tender, and just about melted in our mouths. They offered tonkatsu sauce but recommended we use the salt (Himalayan salt). The salt was
definitely the way to go. This was right up there with some of the best meals we ate while in Japan.
Our last Tuesday in Japan was reserved for DisneySea. We heard a lot about the Disney Parks in Japan so we were all eager to check it out. We chose DisneySea because it had rides that were different from
what we have in California. We also chose to go mid-week in the hopes we could avoid any really big crowds, and while the place was busy, we believe it was less crowded than had we gone on the weekend.
Unfortunately, Frozen was closed for scheduled repairs and wouldn't reopen until well after we returned home. Despite the disappointment, we were still able to ride a number of other attractions and had a
great time.
Getting There and Entry
We discovered there was a bus that picks up passengers at the Tokyo Station and drops them right in front of either Tokyo DisneySea or Tokyo Disneyland. That was the easiest ride we took in Japan. It dropped
us off right before 9:00 am when the gates open at DisneySea. Obviously, we had to wait while everyone went through security, but once we were in we had free rein of the entire park.
We set aside our last full day in Japan for shopping. Dad had heard about this mall located a short train ride from Shinjuku. It was famous for collectible toys and anime items. The kids were interested
too, so we made plans to get there when it opened around 10:00 am. The bottom floor has mainstream stores like grocery stores, retail pharmacy chains, and Daiso where Deb did some shopping. The toy stores and
collectible shops were located on the upper levels.
Leaving Nakano Station.
Almost there.
Nakano Broadway.
There was actually a lot to look at, but Dad didn't take any pictures. It was sensory overload. There was too much to take in and it was overwhelming. He did, however, take one picture because he saw
something he owned that one of the Mandarake stores was selling. It was an old Kamen Rider action figure from the 1970's that his grandparents in Hawaii bought for him. The one for sale at the store wasn't as
nice as Dad's, so we wonder what his is worth.
Kamen Rider V3 $620.00.
Dad bought this instead $11.00.
Half way through our shopping at Nakano Broadway, we stopped for lunch just outside the mall. Jordyn found a restaurant that specializes in traditional charcoal-grilled fish meals, named Shinpachi Shokudo.
Deb, Jordyn, and Tyler all tried various salmon set meals, while Ran and Connor both had the BBQ Beef set meal. This was another great lunch. Everything was so tasty.
Salmon.
Beef.
Shibuya
When we were done at Nakano Broadway we hopped on the train and headed to Shibuya to do more shopping. The first stop was a Tower Records in a shopping center just outside the station where the boys found
K-Pop CD's available only in Japan. We toured the entire mall where Tyler was able to hit up another Uniqlo to buy more clothes. Then, we walked to Shibuya Crossing where we found the Star Wars Pop-Up Store
promoting the new Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu. That was a cool store where the guys all bought t-shirts. After that, we located another Pokemon Center that was absolutely nuts. This place was
extremely crowded but Connor found some more omiyage there that wasn't available at the Tokyo location. We were also able to buy more Pokemon cards for Mason.
Tower Records.
Hello Kitty.
3-D Cat.
3-D Cat.
Shibuya Crossing.
Star Wars.
Star Wars Pop-Up.
Mandalorian & Grogu promo.
Mandalorian & Grogu.
Tyler.
Tyler & mural.
Deb & mural.
One Piece store.
Pokemon Center.
Godzilla store.
For dinner we went downstairs in the mall and ate at Curry Up Shibuya Parco. Connor loves his curry.
Our flight home wasn't until the afternoon, so we didn't have to rush leaving the hotel. We all had our last Lawson breakfast before heading to the train station to board the Narita Express Shinkansen to
Narita. Once we checked in at the airport, we did a little shopping for last minute omiyage and had lunch. We found an ochazuke yakitori place called Kome Raku near the gate. We were all pleasantly surprised
by how good it was.
For the flight home we purchased meals that were served about 2 hours after we took off from Japan. We heard the food is much better leaving Japan than going. No one was disappointed.
Last visit to Lawson for breakfast.
Tokyo to Narita.
Sleeping on Shinkansen.
Tyler.
Poke Bowl at airport for lunch.
Boarding pass.
Pork Cutlet Sandwich.
Gyudon Beef Bowl.
What an amazing trip! A lot of hard work went into planning this family vacation. The kids all contributed greatly, especially Jordyn who took everybody's wish lists and created a workable itinerary. They
all used their phones while we were in Japan to navigate not only the train stations but also the city streets and bus stops. Without them, Deb and Ran would still be lost wandering around the Kyoto Station.
Also, the Tabelog app for dining in Japan was a lifesaver. We never had a bad meal while we were there.
Along with the wonderful cuisine we enjoyed, we'll remember the Shinkansen rides that were so comfortable and convenient. We were fortunate never to have been on a local train during the evening commute when
everyone is packed like sardines, so we'll remember the tremendous public transit system that got us everywhere we wanted to go. We won't forget all the temples, shrines, and the castle we toured whose stories
spanned centuries. Most of all, we're grateful for the time we spent with one another on a truly remarkable experience that will remain with us forever.
