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 relishing the sights only to be experienced 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 also read up on 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.
Nintendo display at Narita. |
Heading down to the Narita Express. |
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.
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 kind of 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. 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 the ferry to Miyajima Island. |
Torii Gate from the ferry. |
Deb. |
Deb and the kids. |
The family in front of the Torii Gate. |
Just Jordyn. |
Tyler up close. |
Front of Torii Gate. |
Tyler got real close. |
Deb took this pic. |
Ran. |
Shopping on Miyajima Island. |
Connor about to dig in. |
Look at all that unagi! |