We Go With Kids!

Category: japan

  • Best Science Centers in the World

    Best Science Centers in the World

    Science museums offer interactive and hands-on exhibits to inspire excitement for STEM learning.  Many science museums also participate in the ASTC Travel Passport Program, which provides members of participating museums free reciprocal admission to hundreds of natural history, science and children’s museums around the world.  We asked some of our fellow family travel bloggers for favorite science museums they’ve visited and came up with this list of the best science centers in the world (asterisked museums are participants in the ASTC Travel Passport Program).

    Best Science Museums for Kids

     

    #1:  Arizona Science Center With Kids* (Phoenix, Arizona)

    There are two things that make for a great science museum: interactive exhibits and engaging explanations. We found both of those in spades at the Arizona Science Center! We visited with our 3 and 5 year old children and found meaningful, hands-on stations to suit everyone in the family along with easy-to-understand signage everywhere. There’s almost an entire floor dedicated to the human body, a huge section on mechanics and even a large area covering extreme weather (perfect for my Storm Chasers-loving husband). The Center always shows interesting and age-appropriate films at its IMAX theater and has a fantastic cafe on-site that offers food that is both healthy and fun. A visit to the Arizona Science Center is the perfect way to escape the Phoenix heat with kids, and bring your ASTC member card for free admission!

    Recommended by Melissa Conn from The Family Voyage.  Find out more from Melissa about great family activities in Phoenix. 

     

    #2:  California Academy of Sciences With Kids (San Francisco, California)

    The California Academy of Sciences is both a natural history museum and a science museum all in one! The Academy has a rain forest, aquarium (with a touch and feel tide pool), planetarium, living roof, and a section where they provide African wildlife exhibits – including real penguins! The playroom is a favorite with our 1 and 3 year old children, too. Visitors can’t forget the albino alligator, Claude, who lives in the swamp of the Academy. We’ve had a membership to this museum since before we had kids, and we now continue to renew it because there is truly something for everyone. It’s located in a central part of the Golden Gate Park, so it’s a perfect spot to stop while you are exploring San Francisco.

    Recommended by Emily Jenks from Henry and Andrew’s Guide.  Find out more from Emily about San Francisco with kids.

     

    #4:  Cite des Sciences et de l’industrie With Kids (Paris, France)

    Housed inside a giant concrete block, the Cite des Sciences is the largest science museum in Europe.  It has several permanent exhibits featuring sciences, mathematics and technology.  Visitors can explore the human brain, learn about the origins of the universe and see how man has developed technology, among other things.   Don’t miss the Geode at the back of the museum; this enormous reflective globe contains a state of the art IMAX and virtual reality cinema.

    Children will be especially interested in the Cite des Enfants (Children’s City) where they can join a 90 minute session and explore experiments and interactive tasks, while learning about their bodies and the physical world.  Older children can also play in a TV studio and a garden.  The sessions are split by age: ages 2 – 7 and 5 – 12.  Kids don’t want to leave!

    After exploring the exhibits in the museum, take a walk in the Parc de la Villette behind the museum to see its modern, industrial architecture.  The Cite des Sciences is a little off the main tourist trail in Paris, but it’s reached easily enough from the Gare du Nord.  There’s no general admission fee, but individual exhibits do require admission, and pre-booking the children’s city is a good idea to avoid the long queues.

    Recommended by Emily Cole from Kids and Compass.  Find out more from Emily about Paris with small kids.

    #5:  The Franklin Institute With Kids* (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

    The Franklin Institute is a science and technology center in Center City in Philadelphia. It’s named for Philadelphia’s beloved citizen and Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, who wore many hats but most notably as a scientist and inventor. When we go to Philadelphia to visit family in the suburbs, my children always insist on visiting the Franklin Institute.

    Visitors can easily spend an entire day at this center because there is so much to do. The Institute has special exhibits that rotate regularly. For example, we have enjoyed exhibits on Pompeii and the Terracotta Warriors. There is an IMAX theater, a planetarium and many interactive exhibits. For example, there is a giant human heart that visitors can walk both around and through, while exploring the different parts of the organ. Even though the Institute is very popular, it never feels crowded because it is so large. It’s easily one of the best science centers we have ever visited.

    Recommended by Shobha George from Just Go Places Blog.

     

    #6:  Luray Caverns With Kids (Luray, Virginia)

    Luray Caverns is basically the Geology Hall of Fame. Located in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, Luray is the largest and most visited caverns in Eastern America. This one of a kind attraction combines geology, chemistry and even music. Admission tickets include a guided tour, which departs every 20 minutes after 9 a.m., and access to the The Luray Valley Museum, the Car and Carriage Museum and Toy Town Junction. Families can also buy additional tickets to the Rope Adventure Park and Garden Maze. The guided tour leads visitors through well lit, paved walkways to view and explore towering stone formations and natural wonders. Our family stopped at this one of a kind center on a road trip to Georgia, and I literally had to drag my kids out of there. My science and history loving children were in awe of the enormous chambers filled with towering stone columns, draperies and crystal-clear pools. For visitors looking for a unique science museum that offers hands on and experienced based learning in a stunning environment, Luray Caverns should be on your East Coast itinerary.

    Recommended by Ruth Mendes from Have Kiddos Will Travel.

     

    #7:  Magna Science Adventure Centre With Kids (Rotherham, England)

    We love the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, Yorkshire. It’s based around air, fire, water and Earth with different exhibit areas for each. The Centre is set in an old steel works, and the space is massive and actually a little spooky. There is a big melt every hour with fireworks and other sounds to demonstrate how they used to melt the steel. Each of the pavilions has different interactive displays for young and old to play with and explore. Our particular favourites are watching a tornado of fire ignite in the fire pavilion, playing with pretend rocks and blowing holes in rocks in the Earth pavilion and shooting water canons at targets in the water pavilion. There’s also one of the biggest playgrounds I’ve ever seen that has a splash park in the warmer months. The added cherry on top is that once visitors have paid for one visit they can return as many times as desired for the next 12 months without charge.

    Recommended by Suzy McCullough from Our Bucket List Lives.

    #8:  National Science and Technology Museum Leonardo da Vinci With Kids* (Milan, Italy)

    The National Science and Technology Museum Leonardo da Vinci is the biggest science museum in Italy. The outside of the 16th-century monastery that houses the museum is nothing to look at, but the inside is amazing. The Museum has a huge collection of sixteen thousand technical scientific objects, dating back to the 19th century. There’s a gallery with drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci and 130 scale models that are based on his sketches. Furthermore, the Museum has exhibits about energy production, communication, computers, iron and steel industry and space travel. The transportation section takes up a large part of the museum, with various (parts of) ships, a collection of locomotives and train carriages, numerous airplanes and even a full-size helicopter. Our son was also really impressed by the huge military submarine Enrico Toti that sits in the garden. We only spent a morning at the museum with our toddler and did not nearly have enough time to see it all.

    Recommended by Lisa van den Berg from Flip Flop Globetrotters.  Find out more from Lisa about things to do in Milan with kids.

     

    #9:  Nagoya City Science Museum and Electricity Museum With Kids (Nagoya, Japan)

    The Nagoya City Science Museum in Nagoya, Japan houses the biggest planetarium in the world.  The 30 minute planetarium show about the galaxy and constellations, featuring a highly realistic starry sky, will leave the viewers in awe even though it isn’t dubbed in English.   Visitors will also enjoy various exhibits such as the Tornado Lab, Deep Freezing Lab and Electric Discharge Lab.

    For Nagoya visitors who love science, the Electricity Museum is a family-friendly attraction in Nagoya, Japan where kids and adults can enjoy learning how electricity works and its importance to the people of Japan. We toured the museum through the Nagoya Sightseeing Tour Bus, and the entrance ticket is free for everyone. It offers hologram images where visitors can see the pioneers in Japanese electricity and there are interactive tools on display and a science plaza where kids can experiment and be familiarized with different science laws. The main attraction of this museum is the OHM Theater where guests can participate in quizzes and competitions as video game characters on their impressive 29-foot screen.

    Recommended by Catha Buti-Uy of Team Uy Travels.

     

    #10:  Oregon Museum of Science and Industry With Kids* (Portland, Oregon)

    The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (“OMSI”) in Portland, Oregon, is not somewhere visitors might think of bringing a child, and we worried whether our son would enjoy it. We wanted to visit the special exhibition OMSI had about Pompeii, but we were delighted to find lots for kids to enjoy. We were totally blown away by it. The Science Playground was by far our son’s favourite section.  Designed for kids ages 0-6, there were water tables, sand pits and lots of different sections for free-play, learning and discovery. The Planetarium was also a hit with our young son, and the rest of the museum was filled with different exhibits for children of all ages. One thing we missed during our visit was USS Blueback, the submarine that was featured in The Hunt for Red October and now permanently docked beside the museum. I was gutted to learn that we had missed it, but it’s a perfect excuse for a return visit!

    Recommended by Catherine from Passports and Adventures.  Find out more from Catherine about the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

     

    #11:  Perot Museum of Nature and Science With Kids* (Dallas, Texas)

    The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is not merely a science center. This awe-inspiring, 160,000 square foot structure is a state-of-the-art experience intersecting the worlds of engineering, science, architecture, nature and sustainability. With eleven permanent exhibits, six learning labs and one traveling exhibit, the sprawling six floors deliver excitement. My fourth-grader loves the Rose Hall of Birds where visitors can build and fly their own bird. The Leap Frog Forest enchants my toddler as kids of all ages can crawl, jump and play life-size leapfrog. Both kids agree that the top attractions are:

    • Sports: Practice an athletic move then film yourself in “Motion Lab” or challenge a T-Rex, Dallas Cowboy or cheetah in a timed race at “Run.”
    • Life Then and Now: Build your own dinosaur then send it to battle.
    • Engineering and Innovation: Lead pre-built robots on missions or program one yourself using visual coding stations.

    But, don’t forget to squeeze in some other special engagements. Marvel at the Perot Dinosaur, a new species found by Perot Museum Paleontologists. Crack open an Amethyst Geode that stands 5 feet tall. Visitors can also get their groove on at Harmony Park, watch a 4D Film at the National Geographic Experience Theater or view a real brain and stem at “Being Human.”

    Recommended by Brandy from Kid Allergy Travel.

     

    #12:  Science World at TELUS World of Science With Kids* (Vancouver, Canada)

    Science World at TELUS World of Science is one of the best science museums we have visited.  Not only does it stand out in terms of location and architecture, but it also has diverse displays, hands-on experiments and award-winning playgrounds.  Most displays are designed to be intuitive, and children and grown-ups are encouraged to try things out and have fun while exploring the museum and learning. Kids can try to weigh a hippo, climb on a rotating climbing wall and crawl through a beaver lodge. There are regular live demonstrations throughout the day, and we planned to visit for 2 hours and end up staying for 4.5. Science World is one of Vancouver’s must-do kid-focused tourist attractions.

    Recommended by Jules from Shades of Courage.

     

    #13:  Scienceworks With Kids (Melbourne, Australia)

    For parents of children constantly asking “why” about everything, Scienceworks in Melbourne feeds the curiosity of young minds.  Offering a wide range of kid friendly exhibits with hands on activities, and live demonstrations, this child-focused museum makes learning about science fun and exciting.

    For little space lovers, the planetarium teaches kids about planets, constellations, and their home planet Earth through a kid-friendly animated film. With reclining seats and a domed roof, visitors can sit back and enjoy the show.  Kids also love the “lightning room” which is a 120-seat auditorium that presents demonstrations to teach children about electricity.  Learn about dinosaurs, the ocean, bugs and insects, and much more.  For those visiting Melbourne, Scienceworks is a great day out for the whole family.

    Recommended by Chontelle from Mum’s Little Explorers.

     

    Best Science Centers For Kids

    There are so many of these best science museums in the world that are now on our travel list.  For more amazing museums for young scientists, check out the Best Natural History Museums in the World!

  • Best Natural History Museums in the World

    Best Natural History Museums in the World

    Our kids love museums, and we often visit natural history museums while we travel, particularly those that participate in the ASTC Travel Passport Program, which provides members of participating museums free reciprocal admission to hundreds of natural history, science and children’s museums.  Natural history museums are a great way to extend classroom learning.  We asked our fellow family travel bloggers for their favorites and came up with this list of the best natural history museums in the world (asterisked museums are participants in the ASTC Travel Passport Program):

    Best Natural History Museums With Kids

     

    #1:  American Museum of Natural History With Kids* (New York City, New York)

    The American Museum of Natural History is the largest Natural History museum in the world and is housed in a beautiful building in New York’s Upper West Side, right outside Central Park. It’s crammed full of artifacts from land, sea and space and is super family friendly for visitors with kids. Our favourite section (and I think the favourite for the majority of visitors) is the Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs, which contains a huge selection of dinosaur fossils. There is a T-Rex, a stegosaurus, a triceratops and loads more for any dino fans. But it’s not only dinosaurs, the Museum also has a fantastic oceans exhibit – home to the amazing 94 foot long blue whale model, halls featuring birds and reptiles halls (watch out for the 25 foot python!), exhibits about human origins and cultural diversity and a fantastic section about space. All around the museum are interactive touch screens with more information, and don’t all kids love a touch screen?! General admission for adults costs $23 and $13 for children.  The Museum opens daily at 10 am, which is the best time to visit to avoid the crowds.

    Recommended by Karen from Are We There Yet Kids.

     

    #2:  Denver Museum of Nature and Science With Kids* (Denver, Colorado)

    We are privileged to have a world-class nature and science museum in Colorado. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has something for everyone with an interest in natural science. The Museum has an IMAX Theater and planetarium with various shows. Traveling exhibits include such divergent topics as Vikings, bioluminescent animals, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The permanent exhibits showcase outer space, animals from around the world, the intricacies of our bodies, Egyptian mummies, and prehistoric dinosaurs.

    But we love bling, so our favorite museum exhibit is the gems and mineral showcase. As self-professed rock hounds, we love to see the awe-inspiring collection of minerals and gemstones. Indigenous Colorado gemstones include aquamarine, amazonite, and the very rare rhodochrosite. The largest gold nugget found in Colorado is also on display. We always learn new things about the gemstones and minerals during our visits.

    Recommended by Lance Hale from Family Well Traveled.

     

    #3:  Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa With Kids (Wellington, New Zealand)

    Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (commonly referred to as “Te Papa”) is mind-blowing and an unmissable stop on a New Zealand itinerary. Perched on the waterfront in Wellington, this 6 story building is stuffed with awe-inspiring exhibitions on Aotearoa/New Zealand’s history, it’s natural world and cultural treasures. Te Papa Tongarewa (meaning ‘container of treasures”) is literally packed with hands on, interactive exhibits, which our kids, ages 6 and 3 loved. Far from dragging them around the museum, they ran from exhibit to exhibit excited and totally engaged. The five main collections are Arts, History, Taonga Māori, Pacific Cultures, and Natural History. From impressive native species such as the pygmy blue whale skeleton and the world’s largest specimen of the rare colossal squid (weighing 496 kg!) to more light-hearted exhibits such as Peter Jackson replicas of Orcs to more sobering inclusions such as the current Gallipoli exhibition, Te Papa is, in our opinion, one of the greatest museums in the world.  FREE ENTRY apart from specific touring exhibitions.  Allow a full day!

    Recommended by Mags Nixon from The Family Freestylers.

     

    #4:  National Museum of Natural History and Science With Kids* (Tokyo, Japan)

    The best museum in Ueno Park for families with kids is the National Museum of Natural History and Science.   This is the huge building with a concrete blue whale on one side and a locomotive on the other. That basically sums up what the museum is about – the encounter of people with nature, which in Japanese culture is a continuum rather than a disruption.

    The Museum tells the story of how people came to Japan (via Okinawa), and how the islands looked before they came. That part of the museum is pretty conventional, although English explanations are limited.  Audio guides are also available.

    The coolest part of the museum is the “global gallery”, which goes down three levels into the ground, with dinosaurs in the middle. The cartoon movie explanation of evolution one floor below is also very interesting, a bit tongue in cheek, although everyone looks like an American cartoon from the 1950s. We were entertained by the exhibit representing the smart phone as the peak of evolution.

    The upper floors of the global gallery contain exhibits about technology, Japanese technology of course. The upper floors are where kids will get their most lasting memory of their visit in ComPASS, the space for children’s play and communication. It was recently opened after a renovation and is really fun for the kids. It is so popular that visitors have to get a queue ticket at the information desk at the first floor.

    Especially on rainy days, the museum can be crowded. Bring a packed lunch and eat it in the lunch space on the basement floor of the old building (the “honkan”). There are two restaurants, but the wait could be as long as several hours to be seated.  Except for the dinosaurs, children do need adult explanation of the exhibits but absolutely love exploring this fact-packed museum.

    Recommended by Wisterian from Wisterian Watertree.

     

    #5:  Natural History Museum With Kids (London, England)

    There is so much to captivate children at London’s Natural History Museum whether they’re into dinosaurs and furry owls or giant whales and tiny insects. Visitors can feel the earth move in the Earthquake machine, play detective games around the museum and visit colorful butterflies in the Butterfly House. The hands-on Science Centre is a great place for children to examine specimens from around the world, using microscopes and other instruments.

    The most popular gallery is the Dinosaurs, where visitors can get up close to prehistoric specimens, including the skull of a plant-eating Triceratops, an Iguanodon, one of the first species of dinosaur, and of course, the formidable Tyrannosaurus Rex.  Hope, a 25 meter long blue whale skeleton, is suspended from the ceiling of the main hall.  The Natural History Museum is open daily and admission is free.

    Recommended by Nicky of Go Live Young.  Find out more from Nicky about London with kids.

     

    #6:  Natural History Museum (Vienna, Austria)

    Vienna’s Natural History Museum was one of the highlights of our trip to Vienna with our kids, aged 3 and 1 years old. We actually pushed this activity as one of the last, since it isn’t specifically geared towards kids, but we are so glad we didn’t miss it! For kids who love animals, this place is a must. We toured the taxidermy exhibit on the top floor of the Museum, where taxidermy of every kind of mammal imaginable was exhibited 3 times and saw every kind of mammals imaginable! The architecture is absolutely breathtaking, and the Museum is enjoyable for adults too. Even our 1-year-old was amazed at all the animals. Families visiting Vienna with kids should not push this museum off – it’s totally kid-friendly and adult friendly too!

    Recommended by Emily Jenks from Henry and Andrew’s Guide.

     

    #7:  Natural History Museum of Marseille With Kids (Marseille, France)

    There may be countless natural history museums in the world, but not many of them are housed in magnificent 19th century palaces. If you happen to be in the city of Marseille in the south of France, make sure you visit the Natural History Museum of Marseille located inside the Palais Longchamp. Why our family loves this museum:

    • It contains thousands of zoological, botanical, mineral and fossil specimens, some of them long extinct.
    • It has four permanent exhibits: Safari Room, Provence Room, Human Earth and Land of the Living.
    • It has an old-fashioned feel to it. It was founded in 1819, and we felt like we were indeed stepping back to the 19th century when visiting it.
    • There is a great interactive display for kids.
    • It has free admission on the first Sunday of each month.

    Recommended by Bea from PackYourBags.Org.  Find out more from Bea about the Natural History Museum of Marseille.

     

    #8:  Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum With Kids* (Washington, D.C.)

    We recently traveled to Washington D.C. on our recent White Christmas trip to the U.S., and visiting a few of the Smithsonian Museum’s was top of our list. First up was the National Museum of Natural History, located on the National Mall near Capitol Building. I wasn’t sure how interested the kids would be and had expected that we would whip around this museum in a few hours. How wrong was I, as we took a whole day exploring this Museum, and I still feel that we rushed through some parts of it.

    The Museum is reported to be home to approximately 126 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, human remains and human cultural artefacts. The kids most enjoyed the interactive areas, particularly where they were able to place items under a microscope and analysis them. There are a large number of animals from each continent on display, including animals that are now extinct. My son was also very interested in the Egyptian, artefacts including the mummies on display.  The museum is huge, and visitors could spend a week here and still not see if all. A full day gave us a good look around and kids enjoyed every minute of it.

    Recommended by Sally Lucas from Our 3 Kids v the World.

     

    #9:  South Australian Museum With Kids (Adelaide, Australia)

    The South Australian Museum is one of the most visited museums in Australia.  With five floors of exhibits covering fossils, mammals, Ancient Egypt, special exhibition spaces and more plus Aboriginal and Pacific Cultures collections, the South Australian Museum offers plenty for young and old.  With so many interactive hands on activities, kids will absolutely love it here.  No doubt they will love checking out the various world mammals, learning about the various South Australian biodiversity and checking out the giant squid that spans across four floors dangling in an elevator shaft!

    During the school holidays, the Museum has free school holiday programs attracting more than 5,000 school kids each holiday period.  The Discovery Centre Team located on level 1 is more than happy to have a chat about any of the exhibits, and visitors can also see bees making honey, which is sure to keep little, and big kids busy for a while.  The Discovery Centre is open from 11am-4pm weekdays, and 11am-3pm weekends and public holidays.  The Museum is open every day from 10am-5pm, including weekends and public holidays. Entry is free; however some exhibitions may charge an admission fee.

    Recommended by Melissa Delaware of Thrifty Family Travels.  Find out more from Melissa about Adelaide with kids.

     

    We love natural history museums with kids and can’t wait to visit all of these world’s best natural history museums.  For more amazing museums for young scientists, check out the World’s Best Science Centers With Kids!

  • Tokyo Disney Resort

    Tokyo Disney Resort

    Guest Blogger:  David, his wife, and their five year old son, B, have lived all around the United States, but are currently stationed in Okinawa where David enjoys producing movies and eating pancakes in his spare time. You can find David’s videos of their Okinawa adventures on YouTube.

    Tokyo Disney Resort is a theme park and vacation resort located just east of Tokyo, Japan.  My family and I currently live in Okinawa and when winter break rolled around, we decided to plan a trip to Tokyo Disney. Although it is a short 2 hour domestic flight from Okinawa to Tokyo, I’m assuming most of you won’t be starting off in Okinawa and will instead be making your own personal journey half way around the world. Spoiler alert: it’s worth it.

    We planned our trip to take place over four days, three nights from Monday – Thursday, so we could take advantage of shorter lines. In reality, this left us with 2.5 days to actually spend at the parks, which was sufficient considering our focus was not to go on “grown up rides,” but to make our five year old son happy, while stuffing our faces with Disney treats along the way.

    Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo

    There are plenty of options in terms of places to stay in and around the park, from Disney owned hotels on property to lesser ones just blocks away. We chose the Disney Ambassador Hotel, which was described as a “budget” option outside the park, but it would not be classified as a budget hotel based on our experiences in the USA! When I think of budget hotels, I think of run down, bare bones accommodations, with rooms out of a really bad Quentin Tarantino movie (cue seedy police or gunmen outside your motel room door!). The Disney Ambassador Hotel could not be further from what I had in mind.

    From the moment we stepped off the airport shuttle bus, we were greeted by smiling Japanese staff, willing to help us with every step of the check in process until we reached our room. Smiles abound and the staff was always ready to pose with you for photos, or hand your child a hotel sticker featuring Mickey Mouse. The lobby was palatial with a large sitting area, a walk down cafe with coffee and desserts, and a lounge complete with televisions playing Disney classics (in Japanese) on a loop. This was a genius component to keeping the kids entertained so the parents could complete the check in process!

    Pricing and Accommodations:

    We booked a standard room at the Disney Ambassador Hotel, but were upgraded to a superior room. We did not ask for the upgrade and, in fact, the regular rooms seemed more Mickey themed with Mickey comforters and such, but we took the upgrade because, well, upgrade. Although I am not a hotel snob by any means, I could be after this stay. The room was very spacious, with two slightly smaller than full sized beds. The bathroom came with a tub and a separate shower area. The water pressure was phenomenal – I could have power washed my home with the shower head, so that was a big plus in my book. There’s also a separate room for the toilet, complete with numerous buttons and options for your use and entertainment. Although we did not use any of the options, the seat was heated and stayed heated, which was a nice bonus.

    The rooms also came with small refrigerators, a safe, and included Disney themed pajamas for the adult guests. Yes! Free Pajamas! And I wore them! Because, Free Pajamas!

    The Disney Ambassador Hotel offers a lot for its money, if you’re willing to explore a bit. The hotel has the usual Disney gift shop, small mini Japanese grocery store and restaurants, but the biggest advantage is the location – just an 8 minute shuttle bus ride from the hotel to the parks. The hidden gem of the hotel is that it is connected to the Ikspiari Town Mall, which is a must see if you stay here. The mall has everything: a full grocery store, over 35 restaurants, a movie theater, a Disney store (of course), and many shops that are local only to Japan.

    Dining:

    The Ambassador Hotel has a Chef Mickey character restaurant where you can have breakfast, lunch, or dinner with Chef Mickey. We had breakfast there on the second day of our stay. The buffet breakfast is divided into two sections: (1) traditional American breakfast of pancakes, toast, eggs, etc and (2) Japanese style breakfast area. I never ventured into the Japanese style breakfast area because the traditional American breakfast of pancakes comes in Mickey shapes! Chef Mickey is a character restaurant so the prices were high, costing the three of us about $80 USD for breakfast. But, the food was delicious, and Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy came to our table and were happy and willing to take as many photos as we wanted. The staff also helped us take family photos, so no one was left out. Unlike the character breakfast in Orlando at Walt Disney World where I felt rushed, the food was terrible, and the characters did not engage, the Chef Mickey experience at the Ambassador Hotel is a must do if you have children (and in particular, if you want to erase any previously horrible character breakfast meal experiences).

    A Happy Chef Mickey Experience!

    Pro Tip: Check into your room and, if time allows, visit the Ikspiari Town Mall and stock up on needed supplies. Just eating dinner at the Ikspiari will save you money from the higher priced Disney hotel/resort options.  I spotted three restaurants in the Hotel (Hana Hana, The Grill, Tick Tock Diner), which all looked appetizing, but the Ikspiari Town Mall was not only cheaper but allowed us to sample local cuisine at a much more reasonable price.

    Pro Tip 2: We have been told that tipping is not necessary or expected in Japan, so we have not tipped. Feel free to google and determine whether you’re comfortable with not tipping, but our experience is that it is not expected.

    Day #2: Full Day at Tokyo Disneyland

    Tokyo Disneyland is one of two parks that make up the Tokyo Disney Resort. Disneyland opened in 1983 and was the first Disney park to be build outside the United States.

    Since we were staying at a Disney resort, we were allowed to enter Disneyland 15 minutes prior to the general public. The Park opened at 8 AM, so we woke up bright and early to take advantage of the early entry. After our Chef Mickey breakfast buffet, we boarded the hotel provided shuttle bus to the Park. The shuttle bus was very retro, but way modern with wonderful hidden Mickeys from the outside taillights to the handrails on the inside. The ride to the Park took only 8 minutes and although Tokyo Disneyland is an extremely popular vacation destination for the Japanese, you won’t find people pushing or cutting in line to enter. Everyone is extremely polite and courteous, but I would still plan on arriving at least 30 minutes prior to opening, depending on where you are staying to avoid the rush and also to grab fast passes.

    Here are a few things we did to maximize our time at the Park:

    • Breakfast at the Park its terrible. Eat before you go, because otherwise, you won’t find anything other than coffee and pastries. Most food options open at 10AM, and we found ourselves freezing outside a coffee and pastry shop across from the Monster’s Inc ride, after discovering there was no indoor seating.
    • Stop dragging around all the stuff you brought into the Park and make use of the lockers! This came in handy as we stored our heavy winter jackets during the daytime hours and came back for them towards the evening when the temperatures dropped. This also came in handy for storing purchases.
    • Once you get past the security checkpoints, hang a right just before the Magic Castle and grab a fast pass for Pooh’s Honey Hut Ride. The ride fills up quickly and fast passes run out fast, so get them early on to ensure the opportunity to ride. Once you get the fast passes, circle back to the Monster’s Inc Ride, which should still be short.
    • We enjoyed great shows which had the added bonus of giving our feet a break, but make sure you check in advance which ones are Japanese only or you will end up sitting through a show without understanding anything that is going on.
    • Tokyo Disney has some amazing snacks, and the best one is popcorn. Buy the souvenir popcorn container (there are many themed varieties, including Star Wars and Cars 3!), because then you can get the container refilled throughout the day at a discount. Flavors we sampled include: curry, tomato basil, and honey. Flavors we did not get to sample include: blueberry, chocolate, caramel, and plain old salt and butter.
    • The Electric Parade lives on at Tokyo Disney, complete with original soundtrack! Be sure to bring a blanket, though. We noticed empty blankets along the parade route about 30 minutes prior to the start. The blankets turned out to be people staking out their spot of land to watch the parade. The staff will make you sit so others behind you can see, so don’t expect to put your kids on your shoulders either. Bring a blanket to reserve your spot and also to keep your bum protected from the freezing cold sidewalk!
    • Shockingly, we found the prices to be extremely reasonable – not a mortgage for snacks and water! Definitely try the Tokyo Disney snacks offered throughout the Park!
    • Food at the Park is plentiful, and one nice thing is that people tend to eat and leave, instead of lingering for a long time. The staff only let you order your food when there is a free table, which means that you will have a place to sit once you get your food! This is such a great system that I wish Orlando had something similar.

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    Day #3: Full Day at Tokyo DisneySea

    DisneySea is the companion park to Tokyo Disneyland and was opened in September 2001.  DisneySea and Disneyland are the only two Disney parks that are not wholly owned and managed by the Walt Disney Company (although Disney does have creative control).

    I had no idea what to expect from DisneySea, although we did know that it is more geared towards adults than kids. However, there are many hidden gems for young kids, and we were amazed by how much was squeezed into a relatively small piece of real estate.

    First, I must mention the Toy Story Mania ride, which locals go crazy for. Upon entering the park, there is literally a stampede to the Toy Story Ride. It’s so crazy that there are staff members with “please walk” signs, again with a smile!  Although many blogs that I read prior to our trip suggested skipping this ride, I personally had just as much fun as my son did.

    To maximize time at DisneySea, I recommend:

    • Snag a fast pass when you enter the park, or else you will end up waiting to ride at 10pm!
    • Once you get your fast pass, head over to Mysterious Island, where there are short lines for numerous rides, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Note that Journey to the Center of the Earth is not appropriate for children, “expectant mothers,” or “persons of advanced age.”
    • After Mysterious Island, walk over to Port Discovery, where you can ride the Nemo & Friends ride, which was one of our favorite rides there – a cross between the old Star Wars ride and Soarin. The line was short enough that we got to ride it twice. Port Discovery also has bumper boats and the line was so short that we also rode it twice.
    • A friend recommended that we dine at Vulcania in Mysterious Island, saying the food was amazing. We dined there for lunch, and it was great. The food was counter cafeteria style, but because they only let us in once a table was open, we had no trouble getting our food and sampling the delicious local fare, along with some American style options. If you brought your popcorn souvenir tub, now is a good time to get some popcorn!
    • When we visited in December, temperatures hovered in the mid-40’s during the daytime. It got breezy and we wanted a break, so we stumbled into Mermaid Lagoon. Mermaid Lagoon is all indoors so it is a perfect place to relax whether it’s warm or cold outside! A true hidden gem away from the outside world with rides that kids ages 4-10 will enjoy. There was also soft carpeting, pirate rope bridges to cross, and tons of seating for tired parents to relax and sleep (yep! We saw that!). This is the place to go when the outdoors is too much or your kids need to burn off energy while you relax. There are also shops, as well as a counter service cafeteria style restaurant.

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    The Whirlpool ride at the Mermaid Lagoon.

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    • Although we did not stay at the Disney Miracosta Hotel ($$$$), which is located onsite at DisneySea, we did enjoy the dining area and walked the lobbies. It is beautiful and I really recommend you do it. The hotel has been called the most beautiful Disney property in the world and if you can afford it, you should consider staying there.
    • Since DisneySea is geared towards adults, shows fill up quickly so if you want to see a show, make it a priority and check out times in advance.

    Day #4: Half Day at Disneyland

    On our final day, we had only a half-day to spend, which we choose to spend at Disneyland. We went back to buy gifts and ride Pooh’s Honey Hut (which was out of fast passes on our first day). We got our fast passes at 8AM that morning and rode it at 10AM – definitely worthwhile. Then we went back to the Ambassador Hotel, where our luggage was being held, and started our journey back to Okinawa.

    Although your trip will undoubtedly differ from ours, I recommend that you stick to the weekdays, avoiding weekends and festivals. Your kids will have a great time and so will you, especially if you keep an open mind and try out some of the local dishes! I promise you they are delicious!

    Our family of three had a great trip to Tokyo Disney and will be back to visit again. But, I must admit, that after spending four days in 40 degree weather, we were thrilled to land in Okinawa where it is 65 and sunny all the time!

    We can’t wait to make our own trip to Tokyo Disney and experience that amazing water pressure and stuff our faces! 

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  • Japan With Kids (Part VII): What I Wish I Knew

    Japan With Kids (Part VII): What I Wish I Knew

    I have mixed feelings about our trip to Japan, in large part because of how surprisingly difficult it was to get information beforehand and how difficult it was to get around. We underestimated just how difficult “getting around” would be – from reading the subway maps/signs, to locating specific addresses, to finding restaurants that would accommodate us with our son. Having traveled to Asian countries before, I was surprised to find the lack of children in Tokyo and the hostility towards children, since most Asian countries are full of kids and tend to welcome kids with open arms.

    That said, some of the blame is likely entirely our fault as this was the first international trip we took with our son. Although we had traveled with him extensively throughout the United States prior to this trip, we likely over shot in terms of making this around-the-world trip our first International trip with kids. Nevertheless, I loved loved loved our time in Japan and can’t wait to go back. If I could do it differently, though, I would:

    • hire a local travel guide, or make more heavy use of the concierge at the hotel to identify restaurants
    • send my husband out to scope out restaurants before venturing out with our son. On a few occasions, my husband did go out and scope out locations while we were resting or napping in the afternoon and that helped significantly in terms of confirming locations and ensuring that they would allow children to dine
    • not underestimate how important it would be to make prior reservations for better dining establishments. Many of the better rated or better reviewed restaurants are small (think 4-8 tables) and turn over maybe twice during one meal, so it’s imperative that you have prior reservations if you plan to dine
    • spend more time in Kyoto. Although we never ran out of things to do in Tokyo, it was definitely too overwhelming a place to be with a little kid. In Kyoto, children seemed more welcome, and there was lots more we could have done/seen that would not have involved what seemed like endless walking on city streets
    trying to figure out the Japanese bus ticket machine

    In terms of getting around, we had a much easier time getting around in Tokyo once we got our bearings. We eventually figured out how to purchase train tickets and the stops were labeled in English so we were able to pinpoint, generally, where we wanted to go. Once we got to our general location, however, it was still sometimes overwhelming in terms of how much walking we had to do to actually locate our destination. The walking became a problem only because we had a 4 year old with us, BUT, to his credit, we easily put 4-7 miles on those legs every single day, and he managed and did it without any major issues.

    One of the nicest things about Japan was that everyone was extremely helpful and assisted in making sure that commuters got where they wanted to go. For example, our shuttle stop had an attendant with a loud speaker who would call over the bus and make sure that people who wanted to get back to the hotel got on the correct bus. This was an amazing perk and something that we saw quite a bit of throughout Tokyo.

    bus attendant

    If you have the opportunity to travel to Japan, I highly recommend it. A more off-the-beaten-path location like Okinawa or Kyoto is likely to be a better destination with kids, especially younger children. If you happen to be planning a trip in the Spring, aim for the cherry blossom season! Hopefully you get lucky like we did and hit them at peak bloom.

  • Japan Part VI: Tokyo With Kids! (what we ate)

    Japan Part VI: Tokyo With Kids! (what we ate)

    What we ate:

    Eating in Japan ended up being the biggest hurdle to overcome, which was completely unexpected given how much we love Japanese food and how good the quality of food in Japan is! It was difficult largely due to two factors: 1) difficulty in actually locating the intended restaurant (or, in some cases, determining whether a restaurant was even located on the premises) and 2) many restaurants, particularly in Tokyo, were openly hostile to the notion of dining with young children.

    The Japanese address system is extremely complicated and, as this website states, “anyone who can read Japanese may be able to identify any address within a 2 or 3 minute walk. The most detailed bilingual ones are not as good. Of course even a bilingual map as detailed as the Japanese ones would still be very hard for foreigners to use, because the signs are in Japanese only.”

    As luck would have it, we do not read Japanese and had only a bilingual map that didn’t correspond with any of the signs which were all in Japanese. Frequently, we would arrive at what we *thought* was the address for a particular restaurant only to encounter a building with 5 or 6 signs in front – all in Japanese and no obvious signs that there was a restaurant on the premises. We were further limited by the fact that we had a 4 year old who wasn’t as keen on walking an extra mile to find *the* restaurant we had underlined in our tour book and that on occasion, when we did finally find the restaurant we wanted to dine at, we were informed at the door that children were not welcome (usually, this was done by the host pointing at our son, and shaking his head at us).

    There were two restaurants that really stood out in terms of experience:

    Izuei Main Restaurant

    Eel! Who doesn’t love eel? This is a large, popular restaurant both for locals and tourists with a few locations in Japan. They never batted an eye at having a child, and I love me some eel, so this was a perfect lunch spot during our day in Ueno.

    Yakitori in Ginza

    Our day in Ginza, we popped into this popular yaki tori restaurant and enjoyed sampling all the different offerings.

    One of the experiences my husband and I definitely wanted to have was to dine at an authentic izakaya, which wikipedia describes as “an informal Japanese gastropub.” Having been turned away by a number of restaurants due to having a young child with us, we reached out to our concierge at the hotel and explained the situation to us. A few hours later, we checked in with the concierge, and he informed us that he had located an izakaya that was willing to accommodate us and that we had a reservation for that evening! Although the name of the izakaya escapes me, we had a fabulous time that night. Upon arrival, it was inquired as to how much we were willing to spend on dinner (we basically said, whatever it costs and until we’re full), and then were presented with small plate, after small plate, after small plate.

    I highly recommend the experience and suggest that you seek out the assistance of your concierge if you are unable to find an izakaya on your own! Also, because izakayas are so small and people tend to spend a few hours snacking on small plates, reservations are absolutely imperative.

    hanging out at the izakaya

    Finally, no trip to Japan would be complete without:

    (1) Vending machine ramen!

    I was enamored with the idea of vending machine ramen but quickly learned that it’s not as exciting as it sounds nor is it very good/high quality. Basically, there’s a machine with the various options, you place your order and pay at the machine, grab a table, and someone brings you your ramen. I was expecting the ramen to pop out of the machine somehow, but alas, it was not meant to be! I wouldn’t waste another meal on vending machine ramen, but it was a fun experience, and I’m glad to have done it.

    (2) local McDonald’s offerings!

    Being that we were in Japan during prime cherry blossom season, it was no surprise that there were themed offerings at McDonald’s!

    Of course, we were left with no choice but to try both. The drink was some kind of sickeningly sweet soda, and the “burger” wasn’t terrible, although also sweeter than your usual American burger. We were all amused by the pink bun!

    Continue to Part VII – What I Wish I Knew

  • Japan Part V: Four Nights in Tokyo With Kids! (where we stayed and what we did)

    Japan Part V: Four Nights in Tokyo With Kids! (where we stayed and what we did)

    From Kyoto, we took the bullet train to Tokyo. My son, of course slept the whole time and has no recollection of the experience – such is traveling with a 4 year old! The cost of the trip was 17,600 Yen per person, or approximately $160 USD. My husband, who spent a summer in Switzerland in college, said the Japanese train system was much like Switzerland – clean as a whistle and punctual. The train ride was smooth, fast, and an hassle free way to travel from Kyoto to Tokyo for the last leg of our journey – 4 nights in Tokyo.

    Where we stayed:

    Hyatt Regency Tokyo (Shinjuku)

    Our 4 nights in Tokyo were spent at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo in Shinjuku. We booked our room using points and requested a slightly larger room than the standard offering. Imagine our surprise when we entered our room and found the nicest hotel room we have stayed in to date! We also received a lovely welcome treat from the hotel and were delighted to learn that our room came with access to the Regency Club, so we had free breakfast and drinks and hors d’oevres before dinner. As if that wasn’t enough, on clear mornings, we could see Mount Fuji from the club room!

    our remarkably spacious bathroom
    the desk/office area
    I loved the partition that separated the sitting area from the bedroom
    the welcome amenity we found awaiting us upon arrival; they refilled the fruit daily
    the pre-dinner spread in the Club one night during our stay

    The hotel also has other amenities we did not get a chance to take advantage of, namely, the pool and the spa. From these photos, however, I sure wish we had snuck in a trip to the pool. The following three photos are from the hotel’s website:

    The absolutely stunning lobby. Not visible in this photo, but there were small storefronts on the outer edges of the lobby, so you could purchase macarons on your way up to your room in the afternoon (and we did this on more than one occasion)!

    What we did:

    Our hotel was conveniently located in Shinjuku. Although many of the travel sites we read said it was a business area, it ended up being centrally located to quite a bit of shopping and entertainment.

    photo credit

    Kabukicho:

    Located just a few blocks away from the hotel was Kabukicho, the entertainment and red light district. Unfortunately for us, it was the first place we wandered to upon arrival in Tokyo and did not leave a great impression on us. We had a difficult time finding restaurants to dine in and were turned away from a number of restaurants when they spotted our son. We also tried to go to the massive arcade they had, but were told no kids after 6pm. In hindsight, I suppose we should have done better research and perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that they did not let us in because who knows what we would have found behind the doors, but it was a jarring experience and unpleasant introduction to Tokyo.

    Nevertheless, we ended up returning to Kabukicho a few times during our time in Tokyo and it was there that my son discovered video games!

    Shinjuku Skyscraper District

    Our hotel was located right in the Shinjuku Skyscraper District, and so we got to see first-hand the sheer number of people who flood into Tokyo every day to work. Our first morning there, I ventured out in search of a laundromat so that our clothes could finally get a good wash. While I was out, my husband and my son went to a park, so that my son could stretch his legs and get some energy out, and they also went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and took the elevator up to the observatory (admission free). The weather was not great, so reports on the view were less than stellar.

    It took me a while to figure out the machines, but I enjoyed the solitude

     

    Speaking of playgrounds, we absolutely loved the playgrounds in Tokyo. While there weren’t a lot of children in Tokyo, we did find at least two playgrounds with fantastic climbing equipment. My son, a  natural born climber, loved hiking up the equipment and it was a great opportunity for him to release some energy. Tokyo actually is very similar to San Francisco in that you see very little children in the city. One afternoon, while at the playground, we did see a crowd of school children who had obviously just gotten out of school; but we never saw kids in any of the shopping districts or areas that we were visiting – not even the parks where the cherry blossoms were. We definitely got the sense that the children typically lived outside the city center or played a more “back seat” type role in their parents lives than they do in the US, so that is definitely something to consider when planning a trip to Japan.

    Shinjiku Gyoen Park

    Cherry blossom season begins in January in southern Japan in Okinawa and moves north, peaking in March/April in Kyoto and Tokyo. When we planned our trip, we hoped to hit the cherry blossom trees in peak bloom, but living in DC, we knew there was no guarantee, so we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.

    Happily for us, we hit the season in full throttle and basically chased the blooms from Kyoto to Tokyo. By the time we reached Tokyo, the cherry trees were in full bloom, and we were fortunate that our hotel was located within walking distance to the Shinjiku Green Park (admission 200 Yen, or ~$2). We absolutely loved walking around the gardens and visited at least twice during our stay.

    Hakuhinkan Toy Shop in Ginza

    We did quite a bit of people watching and window shopping in Tokyo, and Ginza did not disappoint. For a good portion of the afternoon, the main street is closed to traffic, so pedestrians can walk freely and the roads can accommodate the heavy foot traffic. One of our stops was the Hakuhinkan Toy Park in Ginza – a massive multi story toy shop. While there, we discovered and indoor motorized race track, which my son got a kick out of. The store was also fully stocked in Frozen dresses, and I was sad that I didn’t have the foresight to purchase a suitcase full of dresses to bring home! Based on the level of Frozen-insanity going on in the US at the time, I could have financed a good portion of our trip that way!

    Ueno Zoo

    After dragging our son through quite a number of department stores, we decided to spend a morning at the Ueno Zoo so he could stretch his legs and enjoy being a kid! The zoo was a perfectly fine way to spend a few hours, but it was nothing to write home about.

    Ueno Park

    A short walking distance from the zoo is Ueno Park, which we were delighted to discover was in full swing due to the annual cherry blossom festival. There are a number of museums and temples in the area, but we were happy to experience the park, which was hopping in activity. The pathways were lined with people and there was a street food festival going on as well. We spent a few hours just walking around and sampling the different food offerings, while also taking in some of the sights. Curiously, we were one of the very few tourists there – we saw some tourists, but others were there in large groups with pets, blankets, friends… It was clear that the Japanese enjoy spending time outdoors enjoying nature!

    My son had a blast the day we went to Ueno for the Zoo and Park. Getting a break from the constant walking, train riding, and window shopping was good for him, and it gave him an opportunity to just be a kid. He even took part in some of the food sampling and the Park also had carnival like rides for little kids. All in all, it was probably the most kid-friendly and kid-centric activity we did while in Tokyo!

    Asakusa’s Kappabashi

    a typical display of food offerings in a restaurant window

    One of the more random things we stumbled across in Tokyo was Kappabashi, Tokyo’s fake food mecca. Nearly every restaurant in Japan displays fake food, or sampuru, to provide a quick visual of what the restaurant has to offer. Until we stumbled across Kappabashi, we frequently wondered where the fake food came from and how one goes about acquiring the fake food displays for a restaurant.

    Our questions were quickly answered in Kappabashi, where we encountered blocks and blocks of shops containing every single imaginable kitchen/dining item you could imagine.

    fake burgers so good you can *almost* eat them
    we had to take a picture with the stock pot so large, you could cook a four year old in it!

     

    If you happen to find yourself in the area, definitely wander through and take a look. We ended up coming home with some items which we still use today!

    Continue to Part VI – What We Ate

  • Japan Part IV: Three Days / Two Nights in Kyoto With Kids!

    Japan Part IV: Three Days / Two Nights in Kyoto With Kids!

    We spent three days and two nights in Kyoto and looking back at the pictures now, it truly is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. Although the weather did not cooperate while we were there (it rained pretty much the entire time), we still hit many of the major sights and were extremely thankful that so many of the ancient temples and sites are still standing. Indeed, Kyoto was on the initial list of atomic bomb targets, but was scrapped from the list thanks to Henry Stimson, then US Secretary of War.

    Where we stayed:

    Westin Miyako Kyoto – For accommodations, we had a Japanese style room at the Westin Miyako Hotel, which is located about 1/2 mile from the major Kyoto business district. Since the Westin is on a hill, on the rare occasion when it wasn’t raining, we would walk downhill to the main business district, but take a taxi ride back up the hill.

    With only six Japanese style rooms on the property, we were thrilled that we were able to book one on points. The six rooms were set apart from the main property, near the gardens, and after checking in, we went in search of our room:

    the living room when we arrived
    the Japanese style bath with cedar tub and separate shower
    A close up of the cedar tub, which my son enjoyed bathing in!

    Turn down service as the Westin Kyoto is a lot more involved than just fluffing some pillows and making the bed. While we were out exploring, housekeeping came and made up our beds for the night. They tucked the small table and chairs away and replaced them with heavy futon and bedding. Having grown up sleeping on a true tatami mattress, I felt right at home. My son seemed to enjoy the novelty of it and slept very soundly both nights we were there.

    In addition to the Japanese style room, we also loved the breakfast buffet at the hotel. We ventured over to the main dining room our first morning there and quickly decided that it would be the perfect place to start our day. At the time, breakfast was ~$30USD per adult for the buffet, but we were happy to sample the different cuisine from the comfort of our hotel room.

    rice with assorted seasonings, seaweed soup, various fish/futomaki/pickles, tea

    Although my husband and I were thrilled to sample the traditional Japanese foods for breakfast, they also had a number of regular breakfast items. It was no trouble at all getting my son fed and, in fact, we saw numerous groups of families there with children ranging from infants to teen.

    The other nice thing about the Westin is that they have their own private trails behind the hotel. We took advantage of the trails the morning of our departure, to stretch our legs.

    Give a four year old a walking stick and some trails and he’s gold!

    As I mentioned earlier, the Westin is on the top of a hill, so at some point on the trails, you come across clearing where you can look down and see the commercial Kyoto district. The hotel had this handy guide to point things out.

    his own private torii gate adventure

    What we did:

    We didn’t let the rain deter us as we knew there was tons to see in Kyoto. After filling up on breakfast, we took a taxi ride from the hotel to our starting destination. Luckily, the taxis outside the Westin were familiar with the tourist spots, so we had no problems communicating where we wanted to be taken.

    Our first stop was the Arashiyama District, where we intended to catch at least two major sights: the bamboo grove and the Tenryuji Temple.

    Arashiyama Bamboo Grove – My husband said we were going to a bamboo forest and I wasn’t quite sure why. That is, until I saw the magnitude of the forest!

    These photos do not accurately portray just how surreal walking in a bamboo forest is. Luckily, the “trail” is paved so even though it was wet, we had no issues walking the path. It would easily be something a stroller could accommodate. There were still a fair amount of tourists, though, even in the abysmal weather, so I imagine this is a place that can become overwhelmingly crowded very quickly.

    Tenryuji Temple – Our walk in the bamboo forest conveniently let us out at the Tenryuji Temple. The temple is a UNESCO world heritage site and there were plenty of tourists, even in the bad weather.

    The cherry trees were just starting to bloom in Kyoto.
    I love Japanese architecture, especially doors!
    My four year old was a real champ, despite the pouring rain. It helped that we let him carry his own umbrella.

     

    side view of the temple (not a great shot as it was overcast and rainy)

    Much of the area surrounding the temple is pebble/gravel, so it could be difficult to maneuver a stroller. If necessary, I would prefer using a baby carrier to a stroller for that reason alone.

    Fushimi Inari Shrine – No trip to Kyoto is complete with a trip to the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine. We visited on our third day in Kyoto and the weather was decidedly nicer than the previous day.

    The first thing we encountered when we arrived on the main temple grounds was this water/bamboo/cup fountain. It wasn’t a hand washing station and it wasn’t a drinking fountain (but I saw quite a few people sip from the cup and then back wash it back into the basin).

    The instructive placard wasn’t much help in deciphering whether the spitting was appropriate or not. For the record, we did not spit.

    There were numerous stations around the temple where you could write a message and hang your message/wish/prayer.

     

    One of many shrine buildings, where we saw monks come and worship during our visit.

    The Fushimi Imari Shrine is probably most visited, however, for the famous torii gates. Behind the temples, there are two trails of parallel torii gates.

    the gates are donated by individuals and companies and names are inscribed accordingly
    This is what the start of the trails look like. Pick one (left or right) and start walking!

     

    As you get further up in the trails, the crowds get sparse and the density of the gates also diminishes. The path also starts off paved, but eventually you find yourself winding your way through actual trails.

    I would not recommend attempting to maneuver a stroller on these paths, and children who do not stay close should be watched closely, especially in the early part where there are dense crowds. After turning back, we went down to the commercial area near the shrine, where there were numerous tourist shops and street food vendors.

    What we ate:

    Our first night in Kyoto was a colossal fail. We walked down to the business district from the hotel and had a difficult time discerning restaurants from residences. We ended up dining at what could only be described as a Japanese truck stop before giving up and heading back to the hotel. The next day, my husband ventured out for a run through the business district while my son and I attempted to dry out our shoes. He located two restaurants, confirmed that they would both be open for dinner and later that night, we headed over to one of them.

    As you can see, the menus we were presented with weren’t exactly helpful. Luckily, I can read the numbers on the bottom of the menu, telling us how much the meals cost. We blindly ordered our food and just trusted that it would be fine – and it was. I don’t recall the name of the restaurant, but I can tell you were enjoyed it tremendously. The hosts were also fantastic – serving my young son his own bowl of noodles and tamago (the baked egg dish you see on the bottom right of the photo with the noodles).

    In addition to dining at the one restaurant in downtown Kyoto, we also dined at a restaurant in the Arashiyama district, after touring the bamboo forest and temple. We blindly chose a restaurant in the tourist area after a colossal fail on our part – based on a glowing recommendation in a tour book, we had walked over three miles in the rain and wind to find a restaurant nestled somewhere in the woods. We found the restaurant – but learned upon arrival that it was reservations only.

    The awful gloomy weather we dragged our young son through in search of the “reservations only” restaurant that we did not have reservations for. Oops.

    Luckily, the food at our randomly chosen restaurant was delicious and they even had instructions for eating the special tofu skin soup. I was thrilled, by that point, to get out of the rain and eat something warm, but the food was delicious. We typically stay away from restaurants in tourist locations when traveling, but Japan might be the exception.

    The Kyoto train station is massive and has dozens of eateries. On the day of our departure, we wanted to ensure plenty of time as we were taking a scheduled bullet train and didn’t want to miss it, but of course, that left us with extra time at the train station and right around lunch. Luckily, we didn’t have much difficulty figuring out what we wanted to eat – eel bowls! These were delicious! I’ll also say that we did not have a lot of trouble figuring out what to order or what the different restaurants served, as plastic food samples are a big thing and each storefront had 3D samples of what they were offering.

    plastic food offering a visual of what’s on the menu
    half eel / half egg-eel omelet
    I am a purist and stuck with the eel.

    How we got around:

    We arrived in Kyoto via train and from the main train station, we took the Westin Kyoto shuttle to the hotel and back. Finding the shuttle stop at the train station proved a bit difficult. I believe when we booked our rooms, the Westin website only said there was “shuttle service,” so upon arrival, we simply wandered to where most of the shuttles appeared to be picking up the guests. The Westin pick up location, however, was at a separate entrance than the one we had been waiting at — which we discovered only after waiting for 45+ minutes. The website has since been amended to state: The resort shuttle can be found at the Hachijo Exit and the shuttle runs every 20 minutes.

    We also traveled around Kyoto via taxi and had no trouble communicating with the taxi driver. I suppose they get enough tourists to know the words for the main destinations and we simply handed him money based on what was on the meter.

    We did continue to experience difficulty in purchasing train tickets, however. We never got proficient at purchasing train tickets during our time in Japan.

    We quickly learned to always use the customer service window where someone who spoke some English could help us. This included purchasing our Tokaido Shinkansen (the bullet train) tickets, which took us on to our last destination — Tokyo!

    The bullet train approaching!

    Continue to Part V – Four Nights in Tokyo (where we stayed and what we did)

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  • Japan Part III: The First 24 Hours in Osaka With Kids!

    Japan Part III: The First 24 Hours in Osaka With Kids!

    first glimpse of Japan from the air

    The First 24 Hours – Osaka

    I’ll be the first to admit that our time in Osaka started out rough. After finally clearing customs and making our way into a taxi, we were met with blank stares by the taxi driver who didn’t seem to understand “Westin” or “Westin hotel.” It wasn’t until I pulled out our hotel confirmation that he seemed to understand where we wanted to go. Although it seems silly in the age of smartphones and wifi-everywhere, I still print out hard copies of our entire travel itinerary when we travel and keep them in a binder for this very reason – to pull out when there’s a glitch or other issue with a reservation. Although 99% of the time I never need the hard copy, on the occasions where I have needed, it has been very handy. I’ve even had reservation representatives thank me for having hard copies with confirmations numbers that  they can take with them when trying to sort out an issue.

    We had no set agenda in Osaka, nor did we have much of a plan. We knew that it was the second largest city in Japan and that it was more of the business/financial district than a tourist destination like Kyoto or Japan, so after unpacking and freshening up, we wandered outside on foot to explore. Admittedly, we elected not to get into a taxi because we had no set plan and also because we feared more language woes.

    Luckily, we stumbled across two things that really made our 24 hour stay in Osaka:

    The Tempozan Ferris Wheel:

    We spotted the large orange/red ferris wheel in the distance and, although I have a pathological fear of heights that precludes me from ferris wheels (including enclosed ones!), my husband and son enjoyed the ride.

    After the Ferris Wheel, we walked around the surrounding area, the Tempozan Harbor Village, where there were lots of shops and small businesses. We stopped for ice cream and then just continued to walk around the area. One interesting thing that we came across was the Umeda Sky building with walkable bridge. Although we did not elect to take the walk across the sky bridge, it is definitely something older children would enjoy.

    We did not go up the Umeda Sky building and walk across the bridge, but we did enjoy the replica building in the lobby!
    Plenty of fun things for kids, including massive ice cream sundaes, which of course we stopped for!

    After a few hours of wandering around on foot, both my son and I were tired and wanted to go back to the hotel to rest. Although my husband wanted to go out for dinner, my son and I elected to just go back to the hotel for the night. I don’t recall what we did for dinner that night, but I do remember that the thought of venturing out again and trying to find a place to eat was just too overwhelming.

    Osaka Central Fish Market & Endo Sushi:

    The next morning, I woke up early due jet lag and poked around online looking for things to do. We weren’t scheduled to depart for Kyoto by train until later that day, so we were looking for something interesting. I found that there was a Central fish market in Osaka that was a smaller scale version of the famous Tsukiji market in Tokyo.

    As it was already 4:45 am, I knew that we needed to get a move on things if we wanted to see the good stuff! I quickly got my husband on board, woke our son up, and we went to the front desk to request a cab.  Upon entering the cab, we  encountered the same issues we had experienced the day before – the taxi driver did not know where we wanted to go.  With the help of hotel reception (who thankfully spoke English!), we were soon on our way.

    Pulling up to the fish market was somewhat terrifying as it was still dark and there was no obvious sign of where we were. It looked like the cab driver was dropping us off in a commercial area with no apparent signs of life.

    I had no idea where we were going, but headed towards the one big building off in the distance. Upon entering the building, we quickly realized we had entered the right place.  We found ourselves in a huge room filled with all kinds of sealife in various stages – from living to flash frozen and ready for shipping!

    fisherman working on fileting their morning tuna catch
    chunks of flash frozen tuna, ready for sale/transport
    live king crab that we were invited to pet!
    sorting out the morning’s catch
    each of those white bins contains ice and some kind of seafood
    filleting a giant fish on the floor

    We were the only tourists there and  stuck out like sore thumbs. The fishermen were incredibly friendly and, although not a one spoke English, they were happy to see us and encouraged us to take photos.   At one stall, the fisherman even invited my son to pet the living King Crab that was trying to climb its way out of the ice box!

    If you find yourself in Osaka, this is a must see experience! Not only was it much more manageable than the Tsukiji fish market sounds, it was much more personal experience. The only difficulty will be trying to find out where you’re heading and, as this blog post from June 2016 suggests, the signage hasn’t improved since we were there in March of 2014!

    After finishing up at the fish market, we were starving as we had been up for a few hours and hadn’t eaten a thing. One of the websites that had recommended the Central Fish Market suggested a small place called Endo Sushi.  Although sushi sounded awful for breakfast (and still does), we were in Japan and I figured, hey, if they were selling it, it must be good!

    It was somewhat difficult to locate Endo Sushi (the website says after “entering the area of the Osaka Central Fish Market, please go towards the left side of the building”), but after wandering around the block a few times, we finally came across it. We were quickly seated and presented with a menu.

    It was still dark when we finally found Endo Sushi!

    Although the proprietor did not speak English and we got some curious looks, we had no trouble ordering one each of #1 and #2 – never under estimate the power of pointing your index finger!

    Our food came quickly and was outstanding; I also loved the novelty of the bowl of soy sauce, with the brush that we used to gently brush soy sauce onto our nigiri.

    help yourself soy sauce and fresh ginger

    Now, you may be wondering what kind of 4 year old eats sushi for breakfast? My answer?  I don’t know.  Endo Sushi is located in a strip mall, and I ducked into a small corner store just a few stores down that happened to have a variety of sweet and savory rolls (the bread kind, not the sushi kind).  I picked up a few rolls and brought them into Endo Sushi, where my son happily sat and munched while we enjoyed our sushi.  Nobody seemed to mind that he was there, and they even offered him some miso soup, which he was happy to devour along with his roll.

    By the time we finished eating, it was time to head back to the hotel, gather our things, and go to the train station. It was a relatively easy walk to the train station, where we purchased our tickets to Kyoto.  Figuring out what tickets we needed was a bit difficult given that the signs were all in Japanese.  The only things we could decipher were the names of the stops (Kyoto) and the prices in yen, but we had no idea whether there were different rates for children versus adults.  Luckily, each Japanese train station has two things that proved immensely helpful as we were traveling through the country: 1) a staffed window with a knowledgeable and friendly transit employee, ready to help, and 2) extraordinarily friendly Japanese passengers who were willing to stop and help us purchase our tickets when we were confused.  We took advantage of their friendliness and willingness to help whenever we could and that really made getting around Japan less stressful than it would have been without their assistance.

    Although our first 24 hours in Japan started out rough and was overwhelming, I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to Osaka.  It is a perfect starting point for a trip across the Island, and I highly recommend the Osaka Central Fish Market as the perfect first day in Japan adventure – since the Fish Market opens so early and you’ll likely be jet lagged, it’s a great thing to do when you’re awake, but most of the rest of the world is still sleeping. Moreover, the fishermen seemed to genuinely enjoy that we had our son with us and went out of their way to show up things – like the friendly king crab!

    Continue to Part IV – Three Days / Two Nights in Kyoto

  • Japan Part II: Packing and Getting to Japan with Kids (via Munich / Seoul)

    Japan Part II: Packing and Getting to Japan with Kids (via Munich / Seoul)

    Packing:

    After 4 years of cross country flights during college and 5 years of long distance relationship traveling, my husband and I long ago stopped checking luggage when traveling. For our trip to Japan, we meticulously calculated what we would need for two adults and one not-quite five year old and ended up with this:

    18,000 miles, 11 days, 2 adults, 1 child, 0 checked bags. Pack light or stay home.

    In addition to those three items of luggage, my husband and my son each had a personal item, a backpack. The grey bag pictured in front was my personal item for the flights and we also had a separate camera bag, which we carried along with us.

    Although I was initially skeptical about not checking luggage when traveling with children, I have not only come around to it, but have concluded that it is the only way to travel when possible. Not only do you save yourself the extra hassle of juggling small, fussy children and the baggage claim wait time, but you also free up as much hand real estate as possible. When you only have two adults traveling, extra hands are key! When my oldest was a toddler, we frequently traveled only with enough diapers and wipes to get us to our destination and then purchased all disposable items and supplies on the other end. We co-slept and, when traveling for more than a few days, favored renting vacation homes through airbnb/homeaway/vrbo so that we would have easy access to laundry. But, I digress.

    When planning our trip to Japan, we took into consideration the weather and the most versatile clothing we could pack. Luckily, since it was Spring, we knew that light layers and one medium weight coat/rain jacket would be sufficient. We also knew that good walking shoes were a definite must. For clothing, we each packed 3-4 outfits/changes of clothes and planned to do laundry as we traveled. We are both fans of what we affectionately call “high tech underwear” – a combination of polyester/nylon/spandex that is lightweight, packs small, and most importantly, dries quickly so clothing can be washed and dried by ourselves in the hotel.  Examples include Rei Co-op Boxer Briefs and ExOfficio Women Briefs. To do our laundry in the hotel, we bring along single packs of Woolite detergent and we also travel with a travel clothesline so we can hang dry clothing in the hotel shower.  We also each own actual clothing in a similar quick dry material and typically bring one “dressier” outfit for fine dining.  If you know me, you also know that I do not travel anywhere without a pair of flip flops, so those are also always tucked into our luggage somewhere.

    With our clothes and personal items tucked into our luggage, our walking shoes on our feet, and our lightweight jackets on our backs, we set off for the first leg of our flight to Munich.

    Munich & Seoul:

    We called a taxi for our flight to Munich out of Dulles airport. Although a car seat is not legally required in for-hire car rides in Virginia, this was the first time I ever had my son ride in a taxi without a car seat since we would not be using one during our time in Japan. To make myself feel slightly better about the situation, my husband and I rode with my son in between us in the backseat and we made sure to buckle him up securely. Luckily, we arrived at the airport without incident and, having already checked in online and with no bags to check, made our way to the Lufthansa business class lounge, where we filled up with snacks and champagne (for the adults) before boarding the first leg of our flight to Munich. This was my son’s first time flying business class, but being only four, he did not seem to notice that this was a much different “staging” area that any of our previous flights. He did enjoy the free wifi and abundant snackage, however.

    a thumbs up for mom from the business class Lufthansa lounge at Dulles Airport

    Our flight to Munich was uneventful and upon clearing customs, we found our rental car company booth. Unlike in many airports in the US where you have to board a shuttle to get to your rental car lot, we were able to just walk across a courtyard from the main terminal to the rental car terminal, where we located Avis and checked out our car – a lovely Audi, equipped with our pre-reserved booster seat. As I waited with my son, however, we spotted numerous cigarette vending machines sprinkled throughout the airport – a quick and easy reminder that we weren’t in Kansas anymore!

    the cigarette vending machines were a major source of conversation
    all strapped in and ready to go!

     

    From the airport, we quickly checked into our hotel, before heading to downtown Munich to explore. We found a convenient parking spot at a parking garage in the Munich City Center and then just wandered around for a few hours, taking in the sights, before stopping for a light snack at the Augistiner Beer Hall of – you guessed it, sausage and beer.

    my son was completely non-plussed about being in a foreign country. he loves adventures and is always game for them and was just glad to be along for the ride

    After our snack, we continued walking and overall, it was a nice, enjoyable way to kill a few hours and stretch our legs after a long flight. We came across a number of relatively deserted courtyards where my son could run around and, although there were tons of tourists and others walking around, at no time did I worry about losing my son in the crowd. The service at the Augistiner was perfectly fine, the weather was lovely, and we decided to head back to the hotel just as it was getting dark. On the way back, we decided to take the Autobahn and loved that the speed limit adjusted down as the weather started sprinkling and then went back up when the showers stopped.

    Once back at the hotel, we decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant, which offered up traditional German fare that was incredibly satisfying, as was the continental breakfast at the hotel the next morning, which we filled up on before heading to the airport for the next leg of our trip to Seoul. Overall, we enjoyed our time in Munich. It was a great spot to stretch our legs and break up the long trip to Japan. It is a great place to travel with children – clean, generally English speaking, easy to get around. Although the streets were crowded, using a stroller to maneuver around would not be a problem. If we had more time in Munich (and if my son was older), I would have liked to have visited Dachau, which is only 45 minutes or so from Munich. Given our short 24 hour layover and the fact that my son was not quite 5 at the time, we decided to save the visit for a future trip.

    The flight from Munich to Seoul was approximately 11 hours but, being in business class, we enjoyed the comfort of having enough space to stretch out, recline to sleep, and, of course, the ice cream sundaes for dessert. My son was such a rockstar traveler by that age that I basically let him watch whatever age appropriate movie he wanted to watch and took a nap myself – dozing in and out of consciousness throughout the duration of the flight.

    After deplaning in Seoul, we had a 3.5 hour layover to stretch our legs. Happily, we found an indoor play gym, which we took advantage of. I wish more airports had this type of space for families traveling with young children! I don’t believe I have ever seen a play structure in an airport, except for the Birmingham Airport, of all places. Hopefully, as airports continue to expand and modernize, play structures or kid zones will become a standard offering, along with breastfeeding rooms and family restrooms.

    Prior to having children, I always picked flights with the shortest layovers possible, in an effort to minimize time lost in transit. Although debatable, I am now partial to longer layovers with small children – I once chose a four hour layover in Seattle over a 2 hour layover during a solo trip with my then-18 month old from DC to Alaska! I prefer the long layover because it gives us time to stretch our legs, eat, and in the case of my 18 month old in Seattle, to take a quick 90 minute nap in his stroller. Our 3.5 hour layover in Seoul was the perfect opportunity to stretch and grab a quick snack before boarding the last leg of our trip – a 2 hour flight to Osaka.

    Continue to Part II: The First 24 Hours in Japan

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  • Japan Part I: Why Japan? & the Logistics of Preparing for a Round-The-World With Kids!

    Japan Part I: Why Japan? & the Logistics of Preparing for a Round-The-World With Kids!

    Why Japan?

    In the fall of 2013, my husband and I decided to take our then four year old on a big trip before he started kindergarten in the fall of 2014. We decided on Japan as our destination based on 3 simple factors: we both love traveling to Asia (and our son had never been); we were planning on traveling in the spring of 2014, so it was possible we would be in Japan during prime cherry blossoms season; our miles and points made it possible to have an amazing vacation at very little expense to us.

    Preparing for a Round-The-World trip

    Flights

    Early on, my husband hatched the idea of taking a Round-The-World (R-T-W) trip. A R-T-W ticket allows travelers to travel around the world at a relatively low price. Airlines actually offer this product with set itineraries that you can customize based on your interests. My husband wanted to create our own RTW ticket, however, so he looked at a number of options based on available flights and our miles and priced out the following itinerary:

    Outgoing: Dulles –> Munich –> Seoul –> Osaka

    Returning: Tokyo –> Newark –> National Airport

    We were incredibly fortunate to have sufficient miles to travel in business class (360,000 total) and for only $242.10 out of pocket! Without miles, the airline tickets would have cost $19,299.60 in economy or $45,298.60 in business class.  In other words, there is no way we could have afforded this trip without some serious examining of the award structure and creative use of airline miles. Luckily, we are aggressive planners when it comes to maximizing our credit card miles and points balances, so we had sufficient Chase Ultimate Rewards points to transfer the necessary miles to our United account at a 1:1 ratio.

    The nature of our itinerary required us to book through the reservations hotline, because we wanted to fit in a 24-hour stop over in Munich and also wanted an open jaw (where we fly into one destination and return from another), flying into Osaka, but departing Japan via Tokyo. In 2016, United changed the rules regarding award flights and no longer allows stopovers in different award zones.  If we were booking our flight today, we would not be able to have an overnight in Europe, but presumably, would be able to schedule one in Seoul.

    Accommodations:

    Having secured our flights, we next had to decide how many days we wanted to spend in various locations. We knew that we had only one night in Munich, but there were approximately eight days we needed to divide up in Japan. We decided to spend one night in Osaka, which we read is more of a business district than a true tourist destination, two nights in Kyoto, and the balance of our nights in Tokyo.

    As a Starwood Preferred Guest gold member, I always check Starwood hotels first, as we earn extra points on our spend, which we use to offset the cost of future stays.  For our one night in Munich, I decided to book near the airport so that we would have plenty of time to have breakfast and then head over to the airport.  I called the main Starwood reservations hotline and was informed that for 8,500 Starpoints or 149.68 EURO ($175.44 USD), I could have a king bed, high floor room at the Sheraton Munich Airport.  Although the hotel no longer appears to be operating as a Sheraton, this review of the Sheraton Munich Hotel is an accurate and thorough description of the property at the time of our stay in March 2014.

    For our one night in Osaka, I called the Osaka Westin, where I booked a double room for 16,200 Yen.  Unfortunately, I  failed to specify (or they did not ask?) that there would be two adults staying in the room and when checking in, we were informed there would be a slight charge for the additional adult (no extra charge for the under-5 year old).  At that point, I was so tired from traveling and ready to drop my bags that I did not bother to investigate this charge any further and just paid the ~$30 USD so that we could complete the check in process and get settled into our room.

    From Osaka, we were planning on spending two nights in Kyoto, so I called the Westin Miyako Kyoto and was told that a standard room was 12,000 SPG points per night, but we could upgrade to a Japanese style room for an additional 4,000 SPG points per night. I happily booked the upgraded room at 16,000 SPG points per night – this option was not available via the spg.com website, so if the option you are interested in online is not there, definitely call.  As of the writing on this post, one night in a Japanese style room costs 22,572 Yen ($205.55 USD).

    Finally, I looked into options in Tokyo, where we would be spending four nights, but was unable to locate any options for more than single accommodations.  My husband ended up transferring Chase ultimate rewards points into his Hyatt account and booking us a suite at the Hyatt Regency in Tokyo to finish up our trip.

    Getting Around:

    We had every intention of relying on the amazing train and subway system in Japan to get around, and we had no plans for getting around in Munich, originally, other than taking a cab into the main shopping/dining area from our hotel. Just three days prior to departure, I started looking further into getting around in Munich and realized that it was ~61 USD each way to take a cab from the hotel to downtown area.  A quick peek at the Avis website later, I secured a car rental for $75 USD for the 24 hours we were planning on spending in Munich, plus an additional $11 for a booster seat for my son.  I was initially very concerned, reading the reviews online, that the car company would try to charge us for every dent or scratch, including prior existing ones. For protection, I booked the rental car on our Chase Sapphire Preferred card, which offers primary collision coverage and also took 1,001 photos of the car upon arrival. Luckily, the check out and check in process was seamless, and we had no problems (including the rental booster), so I was thrilled that we had the flexibility of having our own vehicle, while saving some money in the process.

    Language & Currency:

    I had never been to Munich before, but my husband reassured me we would not have any trouble communicating during our 24 hour layover. This proved correct – everyone from the rental car company, the hotel concierge, the restaurant host/esses ALL spoke English.

    We clearly failed to prepare for the language barrier in Japan, however, as we experienced numerous “Lost in Translation” moments during our time in Japan. We encountered extreme difficulty in getting around Japan – from our cab driver at the Osaka airport who did not understand what we meant by “Westin Hotel” to having to rely on kind strangers to help us purchase tickets at the rail – we definitely did not adequately prepare. I would not recommend traveling blind with children, like we did, as having a child with you when you have no idea what you’re doing or where you are going in a foreign country is troubling, to say the least. If you do not have friends/family to help you get around in Japan, I strongly encourage you to engage a local tour guide. Tours by Locals is highly recommended by friends who have used this in other parts of Asia, but I have no first-hand experience.

    Regarding currency, I never worry about obtaining local currency in advance of a foreign trip (although that may change after our Zimbabwe experience!) and had no problems getting cash out of the ATM at the airport or anywhere else around town. Our Chase Sapphire Preferred card also offers no foreign transaction fee, as does our Starwood Preferred Guest American Card.  I charge everything that I can on those cards when we travel, reserving my cash for only places where credit card is not accepted or cash just makes sense.

    Continue to Part II – Packing and Getting to Japan