Travel journals

Another beautiful day in Tokyo! We start off with a fantastic breakfast at the hotel buffet where they have a variety of Western and Japanese items. The fruit is delicious and they have the best melon (like a honeydew) I have ever had. Ever. It was like a burst of juiciness and was simply amazing. Looking forward to more tomorrow morning! After breakfast, we head down to the station to get the lay of the land while it's not busy with people. Even by this time - it's around 9:

Today we leave Ueno and head down the short 6-minute train ride to Tokyo Station. We'll be splurging for our last two nights with a stay at The Tokyo Station Hotel! First though...Tokyo Station? Crazy busy. Thank goodness Google maps provides the best exit to reach your destination because I can see people getting so confused. And it's not that their isn't signage, there is, but it's so bustling and crowded that you can't stop to read the signs without probably bumping into s

Today is shopping day! And it works out pretty well because Dad has a couple Thanksgiving Day football games to watch. Mom and I head over to Shinjuku to look in Keio Department Store for a brand of Japanese bags that we like and can never seem to find. Getting to Shinjuku, we apparently are out when it's still commuting time...even though it's about 9:45am by this point. We cram ourselves into the train with all the other business man and after one transfer, arrive at Shinju

This will be a light journal today as we didn't have much on the agenda. Primary agenda item today is going to Ichifuji - a ceramics store in Tsukiji Outer Fish Market (the original one, not the new one). Tutu and Papa always went here when they visited so we had to do a visit if our own! Didn't find anything that grabbed my fancy, they did have some cute dishes but with no where to put them at home it was an easy pass. Mom did find a few small bowls that she was looking for

Today is Tokyo day! Well, of a few Tokyo days. We're visiting the Imperial Palace East National Gardens. This is another great place to walk around that doesn't feel busy once your within the gates. When we first walked up to the entrance, there was a long line of people and I thought, oh no...But it was actually because they check everyone's bags before entering. It is the imperial palace grounds after all. But that's a pretty quick process and once you're through that, it o

Today's agenda is mostly omiyage acquisition. Dad hangs back to watch a football game, so Mom and I head back over to Asakusa to the confectionary store Mametoku. They have such an interesting selection of flavored nuts and beans, and in smaller packaging for easy gifting. We also hop in a few souvenir stores but not much luck. On our way out of Asakusa, we stop at Maccha House for iced matchas before continuing on. This is a newer location so there were only a couple tables

On the agenda for today...Omotesando! Omotesando Avenue is over in Shibuya and is a great area to window shop and people watch (if you're into that). Most of the shops lining the street are high-end stores like Fenti and Chanel, but you get random fun stores like a huge building filled to the brim with Harry Potter things or a store called Kiddy Land with every anime/TV show characters you can imagine. Just a cool building with a garden carved into it. A group of Mario Karts

Today is going to be part one of Shinjuku. There is so much in this city that we'll be back to different areas over multiple days. The main stop today is Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. This is another one of those "Central Park of Tokyo" parks. The park has pathways going every which way and large grassy fields. One of the sections of the garden is a rose garden, which I had to take all the pics. We were here about 10:30am and there were people walking around, but it was fai

Today takes us to Asakusa. It's a short 15-ish minute train ride and pops you out pretty much right at Kaminari-mon, the popular entrance to Sensoji Temple. We thought we were gonna be here early and it wouldn't be too crowded. Wrong. So very wrong. We got here probably just before 9:30am and it was absolutely packed. A lot of the shops lining Nakamise shopping street up towards the temple aren't even open yet, and the rest are very much geared towards tourists. I definitely

Today is our first full day in Ueno and we're getting a pretty slow start. But no biggy. We have a longer time in the Tokyo area so don't feel rushed to see and do all the things right away. We decide to explore our neighborhood today and walk up to Ueno Park, a 10- minute walk. I know, everything is so far away. The park is quite expansive and includes multiple museums from science to art, as well as the Ueno Zoo! I'm a sucker for visiting zoos. But we skip this...for now. H

One last hoorah for Kyoto, Mom and I take a stroll after breakfast down the street along the river and over to Shoseien Garden. Looking at Google maps, I thought it was going to mostly be open green space, but it's more like a maze of green space and buildings! I almost felt like Alice in Wonderland, not knowing what was around the corner. There were multiple tea houses, reception halls and ponds, and clearest water running under little stone bridges. Definitely a great place

Today is our last full day in Kyoto and we're taking it easy today...or so we thought. We start with a stroll down Pontocho Street which we were told by our host is packed with eateries. It's a skinny street jam-packed with eateries - mostly meat, yakiniku style. When were walking down here it's still early so nothing is open. But thank goodness because I can't imagine how cramped and busy this street would be when all the shops are open. After walking to the end of Pontocho-

Today we explore Gion! I think this area is a bucket list item for most, if not all, people going to Kyoto. Gion is popular for it's historical streets, however because of this it also gets crazy busy. So to (try) avoid the crowds, we get out of the house shortly after 8:00am. First stop on our way into Gion is Shirakawa Canal. And we nailed the timing. There's practically no one here! Strolling down the street, it has a peaceful old-timey feel. Shirakawa Canal leads towards

Breakfast is a simple affair this morning - fruit, yogurt and toast from FRESCO. There's no toaster and Mom doesn't do cold bread in the mornings so we macgyver ourselves some toast with butter and a hot pan. Success! We tried the muscat grapes and maybe ours not the right season, but they were okay. Not as sweet as I was expecting, although very meaty. The tangerine is very sweet and the apples were crunchy. Pretty good! And some fun this morning...we got a visit from a hero

Official wakeup time - 3:32am. And boy do I feel refreshed after the long day yesterday. Waking up and my eyeballs don't still feel sore, it's a good feeling. I check-in with the parents and we make our way down to breakfast at 6:00am. Buffet today! We are very impressed with the buffet - sooo many options. Mostly savory, a lot of Japanese delicacies in the form of pickles, soups and other dishes. But also your standard cereal, pastry and eggs. The machine cappuccino was good

It's been 15 years since I've been to Japan. Fifteen! I can't believe it's been that long and yet it feels like it's been forever. [ Edit: Mom corrected me, I visited a second time in the 2010s so okay, it's only been 10-ish years...lol ] Strange how time works. For Mom and Dad this'll be totally new for them, they were last in Japan many...many decades ago. The fun thing about flying to Narita - honu plane! And an A380 to boot. Gotta love the custom livery. The picture mak