Japan

For spring break, all 3 kids wanted to go to Japan. We didn't want a super busy schedule. We picked Tokyo, Kyoto (with a day trip to Osaka), and Nikko to visit. We flew British Air through Heathrow to Tokyo. I will publish this without cleaning up grammar as I just want to get my thoughts down.

 

Monday 14th 

Landed around 11. Got through immigration after a while. Trained to Shinagawa. Caught a bullet train to Kyoto, had help with shinkansen ticket machine. Kyoto station at 3, hotel by 4. Uber makes you go to a certain spot away from station. Went to grocery for breakfast items. Stopped at 7-Eleven. Walked to Kyogoku Kaneyo for unagi dinner.

Tuesday 15th

930am tea ceremony in Gion area. Wore kimonos. Walk to Yasaka shrine. Street food (apple pastry). Dodge a little rain. Had some meat and saki. Walk to ryozen temple didn't go in. More street food. Go in Kodaiji temple and bamboo forest. Took a break. Went to Kiyomizu-dera temple. Crowded on way up. Walked grounds some. Left around closing and shops were closing fast. Got some more street food and macha Carmel latte affogato. Got kids enough food. Went for Kobe beef, not great. Stopped at karaoke with Boilermaker Charles.

Wednesday 16th

Wanted to wake for Osaka but slept in. Went to shopping food market Nishiki Market. Taxi to bamboo forest and Tenryu-ji temple. Nice grounds walked around. More Arashiyama bamboo forest (just a single walking path).  Walked Okochi Sanso Garden. Ate ramen dinner at Ozuru. Train to Fushimi Inari Taisha temple for night walk.

Thursday 17th

Osaka bullet train. Pastries near station at Grenier in Osaka around 11. Taxi to Osaka castle. Big grounds. Go in go to top for views. Walk down and exhibits each floor. Dress like samurai. Pictures outside, then taxi to kitchen shopping street. Chris, N, L walk to Namba Yasaka Jinja temple and get a few snacks (Mogu Mogu ice cream & donut things, then McD chicken). Walk north to busy shopping area. Anime store. Train back to Kyoto almost miss it. Long wait for taxi to hotel.

Friday 18th

Out by 10. Taxi to station. Shinkansen to Utsunomiya (change in Tokyo) barely make connection platforms not labeled well (by train type). Wait 40min for Nikko line train. Apt by 4. Buy Nikko bus pass and walk around Shinkyo shrine. Empty as everything closes by 430. Walk to last place barely open for dinner at 715, Ramen Bonten. Good food. Saw groups after us going to Family Mart for dinner across the street after getting turned down here. Family Mart, 7-11, and Welcia for breakfast and snack food.

Saturday 19th

Out at 930 for bus to Nikko park. Made it up the mountain to Chuzenji Onsen town by 10:45. Ate milkshake, ice cream, and crepe snack. Walk to falls. Took elevator down. Ate at souvenir shop/noodle bar. Took bus to Ryuzu falls. Saw monkey, barely. Almost missed the cascades behind the building. Took bus to Yudaki falls. Did the loop walk to Kotaki Falls. Bus back to town. Took 2 smaller kids on swan boat on Lake Chūzenji. Nolan and Kacey headed down the mountain to hike some more falls. We ate next to the station at Azuma while they got a table at the busy/full Italian restaurant, Trattoria Gigli.

Sunday 20th

Got to the station around 10 to get the 10:25 train to a station in Tokyo. Dropped off bags around 12:30 at hotel. Taxi to Asakusa area for snacks and temple. Strawberry beer. More food on the grounds of the temple. Girls went to shop, boys went to Ueno Park. Went to gardens but it was a zoo. We had 60 min to speed walk parts and saw some good stuff. Left at 5 to walk back to hotel. Checked in to 8th floor double bedroom. Dinner place was good, tried a variety of random things at Sushi and Tempura Mogana (Okachimachi branch).

Monday 21st

7:30 pickup turned to 8:45 for Fuji tour. 2 hour drive, first stop, Chureito pagoda. Nice view but rushed. Next was 8 pools, Ishino Hakkai. Very busy area. Ate a couple snacks walked around a bit. Ice cream too. Next was Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shring and 1000 year old tree, Fuji Taro Cedar. Then speed boat on Lake Kawaguchi, great views. Then lunch as places were closing.  Then drive over to Oishi park. Beautiful flower pictures. Saw 80s Dodge Ram Van on drive home. Took L & C to a dumpling bar that was good, Osaka Ohsho Okachimachi (Ekimae branch).

Tuesday 22nd

Took Liana to Gōtokuji Temple (cat temple) early. Saw a Dennys!  Met others near the palace. Could not get in. Walked around to east gardens. Did a walking loop. Went to Tokyo station for lunch. Went to Akihabara area for anime stores. First Hokkaido ice cream. Colin went to pokemon store. Decided for Skytree at night. Dinner there first at food hall. Not great. Nice views at night. Combo ticket doesn't add much for higher level. Pictures outside at base before hotel for bed.

Wednesday 23th

Shibuya Sky morning for Liana! But unfortunately raining and it was closed. We could only do inside areas (we were only going for the outside areas). Found hedgehog cafe next door for Liana. Nolan went too. Colin went to Shibuya Pokemon store, very busy! Checked out Nintendo store next door too. Walked though scramble intersection but in the rain, its just a busy intersection. More anime store at Ikebukuro area. Found Truffle bakery, good pastries. Took L & C back to dumpling place. Picked up indian for Nolan, Kacey went to local small Japanese place.

Thursday flight at 8:50am from Haneda to Heathrow.

 

Got by without suica cards (there are different types, and need 1 per person), hindsight could have done it

Nikko, could have rented our own car in town and just drove, possibly cheaper and easy to get around.

Google translate is great

Some ATMs are weird and not in english. Family Mart and 7-11 usually worked well. 

Give yourself time to get through train stations. Some platform areas are not numbered, you walk to certain types of train areas (which we didn't know the names). There is plenty to eat at the station, buy takeaway food to eat on the train.

Nearly all taxis are for 4 people. We used uber to get (what they call luxury) 5 seaters.  The Japanese TaxiGo app did not work with my google voice number.