Japan Trip

My family and I just returned from our incredible trip to Japan. I wanted to share our trip with you, but moreso I wanted to have someplace I can come back to and revisit our trip...so this is more of a scrapbook of sorts that I hope you enjoy as well!!

This trip was 12 years in the making...and was even better than we could have imagined! 

Travel day (because it doesn't really count as Day 1...but is part of the vacay)

When we checked in for our flight we couldn't get all of our seats together, so I had to sit alone....darn! ;) I knit a ton and watched 4 movies!! I love a long-haul flight, but my kids were not fans! ;) 

The process to get through immigration wasn't bad, I think from when the plane touched down until we got bags and through immigration was maybe 25 minutes and included clearing up a typo from when I entered passport information ...whoops!!

I crochet this little red octopus to travel with us, you will see him pop-up in photos from time to time.

We got a van ride to our airbnb and the sun was setting...it was beautiful!! 

Our airbnb is super tiny, I equate it to an RV. But we got some yummy 7-11 for dinner then went to bed early. 

Day 1 - Figure out the trains and explore Shinjuku.

We went into the train station, but it was super early in the morning and commute time. This was OBVIOUSLY not the time to learn how to use the trains. We decided to walk the 23 minutes to where we wanted to go. It was a really beautiful walk and we eventually figured out the trains...kinda.

The weather was GORGEOUS and we really enjoyed the walk, including the infamous Shibuya Scramble (which is just a crosswalk during the day...but at night it is a PARTY!!!)

The cherry blossoms were most certainly doing their thing!!

The scramble was a little boring at 7am, but here it is!

We walked to a shrine that I had on my list. It was the perfect start to our day.

You can see Godzilla poking his head over the building almost smack dab in the middle of this photo. 

Of course I found a craft store!!! There was so much to see and explore here. I think it was 6 floors!!! I didn't buy any yarn, but did get a cross stitch!

Next up was conveyor belt sushi. You could order it on a tablet and it would zoom straight to your table.

Nolan got to visit a store that he shopped at online and he really loves. It was a dream come true for him. 

Day 2 was an all-day tour of the city. 

I totally forgot that the shrine we visited the day before was on the tour...but it was really fun to revisit and have our tour guide explain things a bit more. 

We were a little late cuz of course the trains kicked my butt once again...and it wouldn't be the last time that day!! In my defense, the Shinjuko station is INSANELY LARGE and currently under construction. So the directions given by Google were NOT matching up with what was in front of us. I did have a little meltdown that evening!

P has an old camera of mine and was obsessed with taking photos "the old fashioned way" ug.

This is where the weather turned, and I was SO unprepared for rain. In all honesty, it was just a tiny sprinkle at this point...but Japanese REALLY LOVE umbrellas!!!

Our tour included a super yummy meal at an Izakaya. This chicken was AMAZING!!!

This is right before the sky opened up and DUMPED on us...

But the cherry blossoms were still pretty! :)

I got a VERY BAD fortune...so I tied it up and left it there!

Next stop was Sky Tree. The photos don't even show how cool the view was. I knew Tokyo was very densely packed, I have even watched a review of this location on YouTube...but being there in person, it is just so impressive and HUGE!!!!! The clouds were THICK at this point so we couldn't see super far.

Our last stop was a boat. This was super fun to float around on. It was a little steamy inside because we were all so damp!

After the tour we wandered around looking for Ramen. The Ramen place was PACKED so we kept looking for food and stumbled upon this curry place that was AMAZING!!!!! 

On our walk back to the train station we got to see the light show that they put on each night in Shinjuku. 

Day 3

This is the part of the vacation where everything starts mushing together and you can't remember what day it is! It is Sunday and technically Easter...but since they dont celebrate here, it doesnt feel super easter-y. 

Before we started out for the day I needed to do a little laundry (we packed light so we could bring home more stuff!!) Then we shipped our bags to our next location...which makes it easier on the bullettrain!!! HIGHLY recommend shipping your luggage if you go from one location to another!!)

We were up early so we played around in Don Quixote (it is open 24/7), relaxed in a very cool café, then explored a store Nolan had on his list. 

This is the Shibuya Scramble again...because we crossed it a lot (it was right near our apartment)

It was cute that their hair matched their drinks

We went to a huge mall Nolan really wanted to visit. He got to explore with his sister and Brian and I tried to find any place where we could just sit down!!!

Day 4 - Shinkansen Day

Today we packed up and left Tokyo for Osaka 

Good bye tiny apartment

We rode the Shinkansen to Osaka and I knit, then spent too much time getting excited that I saw Mt. Fuji and had to rip out 8 rows!!

Yes, I did order a kids meal so I could get this plastic train lunchbox! :) And it was good! No regrets!

I completely fell in love with Osaka. The area we stayed in (Namba) felt like a mix of the best street market and vegas all at the same time. The food was AMAZING!!!! And easily walkable, and we didn't get lost!

We went to a restaurant where you can fish!!! P caught our dinner and it was sooooo good!!!

So. Much. Food.

Day 5 - Brian's Birthday

Today was our super foodie day!!!

We found a very yummy hole-in-the-wall (so many restaurants here only seat 10 or so people) you eat and get out!!

We explored a little in Dotonburi then later went on a walking food tour  

Our guide for the walking food tour was adorable. She taught us the term "Lonely Mouth" which is basically like saying you are snacky...and I will now use this term daily!

Day 6 was Universal Studios. Brian was feeling a little under the weather so just the kids and I went. 

Day 7 - Relax Day and do any exploring we wanted to do (which was basically eat and shop...I also went to a yarn shop alone and did some more laundry in a very swanky laundry lounge)

 

Day 8 - Nara

We took a train to Nara and had a wonderful guide show us all around. To say it rained is an understatement. It poured so hard...all we could do was laugh at the situation. We sped through a lot of stuff and the guide was like "we are finishing really fast" um, ya...I want to get dry! ;)

The deer wanted nothing to do with me once it learned I had no cookies!

Day 9 - Home!!!

Our trip home was kinda long, because we had a 7 hour layover in Los Angeles. This turned out to be a blessing since P got motion sickness on the flight from Osaka to LA. So we had some time to get her stomach settled, get some food in her and dramamine and then have a successful trip home from LA to Seattle. I did a lot of knitting and napping on my knitting! :)