COUNTY WEXFORD: Secret Valley Wildlife Park

Earlier into our stay in County Carlow, we took advantage of a very sunny day and visited the Secret Valley Wildlife Park. The highlight were the Capybaras, the girls were very excited to see the worlds largest rodent in person.

Secret Valley Wildlife Park is a privately owned nature reserve. It has some of the typical farm animals like ponies, donkeys and rabbits but it’s also home to a lot of rescued primates like lemurs, macaques and tamarins. (which I surprisingly didn’t take any photos of.) We really enjoyed the animals talks that the zookeepers did for the primates. It’s eye opening to hear about the awful conditions some monkeys end up in due to the exotic pet trade in Europe. It’s not really an issue in Australia due to our strict animal quarantine laws but many people in Europe buy small primates as pets and quickly realises how inappropriate they are and then abandoned them. So it’s nice to see a place like Secret Valley Wildlife Park providing a home and caring for them.

We also enjoyed hearing about the otters, meerkats and porcupine. And of course petting the bunnies and seeing the prairie dogs. There is a great cafe onsite with a big indoor inflatable jumping castle / obstacle course that the girls loves.

The grounds were really, large with a big kids playground and we were also given a scavenger hunt worksheet were the kids had to locate various different types of trees.

The girls really love animals, so any experience like this is always a great day out. We did skip the London Zoo and the Dublin Zoo due to the prices and the fact that major zoos can features very similar animals. But Secret Valley Wildlife Park was a great smaller location were we are able to see and learn a lot about the animals. We’d totally recommend visiting, especially if you have a day with lovely sunny weather.

COUNTY KILKENNY - Jerpoint Abbey, Remnants of a Sacred Past

Jerpoint Abbey, located near Thomastown in County Kilkenny, Ireland, is a magnificent Cistercian monastery founded in the second half of the 12th century. I found this whole site to be so enchanting, with the evocative stone carvings, cloister arcade and greenery growing across parts of the ruins. I went a bit crazy with all the photos but there were so many beautiful angles and vantage points… enjoy!

Jerpoint Abbey offers a captivating glimpse into Ireland's medieval monastic heritage. Monasticism in Ireland began in the 4th and 5th Century with the arrival of St. Patrick and other missionaries who established early Christian communities . Prior to this, the Celtic tribes of ancient Ireland held pagan beliefs, with elements of Celtic spiritualism being incorporated into Christian beliefs over time.

Monasteries, like Jerpoint Abbey, became centres of learning, art, and spirituality, playing a crucial role in preserving knowledge and fostering education during the so-called "Dark Ages" in Europe. Monastic settlements often included churches, round towers, and high crosses, and they were influential in spreading Christianity throughout Ireland and beyond. Other notable monastic settlements include Clonmacnoise and Glendalough. (We’ve actually visited Glendalough since visiting Jerpoint Abbey, which I will share soon too, but I found Jerpoint Abbey to be slightly more impressive in size to the ruins at Glendalough, Glendalough is in an amazing location though… stay tuned)

Jerpoint Abbey was a thriving religious centre until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century under Henry VIII, after which it fell into ruin. Today, the abbey is managed by the Office of Public Works and is open to the public. There is a visitor centre onsite and the staff were able to provide the girls with a fantastic scavenger hunt style worksheet where they had to find different carvings and different features around the abbey. These types of worksheets are such a fun way to keep them engaged and that the end, they all received a free postcard as a reward.

Sites like Jerpoint Abbey, that are managed by the Office of Public Work, do charge a small admission fee - usually 5 - 8 Euros per adult, but children under 12 are free.

I’ve always found ancient ruins and abandon structures to be so magical and mysterious. Its’ somewhat of an otherworldly experience to have a place like this all to yourself; to just wander around and take in the remnants of its spiritual past. There were a few other people that arrived while we are there but it didn’t feel crowded in the slightest.

It’s wild to think that places like this just sat abandon for centuries as society changed around them. There is such a haunting beauty to them;.and I’m grateful that they have been preserved and can be appreciated today.

COUNTY CARLOW - Borris Viaduct, A Bridge To The Past

The Borris Viaduct is quite close to where we are staying, we drove past it a number of number of times before I realised that there was actually a short walk across the viaduct and picnic area underneath.

The 16 archway viaduct was built in 1860 as a railway bridge across the River Mountain. It is one of Ireland’s best examples of 19th century railway engineering. It was constructed as a part of the railway line from Bagenalstown to Wexford. The railway was decommissioned in 1967 and left abandoned, but in recent years, the council of the area have restored the area, making it safe for the public to enjoy to views from the viaduct.

There are a number of repurposed railway lines around Ireland, the Waterford Greenway being one of the stand outs. The traffic free paths along old train track are great for exploring the countryside on bicycle.

The Borris Viaduct is only a short distance from the main part of Borris town, making it great for a short leisurly stroll. There are free carparks on either side of the viaduct and picnics tables at one end by the bridge and underneath the viaduct. There is also fencing along the viaduct which makes it safer for children. (no public toilets however)

The views across the county side, to Mount Leinster and The Blackstair Mountains ,are quite spectacular and there is plenty of signage outlining the history of the viaduct. Which is where I read the catchy phase ‘a bridge to the past, a link to the future’

All up its 500m each way across the viaduct and another 500m on the loop track that goes underneath the bridge. The girls enjoyed playing ‘barky boats’ in the little stream that ran through the picnic area and have even asked go back. We’ll definitely aim to go back with a picnic lunch.

COUNTY CARLOW - The Brownshill Dolmen, An Ancient Portal Tomb

The Browneshill Dolmen, located not far from Duckett ‘s Grove, near the town of Carlow, is an impressive megalithic portal tomb dating back to approximately 3000 BCE. Renowned for its massive capstone, estimated to weigh over 100 metric tons, it is considered the largest of its kind in Europe.

I love the mystery that surrounds prehistoric monuments like this. They reflect the advanced engineering skills of Ireland's ancient inhabitants but leave a lot of questions unanswered. Like how did they move that huge capstone into place with out any machinery or even any large beasts? I asked Braino, who works in construction and is often around cranes and other machinery that lift heavy slabs of concrete and he was stumped. Archeologist believe the huge rocks were rolled along the ground on a bed of logs, but that’s just one of the theories.

The Dolmen, also known as the Browneshill Portal Tomb, consists of two large portal stones supporting the capstone, with additional stones forming the burial chamber beneath. They served not only as burial sites but also as ceremonial and ritualistic locations, reflecting the spiritual and social practices of early societies. Interestingly, there has been no excavation undertaken on the Brownshill Dolmen.

The girls wanted to go inside, under the large capstone, but I insisted they didn’t. There weren’t any signs saying not to but it seemed almost irresponsible to let your kids play inside an ancient portal. My friend Kayleen pointed out via instagram that in the show Outlander, the main character is transported back in time by entering a Scottish Portal Tomb. I haven’t seen the show but I guess time travel and teleportation seem to go hand in hand with a portal tomb and I wasn’t going to risk it 🤣.

The Brownshill Dolmen was situated in a farmers field, but there is a small dedicated carpark and signage, with a path leading out to the dolmen. It was free of charge and unattended by any staff. As we were leaving a father and son came to throw a ball around for their dog, so it isn’t a particularly popular tourist attraction, only people with weird niche interests like me would put it in their itinerary. But in saying that I would like to visit other dolmens, standing stones and stone circle while we’re here in Ireland.

COUNTY CARLOW - Duckett's Grove, A Historic Home In Ruins

Duckett’s Grove was one of the first excursions we did once we arrived in County Carlow and it’s still up there as my favourite place. I think it’s amazing that a location like this, an abandoned, crumbing ruin of a stately home, had been preserved and repurposed into something the whole community can enjoy. We had a fabulous day there, it’s surprising very family friendly.

Duckett’s Grove was built around 1745 by the wealthy Duckett family who originated from England. The estate was originally over 20,000 acres of land. The most notable member of the family, William Duckett, was a landlord and a significant figure in the local community. The Ducketts were known for their contributions to agricultural development and the improvement of local infrastructure. They were also involved in local politics and social affairs, often hosting grand events at Duckett's Grove. The building started as a standard two storey Georgian county home but in the mid 1820’s, John Dawson Duckett employed English architect Thomas Cobden to resigned it into the gothic revival style ‘castle’ that stands in ruins today.

However, like many Anglo-Irish families, the Ducketts' fortunes declined in the early 20th century, exacerbated by changing political and social conditions in Ireland, leading to their eventual departure and the estate's decline. In the early 1920’s Duckett’s Groves was used as a base for the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and was then damaged by a fire in 1933 and left abandoned for many decades. Around the 1970s an eccentric lady by the name of Frances Grady moved in, essentially squatting in a section of the manor. She welcomed in abandoned and neglected animals, creating an animal refuge and enlisted the help of local children who she would teach how to horse ride in exchange for doing chores and helping with the animals.

There is much more to the history of Duckett’s Grove, it’s such a fascinating place full of interesting characters and stories. We learnt so much from our guide Danny, who was absolutely fantastic when telling all the takes of Duckett’s Grove. He was so passionate and engaging. The tour was absolutely free but we did book in advance as Danny only runs the tours twice a day on Friday, Saturday & Sunday. We spoke with Danny for close to two hours, while walking around the grounds and the outskirts of the property. The girls were amazingly well behaved during the tour, which Braino and I appreciated because we were so enthralled by what Danny had to say.

Obviously, you can’t go inside the buildings of Duckett’s Grove, as most of it is a state of crumbled, overground ruins. However it is frequented by paranormal investigation groups who do actually go inside as they have specialised liability insurance. There are a number of ghost stories associated with Duckett’s Grove, including a curse, a banshee and the ghost of William Duckett himself.

In a spooky turn of events, after visiting Duckett’s Grove, I was listening to a podcast about it and found out that William Duckett, the last of the Duckett’s to live at the estate, died on the 22nd of June 1908. And guess what day we happened to visit?…. the 22nd of June. Spooky coincedence or just a random occurrence?

In 2005 the Carlow County Council acquired Duckett’s Grove and restore the two walled gardens at the rear of the property. It has been open to the public since 2011 and some of the stables in the rear courtyard have been restored and now house a tourist information booth, a small gift shop, and The Lazy River Cafe. In the surrounding wooded area, there is a lovely obstacle course style playground that the girls enjoyed playing on. As as were there on a Saturday, there was quite a lot of people enjoying the cafe and playground, even a group of girls around the age of 10 having a birthday party.

There are many old historic homes like this across Ireland in varying states of preservation and I love that a place like this has been somewhat preserved for use by the public.

DUBLIN - 2 Days in Ireland's Capital

We loved Dublin! We were there for two full days and we really just enjoyed wandering around and hanging out in the city area. It had a great vibe and we had lovely weather too which helped! After the enormity of Japan, Singapore and London, Dublin felt very chilled and unhurried.

We actually stayed about 40 minutes south of Dublin in an area called Dun Laoghaire, (pronounced Dun Leery ) which is a lovely seaside suburb. We were still relying on public transport at this point but we found a bus stop right next to the accommodation that went straight into the city. We had booked an aiport transfer again from the airport to the hotel, whihc were on opposite sides of Dublin. Airport transfers are so worth it!

We stayed at a hotel called Rochestown Lodge Hotel, which was great. We booked it based on the price and included amenities, not necessary for the location, considering it was quite far from the city centre. We had a family room which was very spacious and had a seperate room for the kid’s beds. The hotel had an indoor pool which the girls loved, Braino took them swimming every afternoon! The hotel also had a great restaurant which we had dinner at every night as it was just convenient. The hotel was located in a kind of suburban area so there wasn’t any restaurants within walking distance and we didn’t have kitchen facilities.

Out and about in Dublin

One unique thing we did in Dublin was the National Leprechaun Museum. Well it was just myself and Farley who went, Farley has been very interested in mythological creatures for the last year or so, so it seem like a fitting experience for her. 

However, upon closer inspection, the name National Lepruchaun Museum serves more to attract attention of tourists. The musuem itself is more of a story telling experience, where small groups are treated to various different tales from Irish folklore, including Leprechauns. Oral storytelling is an important part of Irish history, so the museum is dedicated to preserving that, rather than any particular artefacts or evidence of Leprechauns, which I imagine some people would be disappointed by if they hadn’t really research the museum before going. It was a great experience which I think Farley enjoyed, she was certainly brave, as we were lead through a lot of spooky, atmospheric spaces in museum to hear all the different folklore tales. (edit: since writing the first draft of is post, I asked the girls whats one thing we’ve done in Ireland that they enjoyed enough to do it again and Farley’s answer was the Leprechaun Musuem, so she definitely enjoyed it… maybe we will go again, who knows )

Afterwards, we of course went to the Temple Bar area which is the touristy pub area of Dublin. We had a Guinness in the iconic red Temple Bar Pub on the corner, which was actually Braino’s very first Guinness. With kids, we obviously didn’t stay too long in the pub but it had a fun lively atmosphere. 

The other place we loved in Dublin was St Stephen’s Green, which is a lovely park in central Dublin It had a great playground for kids and a pond with swans and ducks. We even saw a baby swan. (photo below)

We also had a look in the Natural History Museum and the Archeology Musuem. Both were free and not far from St Stephen’s Green. The Natural History Musuem was very small and mainly just filled with taxidermy animals, apparently it’s colloquially known as ‘The Dead Zoo’. But the girls actually kind of liked seeing all the animals. I was quite interested in the Archeology Musuem but it didn’t really hold the kids attention for long and we arrived pretty close to closing time. 

We also wandered over to St Patrick’s Cathedral but we found that it was closed during that time (it was a Sunday, so the opening times were sporadic compared to other days ) but there was a great playground and garden right next door so we didn’t mind, it wasn’t a far walk to get there.

On one of the days we spent the afternoon wandering through Dun Laoghaire. We caught the train there from Dublin and enjoyed another playground in the People’s Park and an ice cream from Teddy’s, which is apparently quite iconic to Dun Laoghaire. Fun Fact: in Ireland they call a soft serve ice cream with a flake a ’99’. 

The girls had the best time climbing and playing along the rocks on the shoreline, which was a really peaceful way to spend the afternoon. 

After our two days in Dublin we picked up our hire car, well actually Braino headed off across town to pick up the car and purchase kids car seats while I took the girls back to the playground in Dun Laoghaire. After a whole month of relying on public transport, it was such a welcome change to have a car. We especially needed it in the countryside of Ireland, where public transport is close to non existent. 

A few other musuems and points if interest in Dublib that I had researched were:

Dublinina - a interactive museum that is geared towards kids and focuses on Viking and Mediaval Irish history. It’s right next to Christchurch Cathedral and you can get a ticket that covers both.

14 Henrietta Street, Dublin - This is a museum in an a tradition townhouse that captures over 300 years of what life was like in Dublin - from tenement dwelling to Georgian Townhouse

The Guiness Store House - This is tour of the brewery and museum of sorts aboust the history of Guiness. It looks really interesting but we couldn’t justify the cost with kids our age.

LONDON - Amazing Playgrounds & Animal Encounters

We were amazed at the quality and quantity of playgrounds in the central area of London. 

The playgrounds are all beautifully landscaped with a charming wooden aesthetic - no plastic playgrounds insight-  and best of all,  they are totally free to enter!

Diana Memorial Playground - Kensington Gardens

Our absolute favourite was the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, next to Kensington Place, where Princess Diana lived at one point. 

It’s a fitting tribute to Princess Diana and is inspired by Peter Pan, evoking a true sense of NeverNeverLand for children. There are many different sections, separated by hedges and landscaping, with all sorts of forts, clubby houses, swings and  climbing structures. The central focus of the gardens ins the huge wooden private ship that is surrounded by sand and water play. 

While it would be easy to lose track of your kids amongst all the foliage and hidden sections, the whole playground is fences with only one entry point that is manned but park staff, so there is no chance of kids running off complete. In fact, adults who are not with children are not allowed to enter. 

We were there on slightly rainy weekdays so it wasn’t crowded at all, however the website indicates it can be very busy at times and you may have to queue to get in. 

Afterwards, we enjoyed walking through Kensington Gardens, watching the swans and ducks in the ponds and spotting all the squirrels that can be seen running around. Squirrel spotting became one of the favourite things for the kids to do. You can find squirrels in most of the large parks around London and they can be quite confident when approaching people - I guess they are used to being feed. We also saw a fox in Hyde Park which was very exciting, although it was hiding in the bushes.

We also found an amazing playground near Hyde Park Corner, not far from the Knightsbridge Tube Station and near the dining area at the end of the Serpentine Lake. (also not far from the Natural History Musuem)

There was also a great playground super close to Buckingham Place, the St James Park Playground. 

And also right next to the London Eye in the Jubilee Gardens. 

All of them catered to toddlers right through to young teenagers, with plenty of climbing structures and obstacles. They were all fenced which means parents can also relax a bit and maybe enjoy a coffee. Our girls loved the playgrounds, it really helped break up some of the long walks and kept them in good spirits.

LONDON - The London Eye & Other Iconic Sights

Big Ben was our biggest priority in terms of London sights as Hallie has had a unqiue fasinaton with Big Ben (or more correctly - Elizabeth Tower ) ever since she found out about it at kindy. So we decided that the London Eye, with its spectator view of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament would be one thing to splurge on.

It was definitely a budget buster but it was worth ever cents! The views were amazing! And it was suprisisng not anxiety inducing being up that high. The little pods seems really stable and spacious, I could bear feel it move and I din’t feel at all dizzy when I looked down from the top.

One recommendation I would make is: pruchasing your tockets online in advance will give you a slightly cheaper prices. We purchased the tickets onsite and didn’t have to wait long at all to get on.

Below is the exterior of St Paul’s Cathedral. We didn’t go inside and we actually didn’t go into Westminster Abbey either. St Paul’s Cathedral is around 60 pounds for a family of 5 while Westminster Abbey would have been around 90 pounds, so we couldn’t really justify the price, maybe if the kids were a bit older, old enough to really understand the significance of each church.

Below is the Globe Theatre, a recreation of the original Globe Theatre that was constructed to house the performances of Shakespearean plays. We paid to do the guided tour which in a large group and went for about an hour. The girls were really great during the tour, very patient and listened intently. Both Braino and I enjoyed the historical context of what London was like during Shakespeares life.

I’ve always had a mild interest in Shakespeare and his works. I do remember studying MacBeth, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet at high school and one of the short films we made at uni was inspired by Macbeth as well. Farley has a general understanding of who Shakespeare is just from references she has picked up from books and shows and also the fact that the moons of Uranus are named after character from Shakespeare’s plays. She had a big planets and space phase too.

After the tour there was an afternoon performance of The Taming of The Shrew, which I decided to stay for. This is actually the play that the movie Ten Things I Hate About You, which one of my all time favourite movies. I purchased the cheap 5 pound standing tickets which meant I had to stand up in front of the stage for the whole 2.5 hour performance, but it wasn’t too bad really. the performance was impressive - how actors remember all those complicated Shakespearean lines of dialogue is so amazing, but the hodge-podge, op shop chic costumes kind of left me a little confused. I was expecting full on historic Shakespearean costumes. Initially I was hoping the whole family could watch a show at the Globe but it would have honestly been hard for the girls to follow along. And the sitting tickets were definitely not cheap.

Whether you’re a big fan of the Royal Family or not, I feel that visiting Buckingham Place is a must see sight in London. You can actually go inside and do a tour but it’s only available for a very narrow window of time from July to September, it’s around 32 pounds for adults and 13 pounds for children over 5 years old. Farley has had a bit of phase of interest in the royal family so it’s always a special thing to be able to show her sights like this for real, not just in books and video.

The two very iconic sights of The Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are right next to each other, further east along the Thames from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. You can do tours inside the Tower of London, which actually houses a collection of royal crown jewels and also the TowerS of the Tower Bridge, however we decided to forgo any inside tours and just enjoy the sights from the outside.

We actually found a Wagamamas restaurant right next to the Tower of London! Wagamamas went out of business in Australia in 2014 but it’s still going strong in London, it was our favourite restaurant so Braino and I were excited to take a trip down memory lane.

LONDON - Family Friendly Free Museums & Art Galleries

I won’t detail out what we did on each individual day In London because it’s all a bit of blur now but I’ll recap our highlights to perhaps give other families an idea of what kid friendly activities there are in London. This post will focus on some of the free museums & art galleries. 

We were obviously conscious of our budget and the fact that one Australian dollar is worth basically half a British pound had us second guessing the necessity of every purchase. But I was quite surprised by how many free attractions there are in London so we actually experienced London is a relatively budget-friendly way. 

Natural History Museum 

One of our highlights was the Natural History Musuem which is absolutely free! It’s a huge collections of all things zoology, palaeontology, geology and mineralogy, including animal specimens that were collected by Charles Darwin! The architecture of the main building is simply breathtaking and the main hall features a blue whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling. (Interestingly, the blue whale’s skeleton was found in Wexford Harbour, Ireland in 1891 and was in storage for 42 years before being displayed in the hall with all the other whale and animal specimens. It moved to the main hall in 2017, replacing a skeleton cast of ‘Dippy’, the Diplodocus )

The girls loved the huge array of taxidermy animal specimens and I was particularly excited to point out the ichthyosaur fossils that were discovered by Mary Anning, a girl from the south of England who we had read about in a book we purchased from the Queensland Musuem called ‘Stone Girl, Bone Girl’. We also discovered that the Natural History Museum is the musem from one of the girls favourite shows ‘Andy’s Prehistoric Adventures’ and we were able to locate the clock that is used in the show.

We spent a good solid hour in the geology area of the museum which has countless rocks and mineral specimens, including gemstones. It also features a gallery dedicated to natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanos and tsunamis. This was particularly interesting after our time in Japan. Actually, in the Natural History Museum is as a room that is designed to look like the interior of a grocery shop in Kobe Japan which shook, replicating what it would feel like to be in the earthquake that occurred in 1995. There was even CCTV footage playing on small TVs from inside the shop at the time of the earthquake. After being in Japan and seeing a volcano - Mt Fuji - and learning about Tsunamis from seeing warning signs on the beach of Kamakura, it was a great experience for girls to see all the information presented in a museum format. 

The other huge highlight for us was the dinosaur section where they have a massive robotic T-Rex, which roars and moves! Initially, we had seen a short clip of the T-Rex on a YouTube video and the girls said they would be too scared to see the T-Rex for real but after a bit a pep talk from Braino and I, the girls braved it and loved the T-Rex! Such a relief, because it was really impressive. 

I would absolutely recommend the Natural History Museum! It’s amazing that its’ free and while it is recommended to book a time slot online, we did and it didn’t seem necessary on the day. It’s located ver centrally in South Kensington, not far from Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace. 

Science Museum 

Right next door to the Natural History Museum is the Science Museum, which is also free to enter and there are loads of exhibits included in the free admission. So much so that you could really dedicate a full day here. After an hour or so we felt a bit museumed -out and there were still many levels we hadn’t gone to yet. 

I feel like the Science Musuem would be amazing for slightly older kids, even teenagers - like maybe 10 years and up. There is an amazing collection of airplanes and space shuttles and other feats of engineering. Our girls loved the area called ‘Who Am I’ which explores genetics, in particular the touch screen interactive games that focused on health, physical changes and peoples different appearance. 

If I were to dedicate a full day the Science Musuem, I would buy tickets to the Wonderlab area, which is an interactive area for kids to learn in a really hands on way. It looked rather similar to the SparkLab Centre at the Brisbane Museum, which is why we didn’t initially prioritise it. 

I’d also book tickets to one of the different nature based IMAX movies that are showing like Antarctic 3D and Ocean Odyssey. 

Tate Modern

The Tate Modern is a huge art gallery, housed in a gigantic old power station on the banks of the Thames, near the Millennium Bridge and next to Shakespeares Globe. It was refurbished in the late 90s and opened in 2000 as a stunning gallery for modern art. It’s free to enter and there are a few sections that are kid friendly, we spent about an hour and a half there before visiting the tour at Shakespeares Globe Theatre. 

There is a section in the foyer area with books, colouring in and blocks for toddlers an d young kids to play with while parents chill out on the surrounding couches. There are also a few digital art stations around the gallery were kids (and adults) can create art on a iPad style screen and then see their artworks appear in the large frames along the walls above. 

We also wander though one of the galleries full of art - there is so many different levels of galleries, we just found the closest one to have a look at. Some of the modern art was bizarre and kind of creepy, some of it raised a few questions from the girls, but overall, it’s always thought provoking and educational. It’s free to enter and depending on how patient your kids can be when it comes to modern art, you could easily spend a couple of hours there. 

The British Museum 

This is one of the only really disappointing things about our stay in London. We intended to go The British Museum which is also free to enter, but one the afternoon that we went, we found that the line to get in was out the front gate and down the street. It was actually our last full day as well, as we had no option to come back another day. We didn’t book tickets in advance but I’m not sure that would have made a difference as we couldn’t even see a separate line for ticket holders. It was kind of mind blowing to see the line that long. We were there for about 15 minutes and the line didn’t move at all, so we decided to call it a day and not wait around. 

The British Museum has an extensive collection of ancient artefacts, including Egyptian mummies. I have been many years ago but I only have vague memories of it. It would have been a good learning experience for the girls. So if you do have your heart set on visiting the British Musuem, I would recommended booking a ticket online, even though they are free, and arriving first thing in the morning. 

Other suggestions 

Another free Musuem that we didn’t go to but would be interesting is the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is located right next to the Natural History Museum and Science Museum. It a museum / art gallery that focuses on art,  design and performance, for example there is an upcoming exhibit focusing on the songwriting and costumes of Taylor Swift. 

There is a Young V&A which is further across London in Bethnal Green, near the Tower of London. It appeared to have similar themes to the V&A just in a more interactive format for kids. 

The Discover Children’s Story Centre was on our list but we didn’t make it as it was a little further east, beyond the Tower of London and it also required paid tickets. It is basically an imaginative, indoor play space that is themed around storytelling. It says it’s designed for babies to 11 year olds but I would say, from the looks of the website, it’s probably great for toddlers and younger kids rather than 6 and above. But that’s just my guess. 

IN TRANSIT - From Singapore to London

I absolutely love London and arriving in London felt like reuniting with an old friend. 

Even though I’ve only visited London for short periods of time on three different occasions many years ago, it feels like I have a certain familiarity with London. Maybe because it’s featured so much in history lessons, literature, movies and monopoly, but it was a great feeling being back in London, recognising all the buildings and tube station names. 

Traveling from Singapore to London

The flight from Singapore to London was an extremely long journe.y I have to hand it to parents who fly from Australia to the UK in one journey, it’s so long to be sitting on plane, I can’t even imagine what it would be like to keep a toddler occupied for that length of time. 

We flew out of Singapore at midday but we would have woken up around 7am that morning so we could get to the airport with plenty of time to look around again. Singapore Airport is so amazing efficient, it was no stress at all. 

The girls were great on the plane;  the inflight entertainment kept everyone occupied, we didn’t need to even get out any of the games or colouring or the iPad. It was the first flight where we have had meals and inflight entertainment included , so we were all excited to just binge watch whatever we wanted to for the next 13 hours. I watched an amazing documentary about Alanis Morreette and a few other cheesy rom-coms and then The Killing of The Flower Moon with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro which was three hours long! And I missed the last 15 minutes because the damn flight was landing and I had to get off, haha! 

The food was honestly excellent too, obviously relative to airplane food in general. The only downside of the whole flight was that no one really got an sleep. Rooney slept for about 3 hours and Hallie maybe for an hour or so, but Farley - not at all. Neither did Braino or I. We landed in London at 7pm London time, but that was around 2am Singapore time, so it was a very long day. 

One thing we have decided is that airport transfers are 100% worth the money. We had one arranged for when we landed in London (which we booked through booking.com) and he was able to meet us at the arrivals gate and take us straight to our accommodation. Which was an absolute blessing after such a long flight. 

Jetlag

I’ve never been to London in the summer months, only in winter and early spring, so it was a bit of an adjustment getting used to the longer daylight hours. We arrived at our accommodation around 10pm and it was still daylight, or just on sunset. Which actually worked out well as we just had showers and went to bed and were able to get a full night sleep and wake up at a usual morning time the next day.

I thought this would  help a lot in terms of avoiding jet lag. We did manage to get out and about the following day but it seemed like jet lag really hit on the second day. It was mainly Farley, she never naps, getting her to nap as a baby was such a mission, but she was the one that fell asleep on a train in the middle of the day. I certainly felt tired every night, and slept well for the whole week we were in London. 

The accommodation 

The accommodation we were staying at was one block back fro Edgeware Road, north of the Edgeware Road Tube Station on the Bakerloo Line (for those of you who may be familiar with London) It was a two bedroom apartment that we booked via booking.com and it was overall ok. The building itself was about 20 floors high, (we were on floor 17) with four apartments on each level. It kind of reminded me of an old disused uni campus that we once shot a short film in during my film school days. It was probably built in the 70’s and felt a bit like a council flat.

Fortunately the interior of the apartment was in better condition, but only just. The bathroom was in need of an update, there wasn’t a plug for the bath and the thing that holds the shower hose onto the wall had broken off so showering was a annoyingly tricky. But at least the water was hot! Little things like that could really get under your skin, but Braino and I have been good about putting things into perspective and focusing on the bigger picture. I’m mean we’re traveling the world for a whole year, a dodgy bathroom is really just a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. And anyway, I kind of feel like that apartment was probably pretty standard for London, in that price range anyway. 

Actually, initially we had booked a hotel room in a hotel on Sussex Garden, which was off Edgeware Road, a little closer to Paddington Train station and Hyde Park. 

It was actually the same street I stayed on with my family when I was there in 2007 and I remembered the location being fairly central. From memory it would have included breakfast but it was only a hotel room with 4 or 5 beds in it. And after the Sinagpore capsule hotel accommodation and even the small room we had in Tokyo, Braino and I decided to see if if we could find something a little bigger, like a 2 bedroom apartment. And we were fortunate that the original accomodation was refundable and that we could find the new accommodation in a similar area for a similar price.  

The kitchen, dinning room and lounge area made such a difference for the week. We were able to buy groceries and cook dinner every night. Obviously the  exchange rate to British pounds is a huge thing to factor in, so being able to eat breakfast and dinner at home and even occasional pack a lunch, meant we could keep the budget in check. Also, the kids go a little crazy in restaurants after a long day. I’ve started bringing Uno or a pack of cards out to restaurants just to give them something to do while we’re waiting for our meals. 

I’ll share more about what we did  during our stay in London in the following post…. 

SINGAPORE - Our 2 Day Itinerary

Singapore is a wonderful family friendly location; there is so much do, you could easily fill out a week or more holiday. 

While Singapore is a rather expensive destination, we found there were some incredible kid friendly, free options available to fill our our two day stopover. 

First up, we purchased tickets to the Art Science Museum at Marina Bay Sand where there was a TeamLab exhibition called FutureWorld. The girls absolutely loved TeamLab Planets in Tokyo, it still rates as their most favourite activities so far. Future World has similar digital projected artworks that reacted to the movements of the guests, as well as a large animated artwork where you could design your own plane, bird or butterfly, scan it and see it come to life with in the artwork. 

From the outside, the Art Science Museum is a really unique building, its lotus flower inspired design was created by architect Moshe Safdie. It is next to another one of Singapore’s spectacular building, Marina Bay Sand, the iconic three buildings with the boat like platform at stretches across the top of all three. 

We walked through the shopping arcade at the base of Marina Bay Sands and were wowed by all the high end designer brands and theatres. 

Our next destination was the Keppel Centre for Art Education, located in the National Gallery Singapore. This was a fantastic FREE experience for the kids, with so many hands on, engaging, creative based activities. We easily spent a couple of hours here and girls were kept busy with the multiple different rooms and artistic activities. We were fortuate to be there on a weekday, so we found the crowds quite minimal however, I have read that if you plan to go on a weekend, it’s best to book a time slot in advance as it’s very popular.

We then spent the afternoon at Gardens By The Bay, home to the iconic Supertree Grove. While it’s free to enter the Gardens, there are some paid sections like the Cloud Forest, the Flower Dome, Skyway and the Supertree Observation Deck. We were planning to do at least the Cloud Forest, which is inside one of the gigantic glass domes and has a man made waterfall and foliage covered mountain, however the kids were having so much fun in the Far East’s Organisations Children’s Garden, we simply ran out of time. The Children’s Garden was free and featured a wonderful playground set within the vegetation and a large splash park, which was the perfect way to cool off in the late afternoon sunshine. 

Within the Gardens are a few restaurants; we had dinner at Shake Shack before heading to the Supertree Grove for the free nightly ‘Garden Rhapsody’ light show. It was quite spectacular to see the enormous structures lit up at night, in sync to a music soundtrack. 

If I were to recommend Gardens By The Bay to another family, I’d say you could easily allocate the majority of the day, but be prepared for a lot of walking and be prepared to spend a bit on admission tickets, especially if you plan to go into the Cloud Forest or Flower Dome. These glass structures are air conditioned so it would be a great option to escape the humidity of Singapore, however we ended up doing a budget friendly version of Gardens By The Bay by sticking to Children’s Garden and free light show. 

The second Day in Singapore, we met up with a friend of mine from my university days and his family. Chao and I were in the same film and television degree and have kept in touch via social media. (Its almost been 20 years since we graduated!)  Chao and his wife Bonnie visited Australia around 11 years ago, before any of our old uni crew had kids, but it’s been lovely to see their family grow with the addition of their kids. 

Chao and Maya met up with us in Chinatown, were they showed us around the Hawker Food centre which was right across the road from our accommodation. 

Hawker Food is a big part of Singapore’s culture and history, traditionally it was sold from little trolleys and wagons on the streets, drawing on the culinary influences of the many different cultures that have immigrated to Singapore. In recently years, it has become more regulated and hawker food stalls are now set up in the many large centres throughout Singapore. 

Chao, a talented illustrator and comic strip artist, actually illustrated a children’s book about Hawker Food and he graciously gifted us a signed copy. A really lovely gesture considering how much the girls love to draw and create their own comics.

At first the Hawker Food centres feel a bit overwhelming with so many options and so many new, different types of food. But Chao picked out a few dishes which were delicious - the rice jelly like cakes and the mince like vegetable relish was amazing. 

Later that afternoon we meet up with Bonnie and Aiden at the National Musuem of Sinagpore where we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the Story of the Forest exhibit was created by TeamLab! The kids loved the animated, projected artworks along the walls of the spiral ramps and inside the domed room. 

We all wandered through the history of Singapore section of the museum and girls enjoyed reading some books together. We chatted more over afternoon tea in the museum’s cafe and then headed out to the play area where the kids had a chance to run around. It was such a lovely experience catching up with Chao and Bonnie , reminiscing about film school and hearing about life in Singapore and the kids had a lovely time meeting new friends too. We’re so very grateful that Chao and Bonnie made the time to see us and we’re very blessed to have these connections and travel memories.  

A few other things I would recommend families do in Sinagpore:

The Children’s Museum - it had a interactive exhibit called Into The Hawkerverse about Sinagpore’s history of Hawker food.

Museum of Ice Cream Singapore

Science Centre Sinagpore

Mandai Wildlife Reserve - includes Singapore Zoo, Bird Paradise and River Wonders.

LegoLand. - technically this is across in Malayasia but it’s very close and easy to get to from Singapore.

Sentosa Island - this is the resort / tourist hub for Singapore, where you’ll find Universal Studios, along with Adventure Cove Waterpark, KidZania, Madame Tussauds, S.E.A Aquarium, Sentosa Sensoryscape, Hydro Dash and so much more!

I would check out Klook for ideas and tickets for what’s on in Singapore.

IN TRANSIT - From Japan to Singapore

Our flight out of Narita Airport in Tokyo was set to depart at 8am so we had made the decision to travel from Kamakura to Narita Airport the day before. We stayed at Hotel Nikko Narita, which had a free shuttle to the airport and we were relieved to find that there was a train that ran directly from Kamakura Train Station to Narita Airport. It was only a 2 hours journey but the trains would have been running early enought for us to get to the airport in time for a 8am flight. I would highly recommended staying overnight near the any airport before an early flight to save the stress of waking up early and potentially running late to the airport. 

Hotel Nikko Narita was a great option, we found the staff to be extremely helpful and the room was spacious and comfortable, we had three double beds in the one room but it was still quite big. The only downside was the food at the restaurant and cafe was rather expensive and not great quality. 

We flew with Scoot Airlines which is a budget airline affiliated with Sinagpore Airlines and it was a fairly uneventful. There was mild turbulence throughout the whole flight, so the seat belt signs where on pretty much the whole flight and the lights were dimmed even though it was a day time flight, which was kind of odd. Seeing as it was a budget airline, there was no food service or inflight entertainment but the girls were happy enough with the downloaded movies and shows on the iPad. 

Singapore’s Changi Airport is one of the most remarkable airports ever! The central ‘Jewel’, the huge indoor waterfall is amazing, it feels like a futurist temple, like something you would see in a movie like Avatar. The interior walls around the waterfall resembled rocks with foliage growing over it, like an overgrown stone temple, but then the little monorail like airport train zooms past - it’s very surreal. And then, outside the Jewel area is 4 or 5 storeys of shops and restaurants. If you ever have a long stopover in Sinagpore, but not long enough to leave the airport, you’ll have plenty to do in the airport. 

Actually, once we arrived, we decided to organise a taxi / airport transfer rather than navigate public transport. We were able to easily find a service desk that could book us a taxi and also provide us with Singapore based SIM cards. We’re glad we did organise a taxi because by the time we left the airport, we were driving through a torrential downpour. The taxi driver was really cool about it though, Singapore gets a lot of tropical style rainstorms. 

We had booked accommodation in Chinatown, which seemed to be an affordable but central area. It was really lively and vibrant, with lots of markets and restaurants amongst the historic buildings. There were some beautiful street murals throughout alleys and smaller streets of Chinatown, which I loved finding and photographing. 

We chose to stay at the Cube Family Boutique Capsule Hotel on Smith Street. We knew it was going to be a small room but, yeah, we were surprised at just how small the room was. It was designed for families and had a double sized bunk beds, and a single sized bunk bed. The bunks were built like small little capsule / cubby houses and there was also a small bathroom in the room and a well designed cupboard space but all up we estimated that the room was about 12 square meters in total! The kids had a great time though. Hallie had the top double bunk while Braino and I were in the lower one. Farley and Hallie had the single bunks and they were honestly like little cubby holes. Did I also mention there wasn’t any windows! This actually worked out in our favour as the darkness meant the girls slept well, although Braino found that the noise from other guests in the corridor kept him up. Not surprising as the bed was right next to the door, he was able to open the door and stick his head out while still laying in bed. 

Overall, it was an experience, we managed ok, considered we only really slept there; we were out all day on both days we were in Singapore. Would I recommend it to another family of 5? Well it depends on how much patience you can muster when confined to a small space with your family and how much you value privacy and only maybe if you’re relatively small. Haha! So no, I wouldn’t recommend it Haha! 

ACCOMMODATION - The Places We Stayed in Japan

We booked all of our accommodation via booking.com and all the stays were primarily self catered holiday rental style accommodation with the exception of a few hotels. 

We were very happy with booking.com overall and the main reason we choose it in the first place was that it generally provides good cancellation policies and allows you to pay a few days out from your arrival. Airbnb on the other hand takes payment right away and holds it until you check out. We appreciated having some flexibility in our accommodation bookings and keeping as much money in our bank accounts for as long as possible. 

I’ve included links to the accommodation on booking.com. At the moment, these are not affiliate links but I’m working towards setting up affiliate links in the future

TOKYO

The Centurian Classic Hotel Akasaka. 6/10

This hotel is in a fantastic location, Akasaka felt like a quieter neighbourhood although it had plenty of restaurants and bars in the streets surrounding the hotel. 

We were able to walk to Akasaka train station and Akasaka-Mitsuke train station and from there we were able to reach many of the main destinations around Tokyo. 

The hotel staff were great, very friendly and they were especially helpful with our luggage forwarding request. However the room was very small. It had two queen sized beds pushed together which myself and all the girls slept on ( essentially one giant bed ) while Braino slept on a foldout couch. The bathroom was a good size but there was only a hotel style kitchenette and a couch with a coffee table. We managed for 4 nights but it got little cramped. 

No amenities like breakfast or room service but it did have a washing machine in the room.

LAKE KAWAGUCHIKO

Fujiyasan - 11/10

Fujiyasan is a stand alone 2 bedroom house which we were super impressed by.

The downstairs two bedrooms have a queen size bed in each and then there is a third tatami room upstairs where you can set up 2 x Japanese style futons. ( floor mattresses ) 

The kitchen is well equipped and there is a large dinning table and a living area with a couch and TV. 

There is even unexpected things like a hair straightener and projectors in the bedroom. 

The location is the best part - it’s a short walk from the main train and bus station and we could also walk down to the lake. 

There is a stunning view of Mt Fuji when it wasn’t behind the clouds and there was even a bit of outdoor space for the kids to run around in.  This was our favourite accommodation of all, we highly recommend it for Lake Kawaguchiko.

KYOTO

Guesthouse Chayama - 9/10

This was also a two bedroom, two level townhouse that was very much an example of an authentic Japanese house. 

The host, Fiona, made this stay exception. She was originally from England but had been living in Kyoto for many years with her family, including her two teenage girls. 

She didn’t live onsite but she came over on two different occasions to help. She gave us lots of recommendations and info and really helped us out with luggage forwarding. And there were bikes that were free to use, so Braino often road around to collect takeaway for dinner, there we many options within riding distance.

This apartment had two bedrooms upstairs that were only separated by a screen door and that had tatami mats and futons ( floor mattresses ). This was fine for us as a family although Braino wasn’t a huge fan of the futons. But a family with older kids or a group of friends may have found the set up not very practical in terms of privacy. There was also steep stairs between the two levels, so I’d be a little wary with babies and toddlers.

The location was good, as we were a 2 minute walk from a station station, however it was one of the smaller, outer train lines and we had to change after two stops to get to the main train line. This particular train line - the Eizan Main Line, was a little more expensive than the other train lines in Kyoto too.

KOYASAN

Koyasan Guesthouse Tommy 7/10

This is a small hotel / guesthouse run by a friendly man called Tommy, who also had a cafe next door. There are 8 rooms in total and we had two seperate rooms, Farley and Me in were in one with two twin single beds and Braino, Rooney and Hallie in the other room which had a double bed and a fold out couch bed. The beds were western style beds and the rooms were clean and tidy. The main style of accommodation in Koyasan is the Buddhist temple homestays which are very expensive, so Guesthouse Tommy was fine as a budget option. It was in a great location, one street back from the main that runs through the town, and we could walk to everything including the bus stop for the bus that runs to the train station.

OSAKA

Guest House Laule'a Tennoji - 8/10

This was a last minute, budget booking for us which was quite satisfactory . It is a guesthouse / hotel that felt more like a very quiet hostel. The downstairs had a communal kitchen and large living space but there wasn’t any staff or reception. We didn’t see anyone else in there either, even though there was about 4 different floors of rooms. The room we booked had 4 western style beds ( 3 singles and a double ) and even with all the beds it was still very spacious, including a couch, table, kitchenette and large bathroom.

It was a 100m from a train station too so it was a great option for the one night we needed in Osaka to break up the trip from Koyasan to Takayama. 

TAKAYAMA

Taisho Aburaya - 10/10

This is our second favourite acommodation and only because it didn’t have a view of Mt Fuji, ha ha!

The house itself is stunning. It is a large two bedroom stand-alone house, the upstairs was two bedroom only separated by a screen door ( like the Kyoto ) but one had Japanese futons while the second room had two western style double beds. The futons were fine for the girls as it is kind of like having a big sleep over. And the double beds were comfortable for Braino and I as well. 

This house is very authentic in it’s decor while being very well maintained. The bathroom was very modern so maybe it was a newer built house that was done in a very authentic Japanese style. 

The location was great too, we were able to walk to the train/ bus station and we could walk into the main area of the town. We didn’t hear anything from the owners while we were there, it was very much like an Airbnb type stay but that was fine as we didn’t need anything. 

KAMAKURA

Kamakura Sun and Breeze - 6/10

This is another two bedroom house that we booked via booking.com but out of all the accommodation we stayed at, this one was a little disappointing. It felt like someone’s house that they lived in until only recently; there was so much rusted junk around the outside and in the car port while inside there was a lot of cleaning products, although it didn’t really feel all that clean. The bedroom set up as also a little weird, essentially there are 3 rooms (2 tatami rooms and what you would assume is the lounge room) , however, they had put two single beds in the lounge room and zero beds in the other tatami bedroom, there wasn’t even a couch in the whole house - very strange. 

We did have beach views from the kitchen window and there was a large rooftop balcony that we could access. The location was great. It is very close to the beach, a playground and a few restaurants but a slightly further walk to the train stations. 

Oh and the washing machine didn’t work… which was probably the biggest annoyance. Braino had to do a solo mission to find a laundromat as we were down to our last cloths but this stage. Overall it was adequate I just wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to anyone. 

NARITA AIRPORT

Hotel Nikko Narita - 8/10

We flew out quite early from Narita Airport and decided to book into a nearby hotel the night before. Hotel Nikko Narita felt like a well run large business hotel - exactly what you’d expect from something close to the airport. We were able to book a hotel room that had three queens beds in it and it still felt spacious. There was a free airport shuttle bus and the staff were really friendly, they were very helpful and accommodating with receiving our luggage early and storing it for a number of days.

The only disappointing thing was the price and quality of the food in the cafe - it was quite overpriced and bland.

A few other things I would note about accommodation in Japan for families.

• Bed sharing ( parents and kids ) seems to be quite the norm in Japan so if you’re willing to be flexible about who sleeps where, it will allow for a lot more budget friendly options. 

• The same goes for being willing to sleep on the traditional Japanese futons ( floor mattresses ). This will give you more options but it’s obviously not ideal for people with back issues or mobility issues. 

• We didn’t have breakfast included in any of our stays. This would be an option if you were staying at a big brand name hotel but we found it very easy to buy yogurt, fruit, croissants, cereal and milk and juice from the 7-Eleven or Family Marts. There was always one close by. 

KAMAKURA, JAPAN - Day Trip - Enoshima Island & Enoden Electric Railway

The second day we were in Kamakura, we decided to head over to the neighbouring beachside town of Enoshima. I had grabbed a local brochure of the area and also read a few blogs, all of these highlighted Enoshima Island and the Enoden Rail Line. The dragon myth associated with the island particularly caught my interest, so it felt like a great way to see more of the area.

The Enoden Electric Railway runs along the coastline between Kamakura and Enoshima. It’s a retro stye tram like train that has a very quaint feel to it. It was a fantastic way to see the coastline and we saw so many people taking photos of the train as it passed by. Once we arrived at Enoshima train station, we found that the train has it’s own little merchandise shop, it’s like train itself is a local celebrity. I later found out that there is a well known anime film called Slam Dunk that features the Enoden Train and specifically the Kamakurakokomae train crossing. This particular area was swarming with tourists taking photos. (I came back the following morning, to capture the photo below)

The town of Enoshima seemed a little more built up than Kamakura, with more high rise apartments and a few more tourist attractions like an aquarium. Enoshima Island is just across a short bridge from the mainland and is steeped in mythology about a dragon and a goddess.

The legand, called the Enoshima Engi, it is a Japanese chronicle written in 1047 by the Buddhist monk Kokei. It narrates the mythological origins and history of Enoshima Island and its associated shrine, dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten. The text combines historical records and folklore, detailing the divine intervention of Benzaiten to subdue a five-headed dragon that was terrorizing the local population. The dragon, after falling in love with Benzaiten, reforms and transforms into a hill on the island, symbolizing the triumph of spiritual power over destructive forces. The Enoshima Engi is an important cultural artifact, blending religious themes with the geographic and social history of the region.

The island itself was so fascinating! We were able to walk across the bridge and into the bustling narrow street that led up to the steep stairs of the shrine. We ascended all the steps to the top of the hill to the Enoshima Shrine, dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten. The area was very lush and tranquil, with stunning views of Sagami Bay. We continued on to the ocean side of the island, in search of the sea caves, where we wound our way through the narrow lane that was filled with restaurants that overlooked breathtaking views of the ocean. No cars are able to access this part of the island so it was quite intriguing how they would be able to supply all these restaurants.

The final leg of the journey took us down steep stairs towards the island's southern tip, where the Enoshima Iwaya Caves awaited. These ancient sea caves, carved by centuries of ocean waves, are shrouded in mystery and spiritual significance. We were given little candle lanterns to take with us down the first cave to the alter of the goddess Benzaiten. The girls were given battery powered lanterns but they loved the experience of carrying the lanterns.

The second cave is home to a large dragon statue, complete with lighting and thunder sound effects. The girls were slightly scared to go close the dragon, but afterwards they talked about how cool it was to see the dragon cave.

Below the sea caves is a rocky shoreline, there was plenty of people enjoying the sunshine and fishing out into the ocean. On a clear winter day, this area apparently has an incredible view of Mt Fuji across the bay.

We were relived to find that there was a little ferry that took passengers between the ocean side of the island and the mainland. I had kind of winged the whole sea cave quest, without giving much thought to how we’d get back. So rather than walk back up and over the island, we opted for the speed boat. The girls loved it. It was another unexpected highlight of the day. For our last full day of sightseeing in Japan, it turned out to be a favourite of mine.

KAMAKURA, JAPAN - The Great Buddha & Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

Kamakura is a small beachside town, just an hour south of Tokyo. It’s often referred to as Little Kyoto because it was also once an ancient capital of Japan and has so many temples and shrines. However, it also has a very laid back vibe that incorporates Californian and Hawaiian surfer culture to creates a really unique feel that is so far removed from the frenetic energy of Tokyo.

As we were flying out fo Tokyo, I wanted to spend our last few days close enough the Tokyo without going back into the heart of the city. Admittedly, I loved Tokyo way more than I thought I would, we all did in fact. So I’m sure we could have found plenty more to do in Tokyo had we gone back. But what appealed to me about Kamakura was the stretch of beach that we could relax on and unwind a bit after all the travel we had been doing.

It ended up being a good decision. Once we arrived and checked into our accommodation, we headed down to the beach to enjoy the sunset and take in the view. The beach had blackish sand which I believe is typical of beaches in areas with high volcanic activities, and the waves were very small, although there was no shortage of locals out in the surf attempting to make do with the little action they had to work with. During the Summer months of July and August, pop up beach clubs are set up along the beach. We were a month too early but it was interesting to see the construction of the temporary structures getting underway.

We had booked three full day day in Kamakura which was probably a little generous in hindisght, two busy days would be enough, however it rained very heavily on the first day. I stayed in the with the girls an dcaught up on some school work and creative time - Hallie was working on a great story about Godzilla, while Braino went out in search of a laundromat to wash and dry our clothes - we were down to our last clean outfits.

We dedicated our second day to exploring some of the temples and shrines around Kamakura, starting with the Great Buddha of Kamakura. The Great Buddha or Kamakura Daibutsu dates back to the 13th century and is the second tallest bronze seated Buddha in Japan. (the first is the one I saw in Nara). The 11.4m Buddha was quite amazing to see and the girls were particularly excited to be able to go inside the statue.

I had read that there was a hiking track that led from the road next to the Great Buddha and wound it’s way through the hills, between suburban street, past a collection of smaller shrines to the Kamakura train station. So we set off to find the trailhead, which we did quite easily. However, after traipsing through the steep muddy track for 20 or so minutes, we realised we were not even on the right track and had headed in the completely wrong direction. It was a bit of fail on my behalf. Thankfully no one had slipped over, because the mud would have literally ruined an outfit (and probably our day), so we decided to bail on the hike and find a bus stop and head to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine via road.

We caught the bus back to Kamakura Train Station and walked up Komachi-Dori Street which is a bustling street full of street vendors, restaurants and souvenir shops. This led to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu which is the most important shrine in the Kamakura. This shrine seemed to have a little bit of everything, the sake barrels like Meiji Jingu Shrine, the mini torii gates like Fushimi Inari Shrine. There is even a bamboo grove in Kamakura at Hokokuji Temple, which is similar to the very popular bamboo grove at Arashiyama in Kyoto.

TAKAYAMA, JAPAN - Day 2 - Sanmachi Historic District

The second day that were were in Takayama was very rainy, it rained heavily for most of the morning. But we didn’t mind actually, the accommodation we were staying in was so spacious and lovely , it was nice to be able to spend some time indoors appreciating the house. 

We booked this guesthouse via booking.com and while the host / management team were very hands off, it was a really beautifully presented two storey house, in a very authentic Japanese style. The kitchen and dining room had a large table, the bathroom was big and modern and there was spacious lounge room that led out to a landscaped courtyard. Upstairs was two bedrooms, although they were only separated by sliding screens. Both had tatami mats. Which seems to be the typical bedroom layout in Japan. One bedroom had futon beds, the girls sleep in this one, while the other room had two western style double beds, which were very comfortable. 

The girls play so well together and with all the travel and moving around, it’s been helpful to give them some free time to just play. It definitely keeps everyone in a good mood on the days that we are out and about exploring and on the days were we are traveling to the next destination. It’s also been surprisng to see how well they play with the small amount of toys that we have with us. We then dedicated a bit of time to ‘school work’, catching up on maths and english units and some quizzes about what ever learnt about Japan. 

Once the rain cleared up in the afternoon, we all went out for a walk around the Sanmachi area. There is a number of blocks that have beautifully preserved wooden buildings that date back to the Edo period, many of which are sake breweries, ryokans and artisan craft shops. 

Takayama is the kind of town that you can just wander around and explore. It wasn’t very busy although there we lots of sovenier shops and more dedicated artisan boutiques. Hallie found a t-shirt that featured a design of godzilla rising up out of the ocean in the scene Hokusai, ‘Great Wave Off Kanagawa’ and Rooney found a cute t-shirt with her favourite Japanaese icon - Maneki-neko the beckoning cat.

Takayama is also home to Hida beef and Braino and I samples the best ‘beef on a skewer from a street vendor ‘ while walking around the streets of Takayama. We also sat down and had dinner at a restaurant called Kajibashi which had delicious Japanese cuisine.

Overall, while Tayakama is a little off the beaten track, I would still recommend it to families who are looking for a slower paced experience in Japan. There was quite a lot more to see and do that what we did, like the morning markets, the Showa-Kan Museum and the Retro Museum as well as the nearby Onsen town of Gero. We were there at the very end of May which is spring, leading into Summer, but I would love to see it in Autumn and Winter as well.

TAKAYAMA, JAPAN - Day 1 - Hida No Sato Open Air Museum

Takayama was another destination I had also seen photos of when researching Japan, the images of the dark wooden buildings from the Edo Period of Takayama’s old town have been stuck in my head as a must see location in Japan. I’m pleased to say that the old town area and the surroundings just as beautiful, if not more beautiful in person!

Takayama is located north east of Kyoto, (and north west of Tokyo) in the mountainous Gifu Prefecture. We travelled via an Nohi Highway Bus, which departed from Higashi-Umeda Station in Osaka (going via Kyoto Station) and arriving at the JR Takayama Station / Nohi Bus Terminal. From there we only had to walk 10 minutes to our accommodation. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, we have been very impressed by the standard and ease of the highway buses in Japans. They are comfortable and really reasonably priced. Alternatively we would had had to change trains a few times to get from Osaka to Takayama, potentially including a bullet train.

Another wonderful thing about Takayama is that it’s a small walkable town. Once we arrived we didn’t need to worry about getting around town via public transport, it was lovely just to walk around. On the morning of our first full day, we walked about 30 minutes out of town to the Hida No Sato Open Air Museum (or Hida Folk Village) which was a fantastic location to learn about the history of the Hida Region.

The Hida Folk Village is a collection of historical houses that have been relocated from various villages around the Hida region. The houses were built in the Edo period (from 1603 - 1868) and many are astonishing examples of the gassho-zukuri farmhouses that have the steep thatched roofs, able to withstand the heavy winter snow.

It was quite incredible to be able to walk around inside each house and learn about how people lived in the Hida region, especially how they raised silk worms and expertly wove kimonos from the harvested silk. The indoor fire places were even lit and we could climb up to the top levels of the houses. It was like stepping back in time. One thing to note is that you have to take your shoes off when entering all the house, we were continuously talking off sneakers and putting them back on, so my tip would be to wear slip on shoes.

The girls were kept entertained by the stamp collecting quiz books that we were able to pick up at the ticket office for 200 yen each. We followed the map around to all the locations that had a question to answer and a stamp to collect. It was great way to keep kids engaged and the book included an English version of the quiz. The girls got a small souvenir as a prize once they completed it all.

If you are even more interested in the historic homes of the region, there is a day tour you can do from Takayama to Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, two UNESO World Heritage Sites that are living villages of Gassho Zukuri Farmhouses. People are till living in them today, and you can even stay overnight in a thatched roof farmhouse. It would really be amazing to see, but I couldn’t justify the cost or the time spent on the bus against everyone else’s level of interest. The Hida Folk Village was no doubt just as good and much easier to reach from Takayama with kids.

Getting to Hida No Sato: We walked there from our accommodation, which was near the Red Cross Hospital in Takayama. It only took 30 mins and the kids were fine, even with the steeper hill towards the end of the walk. However we caught the bus back, the Sarubobo Bus regularly runs from the Takayama Nohi Bus Centre to the Folk Village and back. Fare is 210 yen one way.

The cost was 700 yen per adult (roughly AUD $7) and 200 yen for children although Hallie and Rooney were free as they are 6 and under. The stamp books were 200 yen each. We didn’t book tickets in advance, they were available for purchase at the entry booth.

KOYASAN, JAPAN - My Birthday Side Quest to a Mystical Mountain Retreat

When researching Japan, I was absolutely enchanted by the photos I came across of Koyasan, a scared Buddhist retreat high up in the mountains south of Osaka. The images of ancient, mossy covered gravestones with beautiful cedar trees towering above were simply breathtaking! I thought maybe if I could coincide a stay there with my birthday, I could justify adding it to the itinerary. :)

However, overall it was a bit of a logistical nightmare to get to Koyasan and Braino would 100% agree that it really should have been done as trip from Osaka, not Kyoto. It involved a lot trains from Kyoto via Osaka, ending in a vertical cable car train that went up the side of the mountain and then a bus into town from the cable car station. It was the sort of journey that was hard to plan via google maps. But once we got started, everything was well connected and flowed smoothly.

Braino has adopted the role of ‘navigator’, he’s the one interpreting google maps and directing us through train stations onto the right train platforms and keeping track of when to get off the trains. He liked to be in control and I’m happy to go along for the ride at this point. It’s easier having one person in charge because if there was two of us looking at google maps, there is a high chance we’d be looking at two different options ( as there is so many train lines and trip variations ) and no doubt we’d squabble unnecessarily.  But the Koyasan side quest definitely stressed out the navigator. 

Was it worth it? Well, Koyasan is a stunning, off the beaten track kind of location and getting there was half the adventure. The last section of the train trip from Hashimoto Station to Gokurakubashi  Station winds high up into the densely forested, misty mountains, past small villages and the final cable car and bus are an experience in themselves. Not your average commuter journey. 

Koyasan is considered to be one of Japan’s most sacred sites. It’s a small secluded Buddhist monastic centre, the birthplace of Shingon Buddhism, founded by Kobo Daishi. The walkable town is home to over 2000 temples and the sacred Okuno-in Cemetery and mausoleum to Kobo Daishi. 

While I wasn’t raised with any one particular religious belief, I’ve always had an appreciation for different religions and spiritual beliefs from a historical and cultural context. I’ve also been fascinated by and drawn to sacred sites from around world, having visited many places in Egypt, Cambodia, Peru and Mexico. 

Koyasan is the ideal destination for anyone who appreciates religion and spirituality, particularly Buddhism, nature and photography. Many people who make the journey here stay in one of Koyasan’s Shukubo temple retreats - essentially a homestay experience in a Buddhist temple where you can attend meditations with the monks, stay in very traditional settings and eat delicious vegetarian meals prepared by the monks of the temples. This experience out of our price range and probably a little extreme for the rest of the family but we were able to stay in a small guesthouse in the centre of town that was totally fine for us. 

We arrived in the afternoon, had an delicious curry in a lovely little restaurant and spent the last few hours of the day wandering around the town, visiting Kongobui-ji Temple ( the head temple ) and the Danjo Garan Sacred Temple Complex. It’s free to enter all the temple grounds but there are admission fees to go inside some sections of the temples. I think for us, with the kids, it felt like the most appropriate thing to do was just observe from the outside, considering how sacred these temples are and how there are some many rituals and customs that go into visiting a temple. The girls are happy enough to walk around and explore, especially if there is the prospect of getting an ice-cream at the end. 

The next morning we woke to heavy rain. In fact the heavy rain had set in across to Osaka and Kyoto too. Luckily I had packed raincoats. 

The rain let up enough around 9am for me to encourage everyone to join me for a walk to Okuno-in, the sacred cemetery at the far end of town. The 2km path lead through old and new monuments and tombstones, some covered in moss, with enormous ancient cedar trees towering overhead. This was the location that first captured my attentions, its otherworldliness was enhance by the atmospheric light rain. However it wasn’t long before the kids started to feel wet and cold and needed to go the toilet. So we made it to the halfway mark, where there were toilet facilities and a bus stop that headed back into town. Braino took the girls back to the accommodation while I continued on through the cemetery.

At the end of the path is Kobo Daishi’s Mausoleum, it is believed that he has sat in an eternal meditative state since 835AD. At 6am and 10:30am daily, you can witness three monks carrying an offering from one of the temple buildings across the Gobyabashi Bridge and up the path to the Toroda Hall ( Hall of Lanterns.) I joined the small group of tourist who followed the monks across the bridge into the Toroda Hall. It was a mesmerising experience. The Toroda Hall was dimly lit with thousand of red glowing lanterns hanging from the ceiling, everyone stood in silence as the chanting of the monks fill the air. 

It is forbidden to take photos and video past the Gobyababshi bridge and in the Lantern Hall so I have no footage of the monks or the offering. And rightly so. It’s a such a sacred space, you really have to experience it in person, photos would not do it justice.

After about 20 minutes of deep contemplation and gratitude, I left the Toroda Hall and headed back through the cemetery but by this stage the rain started getting much heavier. I was much too busy taking photos to be distracted by the rain and even though I had a raincoat on my pants soon became drenched. It was probably best that the girls and Braino turned back when they did, they avoided the heavy downpour. I scampered back through the rain, down the main road back to our accommodation and changed into some dry clothes, very satisfied with my Koyasan experience. 

We were planning to stay two nights in Koyasan but decided to forgo the second night. We took advantage of a late checkout and head back to Osaka late in the afternoon. 

The following day we had planned to head to Takayama which is north beyond Kyoto and it would have been a huge day in transit to travel from Koyasan to Takayama in one journey.  The bus alone from Kyoto to Takayama is 5hours. It was Braino who revised the itinerary and booked a night in Osaka, he found a cheap guesthouse that was surprising spacious and had a free laundry room, perfect for what we needed. It was still bucketing down in Osaka so we just did some washing and Braino did a quick location scout to see where the bus left from in the morning. 

The following day we tackled the bus trip from Osaka to Takayama. We could have again used a Shinkansen ( bullet train ) for part of the trip but the long distance buses are really comfortable, cheap and efficient. They have wifi and ports to charge your devices so the girls were kept entertained with movies on the iPad. 

The girls have been really good with all the travel. Hallie and Rooney can get a little rowdy and squirmy on the public transport at the end of the days which is understandable but they always stay close to us in the busy stations, there is never a fear of losing anyone. 

If I was to rebook the itinerary or recommend the same locations to a friend; I would suggest Tokyo > Lake Kawaguchiko > Osaka > Koyasan > Kyoto > Takayama. Rather than Kyoto > Koyasan > Takayama. 

Overall, it was a very special way to spend my birthday. I’m truly blessed to be able to able to visit Japan with my family, let alone a place as sacred as Koyasan. And big shout out to Braino for entertaining some of my more ambitious ideas.

OSAKA, JAPAN - Day Trip - Osaka Kids Plaza & Osaka Aquarium

Osaka is just under an hour from Kyoto via the train lines. It has a major international airport is a popular destination for families as it is home to well known attractions like Universal Studios and a Legoland. Neither of these were on our itinerary but we thought the girls may like the Osaka Kids Plaza and the Aquarium, so a day trip was an ideal approach. 

You can take a Shinkansen (bullet train ) from Kyoto to Osaka but it was quite expensive for a such a short amount of time and it would have meant changing trains a few times to get the to right Shinkansen station in Kyoto. We found that the Keihan line from Demachiyanagi Station was cheaper with less changes, although a little more slower. 

OSAKA KIDS PLAZA

The Osaka Kids Plaza was a wonderful education experience for the kids! It’s an interactive museum designed especially for children to learn in a very hands on way. There was a huge indoor playground in the centre of the building that resembled more of a cave village with lots of maze like rooms and bridges, the girls loved running around and cllimbing in it. Then there was lots of activities, similar to what you find in a science museum ( like Sparklab in Brisbane, Scienceworks in Melbourne, Questacon in Canberra ). There were areas to learn about the human body, world music, geography, speed and motion, bubbles and moving images.

Purchasing tickets - we arrived around 10am ( Osaka Kids Plaza opens at 9:30am ) and we were able to purchase tickets from the front vending machines and go straight in, no line or waiting time.

Adult tickets were 1400 yen, kids over 6 years of age were 800 yen, kids 6 and under were 500 yen

We also treated the girls to their first Gacha, which is essentially a vending machine with a huge range of random things, mostly little collectable figurines. They are everywhere in Japan and were especially hard to avoid in the foyer of the Osaka Kids Plaza. The girls chose one that had five different little finch type bird toys and thankfully they got a different one each. We haven’t been buying many toys or souvenirs, which the girls have been quite good about. The gacha machines are around 200 - 300 yen ( roughly $2 - $3 AUD ) and they have been treasuring their little birds, but I’m sure we’ll do another gacha before we leave. 

OSAKA AQUARIUM KAYIUKAN

After the Osaka Kids Plaza, we headed to the Osaka Aquarium Kayiukan. The Aquarium is one of the largest in the world and is based on the Pacific Rim, featuring animals from all the different habitats around the pacific ring of fire - otters & giant crabs from Japan, puffins from the Aleutian Islands, sea lions from Monterey Bay in the USA, dolphins from the Tasman sea, penguins from Antartica. ( there was a Great Barrier Reef section that was closed for renovations ) 

The centrepiece of the aquarium is the huge 9m deep tank that contains two whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, manta rays and many other fish. This section represents the pacific ocean as a whole - the whale sharks are impressive! While I do question the ethics behind keeping sharks of that size in a big indoor tank, I’m also guilty of taking my kids to any zoo I can. I do believe that zoos and aquariums can be great educational experiences, provided the animals are treated well. 

The aquarium as a whole was really well set out, you start at the top and corridors wind their was down around the central whale shark tank. This gives you plenty of opportunities to see the animals, you can see the seals and dolphins from both above and below the surface. The girls have always had an interest in aquatic animals and ocean life so the Aquarium was very worthwhile and I’m sure they absorbed some information about the Pacific Ocean so it was kind of counts as a geography lesson too, haha!

Purchasing tickets - I booked online the night before, directly via the Aquarium’s website. There are timed entry times ( we entered between 1pm - 1:15pm ) and again didn’t have to wait long to enter. When I booked online, all the morning time slots were sold out but afternoon slots were still available. But I’d probably recommend booking a couple of days in advance if you  want to go in the morning. 

Adults tickets were 2700 yen, kids over 6 were 1400 yen and kids 6 and under were 700 yen 

KYOTO, JAPAN - Day 3 - Rest Day, Local Playgrounds & Photography at Dusk

This day was very much a rest day where we didn’t plan any extensive outings. We create some time and space for the girls to just play together at the accommodation and then watch a movie while Braino and I sorted out some planning for the upcoming days and washing. 

Our guesthouse in Kyoto was a two story apartment / house in the Chayama neighbourhood in the northern part of Kyoto. We booked it through Booking.com although I’m fairly certain it was available through Airbnb too. It was a very authentic Japanese house with a small kitchenette and a lounge area with a small bathroom at the back of the house and a laundry in a very small courtyard that lead out to a back alley. 

Upstairs was two room that were only separated by sliding doors and both had traditional tatami mats, which is a like a sturdy woven straw mat, very authentic to Japan. The beds were also very authentic in nature - essentially just thin mattresses on the tatami mats, which could be folded up and stored in cupboards to create more living space during the day. I found the thin mattresses on the floors to be suprisingly comfortable while Braino didn’t. The girls were all in one of the rooms while Braino and I were in the other, but essentiall you could open up the sliding doors to make one big room on the upper level.

It was fairly cozy for a family of five but much better than a hotel room. 

Fiona, the owner of the guesthouse, was so friendly and helpful! She was originally from England and lived in Kyoto with her family including two teenage daughters. She was incredibly helpful with restaurant & playground recommendations and luggage forwarding. (More on luggage forwarding later - it’s been amazing option to ditch the two large suitcases)

The guesthouse also had a selection of bikes that we could use, Braino made use of these to ride out to get takeaway and groceries.

Also the weird little bear statue is actally a Tanuki, a native Raccoon Dog that features heavily in Japaness folklore. We saw so many of these statues around Kyoto, in front of houses and shops as it symbolises good luck. The girls love spotting them throughout the neighbourhood.

In the afternoon, we went to explore a local playground that Fiona recommended - Tarakgarike Children’s Playground. It was quite a large park with a playground that appeared to have something for kids of all ages. It was a lovely hot Sunday in Kyoto and there were many families who had set up little tents in the park, probably having spend most of the day there. The girls liked the big slide that was built into a large mound and the maze. 

Our guesthouse was very close to the Chayama train station on the Eizan railway line. Tarakgarike Station was a few stops north but afterwards we rode the rail back to the end of the line to Demachiyanagi Station where I had spotted a lot of people out in the parkland near where the river spilts. There was some large stepping stones that crossed the shallow river, including some that been custom made to looks like turtles. The girls loved it here, it was really relaxing just people watching and enjoying the fresh air along with all the locals.

Later the evening, I headed back into the Gion area of Kyoto to capture some photos at dusk. Gion is the iconically authentic, albeit a little touristy area of Kyoto, it’s very photogenic and there was a lot of other photographers out snapping photos from the popular vantage points. I think I arrived a little too late but I was quite happy with what I captured.