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.

KYOTO, JAPAN - Day 2 -Fushimi Inari Taisha, Nara Deer Park and Todai-Ji

FUSHIMI INARI TAISHI

After the crowds of Kiyomizu-Dera the previous afternoon, we committed to getting up very early and heading to Fushimi Inari Shrine, another iconic shrine of Kyoto. We were out of the accommodation by 6:30am, which saw us reach the shrine by 7:00am and this turned out to be the perfect time. Thankfully, our accommodation was fairly close to Demachiyanagi Station at the end of the Keihan line, Fushimi Inari train station is a few stops down on the same line so it a nice and easy to reach. 

Fushimi Inari Taishi is a shinto shrine dedicated to the gods of rice and sake, which features many statues of foxes, who are considered to be the messengers of the god of cereal. The girls loved spotting all the stone foxes, I think any animal association, like GotoKuji Temple in Tokyo, makes visiting temples and shrines a little more interesting for kids. 

The vermilion red torii gates are probably the most well known aspect of this shrine complex and it was a really amazing experience to walk through all the torii tunnels that line the path that winds up the mountain. for approximately 4km. However we made it about two third of the way up. It was a very enchanting shrine to experience, definitely one of our favourites. 

There was still a number of other people but it didn’t feel too crowded or hot. As were leaving around 9:00am, we were gobsmacked by the shear amount of people getting ofF the trains that were arriving at Inari Station, and these trains were arriving every 10 or so minutes! So thankfull that we were able to experienced this shrine early in the morning. 

NARA DEER PARK & TODAI-JI

As we still had the rest of the day ahead of us, we continued south on the train towards Nara. Nara is a solid day trip from Kyoto, but it’s well worth the visit. Like Kyoto, Nara was also once the ancient capital of Japan and is home to many fascinating shrine and temples. It’s also well known for the deer in the Nara Koen area. 

The deer have lived in the Nara Koen area for a hundreds of years and are considered to be messengers of the gods, they are protected as National Treasures. Tourist can actually buy shika senbei, ‘deer crackers, to feed the deer which are made out of flour and rice bran. The deer were fairly friendly and the girls were quite keen to see them up close, but we soon realised that the deer love the crackers and can get a little pushy if you have crackers for them. If you don’t, well, the deers won’t give you much time. We even saw some deer pull at peoples shirts and chase people who had crackers. It was kind of amusing. We realised that if you hold up your hands and show the deer that you don’t have any crackers for them, they will leave you alone. 

Nara Park has a number of temples and museums in it, but we wandered over to Todai-ji, Nara’s main attraction. Todai-ji is a sprawling Buddhist temple that contains Daibutsu-den (Hall of the Great Buddha), which is considered to be largest wooden structure in the world. It’s truly awe-inspiring! Inside is the daibutsu (Great Buddha) is one of the largest bronze figures in the world, again truly awe inspiring. 

It was free to enter Nara Park and wander around Todai-ji, however it was 1200 yen per adult to enter the Daiutsu-den, so I went in alone. The deer and rest of the temple grounds was interesting enough for the rest of the family. I wasn’t too knowledgable about the significance of Todai-ji and the Great Buddha inside, but I’m grateful to have had the chance to visit it. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and such a magnificent site to behold. 

KYOTO, JAPAN - Day 1 - Kyoto Train Museum & Kiyomiza-Dera Temple

KYOTO RAIL MUSEUM

To carry the theme of trains over from yesterday’s bullet train trip, we decided to start the day with a visit to the Kyoto Train Museum. 

I had read on Trip Adviser that this train museum is the best in the world and I would have to agree. We stayed for 3 hours and even then it was hard to drag the girls away, especially Hallie. 

The museum has so many actual train carriages and driving carriages that you can walk through. They have one of the first ever Shinkansens from the 1960’s that you can sit in the drivers seat and pretend to  drive. 

There are loads of interactive things for kids to do like building model bridges, manoeuvring life sized controls and controlling miniature trains around a miniature city track. And there are lots of displays and information about the history of trains in Japan. There was even an exhibit about how rain tunnels are built which really resonated with Braino. There is minimal English information but you can scan a QR code to get more in English or we often used the translate app, where you can take a photo and the translation appears in over the photo - very handy!

There was a good cafe inside with tables that overlooked the actual train lines near Kyoto Station. It was quite fun to spot all the Shinkansens travel past. 

There was also a kids indoor play area with lots of toy trains and tracks to build with and then outside there was a great playground surrounded by a railway turntable and a dozen old steam trains - just like Tidmouth Sheds, if you know that reference. 

Hallie has always had a thing for trains and the other two girls seem happy enough to get into trains as well, so this was a real win. Even if you’re not that interested in trains but can appreciate Japans next level train technology, I say it’s still worth a visit.

KIYOMIZU - DERA

After the Kyoto Rail Museum, we caught the train to Kiyomizu-dera where we then walked for about 20 mins to reach Kiyomizu-Dera Temple. We wound our way up the narrow streets lined with tradition Japanese architecture until we reached the base of the temple grounds. 

Kiyomizu-dera is a thousand year old buddhist temple dedicated to Kannon, the deity of compassion and great mercy. (The same deity that Senso-Ji in Tokyo is dedicated too). It sits halfway up Mt Otowa, and is set in beautiful lush greenery, overlooking Kyoto. The main hall is a sight to behold, perched on the side of the mountain, supported by traditionally constructed wooden  beams that interlock, no nails have been used. 

Even though we are there at 4:30pm in the afternoon, it was still very busy. Lots of school groups as well as the many other tourists. We were aware that the well known temples and shrines in Kyoto can be very busy, and it was really fascinating to witness the amount of people that dress in traditional kimonos and take photos around the temple.  It was a rather hot but we’re still glad we visited this popular destination in Kyoto. It’s free to enter the temple grounds but 500 yen each to enter the mail hall, so only I walked through the main hall around the mountain side path. 

We walked back to the train stations through the Gion district, which holds a lot of beautiful historic architecture and is traditionally the area where a lot of Geisha work in the teahouses. The area is very popular with tourist but still has a magical air about, in some of the streets it’s very easy to imagine yourself transported back in time.

TRAVEL DAY - from Lake Kawaguchiko to Kyoto - Shinkansen time!

The day of travel from Lake Kawaguchiko to Kyoto was our first ( and maybe only ) experience on a Shinkansen; the famous bullet train of Japan! 

Shinkansen’s have their own train lines and there must better hundreds, if not thousands of Shinkansens zipping around Japan at any given time. While we were waiting on the platform for ours, at least a dozen raced past. They are so fast and so silent. I was trying to record one zoom through the station and every time I glanced way, one would fly through and it would disappear before I even had a chance to get my phone up and recording. 

The girls loved riding on a Shinkansen, especially Hallie! The Bullet Trains are so spacious inside- much more leg room than an aeroplane. 

Howeve, as much as we enjoyed our Shinkansen experience, we may not go on one again. The main reason is so far, we’ve found the highway buses to be very straightforward and much cheaper.  We had to catch a highway bus from Lake Kawaguchiko to a station called Mishima to meet up with the Shinkansen line. That was the second highway bus we took and we really can’t complain about them. They seem like great value for money to us. But I will keep you posted and probably do an overall post about transport towards the end of our trip. 

Once we arrived in Kyoto, we left the main train station in search of another one and I have to say it was the first time we caved in and hailed a taxi. It was very hot and we could see the girls were getting to the end of their tether so we hailed a cab and had it drop us off right at our accommodation. Not the cheapest option but it avoided a potential meltdown. 

I’m writing this after being in Kyoto for 3 days now and I can say that the local trains in Kyoto are nothing like Tokyo with it comes to efficiency. They are are much more challenging to navigate. There is a good chance we all would have had a meltdown if we had tried to catch the local trains to our accommodation from the Shinkansen station on our arrival into Kyoto.

Kyoto has about 6 different train companies all with their own train lines and often a neighbour will have two different train stations for two different train lines and they don’t intersect. So if you want to change to a different train line, you often have to get out and walk to a different train station. It is definitely a difference from the intersecting networks in Tokyo. 

Anyway, that’s just my little rant about Kyoto trains. We do actually see a lot of locals riding bikes, some mums have bikes that have a baby seat on the front and back and they are even semi enclosed in case of rain. Kyoto is really flat and there is a great pathway that runs along the waterway. If you were here with friends or just as a couple, bike riding would be a great option. 

LAKE KAWAGUCHIKO & MT FUJI - Two Day Stay

Lake Kawaguchiko is part of the Fuji Five Lakes area where you can get a glimpse of Mt Fuji up close. When I was researching destinations close to Mt Fuji, Hakone often featured in blogs and tour itineraries as a popular tourist town. However it seems quite expensive and busy compared to the Fuji Five Lakes area. I’m so glad we made the trip out to Lake Kawaguchiko, it was a lovely restful two days after Tokyo.

We were able to catch a highway bus directly from Shinjuku Express Bus Way to Lake Kawaguchiko station, which look around 1hr and 45mins.  We caught a train from Akasaka-Mitsuke to Shinjuku and then navigated our way to the bus area. Shinjuku Station is not for a faint hearted - it’s like a huge maze of platforms and train lines and buses, literally the world’s busiest train stations, but the kids handled it well. 

We stayed in a fantastic two bedroom apartment in a quiet street at the base of the hills. It was within walking distance to Lake Kawaguchiko station and was also walking distance to the Lake.  After the cramped hotel room and busy days in Tokyo, we took the next two days really easy and gave the kids a chance to play around the accommodation

The first day we went down to the lake area and hired the little swan shaped peddle boats. Braino went in with Rooney and I was in one with Farley and Hallie. It was a work out - you essentially have to peddle like a bike to make the boat go and then use the steering wheel to direct it. Within the first five minutes, Braino’s boat broke! There was apparently a big clunk sounds and the peddles stopped working. He shouted to me to paddle over to him and then told me he was stuck. My only option was to peddle all the way to the wharf with Farley and Hallie and use the translate app on my iphone to tell the staff that my husband needed rescuing! The two men manning the little wharf area were really good about it and jumped into their speedboat, zoomed out to Braino and Rooney and then towed them back to shore. The whole thing was pretty funny, the older two got a real kick out of watching Braino and Rooney get rescued and then we all went out again, Braino & Rooney in a different swan this time. 

We also did a short hike up into the hills above the lake and found some Totoro souvenirs at a gift shop. ( The girls have really gotten into Studio Ghibli films in the lead up to the trip ). There was also a cable car that went to the top of the hill but without a clear view of Mt Fuji, we decided not to do it. 

Although we actually had an amazing view of Mt Fuji from our accommodation window, it was hiding behind the clouds for most of the time. Apparently Mt Fuji is very temperamental and is often hidden. The best times to see it is in the early mornings and the late afternoon. We got lucky on the second afternoon when the mountain revealed itself in all its glory! It was truely breathtaking to see Mt Fuji rising above the town! I took the opportunity to race around and take as many photos as possible. I even hiked the trail we discovered earlier in the day which lead to a fantastic lookout point in Tenjoyama Park. I feel like this park is a hidden gem. So many people were swarming around the streets near the train station to get a photo of Mt Fuji, but this hike wasn’t too long and offered such an incredible view over the town. 

On the second day, in my quest to capture the perfect photo of Mt Fuji, we caught the local train a few stops over to Shimoyoshida Station where we then walked up the 400 stairs to the Chureito Pagoda, which is in the Arakura Sengen Shrine area. This lookout area has become very popular as, if you’re lucky, you can capture a photo of the five storey pagoda with Mt Fuji in the background. And if you come at the right time of year, cherry blossoms surround the area, making it a very quintessential Japanese photograph

We were not so lucky. By the time we climbed those 400 steps, Mt Fuji was once again covered in clouds. It was probably one of those occasions where I should have woken up early and gone by myself. The kids were a little whingy about all the steps but it was still a cool view even without Mt Fuji. And we were kind of alarmed but also kind of amused to see signs saying that there were wild bears in the area. Oh My!

On the way we had a quick detour into Fuji Q Highland, a huge amusement park that was on the same train line. It’s free to enter the park, you just pay per ride and some of those rides are the most intense thrill rides I’ve ever seen. It was worth a stop just to marvel at the insane roller coasters but the main reason I thought it would be worthwhile was the Thomas The Tank engine themed land. While our girls haven’t ever expressed any desire to go on rollercoaster, that have gone through a Thomas The Tank engine phase, in particular Hallie. So I figure it was a relativley low cost way to see if the girls would like theme parks. (We haven’t planned on going to any of the major theme parks here in Japan)

They were pretty excited to see the Thomas themed rides and we decided on one small rollercoaster. Farley wasn’t that into it but because Hallie and Rooney are 6 years and under, Braino and I had to accompany them.  We felt a bit silly sitting on the kids ride, haha! It was basically a rollercoaster for toddlers! After a Thomas themed novelty icecream we headed back to the accommodation and rested for the remainder of the afternoon. 

I’m really glad we added these two days at Lake Kawaguchiko, and while there is plenty more to see and do around the Fuji Five Lakes area it was the perfect little rest stop for us after the intensity of Tokyo.

TOKYO, JAPAN - Day 3 - GotoKuji Temple, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Shinjuku at night

GOTOKUJI TEMPLE - ’BECKONING CAT TEMPLE’

We set off quite early in the morning to GotoKuji Temple, where we hoped to find the temple dedicated to Manekineko, the beckoning cat. Based on all the photos I had seen of the cute little cat statues, I thought this would be the perfect temple to keep the girls interested. We caught the train out past Shibuyu to Shimo-Kitazawa Station, where we changed to a local train and headed to Gotokuji Station. We had to stroll through some suburban streets to find the temple, which is actually one of myself and Braino’s favourite thing to do when traveling - see what everyday houses look like, it’s such a fascinating way to catch a glimpse of local life.

GotoKuji is a beautifully serene temple and the little statues of Manekineko did not disappoint. Legend has it that ‘one day, a lord on his way back from falconry was beckoned by a cat at the temple gate and decided to stop by. While spending time at the temple, thunder suddenly rang out and rain began to fall. Having gotten well out of a thundershower with an enjoyable conversation with the temple master, the lord was impressed by this luck that the cat brought. The lord was Naotaka Ii, the lord of Hikone domain. Financially backed up by Naotaka, Gotokuji temple was rebuilt in 1633. Later, Gotokuji temple built the Shofuku-den to enshrine the cat that brought good fortune, naming it as "Manekineko". Ever since, many people visit Shofuku-den continuously to pray for well-being for the family, prosperous business, luck and happiness.’ (This comes directly from the website. https://gotokuji.jp/en/manekineko/ )

We realised that we could purchase a cat statue from the administration office and leave it there with the rest of the collection as an offering, to bring us good fortune . The girls loved this idea and were thrilled to leave one of our own. As I write this blogpost almost a week later, everything we’ve done in Japan so far has been amazing but I think this is one of my highlights.

Afterwards we headed back via Shibuya, the second busiest train station in the world, whihc is also home to the iconic scramble crossing. We decided to check it out for ourselves, but this stage it was very hot and extremely crowded. We were all a bit frazzled, and the amazement of the scramble crossing was a bit lost on us to be honest. We ducked into Uniqlo to buy some socks and then headed back to the apartment were we rested and watched a movie on the laptop until around 4pm. (Braino and Rooney has a little nap).

MEIJI JINGU SHRINE

The rest period was quite strategic as we had plans to head out again in the later afternoon to experience Shinkuju at night. First we headed to Meiji Jingu Shrine, and I’m so glad we did, it was truly breath-taking. Meiji Jingu is a stunning Shinto Shrine that is set amoungst 70 hectares of dense forest. It was so peaceful and enchanting to walk through the winding paths that lead through the forests to the main part of the shrine, it was easy to forget we were right in the middle of Tokyo. While Senso-Ji is a buddhist temple, Meiji Jingu is a Shinto Shrine. Shinto is Japan’s ancient original religion or belief system as there isn’t a founder or religious book.

We walked from the southern entrance at Harajuku, all the way to the northern entrance in Yoyogi. It was a decent distance but the girls enjoyed it. It was late in the afternoon, the temperature was perfect and the low afternoon sun light was glimmering through the trees.

SHINJUKU AT NIGHT

We were planning to go to the Toyko Metropolitan Government Building again as there is a free nightly light projection show that started at 7:30pm and because we had the time, we decided to walk all the way up through Shinjuku. Shinjuku and Shibuya are two destinations where you can see all the iconic neon lights that are synonymous with Toyko and I was keen to see (and photography) it for myself. The streets between Shinjuku Station and the Toyko Metropolitan Government Building felt like a great kid friendly option. We found an acrade full of claw machine that the girls loved have a turn of (although we didn’t win anything) There were lots of restaurants and crowds are still very intense but it didn’t seem too overwhelming for the girls.

The light projection show at the government building was fantastic, it was sort of similar to TeamLabs in a way but the best bit was Godzilla! It went for 15 minutes in total and it started with a short section of Godzilla ‘smashing’ the TMGB. The girls have come mildly obsessed with Godzilla after we watched some videos on youtube of the older Japanese Godzilla movies, the really funny retro Godzilla. While the projection show runs for 15mins, it’s play on a loop until 9:30pm and it’s totally free!

Afterwards, Braino took the girls back to the accommodation via the trains while I headed into a seperate section of Shinjuku, to take more photos. It was Saturday night so it was extremely busy, but I felt quite safe on my own. It’s so mind blowing to see so many people, all on their way somewhere. It’s a very surreal feeling to just be apart of it.

TOKYO, JAPAN - Day 2 - Tokyo Toy Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

SENSOI-JI TEMPLE  (Again)

I set an alarm for 4:30am so I could head out on a solo photography mission to Senso-Ji again, as I wanted to take some time to photograph the beautiful temple complex without the crowds.

I was surprised to discover that the trains in Tokyo don’t run between the hours of 1am and 5am so the earliest I could get out there was 5:35am. It was well worth the early start as the crowds had totally disappeared compared to the day before. There was a few other photographers and plenty of people out for a morning stroll with dogs. The sound of monks chanting and smell of incense filled the air. It was an incredibly peaceful way to experience this scared site.

If I were to come again with the rest of the family, I’d aim for 8am - 9am. The stalls along Nakamise-Dori open at 9:00am so if you arrived a little before 9am, you could beat the crowded but still browse all the interesting stalls and shops.

TOKYO TOY MUSEUM

Thanks to all the YouTube videos we watched in the lead up to the trip, I knew about the Tokyo Toy Museum, which looked like just the thing our girls would enjoy.

The Tokyo Toy Museum is set in an old elementary school and features many rooms that display toys from Japan and around the world. The majority are beautifully made wooden toys and the best part is that it is incredibly interactive. Children can play with a huge assortment of toys, puzzles and games.

The Wooden Forest room had a unique ball pit full of wooden balls and the girls especially loved the yellow room which had such a wide variety of wooden fruits and vegetables that the they could pick off the wooden trees and pretend to wash and sort.

The staff were incredible friendly and encouraged the girls to sit and play games with them, which was such a lovely experience. There was even a little craft class set up in what looked like an old art classroom.

We stayed for over two hours and found the whole space so engaging and interactive for the girls. Even Braino and I got carried away trying to out do each other on a particularly fun skill tester type puzzle.

I booked tickets online via the Toy Museums website the night before. It was 800 yen for the girls and 1,100 yen for adults (roughly $8AUD for children and $11AUD for adults)

The Toy Museum is located in Yotsuya, Shinjuku City and we were able to reach it by catching the Marunouchi Line to Yotsuya-Sanchome Station from Akasaka-Mitsuke Station.

TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT BUILDING, SHINJUKU

From the Tokyo Toy Museum we jumped on the train again and headed into Shinjuku, which is the world’s busiest train station! We were headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and were surprised to find that there was a whole underground network of tunnels that lead from Shinjuku Station all the way to the Government Building. The Tokyo metro system is phenomenal.

The Metropolitan Government Building has a free observation deck in Building 1. It was very easy to find the correct elevator and we didn’t have to wait too long. It was amazing to see Tokyo sprawled out beneath us from 200m high. There are apparently many other vantage points where you can see Tokyo from above, but the TMGB is a fantastic free option. The whole level was quite spacious and there was a cafe, gift shop and even someone playing a grand piano.

SHINJUKU CHUO PARK PLAYGROUND

We discovered a fun playground in the beautifully landscaped Shinjuku Chuo Park behind the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. It had a great obstacle course style playground for older kids and a section dedicated to toddlers as well. The girls had a wonderful time playing for an hour or so. And best of all, it’s a totally free public playground. A great way to finish up the beautiful afternoon.

TOKYO, JAPAN - Day 1 - Senso-Ji Temple, Origami Class & TeamLab Planets

After such a huge travel day we had a slower start to the morning. Braino went out to purchase local SIM cards and food for breakfast. Yoghurt, fruit and croissants were an easy solution from the local Family Mart.

We first travelled from where we were staying in Akasaka-Mitsuke to Asakusa via the metro system. Navigating the underground rail system of Tokyo was surprisingly easy with the help of google maps, there are also english translation on all the signage which was extremely helpful.

Senso-Ji Temple, Asakusa

Senso-Ji Temple was only a short walk from Asakusa Station. This huge Buddhist temple complex is devoted to the deity Kannon and is one of the most significant religious sites in Tokyo. At 11am it was extremely crowded, so we only did a quick walk through.  Nakamise-Dori, the long shopping promenade, was full with interesting stalls, filled with souveniers, crafts and an assortment of different foods. It would have been interesting to linger long at some of the stalls but the crowds were intense. It’s free to enter the grounds of the temple and the stunning architecture was an excellent introduction to Japanese culture.

We found a beautiful little playground a few blocks over from Senso-Ji Temple in Hanakawando Park. The girls had a great time climbing on the fort like structure under a beautiful big tree.

Workshop at Taro’s Origami Studio, Asakusa

We had pre-booked an origami workshop in Asakusa at Taro’s Origami Studio so we continued on to find the quaint little studio gallery. I have fond memories of learning origami when I was around the age of 9, so it was really quite special to introduce the girls to origami, the art of paper folding, whilst in Japan. The little gallery is the home to stunning origami creations by the artist Taro and a workshop table for up to six people. The table had six different small iPads with a variety of different instructional videos. Braino helped Rooney while I helped Hallie and we managed to get through five different beginner origami patterns. Our host was fantastic, he spoke english with a North American accent and he often helped Farley, although she was fairly confident on her own.

TeamLabs Planets

Next we headed towards Toyosu, with a quick stop off in Ginza to change trains, as we had pre-booked tickets for TeamLabs Planets. TeamLab Planets is best described as a huge interactive digital art gallery. It has a number of different galleries that use water, lights, mirrors and colours to create a fully immersive sensory experiences.

I had actually experienced a taste of TeamLabs Borderless when it was at the Sydney Powerhouse museum in 2018, but the girls were just babies and toddlers at that point. It’s certainly one of the most talked about things to do in Tokyo and I’m pleased to say that the girls loved it! Our favourite was the dark room with knee deep water that has digitally projected fish swimming around that actually react to the movement of the people walking through. I also loved the colourful room filled with huge spheres. It was pretty busy but I have a feeling that it’s wasn’t as busy as it could be, judging by how long the line barriers were outside. We only had to wait 10 or so minutes to get in but it looked like lines could get much longer.

Despite the crowds it was still an experience that the whole family enjoyed. Honestly, the kids asked to do it again and we almost considered buying tickets for the other TeamLabs ‘Borderless’ experience that is in Tokyo.