In June, we spent two fabulous weeks in Japan! I'm planning more travel guide-like articles soon, but first I wanted to share my favorite moments from the trip. I had so many photos that I'm dividing them up by location, starting with our time in Tokyo. I'll also be sharing photos from Mt. Fuji, Tokyo Disneyland, Kyoto, and Nara in the coming weeks.
We went to Japan to visit one of my oldest friends who has been living there for the past few years. We had this trip scheduled for many years, and I took almost an entire year planning it. I'm so grateful to her and her husband for touring us around Tokyo and the surrounding areas. This was such an incredible place to see, and I'm so glad we stepped out of our comfort zone a bit to go. Japan was so clean, easy to get around, and the people were so kind.
I'm so grateful that I could take our boys on such a spectacular journey. They did so well with traveling across the world! I'm so proud of them.
After our 14-hour flight to Japan, we landed in Tokyo and woke up the next morning to this spectacular view! It was so fun to see this, especially since it's so different from what we are used to. I'm not much a city lover, but this was still so cool. Tokyo is the largest city in the world, and it felt like it went on forever.
Here we are ready to go!
We did a lot of walking in Tokyo, and our first day kicked off by seeing the Imperial Palace, behind us.
We also explored different neighborhoods, including seeing Tokyo's modern side, including Ginza and Roppongi.
My favorite thing was seeing the Senso-ji temple, which is Tokyo's oldest temple.
It has some iconic sights.
We also tried our hand at the fortune ritual outside the temple, where we all got good fortunes.
And we learned a bit about the religion too!
The surrounding grounds were so beautiful too!
Our second day kicked off with a visit to TeamLab Planets, which was one of the more memorable things we saw on our trip.
It's a completely interactive and immersive art exhibit where you become part of the art. The kids LOVED it and so did we.
There was a water section, a section with huge balls, and a flower room with 13,000 orchids.
There was even this part where the kids got to catch extinct animals and learn about them. It's hard to explain, but it was such a cool way to spend a morning.
That same day we also explored the Tokyo History Museum and went to another spot we LOVED!
We went to a Sumo wresling experience and demonstration, and it was also so fun.
The guys genuinely wanted the kids to learn about the sport, and the boys learned their moves.
It was so fun!
We also had a lovely dinner out in Roppongi with friends!
Our third day kicked off with a trip to Meiji Shrine and the surrounding forest area. This was such a gorgeous spot.
These are the sake barrels presented as a tribute to Emperor Meiji, who modernized Japan.
The park is a great combination of shrine and forest.
We were lucky enough to be there when the lilies were in bloom, which was so gorgeous.
This was another favorite memory for us!
After a long morning there, we went to conveyor belt sushi, which was so fun.
Then we went to Harajuku, where colorful Japanese teenage culture is. We visited the super crowded Takeshita Street, which was not our favorite, but still worth seeing! Just look at these that the boys got!
We ended the day at Shibuya Crossing, the busiest intersection in the world, where 2,500 pedestrians cross every minute. It was also crazy and not our favorite, but we had to at least see it!
Spending a few days in Tokyo, Japan, was so special and exceeded every expectation I had. I was worried about how crowded it would be, but we were able to find quiet pockets, and we simply loved exploring a city and culture so different from ours.
Tokyo surprised me with how clean it was, how polite people were, and how it lit up at night. We had amazing food too! I'll be sharing more specifics from our trip in a travel guide soon.
Next up, I'll be sharing photos from our day trip to Mt. Fuji and Hakone. Stay tuned.
Luci H Buckner says
Wow, what a trip!!!! Thanks for sharing!!! My brother & his family live in Kyoto on a rice farm & have for many years. I wish I could go there. Maybe someday. Glad your family got to travel. there. It's a spectacular place I hear.