Day 5 - Family Japan - "Osaka Pokemon Center, Cotton Candy, Kimono Studio and Aquarium"

Day 5 (December 18, 2018)

Waking up around 7AM was becoming the normal by now, we would get a small breakfast at the
house (eggs, white toast, sausages, etc) and then get ready for the day. Terra woke up feeling a little cruddy with a runny nose and scratchy throat and so we braced ourselves to venture into a pharmacy at an attempt to get medication for her. In 2010 this ended up with me getting codeine for a cold (little to no cough), so I was really curious how it would turn out this time. Not knowing exactly how long it would take to get to and then around Osaka (I had some conflicts on timing, Shinkansen vs. normal train, Shin-Osaka station vs. Osaka station) we left a little early to get on the 8:03AM reserved train. To our surprise, it only took 11 minutes to get from Kyoto to Osaka on the Shinkansen (which was covered by our JR passes, so why not?) and we arrived before ANYTHING opened.  The full agenda for the day included another (was supposed to be our first) Pokemon Center, Cotton Candy, Photoshoot, Precure Cafe and finally the Aquarium.  By this point in the trip, I wasn’t sure just what we could pull off (especially with the looming cold) and was trying to prepare us for how long everything might take and just ended up jumping the gun and leaving Kyoto too early.

Remembering nothing opens before 10AM, except for maybe a bakery, konbini or Starbucks  Other than quickly stopping into a pharmacy, the first stop was a Pokemon Center in Osaka station (not Shin-Osaka), but it didn't open until 10AM and we at the correct place by 8:30AM. There was also a nice stiff wind putting a deep chill in the air, causing a bit of a tiff as to where we should hang for awhile, but we finally duck into a nearby Starbucks… It didn't work well as Terra refused to eat anything (we find a small table to sit) and Matt sat outside in the cold instead (this picture is from the abandoned, due to the cold, outdoor balcony).

It was so busy inside we could barely even turn around and only found a 2 person table.  Oh, and the construction, so much construction around both train stations and the city center!  There were shut sidewalks, detours and even more foot traffic than usual due to the disturbances. I scarf down some sort of egg souffle things and head out to a pharmacy I was able to pull up on my phone, with fingers crossed. It was all located within the station (which was the normal giant shopping mall as well) so we didn't have much to lose to walk around out of the cold to find it. We happened upon an English speaking pharmacist to get her some meds (it was surprisingly easy and we found stuff that actually helped!) and then a toast/egg type meal set at a cafe for her to actually eat.  Once that was done, it was time for the Pokemon Center to open!

Finally 10AM, it was time to go back to the other side of the mall/station to the Pokemon Center. The My151 was being pushed here, along with the Christmas specials.  Once inside, we realize the difference in size compared to Kyoto was significant, with aisles and aisles of merchandise, it was overwhelming. I was surprised by (again) the lack of English signage and English speaking staff at such an internationally recognized store. It took several staff members a fair amount of time to decipher that we were looking for the rest of the starter figure set (who wants Charmander without Charizard?), but they did finally get us a complete set. We walk out with about a 20,000 yen of merchandise, this included a set of 4 figures with the original three starters, three of the "Fit" Pokemon plush (Lapras, Articuno and Dragonaire), a large Pichu plush for the little one, a wallet for me (which I'll use a lot, but was a steep 3,000 yen) and a handful of stationary/misc. items. And on to the next destination with gusto.

I will start this paragraph with my reasoning for cotton candy before noon.  This was FAMOUS cotton candy, plastered on NHK shows, social media and even featured in a US news broadcast or two.  They make cotton candy with deep flavors in sizes bigger than an adults head.  Their main store is in Harajuku, but is known to have 3 hour long waits in line.  With their newest branch opened in Osaka, I immediately penned this one into the agenda as a must-stop.  Just as planned, we arrive to a fully empty store (again, we are talking about 11AM, right as they opened, on a weekday) and obtain our cotton candy from the only lady working there. It was just as advertised, giant AND delicious.  In fear of my diet spiraling out of control already by this point, I concede that Terra and I needed to share one, however Matt did not have such restraint and we ended up with two of their largest size.  It was by far the best cotton candy I have ever had, with each color came a deep, new flavor. I feel like the cotton candy stateside is just colored for effect and not taste, so this was a bit shocking to overcome.  There was a very small park and some opportunities for selfies abound, actually making for the only other people I saw around, two 20-something girls snapping their cotton candy selfies for social media. After checking two of the five items off our list, we start the trek towards the photo studio, as it seemed a legit 15 minute walk and I wasn’t 100% sure of the exact location, so having the hour and a half buffer sounded like a good idea.  By the time we confirm the place we were in front of was the correct door, we had about 45 minutes to find and eat lunch.  We ended up at a random diner with great katsu, fried chicken, rice and okonomiyaki.  It was satisfying, but I think there were only two gentleman working there and they were mostly occupied by the single diners at the bar in front of them.  I think on several occasions they might have forgotten they had a family of three sitting at a table on the far end, this set us up to be a solid 15 minutes late for our photoshoot at 1:15PM as we attempted to pay our bill and leave several times before having any success.  A quick trek back down the alleyway and we made it into the photo studio by 1:30PM.

It wasn’t anything like I imagined, maybe 300 sq ft total size in one room. Just inside the door there were two chairs, then a little vanity where the makeup artist could do her thing, further down was a very small “hallway” where the kimono and accessories were kept. To the right of this hallway was a “curtain” kind of changing room and in the back of the studio (keep in mind, this is all one big room) was where the photos were taken.  They had plenty of kimono to choose from, the lady doing our hair and my makeup did a great job and everything went smoothly. It was just us, the photographer (whom spoke English fluently, very refreshing at this point in our trip) and a makeup/hair artist that spoke broken English.  It was overall a very awesome experience, we came out with a great set of photos, but it did take the entire afternoon.  The price was expected to be around $300USD, but totaled $260USD out the door, you can’t get half of that stateside for that price, so I was impressed!  Dealing with Terra sniffling and sneezing and wearing a Kimono really was exhausting as we learned quickly. During the 3 hours it took getting ready, shooting countless photos and then picking the final products (5 came with the shoot, we settled for 11 from about 100) it was decided we would be skipping the 4PM reservation at the Precure cafe. It was nearly dark when we exited the studio!  A quick discussion ensued of “do we or don’t we” (go to the aquarium).  At this point, we knew Terra made it to about 8PM until shut-down started happening and now we were contending with her cold too.  The night prior in Arashiyama was already a lot on the little kid, but the AQUARIUM!  Rated a top in THE WORLD!  How could we not? We KNEW it was a trek from where we at, but off we went.

Being it was on the opposite side of Osaka, it took 45 minutes of walking and subway rides to arrive.  At this point, I had no time to think of what our hair and my makeup looked like, so we were by far looking like the fanciest people in the place. The second we got to the area, it was gorgeous, the main attraction here was their shark whales, one of the only places you can observe them in captivity.  So what else would they have?  But a huge shark whale in Christmas lights outside, of course!

A bunch of pictures were had, a steep admission price paid and in we went.  Terra was super excited, even though it was getting late for her.  You start the tour by going up several escalators to the top, which was 7 floors.  At that point, you can see the entire place spiraled around one large tank. You could then observe the tanks, coves and rooms off to the side as you spiraled the long ramp back down to the bottom, some of the highlights were the aforementioned Whale Sharks (apparently hard to keep alive), Seals and Macaroni penguins. It was a pretty ingenious setup, sadly I don’t think I got any pictures to showcase how cool it was.  After touring down a few floors, we end up ducking into the cafe near closing time to get whatever food they might have left.
They didn't have anything too special, but their signature dish was a “famous” EEL DOG, a super long hot dog that you were then instructed to “decorate” like an eel. We also had our first encounter with shaped ice in a tasty blue soda drink of some kind.  It wasn’t the best dinner we could have found, given the proper time, but on a time constraint it suited the situation just fine.  There were still several exhibits to visit after having our dinner, and closing time was fast approaching. We only went through the special exhibits quickly, reserving most of the leftover time for the large “touch tank” area (it was huge), where Terra spent the time playing with stingrays and small sharks. The penguin tank was also here, which I might have been at for the entire time Terra ran around excited to touch anything she could get her hands on.  Talking to this little guy too long, I figured out he preferred people to just take pictures with him instead. After reluctantly leaving, we hit up the museum shop, grabbed our stuff out of the locker and left right as the closing bells started to chime.

9PM, way past our self-imposed cut-off time by now, Terra was walking around stating "low battery" and trouble was brewing.  We walk the 15 minutes or so back to the station and opt to just quickly hop on a "rapid express" train instead of having to change over to the Shinkansen at a different station, which would also allow her a catnap for 30 minutes or so back to Kyoto.  Unfortunately after 8PM, 30 minutes isn't going to do the trick and we end up taking turns carrying her the 2KM or so from Kyoto Station to the apartment this time.  It was a trying time back, but I quickly realized that even though my weight/shape hasn't changed as much as I like, my training with kickboxing has made a TON of difference this trip.  Night and day, actually.

Day 4 - Family Japan - "Kinkaku-ji, Toei Studio Lot and Arashiyama Illuminations"

Day 4 (December 17, 2018)

We started day 4 with a few very specific goals in mind.  After a few days of getting in the flow of things, we had a better view of time constraints, energy drains and what it all would boil down to.  Kyoto still had a transportation limit, even though we were going to some pretty famous spots, buses were the best way to get to them and still they were still a bit puzzling to us. Most require some level of kanji skills or carefully matching up destinations with the buses (some are the same loop, so same kanji, but some head West when others go East). We ended up circling around Kyoto Station for a few minutes before hopping on a bus to our first destination (correctly!)
Kinkaku-ji was a site we visited the first time around, I knew Terra would enjoy the location and made it a must for the return trip.  It only takes about 30 minutes to walk around the loop that includes various angles of Kinkaku-ju itself, some koi ponds and various wishing stones, it was obvious to get this out of the way early.
There were groups of courteous school tours, most including high school girls screaming “kawaii” at Terra (presumably at her fashion/plushie sense), it was relaxing to just walk around and take in the essence of Japan. Near the exit, we stop for a quick meat bun/snack and plan on how the heck we should make our way to Toei Studio Park next.

Well, as it turned out, even the best laid plans can lead to ruin.  We got into one of our only arguments of the trip, all because of buses. One bus was labeled with the correct kanji, but heading the opposite direction  (remember that warning earlier?), so off the wrong bus, on to another wrong bus and eventually a short walk a few bus stops up to get on the CORRECT bus.  Oh, I hate buses so much, but sadly the train stations will not get you from Kinkaku-ji to Toei and a taxi would have cost far too much at 15-20KM away.  We were finally able to confirm the correct destination and arrived at Toei Studio park approaching 11:30AM.  I was surprised to see just how little people there were, even though I planned it that way by going in the middle of a non-holiday weekday afternoon, there was seriously nobody inside.  With it obviously set up to accommodate huge crowds in a theme park setting, it was almost unnerving.  We explore the inside attractions first, but as we opted for the restricted ticket and to purchase events and attractions separately we ended up only going into the ninja obstacle course. It was fun and we all went through it, taking a grand total of 15 minutes or so.
A lot of attractions were under construction, but they still had Precure statues, Ultraman replicas, Power Rangers costumes and a small shop inside.  Deciding to grab lunch at their cafe before heading outside to the studio/working movie lot was a great decision.  I got some Curry Katsu, and we treated Terra to some Unagi, not the cheapest or tastiest meal of the trip, but it was still good and filled us until dinner.  It was a strange little cafe with slow service and only three other customers, but I would recommend it if you are already touring the place.

Heading outside next, we check out the really cool movie quality props and sets.  You are free to wander around the entire lot, taking pictures and peaking inside any places that are not roped off for filming.  There were several “locations” with timed sign boards.  As we later decipher, they are movie props of some sort that are automated to go off during those times (I might post these videos elsewhere later).  We get to see a Nessie-like creature emerge from a pool (as seen to the left) and a crazy old Mountain come to life and do a quick song and dance.  It was a very strange, very Japanese place indeed.  On our way out, we got to take in part of a Samurai period drama shoot, which was pretty cool.  Terra was getting bored and tired at this point, and it started to rain, so we decided to head back to the apartment for a break, knowing it was going to be one of our latest nights.

Grabbing a limited edition Mr. Donut Pokeball donut, we were all happy to take a short break.  It tasted okay, but nothing we would get again, it really was just a $3 gimmick in hindsight.  After we ate I decided that just the two of us would head over to the mall, Terra had been complaining of her pants not being warm enough during the trip, so we would take a very quick clothes shopping trip.  Faced with the fact that Uniqlo is much more well stocked and affordable domestically than it is abroad (we have one in NOVA and it sucks), we end up there and are able to get her four pairs of thermal leggings and a skirt for under $40, then it was time to head back and equip ourselves for Arashiyama.


Dressed for the cold and with umbrellas in hand (just in case), we head to the train station.  The train to Arashiyama station takes a mere 20 minutes to arrive, from there it was about another 20 minute walk to reach the Bamboo Forest. At this point I am comparing every step with our 2010 trip.  Back then, we took one of the first morning trains, arrived in Arashiyama before ANYONE else (we saw one maintenance guy our entire stroll) and leisurely walked through rows of houses and back alleys to arrive at the Bamboo Forest.  This time, I knew we attempting to visit during a once a year event, that social media had blown this destination out of the water and that it also promised to be one of the more breathtaking views of this vacation.  I prepared myself (and us) for the crowds, but wow, the crowds.  From the second we got off the train, there was a swath of people heading in the same direction.  The tourism bureau must have been pushing this event hard.  They had booths, flyers, brochures (in multiple languages), advertisements, banners and directions leading you straight to the illuminations walk.  It was a little overwhelming, but sort of nice to know we wouldn’t have a chance to get lost!  Following the crowd, we arrived at the entrance to the Bamboo Forest within the promised 20 minutes, even among the giant crowds, it was breathtaking.  Not only was the walk illuminated with lanterns on the sides of the path, but they had colored lights pointed up the giant stalks of bamboo, deep enough into each grove that you were never blinded.  It was still easy to get lost/lose yourself in awe of it all, even being surrounded by THOUSANDS of tourists and visitors.  It was our first bad experience with people in the country (there would sadly be a few more to come), being pushed along, bumped into, walked in front of and into pictures constantly and it was STILL COLD.  With our coats, a million people surrounding us and preparations, we were still cold.

Some of my favorite pictures of the trip were taken here. Pushing all of the bad aside, it was just breathtaking and one of the few times I was able to STOP, breath and take the experience in.  If you ever have the chance to see the Kyoto (especially Arashiyama) illuminations, do it. Sadly, with the crowds and long walk, the tour around the Bamboo Forest was cut short (we never “emerged” out the other side of the loop).  We decided to double-back the way we came shortly after visiting the half-way mark of the shrine, we were already 20-25 minutes in at this point during our slow stroll and we kept getting separated from Matt in the crowd.  We still needed to eat dinner and were getting pretty darn cold.  Hoping to sit down to get warm and eat something tasty, we were shocked to see only high end restaurants lining “tourist row” (we should have seen this coming, honestly).  We did manage to duck into an odd food stall lined area next to a local train station (still outdoors sadly) to grab some delicious street food.  Oh, the teriyaki, odango, takoyaki and other food here was divine (and warm!).  After a short rest (still shivering in the cold, mind you), we continue to advance towards the bridge, as it was illuminated too.  Instead of taking the time to enjoy it up close, walk across it and get some good shots we were forced by the circumstances to settle for a few far off views and then locate a taxi.  Terra was DONE FOR.  Cold, still a little hungry, tired from all the walking, and keeping her out well past 9PM was taking the toll and we both knew we would pay.  We didn't get into a taxi and back to the train station until it was approaching 10PM, we knew what would come next... She fell asleep… on a 20 minute train ride.  It was still a 10 minute walk back to the apartment once we arrived at Kyoto station, but somehow we got her to wake up enough to walk back. It was one long (but fun) night.

Day 3 - Family Japan - "Dying Workshop and Ninja/Samurai Experience"

Day 3 (Japan date: December 16, 2018)

Waking up at a nearly normal time (6AM), I was surprised the jet leg wasn’t as bad as I remembered it being during our last trip.  Perhaps the exercising and proper diet prior to this trip were paying off? The tea and herbals were having an effect? Or maybe I am just more put together than I was in 2010?  Any way you look at it, I wasn’t going to argue.  I made a small breakfast made in our tiny kitchen (eggs, awesome Japanese white bread, sausages) and got ready for the day.  First on the agenda was our reservation at the traditional kyo-yuzen dyeing workshop called Marumasu-Nishimuraya at 9AM. I wasn’t 100% sure how we would get there and how long it would take, so we left with plenty of time to spare.

We arrived slightly early, around 8:45AM and were a bit confused, we saw a storefront and a very small shop from the street, but it was dark with no activity.  Luckily there was a bench, so we had a seat and waited.  I double-check my information and reservation during this time to ensure we are at the right location (it seemed we were).  At 9:05AM I started to get nervous, luckily a nice 20-something foreigner (I believe it turned out she was from Australia) popped out from the long alley next to the building we were in front of and showed us to the back entrance, where we were supposed to be (a much larger factory sort of building).  She explained that was just the storefront where they sold previously made goods and it turned out nearly everyone makes the same mistake we did, it was all good and we were quickly shown the ropes on how to pick out our project (choosing from fans, bags, scrolls, picture frames and more), stencils and finally how to apply the paint and complete the dyeing process.  It was simple, yet complex, just what I would expect from such an activity.

We really enjoyed and took our time here.  There were several workers that spoke at least some English, along with the bilingual lady that showed us how to use everything initially.  Additionally there were several other groups of Japanese crafters that entered and got enjoyment out of seeing Terra concentrate on her traditional Japanese craft.  I was able to have a short simple conversation with an older Japanese man, which I presumed to be the boss/owner of the establishment. He was mighty impressed at my attempt, so that amused me.  It was a very enjoyable experience.

During the process we carefully applied thin layers of paint through the stencils until all of our
pictures were complete. In the end we emerged with 3 very nice looking items (a scroll, a bag and a picture frame), only costing around 9,000 yen total for the experience, crafts and time.  It was well worth the 2 ½ hours spent here, highly recommended. Upon exiting the shop it was time to go towards the next destination, but I was surprised we were so close to a castle and grounds, I felt as though I should've known about it and if I had it would've been on the itinerary. Later research turned up that it was Nijo-jo Castle and I would have, in fact, had it on our list if I had known about it and how close we would be.  No time for it now though, so we hop on a train at the nearest station (Nijojo-mae Station) and disembark as close to the old Nintendo HQ as we could get. Matt regretted not taking a look at this old building during our first trip to Kyoto, so we weren’t about to make the same mistake again.

Being we were sitting most of the morning, it was time for a walk in the crisp air to see more of Kyoto. It was a gorgeous walk, one of the most memorable of the trip.  Going over canal bridges, seeing still blooming flowers and taking in the landscape around us.  I love the canal areas of Kyoto and fondly remember them from our first trip. but after about 45 minutes of walking, we arrive at the old Nintendo building.

Taking some obligatory photos (there was literally nothing else there), it was time to find and eat some lunch. For the life of me, I cannot remember where we stopped, but it was somewhere along the way. Since the first leg of our walk was so nice, it was decided to just continue in the direction of the next destination: The Samurai and Ninja Museum of Kyoto. Google told us it was under a mile/30 minutes to get there by foot, so walking seemed to be our chosen method for the day.

A little background on how we ended up here. Initially, I wanted to make a 2 hour trip to Iga during this vacation, which is basically an entire ninja village with a castle, ninja shows, museums and experiences.  However, after facing the truth that we wouldn’t make it there due to how long everything was actually taking, yet still successfully get everything else checked off our priorities list, I quickly backpedaled and did some early morning research into other options. I came across The Samurai and Ninja Museum in Kyoto, it was top in Google search results and panned out that we could make a reservation for the ninja experience at 3PM the next day, I concluded it was a good way to get the "Terra required" ninja training in without throwing an entire day out the window.  Flashing back now to our walk, along the route we start noticing cute little Pokemon banners hanging from the lamp posts, most of them with a countdown or arrows (you can barely see the one here in white). We look at each other all confused “is there a Pokemon Center in Kyoto?"  The only one my research ever found outside of Tokyo before this trip was in Osaka, so seeing banners in the middle of Kyoto was a surprise.  A few taps on the Google machine and it turned out the Pokemon Center of Kyoto was located less that half a KM away from our destination.  Well, didn't take long to find out where our night would end!

Upon arrival at the museum, I was a little concerned. It was located on the 3rd (and later, the 5th) floor of a winding shopping building, located inside a huge shopping district, not exactly what I had imagined. The front desk clerk also seemed a little disorganized and confused (for Japan, this was rare), but we were not the only foreign family visiting.  After the tour time started there must have been 6 families and 2 couples, all English speaking with us.  It started with a brief overview of Samurai history (down the hall seen here), though it was barely compelling enough to keep the kids engaged. It was a museum-style lecture, very informative, but nothing I would recommend to put kids through and it took up the first 30 minutes.


We were then treated to a samurai/sword demonstration by masters of the art (sorry, I don’t recall which style/discipline), which reengaged and woke the children back up.  After that, it was our turn, and little did I realize when I bought the ninja package, I bought it for all three of us and not just Terra.
That meant we were “forced” into ninja gear and got to throw ninja stars and practice blow darts too!  I do not regret this, but also have no intention of sharing the picture. It was fun to get dressed up and have contests on which of us was the worst at getting the throwing stars and darts to stick to the board. This portion probably lasted an additional 30 minutes before we gave up and eventually led upstairs to the samurai room.

Here we could tour at our own leisure some of the artifacts they had on display and the kids got to try on samurai outfits too, overall they had a blast and the freedom was refreshing.  Getting hungry (and late), I realized we had been here 2 hours at this point.  Trying to get it all wrapped up, we had one last thing to do: an origami throwing star. Finishing the craft and grabbing a few souvenirs we were finally ready to leave for dinner and the Pokemon Center! Another two thumbs up experience.  With little to no effort put into finding the place, I think it turned out to be fun and would recommend it. Just make sure you set enough time aside, as we were there a solid 2 1/2 hours, it was already 5:30PM and the Pokemon Center closed earlier, at 8PM, on Sundays so we headed straight there next.

We made our way into a giant mall Google led us to, following the map as we were unsure of exactly where this place was.  After deciphering we needed to head to the 4th floor (which was a kids floor, filled with $200 size 2 toddler dresses!) we found him.

Our first Pokemon Center of the trip and our first exposure to the famed Pokemon statues.  Turned out each center has its own mascot/Pikachu up front, Kyoto here is obviously Ho-oh. You will see more on our Pokemon Center ventures as this blog continues, but being the first, Kyoto holds a special place for me.  Also, see those Pikachu plushes in the background?  Yeah, those are Kyoto Center exclusives.  Something I would come to learn the hard way, each Center has an exclusive set of merchandise and it is all marked as such (in Japanese, with cute little images), they also mark sale and new merchandise.  During our 1 hour trip around the store, I come to realize they have an insane amount of really cool things, but also why they were in this location.  None of it was cheap!  Pens and Pencils at 400 yen each, stationary sets 2,000 yen, mugs 2,000 yen, plushes ranged from 1,000 yen (mini) to 6,000 yen (regular) and even 20,000 yen for large ones, basically you are in a Disney Store… it is all Disney prices and Disney quality.  It all turned out to be a little much, but we walk out with an assortment of really cool things and spent something like $200USD total.  Actually, not that bad for our first trip to a Pokemon Center with a 6 year old!  It was fun.

Being hungry and not wanting a debate over which food Terra would most likely accept and eat quickly, we end up at McDonald's for dinner.  I opt for just some fries and to hold off for a grocery store bento when we get back to the apartment. After grabbing this quick bit, we head back to the apartment via taxi, which turned out to only be about 5KM if you can straight-shot it (10 minutes via car vs 45 minutes trying to connect train stations or over an hour walking), we pay the 2,000 yen or so fare for the convenience to get Terra to bed at a decent time.  As what became my routine in Kyoto, I ran over to the mall/grocery store by myself to browse and get some food stuffs and return to the apartment with an assortment of goodies for the night and next morning. Oh, how I miss the discounted bento’s.  And never once, during this week stay, did I ever get that feeling of being watched, followed or in danger.  Going to a mall AND walking home ALONE in the dark in the U.S. is not something I would do.  In Kyoto?  Perfectly normal.  I keep my usual watchful eye out, but never once did I felt like I was in danger.

Day 2 - Family Japan - "Kyoto and the Railway Museum"

Day 2 (Japan date: December 15, 2018)

I started my day around 5:30AM after giving up at the third time being awake, Terra followed by 6AM and Matt at 6:30AM.  It was a gorgeous sunrise and instantly gave me energy, something felt so right being in that atmosphere. By this time we were hungry and also needed to repack bags in order to make it on our Shinkansen departing from Tokyo Station at 8:03AM, so we decided to check-out and head to the station early. Thinking we would at least stop at a kiosk along the way for food, we walked.  And walked.  And walked.  Until we were at the correct platform at 7:43AM (it took a bit longer than myself and Google thought).  As soon as I was about to leave my bags with Matt and head off to grab food, the train pulled up!  Curse Japan and their commuter systems being consistently on time or early. With so many bags, in we went.  Little did I realize we wouldn't be getting back off for food at all, and this was going to be a solid three hour train ride.  Luckily, within the first 30 minutes, a cart came by with sandwiches, but I was still hungry.  Hopefully food would come quickly once we arrived at Kyoto station.

The Shinkansen was a smooth and easy ride, as I remembered from 2010, I have never taken such a long commute so effortlessly before. Upon arrival in Kyoto Station, to my dismay, we headed straight to the AirBNB instead of stopping for food, it was an obvious choice with so many bags but I was still starving. At least we located the Machiya (traditional townhouse) with little issue and found it to be a solid 10 minute walk from the Kyoto Station platforms, which wasn't too bad. The landlord was still cleaning when we arrived, but assured us we could leave our bags and showed us the basics.  She was very kind and it was another effortless experience.  Having used AirBNB rentals for the majority of our 2010 trip, I didn't even hesitate to do the same this time around. 


Now bag-less and even hungrier we went on the search for food, I had hoped to return to the station and dine at the awesome tofu restaurant (from my memory of 2010). The station was as large as I remembered with over 12 floors of restaurants and shopping in the main complex alone, now decorated for Christmas, it was a site to behold in and of itself. However, we quickly learned Saturdays are very busy days for lunch everywhere, so we opted for the quicker food option this time after seeing the long wait to get in to the tofu restaurant.

Food was found in the way of Kaiten Zushi located within the station, a place called Kanazawa Maimom Sushi Kyoto at Station Porta. It was obviously fresh and the instant food was a great choice, but nothing "to write home about". 
After our bellies were full, we decided to head for Kyoto Railway Museum.  A taxi was our top choice as the trains and buses didn't get us very close and the trip of dropping luggage off at the apartment and then walking back the long way to the train station was already tiring.  We were dropped off at the entrance in about 10 minutes for 1,080 yen... totally worth it. Once inside, I realize comparing it to the railway museum in Baltimore was unfair and that is was much more like the Air and Space Udvar Hazy in Chantilly, based on the sheer amount and size of exhibits.  

They had both a train yard/outdoor area and an expansive indoor area. Arriving at 1:30PM, our only goal for the day was to leave by dinner time since we didn't want to eat there and to also pick up groceries for the coming days (especially non-existent-in-Japan-breakfast). That being said, I feel like we both took our time and didn't have enough time to see everything. You first enter at the outdoor portion where they had several late-model trains to walk into and an outdoor cafe inside one of them (where else?), which we didn't eat at. Thinking back, this outdoor portion might have even been free to the public. The actual entrance was past this in a large 3-story building, once inside we had to purchase tickets (1,200 yen each) and were handed a map and stamp book. The displays had limited English, but most of them were self-explanatory or had enough English to understand what they were. The actual browsing of exhibits (dioramas, videos, artifacts, etc) was probably more rushed than they would have been with English signage, so that is a point to keep in mind depending on what you look for in a museum visit.  I think they did have an English audio tour, but with a seven-year old, that was off the negotiation list this time. 

There were more than enough hands on experiences set up, with real workings of how the trains run, stay on the tracks, electrical displays, going inside of each model, replicas of the engineer controls and other things for both kids and adults to experiment with. The first floor had all of the train displays, enabling you to see them from most angles (stairs to go under them, open inside and stairs to even go above a few). The second floor had a huge model train display and the third had other kid-friendly working displays such as a model of an old train station, complete with real (fake/free) tickets and working entry gates.

Once we emerged out the back of the building and into the actual train yard, we opted to pay the few hundred yen for steam locomotive tickets (a 15 minute “back and forth” joy ride).  We (myself and Terra) also got our first taste of stamp collecting, where you hit up different stations located within the tourism spot to "stamp" a booklet you usually receive with your entry ticket, which is a very famous activity in Japan for these destinations.  There would be many stamps to come in my near future. We started to get a little tired and hungry and decided to leave at 4PM after a brief visit to the souvenir shop. Trying to save the taxi money, the Google told us it was only about a mile and would take approximately 30 minutes to walk back to the mall, conveniently located across from where we were staying, so we took the gamble and went with it. 

It indeed only took 30 minutes to arrive and the walk through Kyoto neighborhoods was pleasant. The mall was huge to U.S. standards, towering at 6 floors in the main wing and an additional 4 floors on the second wing (of which, the entire first floor was an honest to goodness Toys R Us). I was pleased to see a grocery store occupying about a quarter of the first floor, and we discovered the top floor was a standard "food court" full of eateries and a real (even though small to their standards) Namco arcade.  Myself and Terra got the Ramen and Matt opted for Bibimbap (seen above), sitting down in a food court I continued to make observations of a more modern Japanese society than experienced in 2010.  Cell phones, children and digital forth comings were everywhere.  It was a relaxed and very familiar atmosphere overall.  Though there was still little English to be had, communicating in a whole presented no issues thus far. 

Before heading out for the night, I couldn’t help but get our first exposure to an arcade, full of UFO catchers, Taiko drums and other fun hands on machines. I won my first prize within a few attempts (a Kirby blanket), we played Mario Kart and had it out for a few songs on the Taiko drums.  We took a quick stop at the grocery store before wrapping it up for the night (the first place to be bit overwhelming), eventually getting what we needed and headed back to our house to settle in.  I was super satisfied with the house as it was located less than a 10 minute walk from central Kyoto station and within a 3 minute walk from the correct exit of the mall (took me awhile to figure this one out, however). The entire atmosphere here was something I could get used to, seeing groups of teenagers out by themselves, kids enjoying shopping and an overall atmosphere of safely walking and being part of a larger social construct was nice.  I was ready to have a good time, and determined to make it a relaxing one.

Day 1 - Family Japan - "Arrival and Tokyo Tower"

Day 1 (December 13/14, 2018 with time jump)

The adventure begins! The day began at home with last minute packing and some slight panicking.  We left for the airport at 8:30AM and arrived shortly before 9AM.  Good thing too as the security lines were long, without enough lanes open.  We managed through it all, grabbed breakfast and were at our gate by 11:15AM for the 11:45AM boarding call.  We opted to pay extra from the nonstop flight (the same timing as the flight we took in 2010). It was an ANA flight, but serviced by United, which meant a lot apparently.

Flight boarded and took off without issue.  Within an hour or so, we realized the grave mistake of not bringing food with us.  When we took this same flight, but fully serviced by ANA, they had meal order options (Japanese and American), snacks and beverages. However, this time around we were informed there would only be one meal service about 2 hours into the flight, one free snack (spicy Asian mix) and another meal/snack combo 2 hours before landing.  There was no opportunity to order anything extra and no real "kid-friendly" options. During the flight we also ended up receiving a very cold sandwich somewhere in between, but the calorie count for a 14 hours flight must have been in the 500-600 range total, with all of the food qualifying as mediocre, Terra ate even less than we did. At least we had plenty of entertainment options with the laptop (Netflix downloads included), 2 Switches, 3DS, Tablets and more.  Terra might have slept 2 or 3 hours total and we each took one or two cat naps.  Overall, the flight was one of the smoothest I've ever experience with minimal turbulence and behavior, given the situation, was good.  It was an impressive display on one of the most difficult parts of the trip.

Upon arrival, there was (of course) more lines and waiting, but everything went off without a hitch. Getting through immigration, baggage, customs and then finding an ATM to grab some yen and hitting up the JR East exchange office to get our passes were next on the agenda. Getting our Narita express tickets to get to Tokyo and the Shinkansen tickets for the following day was a breeze.

What ensued from there was a semi-chaotic scramble to the Narita express, back off after another Terra cat nap, off and through our first stop at Tokyo Station DURING RUSH HOUR, which is HEAVILY under construction right now (I assume for the Olympic renovations) and on to the Yamanote line to get to Shimbashi, the nearest stop to our hotel for the night.  Oh, little did I realize how INSANE Shimbashi would be during Friday night rush hour (it was 6:45PM local at this point).  If the station was crazy, outside was slightly short of insane (Izakaya, "hotels" and host clubs galore) and it was pretty cold at 40F or so.  We had 2 large suitcases, one small and one backpack roller at this point, which added to the chaos.  Oh, how I wish we could travel with less luggage.

A "quick" 10 minute walk (only almost getting hit by cars twice!) and we arrive at Park Hotel Tokyo.  I found out while booking our airline tickets, that it actually makes the entire trip cheaper to bundle a hotel with them (even for only one of the twenty nights!) and this was a top rated location, making it an obvious choice. The service lady caught us getting off the elevator and IMMEDIATELY assisted.  Service in Japan never ceases to amaze me and the fact that they aren't after tip money is always astounding as well.  She grabbed our luggage, walked us up to check-in and then to our room all while speaking decent English.  This service was furthered as when the toilet was clogged, they had someone in our room within 5 minutes, a plumber accompanied by a bellhop, and fixed it quickly with a smile on their face.  A similar problem in a U.S. hotel would have taken forever and "those looks" from a maintenance man that might finally arrive to "maybe" fix the issue (I know, it's happened before). I was immediately happy that we paid for the upgraded "Tokyo Tower" view room as once Terra saw it, we knew we'd have the energy to head back out and on to our first real vacation experience.

We grab a taxi waiting outside the hotel, 780 yen and one mile of driving later we were at the foot of the tower in less than 10 minutes.  It was exactly as expected as "another tower view", the Christmas light displays (in Tokyo Tower orange and white) were cool, the night view with clear weather was nice and there was a pretty standard shopping mall and food court inside.  We decided not to go to the very top deck as it was under construction and an additional cost. The "One Piece" area of tower was also an additional cost, and since none of us were huge fans of the series, we opted out of a visit inside that section as well.

The first souvenirs were purchased at the top floor gift shop and then we headed to the food court for some standard Japanese "fast food".  Entering this floor, we were already greeted by Japanese commercialism (anime figures for sale at the shops and very Japanese displays as seen here)! Terra grabbed a kids burger meal at MOS burger while Matt and myself opted for Ramen and Katsu curry from one of the other food court restaurants. I immediately noticed surrounding us (on a Friday night, which we were too foggy headed to remember at the time) were a lot of kids!  During our 2010 trip, I swear we might have only seen two or three kids total.  Maybe it was the change in circumstances (having a kid now myself) or simply the location and date, but I was surprised.

Most of the tower was closing by the time we finished eating, so it was time to head back and try to get some sleep.  We got Shinkansen tickets for 8AM the next day, which in hindsight might have been a bit overzealous. We had a few failed attempts at hailing a taxi (both manually and by using an app for the first time) and ended up walking the mile back to the hotel in the chilly windy weather.  A few quick showers, a makeshift sleeping area on the floor for Terra and we were all done for the night. Sleep was much easier than I remember it being on our first trip in 2010, I think Terra racked up 6 or 7 hours straight, Matt got at least 7 hours and I was at about 6 hours of broken sleep after waking up twice for no reason.  So far, we were off to a great start.

Day 15 - Adventure through Japan "Home"

Incomplete Entry-

Part I:  Getting out of Japan

Part II: The flight

Part III: Time travel

Day 14 - Adventure through Japan "Nakano and Akihabara"

Incomplete Entry-

Part I: Nakano and Breakfast

Part II: Akihabara

Part III: Nakano (take II)

Part IV: Fun fun packing

This morning, Donnie, Jason and I tried going to a Kabuki play, but they were sold out for the earlier 11:00 show, and the line was about 2 hrs for standing room only at the 1:30 show. Seems you need someone in Japan to reserve tickets for you as there is no way to do so online or over the phone.

So the day really started at Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates Japan's war dead. Some controversy surrounds the place, as some guilty of war crimes are enshrined here among the others; other Asian nations voice objections when Japanese prime ministers visit it. The shrine grounds offered some good pictures and just like in Ueno Park there was a festival going on to celebrate the cherry blossoms, so there were pretty big crowds.

After Yasukuni, the the rest of the day was spent shopping for souvenirs. The group met at Akihabara to finish off whatever stores we didn't get to yesterday. We wrapped up the day at the "mall" in Nakano, the place Jacky had shown us a few days ago. This time we were there a little earlier, so some of the 4th floor stores were still open, which was awesome - these stores had older stuff from as far back as the 20's and 30's. It was exactly the type of things you'd find in an American antiques place - old magazines and toys, advertisements, cameras and watches, and the like.

The only thing left to do now is sort everything and pack it away for the long trip home.