Kids: Big Sister 11y5m, twins 8y10m
Flights: Hong Kong - Tokyo (Haneda) - Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific
Booked through: booked all tickets on miles (30,000 each) and booked accommodation through Airbnb as I found it hard to find reasonable sized (and priced) room(s) that would suit our family. We stayed at Yoyogi TownHouse, in Yoyogi and walking distance from Shinjuku and Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu).
O my! Where to start? After 13 years I was finally back in Japan. I studied Japanese, lived in the Nagoya area for a year in 1996/1997 (and travelled all over) and have been back twice (in 2000 and 2002). But it had been a while. We couldn't get tickets to Osaka so Kyoto and Nara were not an option unless we travelled by train. Eventually we decided to stick to Tokyo and spend 5 full days in the Tokyo area. There is soooo much to see, even 5 days wasn't enough! I'll try to go through it day by day.
Sunday 18 October
Arrived on time at Haneda and purchased the Welcome! Tokyo Subway Ticket for 3 days (not valid on JR lines). Good value and much easier than buying separate tickets and/or recharging cards, especially with a family of 5. Since we purchased these tickets we decided that Monday and Tuesday were going to be the days we would do the "far-away" sights based on our Airbnb location in Yoyogi (west side of Tokyo) to get most use out of them. We arrived in Yoyogi via the Keikyu and Oeda line with just 1 transfer, no big deal. Ash the owner of the place arrived about 5-10 minutes later and brought us to our new home for the next 6 nights, just 8 minutes away by foot in the middle of a lovely typical Japanese neighbourhood. Paying less than HK$9000 for 6 nights (got 15% AMEX discount as well) is a price that cannot be beaten for Tokyo. Plus plenty (by Japanese standards) of space, opportunity to do some basic laundry, fill the fridge and relax when necessary. This was our first Airbnb experience but definitely worth considering especially for Tokyo. Much better value.
We walked to Shinjuku to have a look at the great Takashimaya department store (the food basement is amazing, I remembered that) and got a quick onigiri snack for the kids, looked around and headed back to Yoyogi for an easy ramen dinner in a place Ash had recommended to us. Great and cheap ramen with a beer, what more can you wish for. The kids loved it, sitting at the counter and ordering your ramen via a machine!
Monday 19 October
- Headed to Asakusa to see the Senso-ji temple and Kappabashi-dori street (kitchen street, like Hong Kong's Shanghai Street where they also sell all the fake Japanese food that is used for displays which is very pricey but fun to have a look).
- Back in the train to Ueno where we visited a small temple in the Ueno-park, Benten-do. The kids had half an hour on a Swan Boat on the lake for Yen 700 and we had a 30 minute break. Walked around in the park and headed back into Ueno to look for lunch. We found a lovely yaki-soba shop (English menu, 3 sizes and great prices) around the corner from the Matsuzakaya department store.
- We then went to Akihabara, also knowns as electric town, which I used to love in 1996/1997 when the mobile phone was the new thing on the planet. These days it was a little bit of a disappointment, mostly Japanese cartoon characters and (adult) video places, so not what it used to be. Could have skipped it this time unless you're into Japanese mangas ...
- We headed back to Yoyogi for a break and later to Shinjuku for dinner. Was planning on having dinner at Omoide Yokochi but most places didn't allow kids (it's very "bar-like" with lots of smoke and small shops ... and mostly local "salarymen"). So we walked around for a bit more and although there are so many restaurants it's still hard to pick sometimes especially as lots of restaurants are on higher floors so you have no idea what it looks like inside. In the end we came past a basement izakaya where we had a mix of things, some raw fish, onigiri, yakitori, salads, etc. I can't remember what it was called or where it exactly was ...
Tuesday 20 October
- Started off at the Tsukiji fish market, the whole sale market open is from 9 to 11 (best to come between 9 and 10 am). Quite touristy and busy, but definitely worth a visit. The most beautiful tuna you've every seen, kids thought it was great to see all the fish. Wear old shoes or sneakers as the floors are very wet and not very even! Best to take the Tsukijishijo stop on the Oeda line, much closer and literally around the corner from where you want to be.
- From Tsukiji we headed to Ginza for some shopping and a look around. Again, very much worth it checking out the basements of the department stores, like Mitsukoshi. Lots of sampling, great food, you wish you were living in Japan and you could buy it all. Great for a range of snacks (onigiri = rice balls) too, including great Western pastries.
- We had a tempura lunch on the top floors of the Mitsukoshi department store before heading to the Imperial Palace where I had booked a tour to go inside. I had been inside and seen the emperor for a special celebration in 1996 so I though it would be nice to do a tour. Personally, I would not recommend the tour, you don't get to see that much, it takes an hour and starts with a 30 minute introduction but worst of all, you're together with about 150 other people, most of them were twice our age and the peace was excruciating slow! The explanations in English on the headset were quite good, but it was not what I expected. Lesson learned. The kids did relatively well (they thought it was a little boring but they listened to the head sets and explained it all to us), the weather was fantastic so that definitely helped.
- Afterwards, we had some drinks and cake at the nearby Palace Hotel as we felt they deserved a break. That's when they discovered the best Toto toilet ever, which resulted in several trips and lots of giggles!
- On our way home we stopped by Akasaka to see the Hie Shrine. Nothing spectacular, but nice and quiet while the sun was setting, and generally a very nice area. Escalators are bringing you up to the temple (which our feet liked at the end of the day) and the orange tori gates in the back are definitely worth seeing. The area is quite calm (lots of companies) so it was worth a quick stop while changing train lines.
- For dinner we headed to Harajuku as the kids were now literally demanding a "sushi-train". I remembered a sushi train restaurant from 1996 in Omotesando and sure enough (and thank god) ... it was still there, Heiroku Sushi. Slightly touristy, not the most exquisite sushi (would my kids notice?) but fresh, tasty and very affordable. Lots of non-raw fish choices like cucumber, egg, tuna salad, etc. Kids loved it and about 35 plates later we left more than satisfied.
Wednesday 21 October
- As our Welcome passes were no longer valid, we started our day with the many sights closer to home. We walked to Meiji Shrine in less than 15 minutes which remains a must see. The park is lovely, the air smells clean and the Shinto shrine is worth a visit. We were lucky (again for me) to witness a Shinto wedding. We visited the Imperial Garden next to the temple (Yen 500 for adults and Yen 100 for kids) and a very nice Japanese gentleman and photographer had the birds eat peanuts from the kids' hands. Beautiful serene garden with great fall colours, small but worthwhile.
- We walked through Harajuku / Omotesando to Shibuya to see the world's most famous and busiest crossing with its famous dog statue Hachiko. We visited Loft, still there all those years later, which remains a fantastic store especially for stationary and lots of things you need and don't need.
- Time for another lunch so we headed to the new Hikarie department store, easy to spot from the crossing for a okonomiyaki and noodle lunch on the 6th or 7th floor. Again, lots of choice so easy to look around and find something you like.
- After lunch, we headed from Shibuya to Shinjuku as we wanted to enjoy the free view from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Both 45th floors in the North and South tower provide an amazing and free view over Tokyo. Even though it was fairly clear it wasn't clear enough to see Mount Fuji which we had spotted from the airplane when landing on Sunday. Not matter where you look you see nothing but buildings ... Amazing really. There are some souvenir stores and a small cafe as well.
- We walked back to Yoyogi while stocking up some drinks and snacks at Lawson so the kids could have some relaxing TV time at our house. They mostly watched Youtubes via Apple TV on Tokyo ... where to go, what to eat, Japanese inventions and other great stuff on our host country, some of it pretty hilarious and they watched it over and over again! This was one of their favourites for some reason.
- For dinner we walked back to Takashimaya in Shinjuku after a quick stop at the fantastic Kinokuniya bookstore next door with a great English selection for adults and kids (much bigger than I remembered all those years ago). We headed to the top floors of Takashimaya again and opted for a tonkatsu dinner. As a dessert we crossed the many train tracks of Shinjuku station to get a very American Krispy Kreme donut ... yummy!
Thursday 22 October
Today it was time to head out of the city and we decided on Kamakura down south. I had visited in the past and although I had my heart set on Nikko in the north, it's basically twice as far and I wasn't really up that. Tickets were Yen 920 for adults and about half price for kids from Shinjuku on the Shinjuku Shinoden Line towards Zushi. Train ride takes about an hour and requires no transfer.
- From Kamakura we headed straight to Hase on the Enoshima line to visit Hase-Dera (beautiful views and lots of things to explore) and Daibutsu (big Buddha). Lots of tourists and even more primary school aged children who were easy to spot with their yellow hats.
- After catching the train back to Kamakura we walked through the busy shopping street to find something for lunch. Plenty of restaurants and nice shops but just very crowded. It got slightly better towards the end and in a side alley we found the super cute Miyoshi Udon restaurant. Little English but again an English menu was available and staff was helpful and friendly. Highly recommend.
- We continued towards the north to walk straight into the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu temple, free and therefore busy. Lots of school kids now approaching us to practise their English! We decided to continue walking towards Kita-Kamakura (kita is north) while passing several temples on the way. We picked one more in order not to overdo it and chose Engaku-ji, literally across from the station. Unlike the other temples in the south and centre, the ones around Kita-Kamakura were much quieter. It was also getting closer to 3 pm so that may have helped (as most temples close around 4 pm). Entree fee was 300 yen and 100 yen for kids, but it has a lot to offer as the premises are quite stretched out. It was very quiet, beautiful green (turning yellow and red now) surroundings and we all enjoyed a quiet look around. There are many more great temples in the north but honestly with 3 kids, I think we did quite well and they actually enjoyed it so I think this was pretty well balanced and a great impression of what Kamakura had to offer.
- Back to Yoyogi and decided tonight was the night for an easy Western dinner in a very nearby little burger joint called Burgers Cafe. Best of all, for twin B, next to Yoyogi's busy railway tracks (on the east side) so you can watch the commuters go by basically non-stop. Decent size burgers, very tasty, good value and nice way to finish off a great day.
Friday 23 October
Last full day ... the girls wanted to go shopping; twin B wanted to do a full circle on the JR Yamanote-line (takes 1 hour) so the boys went one way, the girls headed to Shinjuku where we got some great deals and some new clothing for the kids, mostly.
- We met up with the boys in Shinjuku and decided to once again try the top floor of another, slightly older, department store Lumine 1. We found a place that offered a wide range of different Japanese food and everybody was happy.
- As a dessert we bought a waffle from the Waffle Man on the ground floor before going to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. One of the few sights of this trip that I had not been to before. The park charges a small entry fee but it's well worth it. They provide an English map as well if you ask (chizu is the word for map). Great gardens, lots of space and grassy areas (where lots of moms with their little ones met up with friends), lovely fall colours, had a drink from one of the many vending machines and sat down on the grass enjoying the beautiful weather we had all week! It was a fantastic way to finish off our last day. Loved the park and highly recommend.
- In the evening we boarded the train to Harajuku (just one stop but too lazy to walk after all those kilometers) to go a very simply, yet tasty (and cheap) gyoza (potsticker) restaurant, Harajuku Gyoza (there seem to be different names for this place). They serve very little, only gyoza (fried or steamed) and a few basic sides ... and of course beer! The gyoza are cheap, 290 yen for 6, and very tasty. We promised the kids Harajuku crepes after dinner, so a quick internet search resulted in Cafe Crepe. I had never seen so many choices in your life, and honestly most of the choices are not really choices. Crepes with salads, crepes with chunks of cream cheese? What happened to a normal crepe with Nutella? Well, not at this place. So I skipped while the rest of the family enjoyed a crepe filled with creme, fruit and ice cream (those were the more sensible choices but the amount of creme was still slightly overwhelming). I guess it was mostly about the experience and the best possible way to end our holiday in "slightly crazy" Japan!
Saturday 24 October
We headed back to Haneda early in the morning to catch our flight. We took the Oedo line back to Daimon and transferred to the Asakusa Line back to Haneda. Took us about an hour in total from Yoyogi. Did some minimal shopping, just a few snacks. Unfortunately, not many great breakfast options at Haneda (it's kind of missing a few decent coffee shops with snacks or a Mr Donut, at least at the international terminal). Arrived safely on time back in Hong Kong. さようなら!
We loved it, had a great time, the kids loved exploring, eating the various snacks, the great food Japan has to offer, they enjoyed riding the trains, seeing new things ... as I told them before ... Japan is nothing like China or South East Asia, it's truly a whole different world making it more and more worthwhile to visit. And they did agree with me. There is nothing like it ... especially the music on the trains and the toilets make Japan unique!
Tips for Tokyo:
- when travelling with kids, bring kids' chopsticks and/or Western utensils, lots of restaurants do not have Western utensils and especially with young kids this could be an issue if you plan to eat Japanese.
- if you're looking for snacks: convenience stores like Lawson, Family Mart are everywhere so no need to carry around lots of snacks. Basements of department stores are definitely the place for (more upmarket) great food (and snacks), worth checking out even if you're not buying anything!
- if you're looking for restaurants: the top floors of department stores always have a wide range of restaurants. Lots of other restaurants are situated on higher floors or in basements so look up and down as well. Food is all around you!
- lunches are much better deals than dinner so try the more expensive restaurants for lunch and go simple for dinner if you want to keep an eye on your cash.
- toilets are everywhere (including train stations) and often very clean (cleaner than most other places in the world). They often come with lots of buttons for music, sprays for the back and front for women, water sounds, and much more so make sure you go with your child if they haven't experienced that many buttons before. Or they may be Japanese squad toilets, which are not bad at all. There is often a place to "stall" your baby (like a harnass or seat against the wall). My kids loved Japanese toilets, some kids may be scared of them.
- English is still very limited. I was actually quite shocked that not a lot had changed in almost 20 years. As soon as I spoke a few words of Japanese, any possible English went overboard and I had to manage in 日本語. Lots of restaurants will have a simplified English menu though my reading has gone slightly downhill I stuck to the English menu to make sure we got what we wanted. If all fails, the plastic displays and some pointing should get you sorted.
- Japan is no longer as expensive it once was, quite the opposite. I was there in 1996/1997 and besides being a student, things were really pricey no matter what. I found that prices haven't changed much at all (temples are still 300/400 yen, etc.) ... though you get way more for your yen now. I found Uniqlo, Gap and Zara cheaper than Hong Kong and tourists get nice discounts (tax free, as an 8% sales tax was implemented) as well. Some higher end stuff had more of a mark up so not necessarily cheaper. But for sure, Japan is by no means as expensive it once was. A yakisoba lunch, a sushi train dinner, a tonkatsu dinner ... no more than HK$400-600 for a family of 5 and often including a few beers. Better quality and cheaper than Hong Kong in my opinion.
- As for Japanese food, check out this site to get a general idea of the dishes available (as I named quite a few above)!
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| What's not to love about a Japanese Toto? |
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