JAPAN with a 3 year old!

Konichiwa!

We LOVE Japanese food and Addie LOVES all things kawaii (cute) so it was an easy decision to choose Japan as our next travel location. The people were incredibly friendly everywhere we went and the trains so convenient once you figure it out. We stayed in Airbnbs in central locations and splurged one night on a rayukan in Hakone with private Onsen. We divided our trip into three main regions: Kansai, Hakone, Tokyo.

Logistics

Light umbrella stroller for all the walking we did (we logged in at 50miles of walking). We also brought a wearable carrier and stuffed it into the stroller when not in use. No carseat needed with all the trains.

Kansai Region

Day 1-2: LAX- Osaka, train to Kyoto

Day 3: Kyoto - On our first day in Kyoto we were certainly on an adrenalin high jam packing as much as possible into one day. It's a good thing we had a stroller on this trip, because Addie took several naps while we walked and rode trains for miles and miles of unknown territory while being totally lost in translation. We managed to successfully navigate the Arashiyama district and visited the Fushimi Inari- Taisham, Otagi Nenbutsu-Ji, Bamboo Forest, Monkey Forest and Golden Pavilion. In between the beautiful sites, we ate our hearts out trying the most uniquely deliciously dishes at Nishiki Market and had ramen at Menbakaichidai Kyoto Fire Ramen restaurant. I still consider this ramen one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten and best food experience. We had to wait our turn for seats in this tiny dive bar looking restaurant and read disclaimers about fire safety, Addie just entered a long nap so upon seating us we secured her in her stroller a safe distance from the fire. We watched as the friendly chef prepared our bowls of ramen, layering this beautiful display topped with green onions. During his prep, the waiters tied bibs to us and instructed us to lean back. The chef placed the bowls in front of us, quickly set oil on fire then poured the fire into our bowls, setting the green onions and nearly our eyebrows on FIRE! Wide eyed, we waited for the fire to settle and dug into our bowls. It was incredible- the broth perfectly infused with green onion, the noodles impeccably cooked, the meat so tender that each bite was like a gift. The ending of this dish, the emptiness of the bowl revealed the most appropriate phrase, "NO RAMEN, NO LIFE."

Day 4: Kyoto - Nara park, oh DEER! Deers roam this park more abundantly than humans, bowing to receive a biscuit and occasionally nipping at clothing.

Day 5: Kyoto - Osaka, to spend the day with my cousin and his family. He showed us all the great spots in Osaka and we ate even more AMAZING FOOD! My cousin told us, what Americans call "kobe beef," the Japaneses just call, "beef." Even Addie enjoyed the kobe beef with rice.

Day 6: Morning bullet train from Kyoto-Hakone

Hakone

This was a real treat between the two major regions. We stayed at a ryokan right below the base of mount Fuji with private onsen (thermal spa) that overlooked a roaring stream. Our hosts provided us with yukatas that were so comfortable we went to dinner in them. Dinner was a beautiful display of seafood and meats to cook in a shared melting pot. Addie really enjoyed the onsen as extended "bath time" before finally getting her to bed. We all slept like babies on the floor bamboo mats which were surprisingly comfortable.

Day 7: Bullet train from Hakone- Tokyo

Tokyo

This portion of the trip was all about Addie and her interests which right now includes animals and characters. Luckily Toyko is all about such things!

Day 8: Tokyo. We wandered around looking for animal cafes that allowed children and found luck at the hedgehog café. Addie had an amazing time feeding them worms and giggling every time they would ball up. We then enjoyed more delicious yakitori, sashimi and all sorts of other treats. We spent the entire day in amazement of the busy yet peaceful vibe across the city and crossed Shibuya Crossing at least 20 different times in sheer awe of how anyone knew which directions to go and not run into each other. Also, people kept stopping to stare at Angel and we caught some teens video tapping him across the train station. When Angel waved, they giggled and continued to record. I asked my cousin about this and he said that foreigners often get mistaken for celebrities, even if there is no real resemblance. We concluded that they thought Angel was Mario Lopez. LOL!

Day 9: Tokyo Sanrio Puroland/ Hello Kitty World: we spent the entire day enjoying all things Hello Kitty! Addie joined a dance party, ate a Hello Kitty Hamburger and watched an egg carton do silly things while speaking Japanese. In the evening, we went to Tsukiji Fish Market where I ate the best, most fresh sashimi of my life!

Day 10: Tokyo - Took a train to Ameyayokocho, where we just wandered around, ate street food, got lost in toy stores and vending machines. We visited Taito Station for arcade games and PURIKURA, Japanese photo booths, then rode a duck boat at a park with a pond.

Day 11: Tokyo Disneyland. This park was immaculate and not too crowded as we visited on the Monday after the golden week holiday. It was nearly identical to our Disneyland in California but filled with more delicious treats and street performances. Addie bravely rode her first roller coaster in Toontown.

Day 12: Tokyo-LAX to home

Plane ride: Addie did so amazing! She loves airplanes and during this trip she decided she wanted to be a commercial airline pilot, we’ll see how long that ambition lasts! Haha On the flight home we had a layover in China and after boarding our plane and waiting for a while, the captain announced engine failure but inability to deplane us due to Chinese laws. We would remain on that aircraft on the tarmac for 10 more hours! We remained very calm and opened up some of our souvenir pastries to eat as snacks. Many of the other passengers were quite livid: yelling at flight attendants, forcing open the emergency exit door (air conditioner turned off) and raiding the mini bar. Announcements were not translated to English and all we could do was stay calm for Addie’s sake. We were finally deplaned and bussed back to the terminal where we had to wait a few more hours for a new plane. We were not permitted to leave and only given crackers and water for dinner. Then they announced flight vouchers which excited me but after encrypting the strange directions, I found the value to only be $25 USD towards their airline. It was not even worth going through another set of weird directions just to redeem. We eventually made it home safely so I am thankful for that.