Japan, is just small 3.5 - 5 hour ride from Hong Kong and is always believed to be most expensive travel destination. Why it took me so many years to reach there? yes, because we kept thinking it will cost us insanely too much. In reality, its not so expensive. Food , travel, sightseeing is way cheaper then Hong Kong. Accommodation - there is host of variety in all budgets from less to more to highest. We ended up staying in 5 star properties with huge room sizes and it was still cheaper than HK. So to begin with... lets be happy that we can go and travel Japan on budget too :)
We were traveling with 2.5 year old toddler, so my blog is more about Traveling Japan optimally yet with keeping your toddler happy most of the times!
Japan is island country in East Asia and famously known as 'The Land of Rising Sun'. Japan or Nippon (that's literal Japanese translation of its name) is World famous for its Electronics, Robotics, Science and innovations and off course well known for its cultural significance and prominence which lasts till date. Cherry blossom or Hanami is the most popular spring season that attracts tons of visitors to Japan. So be prepared for literal over-tourism!
Tokyo being most most highly populated capital city, is always buzzing but we found more of population hit in Osaka and Kyoto especially Hakone prefecture then Tokyo.
Japan uses its own currency - Yen everywhere and its recommended to convert and keep cash handy either from home country or airports. Cards are widely accepted but still you will find some places where cash in hand is better!
The most commonly asked questions, for which even I wrecked my brains too much was about its transportation - railway network, accommodations and what to see and what to leave! So I will try and portrait here my entire itinerary day wise and try to simplify things for you to just book tickets and get going :)
How much time is good to spend in Japan?
Honestly, even 3 months would be too less to see "Entire Japan". Right from Hokkaido in North known for its absolute beauty of enjoying snow in Japan to Central capital city to Kansai region to Okinawa, everything offers too much to see, feel, grab and enjoy. It may look like small country, but ain't really in terms of exploring its 47 prefectures, snow clad mountains to beaches and pretty Japanese gardens and culture.
How did we select number of days?
Honestly, it depends on time one has got in hand. 5 days are good enough just for either Tokyo or Kansai or Okinawa or Hokkaido individually and if you wish to see more than just one region then 9 - 12 days are preferable, but more the better! Its like string, more you stretch there is more to offer. Depending on our holidays and off course ticket fares as we chose Cherry Blossom season, we opted for 10 days journey!
Will we find vegetarian / Jain food in Japan?
Honestly with heads up from all who visited there, we were absolutely well equipped especially in Kansai region with our finger foods and handy theplas and travel cookers for magii and quick fix Upma / poha options but but but... we were more than happy to find Jain food quite easily throughout our trip. So, if you are not too fussy about wanting Jain Ramen, or Jain pasta or Jain Chinese food.... you would definitely get good decent hearty Dal Rice Veges easily! In fact thanks to google translate we could also find vegetarian (without egg) breads and butter.
Where to stock up things in Japan?
Across Japan you will find Seven Eleven and Lawson which are generally open 24/7 and you will find your basic umbrellas, jackets, milk, breads and lot of other convenience stuff here. Baby diapers to baby powders , everything you will find here! So don't worry while traveling with kids. Additionally Lawson has microwaves and hot water filters, so when you buy some milk or even salad something to eat you can heat it up well here and enjoy hot meals in cold climate. In fact, first day when it was crazily rainy and our socks were super wet, we used lawson to buy new socks, :p and changed to new thermal socks to warm ourselves up quickly.
Key learning: In wet season for babies and for you keep extra pair of socks handy. Also keep vicks handy so if baby is too cold, just apply vicks on feet and pull up new socks and they are sorted!
Please carry garbage bags, though its available in some places but some places absolutely dont have it at all. So with toddler you may definitely want to carry one.
How does one travel across Japan?
Its absolutely no brainer to use trains as extensively as possible. Taxis for very short distance with babies and if raining or some extreme weather might be handy and useful but its insanely expensive and meters run quite fast :) Off course depends on your affordability and luxury that you want! Fist kms is 500 Yen and then i guess every km and waiting keeps jumping by 100 yen. so for 10 kms ride with traffic, you may end up spending anywhere between 6 to 10k yen. But trains are super super convenient, well connected and most importantly train routes are super scenic :) More about how to use and book trains, will explain later as we proceed.
the best part is, google maps work excellent in Japa. It will even guide you on which exit to take and which carriage to catch in subway.
p.s something unique in Japan, their high advanced bidet toilets... i can visit Japan gain and again for them. Hot seats and massage therapy on hot seat :p what more does one ask for post tiring day ;)
Another unique thing about Japanese culture, they don't eat on streets or anywhere except sit outs. So try and respect that.
Is language a barrier there?
With technology, language is not a barrier anymore anywhere in World. Keep google translate handy and you can even find vegetarian (without egg) breads :)
So how did we build Itinerary?
For 10 days, we divided our time between major regions, Kansai and Tokyo. So we started with planning for 5 days each. These two are most famous destinations to live, eat and see cities around it in one day trips. So, it made perfect base for us. However, From Osaka towards Tokyo, we made base in Odawara and Hakone for good 2 days to spend time and experience the Ryokan (The famous Onsen culture of Japan)
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| Tourist Pictorial Map of Japan. Osaka, Kyoto, Nara Kobe falls in Kansai Region and Tokyo is capital city. |
Source: Behance.Net
Can we have detailed itinerary?
Yes Yes Yes. Luckily everything is documented!
So here we go, I will put it day wise details so its easy to either follow exact itinerary or pick bits and pieces as per your liking :) There is so many things to see and do that itinerary may keep tweaking as per what you prefer alos kids age groups matter. With teens or little older kids one can explore USJ, Disney lands, Harry Potter park, Team labs, etc but with toddler like ours, we didn't find age appropriate to visit these places yet.
Day 0 : Arriving at Airport and traveling to Hotel in Osaka - You will arrive at Kansai International Airport from there till town center - taxi might cost Approx 40k Yen. Most affordable option is to take Airport shuttle which runs every 30 mins and is super convenient. You can book in advance on klook It stops at major destinations and you can take short distance cab from there if with much luggage or just take subway!
Traveling across Japan: There are Suica, Passmo cards and ICOCA Cards for using in trains, busses, monorails and also some stores. Best for foreign travellers as per us was Passmo card. We bought it on our Apple wallets and kept recharging it as and when needed. If you don't want to use online means, then dont forget to take Passmo card from airport itself!
More information on cards and which one is more suitable for you - Click on this link
5 Nights Base : Osaka
Osaka is the famous city in Kansai region and very well connected internationally through airways. So chances are you will start your journey from either Osaka or Tokyo. We preferred Osaka. Its well known for its USJ (Universal Studios Japan) and Kaiyukan Aquarium. You will majorly go to Osaka castle Dotonburi, Umeda area and Namba area around your visit in Osaka.
p.s. we loved Universal studios Singapore, but with toddler now we skipped USJ and having visited Ocean Park recently we skipped the aquarium too. If you intend to do these two, then you need exclusive 1.5 days more in Osaka.
Accommodation - Courtyard by Mariott, Shin Osaka Station.
Our Mantra with toddler - Don't keep changing your base !
Though there are ample of options for accommodation, but we chose this particular one since we had to take early morning Shinkansen from Osaka to Odawara. Shinkansen starts from Shin osaka station and the train station from this hotel was just 280 mts away. Literally 5 minutes walk from hotel to platform. What one has to keep in mind while selecting accommodation in Japan is, the fact that 99% of times you will use subway / metro . shinkansen / monorail or any form of railway network and staying closer by would be really really great idea as it will same time and effort to start your day.
p.s...you will walk not less than 15k steps per day while in Japan so pack your best suitable shoes and spirit :) Courtyard by Mariott Shin osaka had huge rooms better than other hotels and also so close to train station.
Day 1 : Osaka city tour.
Though we had arrived on Day 0 and well settled in city, but it was freezing with 2 degrees temperature and rains. It had just snowed 2 days before our arrival so weather was Chilly. All we could do was wait for better weather but post half day we realized, we got to honor the weather and just keep moving! So equipped ourselves with winter wear, umbrellas and headed towards "Khana Khazana" - Gujarati Thali Restaurant --- 1 km away from hotel. Felt like toughest beginning but meeting the Owner Mr Hemen Dave uncle made us super positive and motivated us again to explore the glorious Japan. He was very very kind and helpful and served just like home made Jain Gujarati Meal. Recommend to visit him very very highly.
Post Lunch and much needed motivation, we took Subway and reached Osaka Castle --- Rains had just started slowing down bringing lot of glee! :) The key to seeing Japan is start early :) so we were pretty late to enter the Castle as queuing was almost 1 hour long and we were freezing so post clicking some pics, we preferred to have hot coffee! From backside of the castle runs a special train which takes you on castle park ride and is super scenic and beautiful Osaka Castle park is huge area and there is so much to see and do! But depends how much in detail one wishes to go, for us with toddler, 2 hours were also good in a around caste and park. From here, straight head to Dotonburi - Night life heart of Osaka. It was colorful, crowded, fun, electrifying, many shopping and eating streets and lovely Boat ride! Its perfect to end your day at!
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| Osaka Castle |
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| Wonderful train engine around Osaka castle |
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| First cherry blossom spotted |
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| Dotonbori |
More about tourist spots in Osaka --- Refer following photos and can scan the bar code for further more info -
Day 2: Nara Deer Park
Though Nara Deer park can be easily covered in half day, but with extreme rains and cold and toddler combination, we decided to go slow and start day bit later. We had planned to take this "Aoniyashi Romantic Train Ride" but it runs only once in a day and needs pre booking since there are only limited seats and it costs just few yens extra then normal trains. However, we took normal train which was scenic too :) and the journey from osaka to Nara is hardly 40 minutes, so don't be sad even if you miss it :)
Nara city is full of historic local attractions and off course very very known for Todaiji temple ( full of history and beauty together), Nara park (with its obedient and very cute Deers, its said there are more than 1000 deers in the par) and Isuien Garden ( this ain't very famous but its very very pretty traditional Japanese garden and must visit - cost 1200 yen entry fee pp). You Nara trip can be done in 5 -6 hours and then people head to Fushimi Inari (Kyoto) from here. Nara - Kyoto -Osaka form a triangle. But as mentioned, we wanted to go slow and hence we returned from Nara to Osaka by evening and just relaxed in hotel!
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| Kohfuji Temple |
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| Some Kiaan - Deer time! |
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| Finally Kiaan getting comfortable with deers! |
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| Very much Near Nara park |
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| Isuien Garden |
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| Todai-ji Temple |
Tip: Its advisable to hire a guide for trip around Nara to understand the history and significance of temple, the place and know the quick facts. However, if you are on budget like us, you can always read history in advance and brace yourself up pre-hand before the visit :) Link for History and facts about Nara is here!. Also if you can, if weather permits, its a great option to visit Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu dera from here if you are done in Nara by Lunch.
Pro Tip: You are in Japan in March-April, so you cant skip crazy crowds, you can manage it well though. Dont get lured to stop for deers at beginning, you will find lot of deers even near the national museum area and chances are not many are there!
Day 3 : Kyoto : Arashiyama Region
Kyoto has piece of my heart! If we would have had more time in hand in Kansai, would have certainly made Kyoto our base for atleast 3-4 days. With beautiful garden and heritage sites, with taste of tradition and adorable shops and streets, this city is full of charm and beauty. So we had given good 2 days to explore the East and West of the city. Today we were just going to be around the Arashiyama area.
We entered from Tenryuji temple ( its a very pretty temple with Japanese styled Garden) and Walked up in Arashiyama Bamboo forest ( Its mesmerizing and worth the hype) and took the romantic arashiyama train from up until Kameoka (a beautiful small town). Its preferable that you book this in advance. More information on this link. This is called Sago Romantic train and you will find lot of people traveling around in this train in bamboo forest with Kiminos ( Traditional Japanese dress). You can hire Kimonos almost everywhere in Japan. So go for it!
And from Kameoka we head to very very famous Kinkaku-ji (Golden) temple via train! It was delightful to see this temple, but honestly found little overrated :( Please click here for information about this temple.
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| Kameoka - Beautiful small town where Sago Romantic train drops! |
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| Yeayyy! One more location spotted! |
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| Sago Torokko Romantic train ride from Aarashiyama to Kameoka. This train ride was beautiful and scenic, and i am sure during cherry blossom it would look out of World! Please reserve in advance. |
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| Bamboo Tree! The Place! |
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| Candid! |
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| Visamo! (Gujaratis know what i mean) :p or google translate it ;) |
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| Very very beautiful and scenic Tenryu-ji temple |
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| Kinkakuji Temple. The history is interesting. but look at crowds below |
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| It was insane and definitely not stroller friendly. We were tired after 20k steps and at least 20k people around us! |
Tip: You can take train from Saga to Aarashiyma and walk down to bamboo tree and go to Tenryuji and take monorail from there to Kinkaku-ji. According to us, this would have been easier route.
From Kinkaku-ji, one can certainly opt for Byodo-ji more silent, less famous but beautiful temple instead of this craziness in crowd. From here, we headed back to Shin osaka for early dinner and off for the day!
Day 4 : Kyoto : Fushimi Inari Area
We started our day post coin laundry session! Yes you need this. Since you are traveling with minimal luggage and hence minimal clothes and with rains everyday, 2 hours dedicated need for this exercise!
We started off to Fushimi Inari post lunch, and i got so inspired by now that i had to wear Kimono! so after almost 1 hour dressing up, we went to Fushimi Inari shrine, thousands of Orange colored Tori gates were delight but with tons of people around, it was bit insane however lot of people do try to time it and still find crowds. More about Fusmi Inari Shrine here
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| Kimono at most iconic Fushimi Inari Shrine. May abode of prosperity keep everyone happy! |
| Some pose time! |
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| Traditional Tea ceremoy ready. However we were no knowing that it needs good 20 days in advance booking :) |
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| Me and Mine! Every beautiful women has Men carrying all her stuff behind :p |
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| Kimono Gals! |
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| Making most of Kimono! |
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| Shopping street of Kiyamizu - dera |
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| Beautiful Kiyamizu-Dera temple. This temple is famous Hanami spot and has great shopping street. With stroller bit challenging though! |
Tip: Once you start walking, on the top you will see way towards right to go up rather just wait up near left gate for quick photo stop. This side is for returning and is relatively empty. Another way to beat the crowd is to go up till middle of the gates. Its a good 30-40 mins walk. With toddler, we preferred first option and dared to walk a bit from inside but went crazy with amount of crowd. Last tip is to take sides and walk up and then come down from inside of the gates! Some people say that its almost empty after sunset but we are Sunlight loving people and preferred to see places in day light!
Key Learning: Though going as per flow has its benefits like as per our original plan we were going to spend first two days in Kyoto but given crazy rains, we preferred to travel Kyoto in last leg of Osaka stay. It has its own demerits as well. I really wanted to enjoy the Tea ceremony but given the Over - Tourism, nothing seemed to be available when we wanted and hence i could not immerse in Traditional Tea ceremony experience. If one wants, can check this out and book in advance :) Click Link to book Tea Ceremony. Good to book atleast 15-20 days in advance. There are many other options but found this nicer!
Kiyamizu Dera was great but too much walking from train station and was quite steep, so challenging with stroller. But once you are up there, you will feel it was effort worth it!
More tourist spots option in Kyoto here -
Day 5 : Odawara - Hakone
A day earlier we had booked the Shinkansen ticket ( Bullet train ticket) from Shin Osaka to Odawara (Base to reach Hakone). However you can book in advance as well or through website too. You are allowed to change date and time free of cost for One time.
Key tip: stay near JR stop station so that luggage movement is easy. The train stations are bit old and lifts are pretty small so there is some good queue up for lifts. so time your travel to reach station accordingly. Also pre-book if you have too much luggage.
We boarded 8.19 AM, first train from Shin osaka to odwara and it ws just a great experience in bullet train. Imagine we traveled almost 450 Kms in 2 hours! That was some crazy speed boss! Its worth the boast and experience :)
As soon as we landed Odawara, we checked in Toyoko inn which is conveniently located just across station and returned to take ride through scenic route Hakone. Now there couple of ways to do this, wither by bus or by train. We had clearly made mistake, so let me save you time and effort and share what you can do ideally to beat the crazy crowds.
Take Hakone 2 days free pass from Tourist centre Odwara station, collect the map. Head outside the station and take H bus to Motohakone and enjoy the Hakone Shrine first before crowd starts coming. We are starting from last stop here. Then Take Pirate ship cruise on Lake Ashi to Togendai from Motohakone and from Togendai ropeway reach and see Owakudani (much of the area is an active volcanic zone where sulfurous fumes, hot springs and hot rivers can be experienced) and later take cable car to Sounzan. From Sounzan you can take Romantic scenic train to Gora station (famously appear as Switzerland's Bernina express) and from Gora back to Odawara can be traveled. From Odawara you have option to go back to Tokyo (shinjuku station - 1 hour ride) or with toddler we preffered to pit stop near Odawara station.
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| Bernina Express (switzerland) like train and experience, as per them! |
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| Cable car and Ropeway towards Owakudani |
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| Owakudani. Natural active Volcano stream |
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| Pirate ship ride from Togendai to Motohakone (where Hakone shrine lies) |
Pro tip: Though this route ideally should not take more than 5 hours but given the crowd and traffic, you would never know when and where you will be stuck. So we started journey from Odawara at 10.30 and reached back Odawara only by 9 PM since it was insanely crowded that day ad we waited almost in every stop for 1 hour. It was tiring with baby! so would highly recommend to not stretch further and stay put at either Odawara or Hakone!
Beautiful tip: Hakone is famous town for hot springs for ages. Not just hot springs but known for its townscape, shrines and temples and abundance of nature. Mount Fuji, the most picturesque and world famous snow clad mountain as known as symbol of Japan can be seen relatively closely from here as for to Lake Ashi for Cruise ship ( look out while coming to Motohakone look ate right side of Hakone shrine and you will spt the majestic beauty or from rope way gondola (look at right side).
Day 6: Hakone
Today we checked out and post hearty breakfast, visited beautiful Odawara castle and walked the cute streets full of traditional Japanese feel. Dropped our luggage in Coin lockers near Odawara Station and headed to our Ryokan in Hakone. We stayed in very famous Hakone Green Plaza. But today we took the route i suggested earlier to reach here and we successful in beating the crowd. This Hotel on normal sunshine day is excellent option but when we checked in it was raining cats and dogs and there were thunderstorms so we didnt see anything. However enjoyed the Hot spring. And visited the Venetian Glass museum. Its very very beautiful. More details in link. With free pass you can take the cruise ships again just keep being there in 40 mins to and fro rides.
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| Day 2 pirate ship again. Using Hakone free pass to fullest. Started our journey reverse way this time! |
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| Cafe with a view! |
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| Very very pretty Venetian glass museum |
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| Our mandatory pose! |
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| This Hotel was almost near Togendai, next to nothing and thankfully Dinner was included. Not only that, we were thankful for finiding Veg Pizza! Thanks Chef! |
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| Going Traditional! |
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| Ghaas-Phus and home made poha for breakfast! |
Why we chose this Ryokan: For the breathtaking Mt Fuji views it offers while enjoying Hot Springs. However for the day that we had chosen, we could barely see each other between clouds on such mountain height. So i would highly recommend to check hotel named Fujiyan Hotel which was very convenient to reach from two famous bus routes - T& H.
Pro tip: With Hakone pass, everything to see and do is free in Hakone so its well worth spending 5000 Yen for 2 day Pass. Coin lockers are great and almost everywhere but BEWARE! it can fill up quickly in the morning. So do all luggage transfer you want well in early morning especially in famous spots. They are very safe and quite reasonable. Like Big 24 Inches suitcase storage would cost just 1.4k Yen for 24 hours!
Key Learning: We stayed 2 nights in This area thinking one day we would go Safari, its great safari but without private vehicle or taxi almost crazy to reach there and so we ended up one day just roaming around local museums (though they were beautiful and no regrets) but we could have booked onsen the same night as we were just around the Hakone and moved to Tokyo a day earlier!
Day 7: Base - Tokyo for 4N
One more Romantic Car train here! and we reach from rainy Odawara to Fast paced Tokyo (Shinjuku station) in just 1 hour and very reasonably costed (2k yen pp)
Landing Tokyo was stressful and one can go crazy and lost in this small city with huge railway network --- how huge ? 59 lines of railways including subway, metro, monorail, JR and many private lines! Gusshhhh
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| What ? Did you say romantic car train! Ahem! |
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| We experienced so many different train forms till now, Local, monorail, subway, bullet, romance cars, bernina express and probably few more! |
It took us good 1 hour to figure our way out from shinjuku station to Akabanebashi station where we were booked for next 3 nights in The Prince Park Tower Tokyo Hotel.
From kids to grownups, whether alone or with friends... In Tokyo there are places just right for you to spend the day or more on your own.
PRO TIP: Hold on! Don't panic! Don't stress! Tokyo rail network is very simple actually and don't rush, you will find either Elevator or Escalator everywhere so don't go on struggling with your baby stroller and luggage. Just ask! or check the information center and they list it all well that from where can you catch the Elevator or at least escalator.
Accommodation in Tokyo is quite varied and something is there for everybody. However in popular destinations you will find in budget either small rooms or small beds which wont be ideal with toddler. So we kept our wallet little loose here and opted for hotel with bigger room. One can explore the Airbnb as well but we personally find when alone better to be in Hotel so in place like Japan where Earthquakes are often, you would be taken care of immediately during emergency.
One can explore the area of Ueno, Shinjuku, Shinagawa, Shibuya, roppongi for putting hotel base and traveling across Tokyo and prefectures around.
After eventful journey till hotel, we were nothing less than mesmerized by our room in this hotel! It was Tokyo tower view room. Well hubby was generous as it was our 10th Wedding Anniversary trip :) yet yet in comparison to hotels in main areas it wasn't costing any bomb, since we found some good deals on it!
We just headed to explore our dinner options and landed up in Azabudai Hills which had beautiful viewing deck free of cost on its 33F. More information about it here. This is the place which you will head to if you are traveling with teens and looking to experience Team Labs Border less.
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| View from Azabudai Hills |
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| Finally someone learnt to pose for pics! |
p.s. you need atleast 20 days advance booking for Skytree and Shibuya Sky. There are few hacks like keep trying and book directly through website but honestly we saw many other buildings with similar view. Like Tokyo government metropolitan building from where you can view city and also enjoy light show at night.
Day 8 : Ueno Park : Asakusa - Tokyo
Ideally, you can start your day with Sensoji temple (one of the oldest in Japan) and also very beautiful during Hanami (cherry blossom season). After visiting temple, head to Nakimse shopping street and ensure you do lot of shopping here! Its nice and reasonable.
From here, head to Ueno Park. Don't underestimate this park, its huge and has many things to do. Especially Ueno Park Zoo is super hit with its display of Giant Pandas, Polar bears, Elephants, many tigers and Giraffes. For kiddo it was super hit! It took us about 5 hours with queuing and lunch break to visit the zoo!
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| Finally Sun was shining and trees were in full bloom! |
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| One with Ponies |
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| Lovely Streets full of Cherry trees! |
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| One with beautiful colorful flamingoes |
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| So close with Tigers |
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| Gorillas are super cute! |
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| Cant get over this pink's. Brings glee on our face! |
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| Kiaan watched Elephant dancing for at least 30 mins! |
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| Asakusa - Senso-ji temple |
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| Blooms around temple. |
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| Best shopping streets here! |
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| Kiaan's favourite most part. Finally found play park after a week. |
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| Hearty lovely dinner at Nirvanam |
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| More of Tokyo Tower view |
If your legs , kids and spirits permit :p you can head towards Shibuya and experience hundreds crossing the street! Also you can book Shibuya sky in advance and visit there.
Key tip: Prefer to go Senso-ji temple either in morning or late evening or you wont get space to even put one step, let alone drag your baby stroller.
Day 9 : National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation ; Tokyo bay marine park
Ideally we had plans to visit Disney land today, however our toddler was so overwhelmed with crowds everywhere that he was bit crankier and we were super tired to start day early and so we chose sceince and logic and robotics that Japan is famous for! We headed to very beautiful Tokyo Bay area where National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation stands tall called Miraikan. It was super exciting both for toddler and us to experience the future of science, AI and robotics. They also have interactive play area and you can book slot as soon as you arrive. We thought of spending 2 hours here and ended up there for more than 5 hours.
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| Shiba park - Just down from hotel view |
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| Car exhibition! |
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| Robots |
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| Dog Robot! |
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| Physics experiment |
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| Play area in museum |
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| Bloom near City |
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| Full bloomed tree! So lovely |
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| Beautiful. Isn't it! |
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| Near Gundam Statue. Bloom. We didnt have any spirit to take more pics! |
Later head to next stop Daiba -- where you will find famous Statue of Liberty of US :) a quick and beautiful photo stop and then finally head to Tokyo bay marine park, it has artificial beach where you can sit and chill and see the hustle and bustle of city from bit quieter distance. From the beach here you will see beautiful night lights of rainbow bridge and Tokyo bay area. Ended our day with strolling in Roppongi hills area. Sometimes thinking that we want to do little doesnt work, you end up doing much more as free bird :)
Day 10: Finale Day Cherry Blossom Spotting - Zozoji Temple, Shiba Park, Shinjuku Gyoen National Park.
It can be little disappointing to time and budget little extra for your travel especially to see cherry blossom while Cherry blossoms decide to bloom only later :) we had almost lost hope and just 3 days before our trip ends, sun started smiling bright and there started blooms.
So couldn't have asked for any better finale to our Japan visit then this.
Cherry blossom clad temples and parks everywhere :) As far as eye could go there were hues of pinks and whites!
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| Finally getting spring blooms at its best | ! |
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| "Let your dreams bloom like cherry blossoms" |
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| Magic of Cherry Blossom in night |
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| Love is in full bloom! |
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| Mesmerized is understaement! |
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| Feeling cute under the cherry blossoms |
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| A bouquet of cherry blossoms just for you. |
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| Let your love bloom under cherry blossoms! |
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| Multiple shades of blooms |
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| You and me - Love is in full bloom! |
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| Beautiful japanese garden! |
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| Caught some rose blooms |
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| This view, you and Me! Perfect beginning of celebrations for 10th Anniversary |
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| You and me under this blooms in this garden! Perfect is it! |
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| sakura - represents life and the fact that we don't control it |
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| Life is in full bloom during spring! |
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| View from Room! Thanks The Prince Park tower Hotel |
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| Tulips! |
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| Beautiful Tulips! Spring can never be dull! |
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| View from Zozji Temple |
Pro tip: Keep checking Instagram or ask Hotel concierge and they gave us location where there are more than 60% blooms and it was on bang best place to see blooms.
Finale day was perfect flower viewing / spring season appreciation day.
Key Learning: Your Suica / Passmo cards would work absolutely work across Japan in convenience stores like 7/11 an Lawson to rails, buses, Entry fees, and many other places. But like Hakone had free pass similiarly Osaka and Kyoto has 48 hour / 72 hours unlimited rail / bus passes. Though for ur itinerary buying 1500 yen 72 hour pass wasn't very very beneficial since with toddler you are not going to keep running around busy Tokyo and since we skipped Disney Land, we didnt travel too far. But if you plan to visit across Tokyo left right centre then buying these passes will be very beneficial.
Concluding...
Finally with 2.5 year old, we couldn't have asked for anything more. He was being supportive and sweetheart most of the times. Temple run is not toddler thing but he was being patient with us mostly. So we could have really great time. Also with little better weather at beginning we could have seen more of Kyoto but that's not in our hand! so Happy with what we could grab. Be prepared for lot of rains and don't let it let you down, just gear up well and keep going.
Key tip with toddler: Don't travel without stroller and rain cover. There is so much walking literally that its not their cup of tea.
Key learning: we could have been to Disney Land, Disney Sea, Mother farm, Yokohama, Nikko prefecture for day trips from Tokyo as had initially thought but we were more than satisfied to see our toddler much more happier exploring local parks and museums.
Japan has so many things to do for all age groups that nothing can be documented enough in small blog! so depending on your hobbies, liking, choice, hobbies, interests, there are many many things that this country offers. So do your research well :) This was just a small attempt to document our travel :) Every nook and corner of Japan has a story to tell and memories to unfold so select your corner wisely :)
Our trip back to Hong Kong was perfect with a view of Mount Fuji from Plane!
Lots of Love, From Happified Mehta's. Enjoy sneak peek into our unforgettable moments from Land of rising sun - Nippon. Warmth of Japanese people, flavour of its rich culture, historic yet with breeze of freshness, full of life yet tranquil, crowded yet spaced out for you, tasteful and colorful, impressive for its technology and contented to see its past glory... Japan is land of contrary indeed and you will fall for it again and again, just like us :)
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