We’re off to Japan!
Next week the Todoing Family will be hitting up Japan and we are super excited. We’ll be flying into Narita International Airport, just outside of Tokyo, and then utilising public transport to work our way around the country for 12 days of awesome. We’ve finalised our itinerary so watch out for some of our highlights over the coming two weeks.
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We’re going to start our trip exploring Tokyo, learning all about the city, it’s history and the technology of today. We will tour around city hot spots, including a visit to the Imperial Palace, Senso-ji Temple and the Tsukiji Fish Market. We’re also going to spend time at the *NEW* Digital Art Museum and the Miraikan Science Museum. We’re even going to fit in a Taiko drumming class and a trip to the Japanese toy store.
After a few days in Tokyo we will be moving down the country along the ‘Golden Route’ which follows the old Tōkaidō road. We’ll get our first taste of the famed Shinkansen Bullet Trains on our way down to the Hakone Region. Here we will explore the 5 Lakes region surrounding Mount Fuji. We’ll be travelling by cable car, trains, buses and even a pirate ship thanks to the Hakone Free Pass. We’ll even get a chance to try out a traditional family Onsen which should be great for relaxation after a busy first few days.
We’ll then continue our Journey to Kyoto, where we will visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine and the famed Bamboo Forest. In the evening we hope to explore Kyoto’s old streets and buildings, trying to spot the odd Geisha on her way to appointments.
After Kyoto we will visit the Byodin Temple and then Nara Park where we are sure that Harry will spend most of the day chasing and patting the Deer. He has asked lots of questions already on this topic, keen to get as close as possible as often as possible in between viewing the temples and shrines.
From there we will head to Osaka for a few days, exploring the Dontonbori area and Osaka itself. We’ll be taking a Mario Kart ride (we have been advised we cannot bring our own bananas and turtle shells) and trying out as much street food as possible. Jed and Harry have set their goals of nothing but eating sushi this trip but I am sure some Takoyaki (amoung other things!) will tempt them.
We’ll visit Nagoya Castle and then the Nagoya Dome, where we will watch the local Chunichi Dragons (who have a Koala as one of their mascots) play baseball. We’re also going to attend the Grand Sumo Tournament locally, and if Alex and Harry wrestling in their undies last week attests to anything, the whole family is excited to see the Sumo’s go at it!
To round off our Japan experience, we will be visiting Disneyland and Disneysea. Those will be great and almost get lost in all of the cultural, sporting, history and food activities we have planned above.
We’re super excited for this trip and can’t wait to share it all with you. We’re trying to share as much as we can with our boys on this unique family holiday overseas. We’re going to be tired, but it will be an experience we will definitely remember. We’ve brushed up on some basic Japanese too, so fingers crossed with a bit of planning, Google Translate and the basics of Japanese, it should all go smoothly!