We wake up at 5:15, finish packing and go to collect the children from their room. To Bella鈥檚 credit, they were all ready to go, and waiting for us downstairs in the lobby! They also ensured to mention that we were two minutes late! After walking the 5 mins to the metro we wait for the express train to the airport and board with our luggage. It鈥檚 busy and everyone鈥檚 headed to the airport with their luggage. ...
Our last day in Japan! The plan for today is to visit the Pok茅mon store, followed by playing some computer games at Odaiba island, finishing off the day with drinks in our hotel with a view of the city. We have breakfast at the hotel, I鈥檓 still sticking with Japanese food! They do have a famous soda to try for breakfast, it鈥檚 fastened using a marble instead of a cap. Alex manages to open it and we all give it a try. It鈥檚 very sweet and fizzy, but doesn鈥檛 really taste of much. It鈥檚 far too sweet for breakfast so we don鈥檛 manage to finish it. ...
To we travel back to Tokyo for our final couple of days. We treat ourselves to a lie in and wake up at 9, missing breakfast at the hotel, we walk to a nearby cafe and have breakfast. Afterward we walk back to the hotel, pack and checkout leaving the bags at reception while we go and explore Dotombori. I had wanted to visit Dotombori last night to see it with all the neon lit up, but we were too tied after dinner so we decided to save it for this morning. ...
Today, we have the morning in Kyoto, before heading to Osaka. We wake up too late for the hotel breakfast, which may be a blessing in disguise, and pack and check out, leaving our bags at the hotel. We wander towards the metro and find a nearby hotel which is still serving breakfast and enjoy the spread. They have a decent selection of Japanese and western options, so we鈥檙e all happy! ...
Today is samurai day! We鈥檝e set the alarm at 8am and have told the kids to be ready for 8:30am. Maybe it is the jet lag catching up with us, but we really can鈥檛 get out of bed for the alarm and only just manage to get up for 8:30. The kids are not impressed when we drop by at 8:45 since they鈥檝e been stressing making sure they are ready on time. ...
We treated ourselves to a lie in this morning and didn鈥檛 get up until 9am. We had ear marked a lovely cafe just a few minutes walk from the hotel for breakfast but on arrival at 10am we realised the timings I had researched were not correct. The cafe closed at 10am, not opened! We walked back to our hotel and had breakfast in the cafe, Japanese noodles again! After breakfast we checked out and walked the 10 mins to the train station with our luggage. We all used our IC cards and boarded for Odawara where we were to take the bullet train. ...
Today we鈥檙e touring the Mount Hakone and Lake Ashi, we鈥檙e also hoping for a glimpse of Mount Fuji. Fingers crossed! We鈥檙e awake by 8am and have breakfast in the hotel cafe. The options are an almost western style breakfast or a small selection of lunch dishes. I order the Japanese style spaghetti which comes with seaweed and a poached egg on top. It鈥檚 not what I would usually call breakfast but I鈥檓 still committed to eating Japanese food at every meal! ...
Today we鈥檙e moving to Hakone for a few days, but before we go, Diana and I will visit the Toyoshu Tuna Market and have sushi for breakfast. We struggle to wake at 5am and make our way to Toyoshu via three connecting metro rides. It鈥檚 still pretty quiet at this time of the morning and I鈥檓 hoping that we鈥檒l get there in time to see something. The tuna auction starts at 5:30am and we won鈥檛 arrive until after 6:00. ...
Today is Disneyland! We wake up at 7:30 so we have time for breakfast. I have the usual local faire, which is delicious as always. I still can鈥檛 persuade the family to try it though! We head out around 9am and take the 2 metros and a train to get to the park which is on reclaimed land in the harbour. On arrival we need to take another train to traverse the park, which we also have to pay for, which seems a bit much, given we have tickets to the park. Thinking we will only need to use the train twice I just buy us one way tickets because it鈥檒l work out 100 yen cheaper per person. ...
8am wake up and a slow start on account of the jet lag. We learnt from yesterday and opted for the hotel breakfast. It turned out to be delicious. I had Miso soup, chicken congee, steamed tofu and some salad. The rest of the family stuck with the western faire. The plan for today is to start at the Imperial Palace, move on to the Sens艒-ji Temple, then a boat trip along the Sumida River and finally sumo wrestling with hotpot. ...