2 week Japan Trip Report and Vlog! (Tokyo/Disney/Osaka/Kyoto)

Next we stopped for a delicious lunch down in the basement of a building.

86444578_10158185627604853_4305806736893149184_n.jpg


84837471_10158185629679853_9026583795062538240_n.jpg




And we walked off to find Nishiki Market

84209186_10158185627529853_5639414071078944768_n.jpg


84825650_10158185628844853_8531331773290774528_n.jpg



For reasons I don't understand, I have no pictures until we get back to Dotonbori that night - but Nishiki was fantastic and if you like street food and markets, it's worth putting on your to-do list.

By then it was mid-afternoon, and Kyoto isn't really known for its nightlife, so we hopped on a train back to Osaka and grabbed some grilled crab legs on Dotonbori Street:

I loved this art:

86186959_10158185630064853_1394018974076764160_n.jpg


We decided to take one of Tombori River Cruises. Pretty cheap, but also quite short. It was still fun.

86217669_10158185629134853_7143856246313975808_n.jpg


84943314_10158185628679853_1327034041358090240_n.jpg


85234369_10158185628604853_2967061565259382784_n.jpg


84795247_10158185630089853_211797666433073152_n.jpg


85212407_10158185627879853_2265675921010720768_n.jpg


And then, despite the panic I endured in Odaiba, I agreed to ride on this beast - the Don Quixote ferris wheel:

86177534_10158185629894853_4748826231154147328_n.jpg


86179583_10158185627409853_6514541763904929792_n.jpg


Ok, they're round cars and you enter on like the 4th floor of the Don Quixote. Then, when you're inside, the whole car flips around and suddenly you're 100% locked into this fishbowl looking out over the city.

84978594_10158185627559853_3240902155997020160_n.jpg


I HATED EVERY SECOND OF THIS. THE SOUNDS. OH MY GOD THE CREAKING METAL SOUNDS.

The first time we rotated around and it sounded like the whole contraption was falling apart, I turned to Chris, offered a piece of gum and said "Fresh breath for Jesus?"

I mean, we obviously lived, but even Chris thought it sounded like it was going to break apart into a million pieces.



After that, we had ourselves of Okonomiyaki - much like my experience with takoyaki which we had our first night in Osaka, I liked it fine but I wanted to like it more.

86310850_10158185629554853_3806369299556204544_n.jpg



86177133_10158185628854853_4088361480523612160_n.jpg



85123841_10158185628479853_716617041389289472_n.jpg


We have 3 teenagers, we need no more stir fried hormone, thank you very much:

86340008_10158185628149853_3573898521008406528_n.jpg



We ended the night at Yuki's bar - but this time we drank beer so we could not be Yuki'd again. 🤣

We were the only ones there for a long time, and just had the best time talking with Yuki as much as we could. We sang Wild Horses together about a dozen times.

86277938_10158185628319853_5008583087257288704_n.jpg


And, now I will show you the world's most intense sobriety test. How we managed to survive it the first night I will never know.


I PRESENT TO YOU: THE ALLEY BATHROOM FOR ALL OF THE BARS WHERE YUKI'S BAR IS LOCATED:

85006700_10158185628189853_8881638608851697664_n.jpg


It was probably.. no DEFINITELY.. more of a sobriety test for me than for Chris which might explain why I was in much better shape than him at the end of our first visit.

The first time I walked in I said "Oh, God.. but do I sit frontwards or backwards?!?!"

I figured it out, and praised that a) there were handrails, and b) I had hand sanitizer with me.


We found our way home much easier this time, and locked the door of our apartment and everything, like champs.

I cannot believe our trip is almost over. We only have one more day in Osaka and then our travel day back home. I'm going to miss writing this trip report.

Maybe I'll just tack on a report for Mexico since we went 3 weeks after we got home when I'm done if y'all don't mind. I want to remember and relive that trip also.
 
Still loving the report--your story-telling style is wonderful. And that is my wife's and my favorite, favorite, FAVORITE temple we visited anywhere in Japan. I'm glad you found it and enjoyed the beauty as well!
 
Still loving the report--your story-telling style is wonderful. And that is my wife's and my favorite, favorite, FAVORITE temple we visited anywhere in Japan. I'm glad you found it and enjoyed the beauty as well!

Thanks! Kennin-ji was so cool, and while I knew every place would have crowds, the crowds definitely made some things more difficult to enjoy (like Senso-ji in Tokyo). Visiting this quieter temple was such a delight and a much different experience because of the low crowd levels. I'm happy you guys enjoyed it too!
 
First off, let me say I've been following your trip report and have loved every minute of it!

My wife and I are currently in Japan, and sadly we leave on Sunday.

Today, we were in Osaka on a food tour, when the most curious thing happened. We were walking down a narrow alley to get to a tiny little sushi bar. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a very distinct looking man. I starred the location in Google Maps so we could return to it after the tour concluded.

After the tour was done, we returned to that alley. Sure enough, I definitely recognized the man from earlier.

473601

IT WAS YUKI!!!

Solely because of this trip report, we spent the evening hanging out with Yuki, drinking highballs and singing along to the Beatles and CCR. It was the perfect end to an awesome night in Osaka.

And you're right, Yuki was awesome. My wife isn't much of a drinker, and only had one highball. But I had a few, and every one had more whiskey than the one before it. By the end it was whiskey with a little bit of soda.

I wish it wasn't our last night in Osaka. I hope Yuki's bar is still here when we return in 2023.

Seriously, what are the odds we would happen to run into Yuki right after reading your trip report?

473603

473604
 


OMG OMG OMG! You have NO IDEA how happy this post made Chris and me! It sounds silly, but Chris and I had such an awesome bond with Yuki that we literally cried when we left his bar on the last night. Some people just steal your heart - and Yuki is, as he calls it, "Forever Friends."

Did you tell him how you found him? I totally wonder if he even remembers us, he must meet hundreds of travelers a month. I wouldn't expect him to, but he was absolutely my very favorite part of Japan and I'll carry him around as part of my travels forever.

To this day I'm not sure how we found him because he's in such an odd location, I don't even know how you would describe where he's located, but I did pin it on a map too and that'll be a fin part of the next installment. We just happened upon him and thought "This is a guy I want to meet." I would love to spend one more night in his bar - it's all good vibes there.

I had a person tell me what they believe his mailing address would be, and I'm going to send him a note soon and hope it gets to him.

Man, your post just made us so happy, thank you so much for sharing. I love that Yuki's message of peace and love is spreading!
 
Last edited:
First off, let me say I've been following your trip report and have loved every minute of it!

My wife and I are currently in Japan, and sadly we leave on Sunday.

Today, we were in Osaka on a food tour, when the most curious thing happened. We were walking down a narrow alley to get to a tiny little sushi bar. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a very distinct looking man. I starred the location in Google Maps so we could return to it after the tour concluded.

After the tour was done, we returned to that alley. Sure enough, I definitely recognized the man from earlier.

View attachment 473601

IT WAS YUKI!!!

Solely because of this trip report, we spent the evening hanging out with Yuki, drinking highballs and singing along to the Beatles and CCR. It was the perfect end to an awesome night in Osaka.

And you're right, Yuki was awesome. My wife isn't much of a drinker, and only had one highball. But I had a few, and every one had more whiskey than the one before it. By the end it was whiskey with a little bit of soda.

I wish it wasn't our last night in Osaka. I hope Yuki's bar is still here when we return in 2023.

Seriously, what are the odds we would happen to run into Yuki right after reading your trip report?

View attachment 473603

View attachment 473604
This is just amazing!!!
 
Sarahboo - so many questions! I'll start with the simple ones that I can think of, since I kept getting distracted with all the great pics & writing possible places to visit down as I read!!

1. Weather - you went mid-Novemberish, correct? How was the weather? You guys look like you're in hoodies & look comfortable. The guy driving the boat in Kyoto looked like he was in a parka and freezing ... We're headed Nov 4-15, this gives me hope that the winter coats can stay at home. Maybe hats & some thin gloves to tide us over with warmer sweaters/pullovers.
2. Starbucks - I know some people get upset that someone travels to another country & then goes to an American chain. I've heard varying accounts of the coffee in general in Japan, that it is NOT like American coffee. And, my version of American coffee is creamer with a splash of coffee in it ;-) Since I won't be able to get my beloved Diet Pepsi while I'm there, how is the coffee at Starbucks? As in, can my kid get a mocha frappuccino? Can I get a Pikes Peak cup of coffee with liquid creamer from Starbucks? (Some people have suggested bringing sweetener packets if that's what one likes). Basically, is it mainly an "American" Starbucks menu with some local drinks available? I use caffeine to help ward off migraines, and I am already thinking about where can I get caffeine that I can stomach (HATE, HATE sugared pops - love aspartame-sweetened drinks, don't judge, it's my only vice). When traveling, the stress of doing 99.9% of the planning and organization of everything - hubby's part in planning is "let's book it" & being overtired tends to exacerbate the chance of me getting a migraine. If I get some caffeine right away, it helps considerably! Something familiar would do me good each morning.
3. The pictures you took together - were those on a timer? Or, did you ask people to take pics of you? With a family of 4, I'd actually like to be in some of the pictures, and am wondering if I should make sure to know how to work the camera timer or brush up on some polite Japanese!

Thanks! I have like 200 other questions, but I don't want information overload right now ...
 


Sarahboo - so many questions! I'll start with the simple ones that I can think of, since I kept getting distracted with all the great pics & writing possible places to visit down as I read!!

1. Weather - you went mid-Novemberish, correct? How was the weather? You guys look like you're in hoodies & look comfortable. The guy driving the boat in Kyoto looked like he was in a parka and freezing ... We're headed Nov 4-15, this gives me hope that the winter coats can stay at home. Maybe hats & some thin gloves to tide us over with warmer sweaters/pullovers.
2. Starbucks - I know some people get upset that someone travels to another country & then goes to an American chain. I've heard varying accounts of the coffee in general in Japan, that it is NOT like American coffee. And, my version of American coffee is creamer with a splash of coffee in it ;-) Since I won't be able to get my beloved Diet Pepsi while I'm there, how is the coffee at Starbucks? As in, can my kid get a mocha frappuccino? Can I get a Pikes Peak cup of coffee with liquid creamer from Starbucks? (Some people have suggested bringing sweetener packets if that's what one likes). Basically, is it mainly an "American" Starbucks menu with some local drinks available? I use caffeine to help ward off migraines, and I am already thinking about where can I get caffeine that I can stomach (HATE, HATE sugared pops - love aspartame-sweetened drinks, don't judge, it's my only vice). When traveling, the stress of doing 99.9% of the planning and organization of everything - hubby's part in planning is "let's book it" & being overtired tends to exacerbate the chance of me getting a migraine. If I get some caffeine right away, it helps considerably! Something familiar would do me good each morning.
3. The pictures you took together - were those on a timer? Or, did you ask people to take pics of you? With a family of 4, I'd actually like to be in some of the pictures, and am wondering if I should make sure to know how to work the camera timer or brush up on some polite Japanese!

Thanks! I have like 200 other questions, but I don't want information overload right now ...


Overload away! I'm putting off writing about the last day of our trip because I don't want it to end, I'd love to answer as many questions as you have.

1. So, this is what I'll say about the weather. We live in Oregon and the temperature was about the same in Japan as it was at home, jeans and hoodie weather. However, we have no humidity here in the PNW, and Japan is kind of humid even in November (I understand it can be extremely humid in the summer). So, we packed for PNW weather, but it FELT hotter in Japan because of the humidity and I wish I would have brought more t-shirts. I found that we wore hoodies in the morning and in the evening, but went jeans and t-shirts during the day. We did bring light jackets, (I think there are pictures Chris in his somewhere in this trip report - his is yellow and mine is black) - they're quilted down, but they stuff into small sack so they're perfect for traveling. We didn't use them often, but I think we did wear them once or twice. We would have been fine with just hoodies if we didn't pack them.

The tour guide on the boat was wearing a parka because it was raining that night - it was way colder on the Tombori river than walking on the streets, but again - we were fine in our hoodies.


2. We went to Starbucks a lot because nothing in Japan seems open in the morning, and it was the only open coffee shop on our walk to the train most of the time. It was very similar to an American Starbucks and while I don't specifically recall frappuccino's, I would be surprised if they didn't have them. We were able to order our skinny lattes and they weren't dissimilar to American starbucks. We also went to some local Japanese coffee shops and didn't really have trouble finding something we liked. I never tried just black or drip coffee, I always ordered an espresso drink so I can't really say if drip coffee tastes much different.

We did bring splenda packets to Japan. Chris and I are very sensitive to sugary drinks. Unfortunately, we kept forgetting to grab the packets before we left the room. They didn't really have a sugar substitute even at Starbucks, but they have this like sugar gum syrup that wasn't overly sweet and that's what we used when we forgot Splenda.

Chris just told me that he found the coffee not to be to his liking, but it wasn't bad. I think, largely, desserts and sweetened things are not as sweet in Japan as they are in America. Chris needs coffee every morning, and it was decent enough and did the job.



3. We didn't use a tripod and timer, we just asked people to take pictures for us. There are so many tourists everywhere, it's easy to just trade taking pictures. The locals were always more than happy to accommodate as well.
 
OMG OMG OMG! You have NO IDEA how happy this post made Chris and me! It sounds silly, but Chris and I had such an awesome bond with Yuki that we literally cried when we left his bar on the last night. Some people just steal your heart - and Yuki is, as he calls it, "Forever Friends."

Did you tell him how you found him? I totally wonder if he even remembers us, he must meet hundreds of travelers a month. I wouldn't expect him to, but he was absolutely my very favorite part of Japan and I'll carry him around as part of my travels forever.

To this day I'm not sure how we found him because he's in such an odd location, I don't even know how you would describe where he's located, but I did pin it on a map too and that'll be a fin part of the next installment. We just happened upon him and thought "This is a guy I want to meet." I would love to spend one more night in his bar - it's all good vibes there.

I had a person tell me what they believe his mailing address would be, and I'm going to send him a note soon and hope it gets to him.

Man, your post just made us so happy, thank you so much for sharing. I love that Yuki's message of peace and love is spreading!

We did show him the picture of you 3 shortly after arriving, telling him he was famous. I honestly couldn’t tell at first if he recognized you. But a bit later on, we showed him the pics that also included his surfer buddies, and after that I think he did remember you. He mentioned a hat, and I think he was saying he remembered your husband’s hat.

I still can’t believe we just happened to bump into him like that, and that I recognized him so quickly even though he was really only in my peripheral vision.

2. Starbucks - I know some people get upset that someone travels to another country & then goes to an American chain. I've heard varying accounts of the coffee in general in Japan, that it is NOT like American coffee. And, my version of American coffee is creamer with a splash of coffee in it ;-) Since I won't be able to get my beloved Diet Pepsi while I'm there, how is the coffee at Starbucks? As in, can my kid get a mocha frappuccino? Can I get a Pikes Peak cup of coffee with liquid creamer from Starbucks? (Some people have suggested bringing sweetener packets if that's what one likes). Basically, is it mainly an "American" Starbucks menu with some local drinks available? I use caffeine to help ward off migraines, and I am already thinking about where can I get caffeine that I can stomach (HATE, HATE sugared pops - love aspartame-sweetened drinks, don't judge, it's my only vice). When traveling, the stress of doing 99.9% of the planning and organization of everything - hubby's part in planning is "let's book it" & being overtired tends to exacerbate the chance of me getting a migraine. If I get some caffeine right away, it helps considerably! Something familiar would do me good each morning.

They do have Frappuccinos. We got a seasonal Frapp at a Starbucks in Osaka. It was something like Mocha Almond Praline and it was delicious. They also had regular flavors, and I’m 99% sure mocha was one of them.
 
Awww, that makes me so happy. I'm sure he meets hundreds of tourists a month and I didn't expect him to remember us specifically but it gives me warm fuzzies to think that he may have. And yes, he always commented on Chris's hat - so that makes sense!



Ok, I have started this day of the trip report multiple times and I just can't bring myself to do it because it's our last real day and I have enjoyed reliving the trip with all of you so much. But if I don't do it soon, I won't even remember what we did! So here goes...


We had no real plans for the day excepting that I wanted to see the shrine shaped like a lion, we wanted to go to Izakaya Toyo, and we wanted to spend our last night with Yuki again. So, we started off with some ramen (duh) and then started our walk to Namba Shrine.

Now, if you've been to Osaka before you might be saying "But Sarah, you're looking for Namba Yasaka Shrine, not Namba shrine." And you would be correct. 😨

Our walk took us through Amerimura which was super cool and reminded me of Portland. We had coffee in a little coffee shop, check out some clothing and guitar shops, and just wandered toward the shrine.

In Portland we see a lot of stickers/patches that say "This Machine Kills Fascists." and I came across this in Amerimura which just made me giggle:

84230516_10158186435084853_4770474296550096896_n.jpg


Same intent, slightly different mental image.

Anyway, I thought we were headed here (image shamelessly stolen off the internet):

iStock-900771306.jpg



But this is where we actually went:

84859556_10158186435999853_9100457473071906816_n.jpg


84330603_10158186437254853_7955154115166732288_n.jpg



Oops. We almost turned around and went to the correct one but it was far enough away that we just decided to pass on it. This shrine was still cool, and we thought we might circle around to the correct one later if time allowed (it didn't).

We also walked by this cafe that was under construction but I had to take a picture because it's named after things in Portland. <3

85084053_10158186435414853_3917852769226063872_n.jpg


Burn Side Portland Cafe? So cool. Burnside is the name of the street that splits the North side of town from the South side of town and it was fun to see a little homage to my home.


Next, we hopped on the train with the intent to go to the Hep 5 which is a major shopping mall complete with Ferris Wheel. And you can just stop wondering now if I put myself through the terror of another Ferris Wheel. I absolutely did not. The Don Quixote Ferris Wheel has ruined all Ferris Wheels for me forever. Period. Sorry kids, you'll be riding them on your own from now on.

Instead we went to the Hep 5 for two things:

1. Gudetama Cafe. Gudetama is my patronus.

84075492_10158186436224853_1411096661693825024_n.jpg


The menu at the table was in all Japanese and now I present to you my very favorite Google Translate image translation of the whole trip:

85039038_10158186440094853_1780970620931014656_n.jpg


I WANT TO ENTER OF THERE IS A HOLE...

What does it mean? Won't someone think of the children?!?!?!

Anyway, they promptly gave us an English menu which also had some gems:

85053347_10158186439564853_5897865617901355008_n.jpg


"Had my hair set fancy."

You sure did, little buddy. You sure did.

My placemat:

84865601_10158186437764853_5675973253609291776_n.jpg


We didn't want to eat a meal here because we were still full from ramen and we had important eating plans for later.

I ordered some matcha tea:

84943767_10158186439879853_7378405827687743488_n.jpg


Chris wanted to appease Gudetama's need to enter holes:

84499917_10158186435674853_6450905758920867840_n.jpg


And we ordered Tiramisu:

84767165_10158186437354853_2381438329158631424_n.jpg


Then I bought a couple of little things and we went on our way:

86189640_10158186437919853_8803820986928463872_n.jpg


Also in the Hep 5 is the VR Center. We were here on like a Wednesday and it was basically empty so purchased the unlimited admission and went on basically everything available in just a couple of hours. WHAT A BLAST. I don't know how much we would have loved it if it was crowded, but it was non-stop fun for us.

You're issued a little tissue face mask thing for sanitary purposes:

86291430_10158186439639853_7854461201072259072_n.jpg


Then each station has the VR masks that sit on top of that. They do clean the masks after every use also, though.

I really liked a lot of these, the Pac-Man one was probably my favorite. You become a Pac Man and have to run from ghosts and collect dots.

They had these informational and instructional sheets for about 5-6 languages and you just picked the one at each ride/station to learn how it worked.

84822259_10158186438064853_7062016361748234240_n.jpg



Um, can we talk about their list of prohibited participants?

85077174_10158186437019853_1068108708103323648_n.jpg


YOU CANNOT BE DEAD DRUNK EVEN THOUGH THE DEAD DRUNK GUY LOOKS LIKE HE'S HAVING A BLAST.

We also got to be in Galaga:

84990930_10158186436954853_92509004235800576_n.jpg


85245800_10158186437814853_1304717601741471744_n.jpg


I had no idea what was happening during this entire ride:

84960787_10158186440294853_1378215233889239040_n.jpg


We did almost everything - we killed Godzilla, rode flying bikes, tried to escape from dinosaurs, skied slalom, fought zombies, rafted down a river, and probably some more that I can't recall. We had a really good time here, and I think we paid around $17 each for unlimited rides. We only left because we eventually got hungry, but we could have stayed longer and enjoyed our favorites multiple times.

This is the outside of Osaka station. It was HUGE:

85146464_10158186436474853_2843882611879706624_n.jpg


I fell off a curb somewhere on this walk and kind of jacked my ankle up. Thank goodness it happened on our last day.

We took the train a few more stops to Izakaya Toyo. If you don't know what this is, you're missing out. Here is the video that explains why it was a must stop food experience:



Izakaya Toyo opened at 3:00 pm, and we got there about 3:45. I think we waited in line for about 15-20 minutes, and then we were directed to share a table with a group of 3 who had already started eating and drinking some time ago.

We wanted to Tuna Meguro which is his flamethrower specialty, but they were already SOLD OUT for the day. So the group we were with told us we could share theirs and they basically begged us to share, so we tried it and HOLY COW IT WAS AMAZING. Then, we shared our food with them, then they shared their sake, and we took turns buying rounds of drinks for the next 2 hours.

I LOVE JAPAN.

This group was headed to see Baby Metal, but we all laughed and got along so well they asked us where we would be later when the show was over. We tried to explain where Yuki's Bar was and they were like "We'll meet you there when the show ends!" even though we were nowhere near Dotonbori at the time.

We also got to meet Toyo himself and he was funny and just a ball of joy! He even did pull-ups for us from the bars above his cooking station:

85185658_10158186436274853_6787307719465369600_n.jpg


86242650_10158186438479853_1697262623160008704_n.jpg


84822259_10158186436419853_5374295790120337408_n.jpg


84985396_10158186440214853_5971043618582953984_n.jpg


He loved that Chris was bald and he made Chris took his hat off and then they rubbed heads.

86488191_10158186440019853_9026707434286088192_n.jpg

84345791_10158186440334853_196481061436260352_n.jpg


85044244_10158186440324853_1722321025732968448_n.jpg



We headed back on the train and took one last walk down Dotonbori:

84690897_10158186436724853_260672603260190720_n.jpg


I just love how bike friendly Japan is, I wish we had bike parking like this! Portland is super bike friendly, but this is super cool. This was the bike parking at a train station which I cannot recall:

86177734_10158186436644853_2575628326190186496_n.jpg


We headed back to our Air BNB to prepare it for checkout in the morning, pack up, etc so we could stay out late and not worry about all of those details. Then, we headed to Yuki's bar for our last time. Sad face.

Not long after we got there, I got a message from our friends we met at Izakaya Toyo and they had come all of the way to Dotonbori to meet up with us. I asked Yuki what his address was so I could give it to them and he was basically like "There's no address for this place and this street has no name." So, I just took a screen shot of my location on my phone - if you're interested in finding Yuki, this is the best I can do for you, sadly:

86187714_10158186439259853_1073265576551383040_n.jpg



We had SUCH A BLAST with this group, and I'm friends with them and stay in touch on FB:

84788639_10158186440789853_8932582775022682112_n.jpg


84330603_10158186436099853_6839232207626698752_n.jpg


Now, I want to tell you two awesome stories about Yuki. One that I forgot from the first night, and one from the last night.

On the first night, one of the patrons was trying to get Chris and I to pay his bill and the bill of his friends. He refused to pay Yuki, insisting that Chris and I would pay for him. I have no idea why he would think that, but Yuki was PISSED. He kicked the lot of them out of his bar, literally taking one of them by the scruff of his clothing, and told them they were drunk, and to treat his patrons with respect it all went down right in front of us in the alley. When he came back I asked if they had paid and he said no, so I offered to pay their bill because I didn't want Yuki to suffer, but he wouldn't let me.

The last night, he had packaged a whole bag of the bar snacks he served for us to take home and share with our friends and kids. It was so incredibly thoughtful and generous. He wouldn't let us pay for them. Then, we finally decided we needed to head back and get ready to check out in the morning. We asked him how much we owed and he wouldn't let us pay a dime. He said "Chris and Sarah - you are forever friends. No bill tonight." We tried and tried to pay but he wouldn't let us. He gave us big hugs and sent us off.

Then, as we walked down the road, he chased after us, and yelled our names. We looked back and the self-proclaimed "Real American Hippy" was backlit bystreet lights, with his skinny jeans, long hair and cowboy boot silhouette. He put his hands up in the air with the "I love you" symbol and yelled:

"Chris and Sarah! I love you, I miss you! You are forever friends!"

We yelled back "WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU! FOREVER FRIENDS, YUKI! FOREVER FRIENDS!"

And I cried all of the way back to the Air BNB because I just loved Yuki, and I love people who love people, and I love Japan, and we had the most amazing vacation, and I was touched by the kindness, generosity, and hospitality of every single person we met in Japan.

There is a culture in Japan of understanding that other people matter and sometimes I miss that here back home.

We went to sleep ready to see our kids, but heartbroken that we were leaving Japan and have no idea if we'll ever get back.
 
What an awesome write-up! Sounds like you guys had so much fun traveling without kids. We'll have Mr. 11 & little miss attitude 13 with us, and I'm really the only super-outgoing one, so we may not get the same experience as you guys! And, I can't hold alcohol, so I literally take a sip & I'm DONE. Can't imagine we'll be hanging at the bars meeting the locals, as fun as that sounds!

Thanks also for the responses to the Nov weather, I hate questions like "what will the weather be like, 8 months from now, on November 10th", but you did give me insight nowhere else has ... humidity. Thank you. Great information :-)

Adding my Stevia in the Raw sweetener to the list of things to pack ... we always carry koolaid packets & iced tea packets for bottled water, so easy enough for me to remember/add them. I also carry crystalized lemon packets, just because sometimes you need a splash of lemon in water.
 
I loved reading your trip report, but I couldn't see any of your pictures! I was able to watch the videos and will definitely be up for the 7 seas challenge! My Tokyo trip is on hold for now (I was supposed to go last March), but I know that I will make it there one day.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top