We originally planned this trip for Sept 2021 but yeah that didn’t happen. This trip was moved 3 more times. The last rendition we were supposed to fly into Sapporo for the snow festival but my husband had a work thing and had to push back our trip by a week. I definitely wouldn’t have done this back and forth on the train but at this point half of our stuff was booked and confirmed so we just had to make do.
Feb 12th Arrived in Osaka and checked in the Marriott. Pretty much went straight to sleep
Feb 13th- woke up early and walked around Tennoji Park, found breakfast and spent the morning at Spaworld. Got a scrub down and really nice to take it easy after a long day of travel. Hopped on the Shinkansen to Tokyo. Checked in at the Mandarin near the Ginza and had dinner with a friend nearby.
Feb 14th- DisneySea. Was very cold and windy. Arrived at 9:30am and was a considerable line to get in. Was surprised to see so few kids there. Ate yummy popcorn and had lunch at Magellan restaurant which was super good. We booked on the Disney app when we arrived and there was lots of spots available for lunch.
Feb 15th- went to Ghibli museum in the morning. So I wasn’t able to get tickets on the English site but my Japanese friend bought me tickets under her name. When we got there they asked for my friends ID which I didn’t have. They were very nice but gave me a stern warning that next time someone bought me tickets they would need to be there as well or have their ID. Ghibli was really cute- there is a small catbus play area for kids but no pictures allowed inside. Afternoon we headed to Teamlabs Planets and had ramen in their gift shop before our reserved time. It was perfect for a cold day. The exhibit itself was really cool. Super trippy and overall a fun experience. My husband had no idea what it was about so it was nice to see him surprised. Tip- wear pants you can roll up to your knees and avoid skirts if you can. For dinner we had shabu shabu near our hotel.
Feb 16th- went to the fish market in the morning and walked around afterwards we went to the Mori art museum and had a pork katsu lunch that was amazing. Headed over to Shibuya crossing and walked around the madness. Dinner at Gucci Osteria in the ginza which was good but kinda weird. I don’t think I would go back again.
Feb 17th- morning we went to a Pokémon center (nephews wanted stuff) and then we trained it to Kyoto. Stayed at a ryokan which was really perfect for the middle of our trip. We got in around 4- took a bath and changed into robes. Pretty much stayed in robes the entire stay. Dinner was a very traditional Japanese meal which is enjoyable but not sure if I would get it again. Slept on tatami mats which was quite comfortable.
Feb 18th- husband had a traditional Japanese breakfast and I had a western. Checked out of ryokan and have to say it was an amazing experience. So relaxing and the staff was so nice and helpful. Walked down a few blocks and checked in our new hotel- Ace. Went to the golden pavilion and walked around there. Had the best pork katsu with a curry omelette for lunch. Ninna-ji temple afterwards. Had burgers for dinner- husband needed a break from chopsticks.
Feb 19th-Imperial Palace- so impressive. Just the sheer size is amazing. Monkey Park- 20 minute walk up the mountain. Fed some peanuts to monkeys. Headed over to the Tenryu-ji temple and had a Taiyaki snack. Dinner at a gyoza restaurant which was amazing but had a giant wait.
Feb 20th- Fushimi Inari Shrine- this was one of my favorite spots. It was super crowded but thins out the further in you go. Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, tempura lunch at Nishiki Market, Silver Pavilion (misleading as it’s not actually silver) and a delish wagyu temppanyaki dinner in Gion but spotted no geishas.
Feb 21st- snowy day! Took the train BACK to Tokyo. Went knife shopping Asakusa. This was the one big souvenir I wanted to get. Headed over to Don Quixote for cosmetics and snacks. Did not disappoint. Had dinner at my friend’s sister restaurant. Amazing soba to be had.
Feb 22nd- went to the fish market for breakfast and had amazing sushi. Waiting in line for the egg omelette and onigiri. Both were good but not sure if was worth the wait. Also splurged and got a package of the white strawberries. Did some last minute shopping in the ginza and then headed to Haneda for a 7pm flight.
Obviously next time I would plan the cities a bit better so less train hopping. The Esim was the best investment. So easy to use and worked perfectly with my phone. I definitely want to go back with my kids- we left them at home this time around but I can see how much fun it would be when they are older.
3 comments
which esim was it?
Did you feel that the monkey park was worth it? We’re thinking of cutting it from our itinerary and doing the romance train instead.
Did you like the Mori Art Museum?