57 days in Japan

Hi everyone!

We just wrapped up our huge Japan trip. [This was my post regarding our itinerary](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/109u31g/57day_japan_itinerary/)

About us: We are a family of 4(2 kids, 4yo and 1yo)

Now let me start on our highlights and learnings.

Highlights:

* Hoshino Resort Tomamu – A family-friendly ski resort in Tomamu
* Tokyo Disney Resort
* Shinkansens and all other trains – our son loves trains, specially the shinkansens. During our trip, I think we’ve seen most, if not all, shinkansen models in service, including Dr. Yellow and East-i.
* Science museums – we went to a few different science museums and each and everyone of those gave us fun-filled days. Most of the exhibits are interactive so the kids loved it.
* Train museums – as I already said, my son loves trains so we had a blast going to the train museums in Yamanashi, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Saitama.
* Ramen – my son’s wise words, “Ramen every day, Ramen every night.” Our kids simply loved the different types of ramen we tried throughout the trip
* Yakiniku – Our kids love good beef
* JR passes – we had 2 x 21 days of green passes for 2 adults and 1 child. We’re glad that we splurged a bit on this as the added comfort of the green class made the longer trips a bit more relaxing.
* seventeen ice cream – our son absolutely loved this ice cream you can get from vending machines
* Little miss congeniality – we’ve lost count how many times our daughter made friends(train commuters, restaurant staff, etc.) in every place we went. The elderly people were really fond of her as she likes to wave hi to people. We were given a number of treats(lollies, snacks, breads) just because our daughter was playing with them.
* Unprompted “I love you”s – This is not really related to Japan but this pretty much made the trip for me. The most heartwarming one was when we were in the Hakodate morning market, my wife wanted to have sushi so we split up since our son don’t eat sushi. We had a small dad-son date to a ramen joint nearby, and while we were slurping our ramen, my son said, “I love you, Mars.” He loves planets and refer to himself as Earth, his sister as moon, his mum as Venus, and me as Mars. Almost got teary-eyed from the joy when I heard him say those words.

Learnings/Thoughts:

* Don’t even try having a “connecting” flight where you need to transfer from Narita to Haneda. This was our first planning mistake as we initially thought that it would be okay. While we made it to the end of that day without missing our flight in Haneda, we were quite exhausted. Good thing the kids were in a very cooperating mood that day.
* Klooks can sometimes be more expensive than buying tickets directly from an attraction website.
* No one follows the speed limits(as far as our experience with driving in Hokkaido went)
* It’s worth looking at the few-days city passes. We had the 2-day Osaka Amazing Pass and it was well worth it.
* Taqbin is great. But, I think traveling light is still best. We brought 4 bags and 1 pram so I could not even imagine our trip being possible without the baggage delivery service. It was easy enough to find coin laundries around.
* Kids can be unpredictable, be very flexible
* Some of our very fun days were days when we just winged it and took our time.
* Kobe beef is great but have you tried Hakodate beef?
* Lawson > FamilyMart > 7/11 – while 7/11 usually had the widest variety, we thought that the food was better from Lawson
* I love Butadon
* Learnt about the Nagoya breakfast
* Some small restaurants charge a seat charge
* We mostly skipped the temples and shrines as we don’t think it was age-appropriate for the kids. We didn’t want to disrespect the temples/shrines with the possibilty of our kids having tantrums

Notable Hotels/Restaurants:

* Hoshino Resort Tomamu – This hotel is very family-friendly and the hotel building is connected to the shops and restaurants via an indoor walkway
* Tokyo Disney Resort
* Lazuli Hiroshima Hotel
* [麺Style三嶋 札幌ラーメン](https://goo.gl/maps/xZFRhJjW8qamKZZU8) \- Ramen and Mazasoba
* [La Shomon](https://goo.gl/maps/oXg5i747dYVSYMHs6) \- Yakiniku, Kobe beef
* [雌牛専門店 板前焼肉一牛 神戸三宮店](https://goo.gl/maps/ceTDfdBCnyryCbU46) \- Yakiniku
* [Masuhiro Kamihatchobori](https://goo.gl/maps/YiJBhFN8ZNPdRuGD6) \- Hiroshima okonomiyaki
* Ichiran – Ramen, our favourite

The trip

Day 1: MNL – NRT – HND – CTS

* This was an exhausting way to start the trip. We flew in from Manila. The flight was around 9:30AM and we arrived at Narita at around 2:30PM. It took us about 1.5 hours to get through immigration and customs, pick up the SIM cards that we pre-booked, and sending our bags(some to Hoshino Tomamu, some to Sapporo). We were just in time for the limo bus we booked at 4:15PM going to Haneda airport. The bus ride took about 1.5 hours. We arrived in New Chitose at 9:30PM and in Hotel Grand Terrace Chitose at 10PM. It was a long day. We were pretty much running on fumes by the end of it.

Day 2: Travel to Hoshino Resorts Tomamu

* Checked out from the hotel at around 10AM. Went to Minami-Chitose to catch the 11:05 train to Tomamu. It was very crowded so we decided to skip it and wait for the next one. That was a wrong decision. The next train was delayed by over an hour. When we arrived at Tomamu station, the hotel shuttle buses are waiting for the guests. The check-in process went smoothly and the hotel staff were great. We had a very late lunch(thankfully we had some snacks during the train delay) We rested for a bit then went to the ice village where our son enjoyed some snow play

Day 3:

* We pretty much spent the day playing in snow.
* We also went up the Unkai Gondola and enjoyed the view from above.
* We had to grab our snowboarding rental for an early lesson the following morning

Day 4:

* My son and I booked a private group lesson. It was very enjoyable. We were provided with 2 instructors so we scored a pretty good deal since the group lesson for kids was only a 2000 yen cheaper than an additional person during private lessons. The instructors were great and were both English-speaking.
* We had some more snow play in the afternoon

Day 5: Tomamu to Furano La Terre

* Picked up a car from Toyota rent-a-car found near the hotel’s lobby
* The snowfall that day was a bit heavy so really took our time to make sure we are safe on the trip
* We arrived at Furano La Terre at around 2PM We had a tatami room and it was pretty nice. The hotel was amazing. I think it only had about 20+ rooms and it had an onsen on the premises.

Day 6: Furano sightseeing

* Went to Biei Blue Pond to just see it covered in snow(lol)
* Continued driving to Shirahige waterfall which was amazing
* We then drove to Furano Cheese Factory to have some pizza. The kids were sleeping when we arrived so we let them sleep a bit and just chilled in the car. The pizza was quite good and we also got to try some cheese from shop’s sampler upstairs.
* We then headed to the Ningle terrace walked around for a bit then went to the Kan Kan Mura and enjoyed some snow tubing

Day 7: Furano to Sapporo

* We drove to Villa Koshido Odori in Sapporo
* The room was huge. Iirc, it had 6 beds. It was amazing.
* After checking-in, we returned the car near Sapporo station For dinner, we had amazing ramen and mazesoba from 麺Style三嶋 札幌ラーメン

Day 8:

* Was planning to go to the science centre but it’s closed until 2024
* We decided to just go to the Fantasy Kids Resort in Shin-Sapporo and pretty much spent the day playing with the kids
* Went to the Sapporo TV Tower to check out the view at night

Day 9:

* Exchange our 1st set of exchange orders for our JR pass
* Went to Otaru
* We had lunch at this place called Naruto Main Shop which served this huge fried chickens. It was delicious.
* We walked around the canal for a bit
* Had dinner at the Ramen Republic in Sapporo

Day 10:

* Was planning to go to Moerenuma Park and Mt. Moiwa
* We did Mt. Moiwa ropeway first
* Went back around Sapporo station to have lunch and decided to just call it a day
* Walked around the city for a bit then headed back to the hotel

Day 11: Sapporo to Hakodate

* 1st day of JR pass
* We arrived at Hakodate station at 4pm then checked in at the Four points by Sheraton near the station
* Took the train back to Shin-Hakodate to see our first Shinkansen, Hayabusa

Day 12:

* Went to the Hakodate morning market. Wife had sushi. Kids loved the melon from one of the stalls.
* In the afternoon, walked to Kanemori Brick House to check it out before heading to Mt. Hakodate ropeway.
* Had dinner at Lucky Pierrot. It was different.

Day 13:

* Went to Goryokaku park and strolled around the park for a couple of hours
* In the afternoon, we went to the Hakodate Miraikan and Hakodate Kids Plaza. Both can be found in the same building. Both are quite small but the kids had a lot of fun playing.

Day 14:

* I did the laundry in the morning while my wife brought the kids back to the Hakodate Kids Plaza.
* Followed them for lunch and did more laundry in the afternoon
* We had dinner at a small Yakiniku joint where we tried and loved the Hakodate beef

Day 15: Hakodate – Akita

* We rode Hayabusa and Komachi
* Checked in at Ana Crowne Plaza Akita
* Had dinner at the hotel’s buffet and it was pretty good. The food spread was wide.

Day 16:

* Went to Kakonudate to see the Samurai houses
* Went to Aoyagi Samurai Manor Museum
* In the afternoon/evening, went to Senshu park to have a glimpse of the castle
* Tried the Hinai chicken at Akita Hinai-jidori restaurant

Day 17: Akita to Sendai

* Split off for brekkie, mum-son and dad-daughter dates
* Took the shinkansen to Sendai
* Wife wasn’t feeling well, pretty tired
* Checked in at Hotel Keihan
* Tried having dinner at a few Izakayas but it looked like most don’t accept children
* Had dinner in a cow-tounge restaurant which we didn’t know about

Day 18:

* Got the 1 day loople and subway pass
* Went to the Sendai Science Museum and spent the whole morning
* Our son enjoyed it but had a minor accident
* In the afternoon, we rode the loople bus to sightsee around Sendai

Day 19:

* was planning for a chill day but that did not happen
* Rode the E2 shinkansen to Fukushima then rode another shinkansen back to Morioka
* Went to the Morioka Children’s Museum of Science

Day 20: Sendai to Fujiyoshida

* Had an early day as we have a few trains to catch to get to Highland Resort Hotel and Spa
* We took the Hayabusa to Tokyo station
* My son did some shinkansen hunting as it was our first time at Tokyo station While on one of the platforms, to our surprise, we saw Dr. Yellow arriving at the station. Yay!
* Thought Tokyo station was so busy so we caught the train to Shinjuku to have lunch
* Caught the Asuza limited express to Otsuki then transferred to the Fujikyo line
* Arrived at Mt. Fuji station as there was supposed to be a hotel shuttle from there. We went to the tourist information centre and the lady called the hotel for us and 10 mins later, we were picked up by the hotel shuttle.
* We booked one of the Thomas-themed room for our stay
* To see Dr. Yellow and Mt. Fuji on the same day was truly amazing!

Day 21:

* Spent the day in Fuji-Q highland/Thomas Land

Day 22: Fujiyoshida to Nagoya

* Another early start for us as we wanted to pass by the Yamanashi Maglev Exhibition Centre
* Our son enjoyed watching the maglev train zoom past the centre. He also tried the mini-maglev ride and played with a few different exhibits.
* In the afternoon, continued travelling to Nagoya Checked in at an airbnb 15 minutes away from Nagoya station

Day 23:

* Had Nagoya brekkie at a local cafe
* Spent the day in Legoland

Day 24:

* Went back to the same cafe we went to the previous day
* Did errands in the morning. Sent some stuff back to Australia
* In the afternoon, we went to the Nagoya SCMAGLEV and Railway Park

Day 25:

* Went to Nagoya Science Museum and it was packed. The planetarium experience was amazing.

Day 26: Nagoya to Hiroshima

* was supposed to ride the Hello Kitty Shinkansen but we missed the Shinkansen we were supposed to catch to be in Shin-Osaka station
* Raced the Hello Kitty Shinkansen to Hiroshima It arrived in Hiroshima station a few minutes after our shinkansen arrived
* Checked in at Lazuli Hiroshima Hotel
* In the afternoon, walked around the Hiroshima Peace Park and the Hiroshima castle. We skipped going to the Museum since the kids might just get bored and start screaming. Wouldn’t want the experience to be ruined for other people.
* Had awesome Hiroshima okonomiyaki from Masuhiro Kamihatchobori

Day 27:

* Went to Miyajima Island It was packed with tourists
* Spent a couple of hours walking around before heading back to Hiroshima

Day 28: Hiroshima to Fukuoka

* It was raining
* We tried dropping our bags and realised we went to the wrong hotel
* Had lunch at Ichiran Main Shop
* Had dinner at Ippudo. Underwhelming.

Day 29: Fukuoka to Osaka

* We spent the whole day in Fukuoka before going to Osaka in the evening
* Went to Canal City and enjoyed some window-shopping
* Forgot to reserve shinkansen seats so we ended up in a non-reserved seat for Kodama which was the all-stop shinkansen The train ride took 4 hours so we arrived quite late(10pm) in Osaka

Day 30:

* Had no plans Strolled around Tenjinbashi-suji
* Found a butadon place for lunch
* Decided to go to the Osaka Aquarium.
* When we arrived they were selling tickets for 5pm. Jumped on the website quickly and saw 3:45pm tickets were still available.
* It was very crowded. The aquarium is great but some of the people just kept bulldozing other people so they can go to the front. Noticed one tourist who just pushed other people away while holding his camera obnoxiously.

Day 31:

* Went to Kids Plaza Osaka. It was okay but felt like the space was not utilised well enough.
* Went to TeamLab Osaka in the evening. Imo, it’s only worth it if you like big glowing eggs spread out in a garden.

Day 32:

* Finally able to catch the Hello Kitty Shinkansen for a few stops
* Had a fantastic lunch at La Shomon in Kobe. The staff were incredibly welcoming and friendly and the beef was so delicious.
* In the afternoon, went to Himeji and walked around while the kids were taking a nap

Day 33:

* Spend the day at Kyoto railway museum. Our son loved every bit of it.

Day 34:

* Left around midday since had to attend to something at work We went to Kyoto and tried the Ninja and Samurai Museum(quite expensive for a small place). It was a bad decision. The kids were sleepy and they just started making noises and screaming. We ended up just leaving even before the tour was finished. Walked around Kyoto on the way back to the station

Day 35:

* Rest
* Work meetings

Day 36:

* activated 2-day Osaka Amazing Pass
* had subpar lunch at Yoshinoya
* Walked around Shinshaibashi
* Went to Osaka Castle Park. Cherry blossoms are in full bloom.
* Our daughter loved takoyaki

Day 37:

* Took the Tempozan Ferris wheel
* Went to Legoland Discovery Centre after lunch.
* Our son made a couple of friends. It’s amazing how kids just know how to connect even without speaking the same language.
* Went to Namba Parks

Day 38:

* Went back to Kyoto.
* We took the Hankyu line to Arashiyama
* Walked around the Bamboo Forest and the garden for a few hours
* Went to Kobe for dinner
* Was supposed to just grab something at Shin-Kobe but decided to go to Sanomiya and found 雌牛専門店 板前焼肉一牛 神戸三宮店. We had no reservations but they were still able to accomodate us. Great decision. The kobe beef was amazing.

Day 39:

* Went back to Shinshaibashi
* Went shoe shopping and watch window shopping

Day 40:

* Went to Nara to see deers. Was disappointed. It looked like a spectacle with people force-feeding the deers.

Day 41: Osaka to Tokyo

* Check-in at Disney Ambassador Hotel

Day 42:

* Disneyland
* The kids enjoyed the parade and the shows(Jamboree Mickey was a favourite)
* Disney character greetings
* No fireworks due to weather(sad)
* Check-in at Miracost hotel

Day 43:

* Disneysea
* Went straight to the Toy story ride
* Jamboree Mickey again
* Character greetings with Mickey, Minnie, and Donald. Our son now loves Donald and thinks he’s so funny.
* No fireworks again(sad)

Day 44:

* Checkout from Miracosta
* Went to Ikspiari near Maihama station to kill time
* Travel to airbnb in Akabane

Day 45:

* Rode Saphir Odoriko to Ito
* It looked like a ghost town. Shops were closed and there were so few people.
* Had lunch and dessert then headed back on board the Saphir Odoriko again
* Went to Ginza and did some toy shopping for the kids
* For dinner, we went to an 90 minutes all-you-can-eat Yakiniku restaurant

Day 46:

* Went To Yokohama
* Visited the Hara Model Railway Museum. Total ripoff.
* Bought a watch

Day 47:

* Went to Niigata so we can ride Toki
* Went to Niigata Science Museum. The museum was great and we had a great time exploring and interacting with the exhibits.
* For dinner, we tried having Filipino food found in the shopping street near Akabane but we arrived quite late and they were closing soon. They ended giving us a pack of noodles for our daughter.
* Went to have Korean BBQ for dinner instead. The lady liked our daughter so much she took her for a bit and introduced her to other customers in the restaurants.

Day 48:

* Went to plarail cafe to have lunch. Kids can play with some trains.
* Then to Plataku cafe in search of the East-i plarail model but they were sold out
* Both cafes have a good amount of plarails on display.
* Dropped by Akihibara to grab an Apple watch for the wife

Day 49:

* In-laws arrived.
* met with them at Ueno
* Walked around Ueno park and had lunch at Ichiran
* Tried working in the station booth in Akabane station for a short meeting.

Day 50:

* Went to Shibuya sky
* Explored Shibuya for a bit
* Saw Hachiko’s statue
* Shibuya crossing

Day 51:

* Son and MIL’s birthdays
* Went to the railway museum at Saitama
* While having lunch, we saw East-i passing by. What a perfect birthday surprise.
* My son also had 2 chance to drive the mini train and we got the East-i mini train the 2nd time
* Tried the mini-shinkansen ride

Day 52:

* Went to to Nesu shrine and Akihabara

Day 53:

* It was raining
* No things planned so we just went to Tokyo station to watch the shinkansens
* Lots of kids doing the same with their parents.

Day 54:

* Activate Tokyo wide pass
* Early start for a Mt. Fuji day trip Went to Kawaguchiko, walked around for a bit
* Went to the Mt. Fuji ropeway and stayed there for a bit
* Went back to Shinjuku

Day 55:

* Went to Toyosu Markets for lunch
* Afterwards, went to the TeamLab Planets. It was pretty good. Quite enjoyable.

Day 56:

* Checked out of the bnb and transfer to a hotel near Narita
* Brought the in-laws to the airport for their flight out

Day 57: NRT – KUL

* 10AM flight out of Narita and it was a bit chaotic. Some signages could be better placed.

We definitely fell in love with Japan, and this trip has been one good experience for our family. We’re already planning another visit.