I just got back from a 12ish day trip to Okinawa, Tokyo and Osaka and here’s my report. I apologize for the long post.
Background: This was my first ever international trip and my first time going to Japan. I never really had the desire to want to travel internationally, as I hate long plane rides, but something in me clicked this past year in wanting to at least go to Japan once. I was travelling with my fiancée and my family, which made our group about 10 people. Most of my family was born in Okinawa and have been to Japan before. Additionally, about half our group spoke fluent Japanese. I should also add that we travelled with a family member who was in a wheelchair and needed assistance when travelling. I am not a drinker and no one in my family really drinks so bars, clubs and Izakayas were not really places we were looking for. The main goal of the trip was to meet family (nearly 70ish people), eat great food, shop and experience Japan for the first time.
**Day 0 (Travel Day)**
1st Leg: We left in the early afternoon from Honolulu to Haneda. The first stage of our trip was visiting family in Okinawa so we unfortunately were unable to explore once we landed like most people do. The flight was smooth for the most part.
2nd Leg: We landed in the late afternoon/early evening hours, got through customs with our Visit Japan QR Codes (which made everything SOOOOO MUCH EASIER) and picked up our luggage. We then had to blitz it to a different terminal with all of our luggage and check in again and board our connecting flight to Okinawa. We had a three hour window but we still barely made it on time. The 2 and a half hour flight to Okinawa wasn’t bad but once we landed I was dead tired. My family who lives in Okinawa picked us up and took us to our hotel (Okinawa Grand Mer Resort). We got there about 12am and all I was able to do was shower and sleep.
**Day 1**
The first day was spent with family from Okinawa. They threw a huge banquet in honor of my grandma in one of the hotel banquet rooms. I got to meet plenty of my family who lives in Okinawa for the first time ever. A whole program was made including lunch and entertainment. After this, I went to a couple of family member’s houses in Okinawa. We were also taken to my dad’s preschool and original family home. For dinner, we went to the AEON Rycom Mall, which had a food court with plenty of options. I settled for omu-taco rice, which may seem simple but is a really big things in Okinawa. After looking around at the shops, we were driven back to the hotel to catch up on sleep.
**Day 2**
Day 2 started similarly to Day 1 as we were driven by family to visit more residences and meet with more people. I think we went to like 2 different houses, which were more like compounds, and got served some homemade traditional foods like goya champuru (bitter melon with tofu and egg) and andagi. We had lunch at soba place then went to American Village in Chatan to look around and shop. After that, we had more Okinawan soba for dinner and then headed back to the hotel to start packing.
**Day 3**
We had a mid morning flight which required us to get to the airport a little bit earlier to check in all of our bags and also have brunch with family one more time. It was an emotional goodbye for some of my family from Okinawa. My grandma and aunty who initially travelled with us flew straight to Osaka to stay with a relative as we boarded our plane and flew to Haneda again. We got in at about lunch time and once we got our luggage, we took the train to the hotel (Shinagawa Prince). We were able to check in right away and after unpacking some necessities, we set out to explore.
Harajuku and Takeshita Street was the first destination. With it being my first time, I really wanted to take in the sights and see as much as I could while I was there so I tried to do as much as possible. We had some street food and went into plenty of shops. I almost got stopped by one of those scammers but kept walking and ignored him. After spending a few hours in Harajuku, we took the train to Shibuya to see the place at night. We took pictures at the Hachiko statue, did the crossing and got to see the crossing from the Starbucks. We walked down Center Gai looking for food but everywhere was pretty packed as is. We had to settle for a Yakitori spot which wasn’t great but eating there was better than eating at 11pm. After dinner we headed back to the hotel to get some rest and plan out the next day.
**Day 4**
This was a jammed pack day with plenty of events going on.
We headed to TeamLab Planets Tokyo for the 9:00-9:30 time which was recommended I do. It was a really cool experience. We stayed for about an hour and a half and got plenty of photos. After that, we got on a bus to Tsukiji Outer Market which was maybe 15 minutes away. We ate all different types of seafood which is probably some of the freshest I’ve ever had even being from Hawaii. After Tsukiji, we headed to Ginza to do some shopping at Muji and Tokyu Hands. We then got on the train to the Tokyo Skytree. We ate at Kura Sushi before heading to the Skytree at about 7pm. We were able to take some pictures but it was extremely crowded and we only stayed for about an hour. After Skytree half of the group went back to the hotel while the other half went back to Shibuya went to explore and eat. Probably got back to the hotel at around 11pm.
**Day 5**
We woke up a little later than usual but was able to make it to Akihabara to have lunch with my cousin and his wife at Gyukatsu Motomura. Lunch was great but I think I made the mistake of ordering too much food. After lunch, we walked around Akihabara, played and lost at Taito Station and also did some souvenir shopping. After Akihabara, we took the train to Ameyoko Shopping District to get some omiyage items for back home. After that, we headed Tokyo Station to go to the Kamen Rider store as I am a big fan and was able to get some cool gear.
We had made plans to go to Shinjuku for dinner but we needed to go the hotel to drop off some items. However, I started to have a bit of a stomach bug that led to some projectile you know what which caused me to stay in for the night. It was probably the worst I had felt in a long time and kind of affected the rest of the trip for me.
**Day 6**
I slept in and rested as much as I could in order to go to the Tokyo Dome for the Giants game. I still wasn’t 100% but I was able to hold down some Onigiri. Unfortunately, the Giants lost in a very long game but the atmosphere of the Tokyo Dome was incredible and I can’t wait to go to another game. After the game, we headed back to the hotel to start packing for the next day. I still had no appetite and the Giants game took all of my energy.
**Day 7**
We got a late start to the day which turned out to be not so bad. We had to check out at 11 and were taking the Shinkansen to Osaka from Shinagawa. We left at about noon and the 2 hour train ride was quite an experience. The views from the train were cool and the beautiful scenery made it a short ride. Once we got to Osaka in the afternoon, we got a little lost, but ended finding out hotel after a 20 minute walk.
Unfortunately, two more people in our group got hit with the stomach bug, most likely from the food that we ate on the Shinkansen. Surprisingly, I was fine but still didn’t have much of an appetite. The rest of the group was able to walk to Dotonbori and eat dinner there. We had mainly street food as by the time we got there it was dark and the streets were crowded with people.
**Day 8**
Once we were in Osaka, everyone really started getting tired and worn out from the go-go-go mentality we had in Tokyo so we slept in and didn’t start our days until about 11am. We had lunch at a Okonomiyaki place then went to the Shinsabashi Parco to look around at the different shops. I didn’t realize they would have stores dedicated to Capcom, Godzilla and Ultraman. On the way back to the hotel I got a Rikuro Cheesecake which surprisingly did not upset my stomach. For dinner, I snacked on different things from Family mart and called it a night.
**Day 9**
Another late start day meant our real first meal was lunch. We waited about 90 minutes for Ichiran Ramen at Dotonbori. The lady at the front said 80 minute wait so we timed it and it was a true hour and a half wait. To me, the ramen was worth it as I started feeling better and was really hungry. The soup was rich and the meat was nice and fatty. After lunch, we walked around the Namba Walk area near the train station.
My aunty who lives in Osaka made a dinner reservation for our whole group at Horie Touka which was pretty good and had nice views of the canal. The food portions were small but still pretty tasty.
**Day 10**
An even later start than usual but still got some things done. Went to the Mizuno Store in Chayamachi to buy a glove and some other items. We had lunch at the food court at the Hankyu Department store where we bought more omiyage for back home.
**Day 11**
This was our last day in Japan and we decided that we would just chill out and make sure everything was packed. I definitely left Japan with more things then I came with which was planned but I wasn’t expecting to buy so much gifts for back home. We went to Takashimaya Department store to get lunch. I got a nice little choose your own nigiri sushi set which was cheap yet the fish was very fresh. We hung out in the hotel until it was time for us to head to Kansai Airport. We had two buses take us to the airport which was about a 40 minute ride. We checked in to our flight, had dinner with my Aunty from Osaka and we said our final goodbyes to Osaka. After getting through security, we went to Duty Free to buy some last minute omiyage items before finally departing the last flight from Kansai to Honolulu.
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**Post Trip Observations/Lessons**
**Summer Heat:** The summer heat was no joke and I did believe that it played a factor in me getting sick. Even compared to Hawaii, the heat in Japan was hot and the humidity made it even worse. Definitely have to stay hydrated and don’t take the water and Pocari Sweat drinks for granted.
**Pacing**: Being it was my first time ever going to Japan, I wanted to do and see as much things as possible in the time frame we had. Unfortunately, this strategy really ended being detrimental to my health and also wore us down by the middle of the trip. I missed out on some things I wanted to see in Osaka like the Osaka Castle, Shinsekai, and Kuromon Market and also in Tokyo like Shinjuku, Kabukicho, Senso-ji Temple and Tokyo Tower. The next time I go to Japan, I’ll definitely take it a bit easier.
**Trains, Trains and more Trains**: The train system in Japan is far and wide the best I’ve ever experienced. It just makes sense. Getting the Suica card was easy and also staying at Shinagawa Prince, the Shinagawa station is literally right across the street which saved us some time. I highly suggest staying at a hotel near a station. Also, the stations are so big that I didn’t realize they have so many shops and food places.
**Dining:** If you’re going to eat out with a group of more than 4 or 5, make a reservation or at least know where you would like to eat ahead of time and stand in line. The wait times are no joke.
**Vending Machines and Convenient Stores:** The vending machines were great and I wished they had something like these in the states. They are literally everywhere as well are the 7-11, Family Mart and Lawson’s. These places came in handy for those lazy dinner or breakfast days we had. The 7-11 to me are much different then the ones they have in Hawaii.
**Conclusion**
In conclusion, my trip to Japan was a great experience. Despite the fact that myself and a few other family members got sick, I was still able to see a good portion of things I had planned or wanted to see. Travelling with family is hard, especially with such a large group and with so many differing opinions and attitudes, but we made the best of it. My fiancée and I are already planning our next trip to Japan next year so the country has definitely left its mark on me.
**Goals of the trip**
Meet Family. Check.
Eat good food. Check.
Shop. Check.
Experience Japan for the first time. Check.