First Full Day in Japan: Conbini Breakfasts, Rainy Train Mishaps, and Gucci Decisions
We woke up on our first full day in Japan — some of us much earlier than others, thanks to jet lag. Tom and the kids headed out on a mission: their very first conbini (convenience store) run to the local 7-Eleven. They returned victorious, arms full of goodies for breakfast.
Carlynn chose a very on-brand combo of white rice (warmed up by the store clerk!), strawberry yogurt, and a Prime drink. Charlie grabbed a bowl of noodles and a melon Fanta — which was so good. As for me, they brought back a vanilla Greek yogurt and a super cool iced coffee in a sleek cup. The cup looks like a traditional coffee cup and comes with a straw that you extend and use to puncture the lid. Tom opted for a steamed pork bun but was so preoccupied wrangling the kids in the tiny store aisles that he forgot to get himself a coffee. Luckily, Japan’s vending machines came to the rescue on their walk back.
While they were out hunting breakfast, I had tackled the shower — which turned out to be an adventure of its own. Japanese bathrooms are… efficient. Ours was essentially a shower/tub combo in a space barely larger than a closet. The tub was tall and narrow, and the whole room is meant to get wet. The toilet, interestingly, was in a completely separate room, equipped with a sink attached right to the back of the toilet tank. A marvel of compact design. It’s genius really…why not use the water you wash your hands with to fill your toilet tank up?
After breakfast, the rain rolled in hard. So we lounged around and watched YouTube for about an hour, waiting for the skies to calm down. Eventually, we geared up and made our way to the nearest train station.
This is where things got tricky. We had forgotten to get Suica cards for the kids at the airport — a key misstep, since not every station sells them. That meant we had to buy individual tickets for them, but we weren’t sure how to calculate the fare. When it came time to transfer, the kids couldn’t even exit the terminal because of the ticket situation. So we had to buy another set of tickets to continue our journey. Welcome to Tokyo public transportation 101.
Our first stop was the Giza area, where we visited Itoya — a dream destination for anyone who loves stationery. The moment we walked in, we were greeted by a machine that neatly bagged our umbrellas so we wouldn’t drip on the merchandise. Genius. The store itself was eight floors of pens, paper, and creativity — and it was packed. We had to shuffle sideways between people at times. It was a little overwhelming, but worth it. We each tested a bunch of pens and picked out our favorites. Tom scored a sleek notebook and a pen pouch that attaches onto it.
Hunger hit hard after Itoya, so we wandered over to a nearby mall and rode the escalator up to the food floor. We landed at a fantastic Italian restaurant — and shockingly, lunch for all four of us only cost about $30. Carlynn and Charlie split a Margherita pizza, Tom had a sausage pizza, and I got my own Margherita. The meal started with an appetizer plate: prosciutto, salad, and a frittata. There was also a self-serve drink station — water for Tom and me, grape juice for Carlynn, and orange juice for Charlie.
After lunch, we browsed the upscale mall. I wandered through Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Saint Laurent — but nothing called out to me (yet). Then we headed over to Kitoya (another Itoya stationary store that had a level with kids’ stuff), where the kids floor was a huge hit. They picked out some adorable erasers in fun shapes, and I found pencil caps to protect the lead — small but satisfying purchases.
Our last luxe stop was the Gucci store. I saw a purse I liked but wasn’t in the mood for shopping. Tom, however, scored big — we spotted a super cool Gucci wallet with orange accents (his favorite color), and I may have nudged him into getting it. I’m only a little jealous, but luckily we still have plenty of shopping days ahead.
Next, we caught a train to Shibuya Station to finally get Suica cards for the kids — a major win that would make future train rides much smoother. By this point, the exhaustion was setting in. Tom somehow still had energy, but the kids and I were fading fast.
The train back home was standing room only at first, but seats eventually opened up. The kids promptly fell asleep. We made our transfer and rode one last stop to our station. Before heading home, we popped into a Lawson (another convenience store) for a quick dinner.
Dinner was simple but perfect. I wasn’t too hungry, so I grabbed a slice of strawberry sponge cake for dessert. Carlynn had noodles (which I ended up finishing — mom tax), Charlie skipped dinner entirely, and Tom had a salmon rice ball.
We ended the night exactly how you’d expect after a day like that — watching some YouTube and passing out the second our heads hit the pillows.
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