We woke up… and it still felt way too early. I swear the sun rises at 4 a.m. in Japan! I ended up falling back asleep for a bit while everyone else made their way downstairs. When I finally rolled out of bed, Carlynn and I hopped in the shower while Tom and Charlie headed off to the conbini for breakfast.
That morning’s menu was a familiar and comforting one. I had my usual vanilla Greek yogurt and iced coffee (still obsessed), Carlynn stuck with strawberry yogurt, and Charlie — once again — chose noodles and a melon Fanta. Should soda be a breakfast beverage? Probably not. But hey, we’re on vacation, and it’s MELON soda. That’s not something we can sip on back home, so… when in Japan!
Tom picked up a donut filled with sweet red bean paste — one of his favorite breakfast items on the trip. I gave it a try and… absolutely hated it. But to each their own!
After breakfast, Tom and Charlie took turns showering, and then we mapped out our day. Destination: Akihabara — Tokyo’s buzzing playground for gamers, anime fans, and tech lovers. Often called “Electric Town,” this place is packed with everything from vintage video games and figurines to massive arcades and quirky cafés. Even if you’re not an anime buff, it’s impossible not to be impressed by the sheer energy of the place. On our way from our house to the train station, we passed a small park. We made a pit stop so that the kids could swing.
Once we got to Akihabara, we explored store after store — all overflowing with anime merch. Charlie was in heaven and truly took his time… on every single floor… of every single building. (Yes, all of them.) After our first deep dive into otaku shopping, we were starving. We stumbled upon a Carl’s Jr. and decided to grab lunch there — it had chicken tenders, which meant the kids would eat, and sometimes on vacation you need at least one “safe” meal a day.
I ordered a parmesan garlic chicken sandwich, and honestly? It was delightful. The kids had chicken tenders and Tom had a sandwich. Ordering was simple because they have a picture menu that you can use to point at what you want. So even though they didn’t really speak English and we didn’t speak Japanese, they were set up to still make ordering efficient and smooth. We did have one minor hiccup when ordering…She asked if I wanted BBQ or honey mustard sauce with the chicken tenders and I told her “no sauce”. I’m confident in saying that I completely blew her mind. Seriously, she had to go ask another employee in the back what to do because the choices were BBQ and honey mustard, and I didn’t want sauce. Eventually she was able to figure it out…Tom told me in the future to just pick a sauce, lol. I knew before the trip that you can’t customize food in Japan the way you can in the US. How it comes on the menu is what you get. I’m guessing that’s why we haven’t seen a Burger King in Japan, because you can’t “have it your way” ba-dum-tss.
Next up: a chaotic adventure inside one of the biggest Don Quixote stores we’ve ever seen. If you’ve never been, imagine a multi-level, neon-blasted maze packed with everything from souvenirs and snacks to costumes and electronics. It was fun but so overstimulating. Carlynn scored an adorable Hello Kitty wallet, and Charlie picked up One Piece-themed playing cards, a pen, and his new pride and joy — a straw hat like Luffy’s.
We stocked up on candy, got some things you put on the bottom of your feet to soothe sore and achy feet, and got a bottle of banana milk to try. After Don Quixote, we found a street vendor selling candied fruit on a stick. We got two, one was all strawberry and the other was a strawberry-and-grape combo. Both were delicious, but strawberry won my vote.
Then came a huge highlight of the day: our first gachapon experience! These coin-operated capsule toy machines are everywhere in Japan and are filled with tiny, totally random toys — everything from cute animals and anime figures to mini office chairs. You never know exactly what you’re going to get, and that’s part of the fun. They’re basically the vending machine version of a surprise party.
We also wandered into an arcade, where the first few floors were packed with claw machines. Carlynn gave it a few tries (no luck), but Charlie hit the jackpot — sort of. A kind stranger who had just won a huge Charmander plush turned around and gave it to him. Such a sweet and unexpected moment, especially since Charmander is Charlie’s favorite Pokémon, and is one of the nicknames we have for him. Charlie was thrilled. Carlynn… was less thrilled. Let’s just say there were some classic sour patch vibes.
After soaking in all the anime and arcades our brains could handle, we headed back toward the train station. That’s when we had a little scare — it had started raining, and as we were walking away from the station, I told the kids to take off their lanyards with their Suica cards and put them in their backpacks. That’s when we realized… Charlie didn’t have his backpack.
Yep. He had left it in the train station bathroom.
Cue panic. But in true Japan fashion, it was still exactly where he left it. The only hiccup? The restrooms were inside the pay area of the station, and his Suica card wouldn’t let him re-enter. Thankfully, a kind staff member was nearby and helped scan him back through. Crisis averted!
Since it was raining and we were hungry again, we found two restaurants right across from the station. Our options were Korean or Indian. We weren’t sure the kids would go for Indian (and let’s be real — I wasn’t feeling brave enough for it either), so we picked Korean BBQ.
We lucked out — there was one table left in the small restaurant, which probably only seated around 20 people total. We ordered using a tablet: two servings of wagyu spare ribs, two servings of another cut of beef, and two bowls of rice. Carlynn and Charlie had Coke, I got a plum wine sour (so good!), and Tom went with sake.
Charlie crushed his Coke in record time, and we had to remind him — there are no free refills here! The chef kindly offered forks and spoons for the kids but seemed surprised when we all used chopsticks. (We’re not masters, but we hold our own.)
We definitely stood out — we were the only non-locals in the place — but the food more than made up for the stares. It. Was. Amazing. Carlynn was obsessed with the wagyu. I personally liked the regular beef better (less fat for me), and Charlie probably ate more meat than any of us. Tom manned the grill on our table, and we left full, happy, and — finally — dry, as the rain had stopped.
On the way back to our house, we stopped at a 7-Eleven and I finally got my first Japanese 7-Eleven conbini experience. I couldn’t believe the variety of fresh, beautifully packaged food. It’s the total opposite of a U.S. convenience store. And the prices! Tom and I picked up two slices of chocolate caramel cake for around $2. For real. You can’t even get a single Little Debbie snack for that back home, and this cake was fresher, healthier, and honestly better tasting.
We wrapped up the night watching YouTube, doing a load of laundry, and crashing hard after another full, unforgettable day.
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