Success! Closing the curtains worked—no 5 a.m. sunrise wake-up today. We finally got some real rest and didn’t roll out of bed until around 8. A slow morning was exactly what we needed. Tom headed down the street to the laundromat to do laundry—well, that was the plan until he found out there was only one machine available. So, laundry became a tag-team effort. I did a load of whites at home to hang dry (channeling my inner Japanese homemaker)
By the time we were out the door, it was after 11. Our goal for the day: walk to the famous Tokyo Skytree, and eat our way there. On the way, we stopped at Saizeriya, a Japanese chain that serves Italian food. Carlynn wasn’t thrilled with her pasta, but after swiping a bite of Charlie’s lamb skewer, she was converted. We ended up ordering two more just for her. Big parenting win watching her branch out! Charlie was obsessed with the spice mix that came with the skewers—it was so good we hunted it down at a conbini later and bought multiple bottles to take home. (Souvenirs? Check.)
We split one piece of cheesy bread and instantly regretted not getting five. Cheesy, warm, dreamy perfection.
Even though we were stuffed, we spotted an ice cream shop next door (because there’s always room for ice cream). Carlynn and Tom went for cones, Charlie and I went cup-style. It was simple vanilla—light, creamy, and not too sweet. Japan nails dessert balance.
Bellies full (again), we continued our stroll to the Skytree. Along the way, we stumbled across a small shrine and a lively street filled with food and game vendors—it had all the buzz of a mini street fair. Of course, the kids wanted in. Charlie tried a shooting game where you launch corks at prizes—no win this time, but he got two pieces of bubble gum just for playing. Carlynn chose wisely, going for a lighter prize: a sticker sheet. She nailed it on the first shot and walked away victorious.
Finally, we reached the Tokyo Skytree. Tickets? Secured. Then we had about 15 minutes to roam before getting in the next line for our timed entry. The elevator ride up was wild—it showed how fast we were going, and my ears popped like we were on a plane. At the top, the views were insane. Tokyo stretched out in every direction like a never-ending sea of buildings and tiny cars.
We paid 500 yen each to buy two capsules with ribbons to write wishes on and tie them up on a string. Carlynn dictated a sweet wish for me to write down, and Tom and Charlie did one together too. Then we took it even higher, using our combo tickets to go to the next observation level. We even braved the glass floor, which was super cool—although, shoutout to the parents who let their toddlers hog the space like it was a ball pit 🙃.
Once back on solid ground, we walked out of the Skytree building and noticed a crowd gathering. Street performers were setting up, so we paused to watch—and stayed because it was hilarious. The kids were glued to the performance, which was family-friendly and universally funny. Huge shoutout to @funnybonestokyo—you made our day! After the show, the kids gave a tip and got stickers. We saw another group setting up behind us and decided to stick around.
And good thing we did.
This second show featured fire tricks—yep, actual flames being tossed and twirled around. It was mesmerizing and totally worth the wait.
With our stomachs rumbling again, we headed off to look for food. We saw the Kirby Cafe (a place Carlynn wanted to go to, but it’s reservation only and we were not able to get a reservation before our trip).
We started making our way home with the plan to stop somewhere along the way. We walked quite a while and hadn’t really seen any options on the route that we took until we came across the same vendor-filled street from earlier, but it was now packed with people and more vendors were set up. The grilled beef skewers had caught our eye before, so we went for it. As we waited in line, we noticed the crowd growing rapidly, and then—BOOM—music blasted, people screamed, and a full-on J-pop concert erupted right in front of us. We looked around and realized we were basically the only non-locals there (less than 10, maybe?) and honestly, it felt like such a special, immersive moment.
Then came… the skewer incident. Tom got 3 skewers (that we had assumed earlier was beef), one for me, Charlie and himself. I took a bite and paused. The texture was… different. Chewy. Tom and I exchanged a look of mild panic: “Uhh… this isn’t normal beef, is it?” I told him, “Don’t say a word until I’m done.” Carlynn tried a bite too—everyone was in.
Once I swallowed my last bite, Tom broke the news: pig tongue. Yep. Tongue. From a pig.
And you know what? It wasn’t terrible. I liked it better than lamb. Still, it’s one of those moments we’ll be telling forever: “Remember when we accidentally ate pig tongue at a Japanese festival while watching a J-pop concert?” Wild.
To cleanse our palates (and our souls), we grabbed some sweet bread bites—crispy outside, soft and warm inside. We inhaled our first batch of 10 and immediately went back for 20 more. Carlynn and I also had chocolate-covered bananas with sprinkles, and again—real chocolate. So, so good. Then came the cheese corn dogs—the stuff dreams are made of. Ooey-gooey, fried to perfection, and stuffed with melted cheese and a tiny bite of hot dog at the base. I had mine with ketchup, Tom went with hot sauce. Absolute heaven on a stick.
As the concert wound down, a woman began performing what looked like a traditional dance. The kids ended the night with Japanese shaved ice—self-serve flavoring, made with real ingredients, none of that chemical taste we’re used to. And guess what? Charlie gave the shooting game one more shot and won a prize this time!
By the time we finally headed home, it was after 8. Our feet were shot, but our hearts were full. So many things fell into place just by chance today. If we’d left the house earlier, we might have missed the shows, taken a different route, and never found that festival.
Sometimes, the best memories are the ones you don’t plan for. Today was one of those unforgettable days.
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