Author: Kathryn
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Day 12: Tokyo DisneySea – Chocolate, Churros & Castle Fireworks 🌊🏰
Tuesday was the day we had all been waiting for—Tokyo DisneySea! We started our morning with a quick breakfast of leftover pizza, which worked perfectly for getting us out the door on time. At 7:30 sharp, we hopped in a taxi bound for Disney. We had originally planned to take the train, but with all…
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Day 11: Nuggets, Stairs, and Sweet Surprises in Yanaka
Monday morning started slow and cozy—just what we needed after a late night. I was up at 7:30, Tom rolled out around 8:00, and the kids snoozed until 8:30! After an 11 p.m. bedtime, I’d say that was a win! We showered, got ourselves together, and finally left the house around 10:15… so yes, a…
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Day 10: Temples, Treats & Tokyo’s Wildest Crosswalk
Another glorious Tokyo morning, another chance to sleep in until the solid hour of 8am—travel win! Our first destination of the day: the iconic Senso-ji Temple. But before we could even descend into the train station, something unexpected stopped us in our tracks. Chanting. Drums. A whole mini-parade with what looked like a mobile shrine came rolling by! We…
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Day 9: Sky-High Views & Unexpected Chews
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.…
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Day 8: Temples, Trains, and Tasty Things
Friday kicked off like most travel days do—bleary-eyed, bustling, and with a suitcase that definitely seemed heavier than it was two days ago. We showered, packed up, took a few final pictures with minions at our hotel, and hustled over to Shin-Osaka Station, where we stashed our bags in a locker for the day like…
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Day 7 – Kyoto Day: Ninjas, Sake, and Gucci Mishaps
Today was Kyoto day! We had a ninja experience booked for 10 AM, and thankfully, we checked our route the night before. Initially, we thought the ride between Osaka and Kyoto would be about 30 minutes, but turns out, it’s closer to 1.5 hours. Oops! We left our hotel by 7:30 AM and arrived a…
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Day 6: Universal Studios Japan – Magic, Mario & Minions! 🎢🍄✨
I woke up at 5:00 a.m.—again. Thanks, sun. I tried to fall back asleep but gave up and spent a quiet hour reading while everyone else snoozed. Today was Universal Studios Japan day, and I was excited! Once we were all up and dressed, we grabbed breakfast from Lawson’s and ate it outside on a horizontal pole…
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🚄 Day 5: Tokyo to Osaka — Trains, Shopping, and the Best Mexican Food in Japan?
Woke up at 5:00 a.m. again. Seriously… why does the sun rise so early in Japan, but nothing opens until much later? Maybe locals take that time to enjoy the peace and quiet — something I’m starting to appreciate. I stayed in bed and read until about 6:30, then got up and started getting everything…
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🗓️ Day 4 – Monday in Tokyo: Ramen, Pokémon, and Pure Peace
I woke up at 4:30 a.m. — again. Seriously, why does the sun rise so early in Japan, and why does nothing open until hours later?! I read for a while until Carlynn came and snuggled up with me before heading downstairs with Tom. Around 6:00, Charlie woke up too, and I got up to…
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Day 3– Sunday in Tokyo: Electric Town, Gacha Luck, and Grill-Your-Own Wagyu
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…
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Day 2: Saturday–
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.…
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Day 1: Travel Day–Thursday & Friday
We are going to Japan today! O.M.G. We are going to JAPAN today! It feels surreal that this day is finally here. Why Japan? That’s a question I’ve been asked so many times since we started planning this trip 6 months ago. Originally, Japan was not on my top 10 places to visit… I was…
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Follow along for our 15 day adventure in Japan!
We’ve had a busy start to our summer break! We got back from trip #1 late last night. Here’s a little peek into our 15 day adventure in Japan visiting Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. I’ll be doing blog posts for each day of our trip filled with all of the details, travel tips, and amazing…
