It was time. It was time for our family to venture out past our typical holidays to Central America, North America, and Europe. This time, our sights were set on Asia, specifically Japan and South Korea.
Day 1
Last day of school was May 23 and we were on a plane to Japan the following day. The only downside, but not at all a downside: I (mom) lost half a day of my 37th birthday on May 25. Our flight departed at 11 AM on May 24 and we arrived in Tokyo around 2 PM on May 25. After waiting about an hour in the customs line and then about an hour drive to our hotel, we were all absolutely spent considering we missed the previous night’s sleep.
We dropped our bags off at the hotel, MIMARU Tokyo Station East, and walked to the closest restaurant we could find: Shabushabu Onyasai Hachhobori Ten. Other than the convenience factor, we weren’t a huge fan of the food and didn’t take advantage of this Japanese all-you-can-eat hotpot restaurant since we didn’t care for it.
Quick note about MIMARU Tokyo Station East: this was by far the best hotel we stayed at during our two-and-a-half-week vacation. It was spacious (4 total beds, 2 separate bedrooms, separate kitchen area, toilet and shower in separate rooms), had comfortable beds, next door to a 711, and conveniently located near train stations. If we had to do it all over again, we would have looked at more MIMARU hotels at other locations we were staying.
Day 2
…And we woke up at 1 AM on day 2 which set the stage for walking almost 30,000 steps by the end of the day. After a couple of hours battling the kids to try to get them to go back to sleep, we finally gave up and ventured downstairs to the neighboring 711 for donuts and egg sandwiches (iykyk).
Hie Shrine
From the hotel, we walked to Hatchobori Station (2 minute walk) and got off at Kokkaigijido-Mae Station (~¥178). From there, we walked to Hie Shrine (1 minute walk) then the Imperial Palace (30 minute walk). We highly recommend going to Hie Shrine. It’s a beautiful shrine and there are gates as you go out to the right of the shrine that give a very similar feel of the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto.
Imperial Palace
From Hie Shrine, we walked over to the Imperial Palace. If you’re up to it, you can walk the 25 minutes over to the Palace as well or you can just take one of the frequent subways from the shrine.
Did you know the Imperial Palace is a hot spot for runners because of the 5k circuit around the palace?
Tokyo Station
After walking around the Imperial Palace, we made our way over to Tokyo Station. There, we went to Character Street which contains over 20 stores featuring animated media stars like Pokémon and Hello Kitty. Our kids were particularly interested in the Pokémon store. We highly recommend getting there before it opens at 10:00 AM as the lines can get really long.
Senso-Ji Temple
After spending some time walking around the train station and grabbing some food, we took the train from Tokyo Station to Asakusa Station which is the closest train station to Senso-Ji Temple and Nakamise-dori Street. If possible, we recommend getting to this area earlier in the day. It can get overcrowded quickly, especially Nakamise-dori Street. This street is great for grabbing a sweet treat or for completing your souvenir shopping after your visit to the temple.
Did you know the Senso-Ji Temple is the oldest temple in the city, originally founded in 628 AD (rebuilt in the 1950s after WWII)? This is one of those landmarks you can’t miss while visiting Tokyo.
DiverCity Tokyo Plaza
Now, DiverCity was on our list of “we’ll get to it if we can, but we’re not committing to it”. Since our second day in Tokyo started so early and we still had quite a bit of the day to burn, we decided to tack on DiverCity to the end of our day and we’re so glad we did! From the Hello Kitty store to the Statue of Liberty replica to the Rainbow bridge, there was so much to do and so much amazing food to eat. After we ordered cotton candy the size of our heads, we ventured outside to watch the Unicorn Gundam Statue transform from Unicorn Mode to Destroy Mode. You’ll find the current transformation schedule online but while we were visiting, daytime performances were every two hours, while nighttime performances (the best time because of the lights) are every thirty minutes.
Day 3
The following day, we joined a Mount Fuji and Hakone tour through Klook. This was the perfect time to do this tour with the jet lag. We still woke up super early on the third day of the trip and by the time the vehicle showed up to begin our tour, the girls were ready for a nap and given the distance of the first location, granted them a solid 2-hour “car nap”.
Lake Heiwa no Torii
Our first stop on the tour was at Hakone Shrine and Lake Ashi Heiwa no Torii, and we had the option to depart the location on a pirate ship across Lake Ashi. Naturally, we had to do it. However, just note if you do choose to go on the pirate ship, you will be very limited on time. Due to the lines that build up at the Torii, you may only have the opportunity to wait in line and get a picture under the torii before you have to run down the shoreline to get onboard the ship. Unfortunately, we did not get to see the Hakone Shrine or the grounds around the shrine outside of the torii because we were in line for about 45 minutes waiting to take a picture.
Would we do the same thing over again? Yes, probably. I really, really wanted a family picture under this torii because…just look at how cool it is! We also have kids, and they’re more interested in a pirate ship than visiting another shrine, but I do wish we had another 10-15 minutes at this location so we could have seen it all. You may have a different experience with the lines than we did if you go at a different time of the year.
The guide made it sound like the pirate ship was round trip but it’s not. Get off on the other side of the lake.
Hakone Ropeway
After you cross Lake Ashi on the pirate ship, you are taken to the building for the Hakone Ropeway and hop on a cable car to Owakudani which offers a stunning view of Mount Fuji.
Owakudani
Owakudani is a popular spot in the Hakone area. During our initial research on the area, we read that it was famous for their black eggs. Upon eating one of these black eggs, it is said that you will add 7 years to your life. However, we did not realize this is also the location the black eggs are made. This area is an active volcanic zone and home to hot springs where the eggs are cooked, making their shells black in appearance.
Yamanakako Swan Lake
After Owakudani, we made our way to Yamanakako to feed the swans…and if we’re being honest, the giant catfish because the girls thought their eating habits were hilarious. This is a beautiful spot with these beautiful, majestic-looking swans with Mount Fuji as the backdrop.
Oshino Hakkai
The final stop of our tour was at Oshino Hakkai which is a small village in the Fuji Five Lake region. Here, we just walked around the area and stopped to get some ice cream for the girls. Although we enjoyed the area, we would have probably suggested shortening the time we spent here and adding it to the beginning of the trip at the shrine and Lake Ashi. We spent over an hour in this village which was swarming with tourists.
Day 4
Early the next morning, we walked down the block to Royal Host for breakfast. The food was buffet-style and was able to accommodate all of our family’s differing tastes (e.g., youngest was still only eating white rice by day 4).
Ueno
After breakfast, we walked to the subway and departed for the Ueno area with the goal of going to the Ueno Zoo to see the giant pandas. From the subway station, we walked through town and then through Ueno Park towards the zoo.
Ueno Zoo
By the time we got to the zoo, and although it was still an hour before the zoo opening time, there were already about 50 people queued up to enter the zoo. We quickly walked to the neighboring shrine and by the time we got back to the zoo, about 30-40 minutes before opening, the line was already at least 100 people deep, so we decided to get in line ourselves.
Getting in line when we did was perfect. We were able to almost walk up to the first giant panda almost immediately. There are cones leading up to the first enclosure which indicates the lines grow throughout the day, so we highly recommend getting there are early as possible.
Pro tip: spend a couple of minutes at the first enclosure but wait, there’s more! There is actually another enclosure a little further that has two adult giant pandas. This line was definitely longer than the first one by the time we got there but we still only had to wait about 10 minutes. They have this line so scheduled that they have about 15 people on a timer to move after about 2-3 minutes.
After the pandas, we ventured off to see some of the other unique animals throughout the zoo including pygmy hippos, shoebill storks, and polar bears. Don’t sleep on this zoo. This has to be the best zoo our family has ever visited, and we’ve been to a lot of zoos!
Mipig Cafe
After the zoo, we took the subway from Ueno to Harajuku where we had reservations at Mipig Cafe. Japan is known for their animal cafes, and this is one we highly recommend. If you’re a fan of mini pigs, this is the place for you. Just know that some of these animal cafes do sell out ahead of time, so we recommend reserving your spot before your trip. During our research, we found this was typical for the mini pig and capybara cafes.
Takeshita Street
After the Mipig Cafe, we explored Takeshita Street which is home to great shopping and street vendors. We stopped at a capsule toy shop where the girls each got to select a vending machine to get a new toy. After the toy shop, we stopped for some crepes.
Shibuya Sky
We ventured over to Shibuya Sky after our fill of crepes. The view is unreal. I don’t think any of us truly understood how large Tokyo was until we were at the top of Shibuya Sky. We highly recommend a visit here if you’re visiting Tokyo.
Once we got our fill of the views, we ventured downstairs to TsuroTonTan Udon where our oldest tried sushi for the very first time! The sushi was delicious, and the udon was out of this world. This restaurant was probably one of our favorites throughout the entire trip.
Pro tip: book your tickets to Shibuya Sky four weeks before your trip. We recommend checking the website five weeks before to verify the day tickets will open up. We also recommend looking up when the sun sets on the day you plan on booking as we heard the sunset is beautiful from the Shibuya Sky vantage point. Unfortunately, the sunset timing sold out before we could purchase tickets, but we did find an opening in the late afternoon.
Shibuya Crossing
Now, you can’t visit the Shibuya area without walking across Shibuya Crossing which is the busiest pedestrian intersection in the entire world. So…we did it. We walked across the street, then immediately walked back. Ha! What a great way to wrap up our visit to Tokyo.
Overall opinion about Tokyo
We loved our visit to Tokyo, and we felt like 4 days was the perfect amount of time to visit, especially since we planned visits to other areas of the country during our trip. We got to do most of the things we set out to do and more.
Some of the highlights during this leg of the trip were the Ueno Zoo, Mipig Cafe, and the Hakone tour. I don’t think we would have done things much differently. The jet lag is always difficult at the beginning of the trip, but it honestly allowed us to knock out more of the “let’s get to it if we can” parts of the itinerary. The tour was also perfect for the third day of the trip as it allowed us to get off our feet, get some naps in between destinations, and allowed us to see some of the beautiful countryside away from the city.
Admittedly, we did spend an extra 3 days in Tokyo at the tail-end of our trip, but it was all at Disneyland Tokyo and DisneySea. If you’re interested in some theme park- and Disney-action, be sure to plan for at least a week in the Tokyo area alone.
Oliver Family Adventures 
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