Travel Goals Japan
Companion Itinerary:
-Narita Airport
–N’EX (Narita Express) | Train
-Shinjuku Station
-Nakano City Home
Home Sweet Tokyo: Travel Goals Japan
We are off on another adventure. Today we spent fifteen hours in flight and six more in airports. We lost a whole day by crossing the international date line. I am tired and also excited as we land in Japan. I don’t speak the language and I can’t even read the alphabet (characters?). But I…
Companion Itinerary:
-Shinjuku Station
-Harajuku Station
–Meiji Jingu
–Meiji Shrine Inner Garden
Meiji Morning: Travel Goals Japan
This morning I wake up with the sun. It is a mystery to me how my internal clock always knows sunrise. Even on the other side of the globe, I’m up at the first hint of dawn. Last night we arrived in Tokyo after nineteen hours of travel. Unsurprisingly, the boys are still fast asleep.…
Companion Itinerary:
-Harajuku Kawaii Zoo Land, Takeshita Street, Tokyo
Animal Cafe Takes My Stress Away: Travel Goals Japan
In this post, I fall in love with Tokyo’s pet cafes.
Companion itinerary:
– Kyoto Station
-Higashi Hongan Ji Temple, Kyoto
–Craftbeer & Kyoto Italian 100K, Kyoto Station
Timeless Temples: Travel Goals Japan
In Kyoto, it seems there are temples at every turn. We are actually looking for something to eat when we stumble on the Higashi Hongan Ji Temple. We think we are walking toward food trucks, but the tents and trucks are part of a tea festival and we don’t have tickets. It is a bust.…
Companion Itinerary:
– Fushimi Inari-taisha, Kyoto
-Tea House Waystation, Mount Inari
– Mount Inari Hike
Tourist Mecca or Sacred Mountain?: Travel Goals Japan
Today’s destination is Fushimi Inari Taisha, a temple that has over 3 miles of trail up Mount Inari. The mountain temple path is lined with over 10,000 Tori Gates. My son has picked the location because of internet reviews and photos of the Tori gates. It does look impressive and a little intimidating. However, if…
Companion Itinerary:
–Zojoji Temple, Minato City
Beautiful Surprise: Travel Goals Japan
Just walking through Tokyo, we take a short cut suggested by Google Maps. We are on our way to Tokyo Tower to get an aerial view of the city. Google says we can walk through an ancient wooden door. My husband is leery because it is obviously not a street and Google has taken us…
Companion Itinerary:
–Nippori Station
–Ueno Park
–Tokyo University of the Arts
-Ameyoko Market
-Yanaka Cemetery
-Aryuin Temple
-Nippori Station
Walking Tokyo Or Why I Think Your Feet Are Key To A Rich Travel Experience: Travel Goals Japan
There is never any doubt in my mind that the best way to get to point b from point a is to walk. This rule only applies when we travel. At home, I am more than happy to waste gas to take me three quarters of a mile to buy a luke warm latte made…
Companion Itinerary:
–Shibuya Crossing
-Shibuya Center-Gai Street
-Shibuya 109
-d47 Museum Shibuya
–Statue of Hachikō
-Sansui Shibuya Fishing Store
Shibuya Surprises: Travel Goals Japan
The world’s largest pedestrian crossing and a loyal dog statue. Cute culture and pouring rain. Another Japanese adventure.
Companion Itinerary:
-Shinjuku Station
-Tokyo Station
-Kyoto Station
Bullet Train: Travel Goals Japan
I am riding a bullet train today. There is one leaving the station every few minutes. I can arrive and walk to the platform with absolutely no fuss. I am still in shock that for a small fee I will be in a city across the country in just a few hours. With a Japan…
Companion Itinerary:
-Summit Supermarket, Nakano City
Adventures in Grocery Shopping: Travel Goals Japan
One of my favorite things to do when we travel internationally is to hang out in the grocery stores. This is weird because grocery shopping is not something I enjoy normally. I would put it in the necessary inconvenience of modern life category. But a grocery store in an unfamiliar place is a cave of…
Companion Itinerary:
–Tokyo Imperial Palace
–Imperial Palace East Garden
Imperial Palace: Travel Goals Japan
Today we visit the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo. While it is the primary residence of Japan’s Emperor, the inner palace area is closed to visitors. Instead, we head to the East gardens. Both the palace and the gardens are built on the grounds of the former Edo Castle, the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. There are…
Companion Itinerary:
-Nakano City
-Shinjuku
–Godzilla head
-King Kong Statue
-Don Quijote
–Shinjuku Golden Gai
Shinjuku: Travel Goals Japan
Walking in a new city is the best way to begin to understand its hidden mysteries.
Companion Itinerary:
-Takeshita Street
-SWEET PALACE Crepes Harajuku Takeshita
-YAMAHISA USED CLOTHING SHOP
–Harry Harajuku Pet Cafe
-Sanrio Gift Gate
-Harajuku Takeshita Street
The Takeshita Experience: Travel Goals Japan
This quirky, colorful shopping street must be experienced in order to truly appreciate it. A pet cafe stole my heart.
Companion Itinerary:
-Azabudai Hills
-MORI Building
-Azabudai Garden Plaza Shopping Center
-Azabudai Hills Art Gallery
-Azabudai Gallery Cafe
–teamLab Borderless TOKYO, Azabudai Hills
TeamLab: Travel Goals Japan
With our son along for the experience, we journey across Tokyo to find teamLab. As we wander between office buildings and upscale retail, I am convinced we are lost. Finally, we find the entrance tucked in a remote corner of a very large, sterile mixed use building. We are directed to put our coats and…
Companion Itinerary:
-Azabudai Gallery Cafe
–Ikinari Steakhouse
-SWEET PALACE Crepes Harajuku Takeshita
-Tea House Waystation, Mount Inari
–The Restaurant, Tokyo National Museum (Yes, that is really the name)
Food Frenzy: Travel Goals Japan
One of the unknowns when we venture into another culture is what we will eat. We have never starved. But sometimes, the cultural norm is outside our Midwest American foodscape. I tend to be a more adventurous eater, but I don’t like meat. My husband is a meat and potatoes guy, but is easier to…
Companion Itinerary:
-Akihabara Station
-Electric Town Shops and Arcades
Electric Town: Travel Goals Japan
You want it? They’ve got it. At least that seems to be the case in Akihabara. We are spending the afternoon in Tokyo’s Electric Town. As we walk across the river from the train station, we see police vans blocking off the streets. This allows the thousands of consumers to wander freely through the city…
Companion Itinerary:
–Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower: Travel Goals Japan
It screams tourist trap. There can be no purpose visiting Tokyo tower except to have a tourist experience. And yet I am drawn like a fly to a flame. Not quite Eiffel Tower vibes, but the smaller Tokyo Tower is impressive when juxtaposed against the monastery that sits beside it. I guess the Tokugawa shoguns…
Companion Itinerary:
-Chuo Line to KichiJoji Station, Mitaka
–Inokashira Park
–Ghibli Museum, Mitaka
-Daini Park
-Inokashira Benzaiten Shrine
-Ikinari Steakhouse
Stroll Through The Park: Travel Goals Japan
A remembrance of the day that every museum and cultural attract in Tokyo is closed. We make our own fun.
Companion Itinerary:
–Aoyama Cemetery
–Hachikō’s- Grave in Tokyo
-Shibuya Walk
Remembrance: Travel Goals Japan
You can learn a lot about a culture in a cemetery. We explore a large burial ground in Tokyo and encounter generals, artists, and even a famous dog.
Companion Itinerary:
–Azabudai Gallery Cafe, Azabudai Hills
-Ikinari Steakhouse, Mitaka
-Soba House Konjiki Hototogisu Honten, Shinjuku
-Ramen Hayashida Shinjuku
-Kua Aina Sandwich Shop
Eating Our Way Through Tokyo: Travel Goals Japan
Food is an important part of a travel experience. In this offering, I remember several memorable meals and the ways we embarrass ourselves.
Companion Itinerary:
–Toyokawa Inari Betsuin Temple
-Walking Tokyo
Inari Tokyo: Travel Goals Japan
I am drawn to sacred spaces, especially if they are authentically in use. While I know little about Shinto, I can relate to the seeking and penitent hearts.
Companion Itinerary:
-Tokyo Imperial Palace
–Shibuya
–Kyoto
–Matsumoto, Nagano
–KANAZAWA, JAPAN
–Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival
–Takaosan (Mount Takao)
-Sakura Festival
–Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Sakura Season: Travel Goals Japan
All of Japan is awash in blossoms. We thought when we arrived in early March that we would miss the “sakura” season. I was pleasantly surprised to see blossoms immediately. Our first days in Tokyo included multiple cherry blossom encounters in a cemetery, a park, and even on a pedestrian overpass along the highway. As…
Companion Itinerary:
–Ueno Park – Tokyo
–Tokyo National Museum
-The Restaurant, Tokyo National Museum (Yes, that is really the name)
Museum Memories: Travel Goals Japan
There is something satisfying about a museum. Maybe it is the orderliness or the care that goes into restoration. Perhaps it is the reverence for the objects ranging from the everyday to the rare. I am excited to see how Japan preserves its history and art at the Tokyo National Museum. We quickly discover that…
Companion Itinerary:
–TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM –
–EDO-TOKYO MUSEUM
The Art Of War: Travel Goals Japan
At the National Museum, the Edo-Tokyo Museum, and a number of smaller palace museums there are displays of Japanese armor. Japanese armor first appeared in the 4th century, but during the 1000’s the unique Japanese armour ō-yoroi and dō-maru appeared. I know next to nothing about Japanese armor. But “o” and “do” make me giggle. In fact, most of the suits…
Companion Itinerary:
–TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM
-TOHAKU CHAKAN Japanese Authentic TEA CAFÉ
–Tokyo National Museum Garden
Cherry Blossom Tea: Travel Goals Japan
I have long dreamed of having a cuppa in a traditional Japanese tea house. At the National Museum in Tokyo, I unexpectedly find a lovely tea house in a beautiful garden and immediately want to go in. Better still, there is no wait. Off come my shoes and I am inside. The tatami mats are…
Prisoner of Hopes 