Toronto to Tokyo - A TR!

You're going to Japan!!!! Wooooot! We've been home about a month and are entering the deep depression phase.

Thanks Jessiegirl84. I am usually really on top of things as far as plans go. I have a general idea of what we want to do, but not everything all laid out. Have a few things to do today and then hoping to nail down things a bit more. I vacillate between wanting to have a really good idea of what we are doing to not wanting to over plan!

bc7ate9 said:

You're going to Japan!!!! Wooooot! We've been home about a month and are entering the deep depression phase.

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I imagine we'll be much the same. Two more sleeps!

I managed to get the kids all packed (holy hannah that was a big job), their toiletries, a first aid/medicine kit, my makeup and toiletries and hair stuff, and a few odds and ends, in addition to my carry on bag and purse. Today is my clothing and then I am done! The other suitcases are lined up in the hallway with a neat row of backpacks.

Terapin said:

I imagine we'll be much the same. Two more sleeps!

I managed to get the kids all packed (holy hannah that was a big job), their toiletries, a first aid/medicine kit, my makeup and toiletries and hair stuff, and a few odds and ends, in addition to my carry on bag and purse. Today is my clothing and then I am done! The other suitcases are lined up in the hallway with a neat row of backpacks.

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Have an AWESOME trip!!!

Have a fantastic holiday!!!it has come around quickly! We are arriving in Osaka on the day you leave look forward to seeing your trip report!

This is being written on an iPhone as we wait for the breakfast buffet to open at 630. None of us really had a full night's sleep, but that's to be expected. Our tour guide from The Backstreet Guides, Mari, will be meeting us at 0900 to start our tour. I hope it starts at the Starbucks I saw near Shinkuju Station!! :-D

We woke up yesterday at 0800 and we all miraculously ready by 0830. We hadn't planned on leaving until 10am but we decided to hit the road at 0900 and hang out at the airport rather than anxiously wait at home where the fridge was cleaned out.

However the car was very full. See pic of I am able to successfully upload it!



We decided to valet the car (an extra $25) to avoid having to find the needle-in-the-haystack parking spot at the airport and drag all 5 kids with suitcases in tow through the parking lot. But it meant we were so early the airline wouldn't take our luggage! Checking in 7 people took awhile and when we were done we were able to drop the luggage.

At the 24 hr mark I scored a much cheaper upgrade to Executive Class for A and I. It was awesome. The kids were just a few rows back in economy with my sister. With older kids matched up with younger kids I wasn't too worried about the separation from us. We checked in every 45 mins or so. The kids did great on the flight: 13 hours of snacks, TV, movies and their iPods. They even napped a little!

This is being written on an iPhone as we wait for the breakfast buffet to open at 630. None of us really had a full night's sleep, but that's to be expected. Our tour guide from The Backstreet Guides, Mari, will be meeting us at 0900 to start our tour. I hope it starts at the Starbucks I saw near Shinkuju Station!! :-D

We woke up yesterday at 0800 and we all miraculously ready by 0830. We hadn't planned on leaving until 10am but we decided to hit the road at 0900 and hang out at the airport rather than anxiously wait at home where the fridge was cleaned out.

However the car was very full. See pic of I am able to successfully upload it!



We decided to valet the car (an extra $25) to avoid having to find the needle-in-the-haystack parking spot at the airport and drag all 5 kids with suitcases in tow through the parking lot. But it meant we were so early the airline wouldn't take our luggage! Checking in 7 people took awhile and when we were done we were able to drop the luggage.

At the 24 hr mark I scored a much cheaper upgrade to Executive Class for A and I. It was awesome. The kids were just a few rows back in economy with my sister. With older kids matched up with younger kids I wasn't too worried about the separation from us. We checked in every 45 mins or so. The kids did great on the flight: 13 hours of snacks, TV, movies and their iPods. They even napped a little!

[GALLERY=] [/GALLERY]I will have to edit in photos later - can't seem to do it on my phone

[GALLERY=][/GALLERY]

We landed in Tokyo very impressed with the 787 Dreamliner and our service in Executive Class. The others said the service in Economy was really good! The flight was soooo smooth. No rattles or shakes and it was very quiet.

We picked up our bags and went through Customs quickly- although they split us up as the said 7 was too many for a family group to go through at once -Lol.

We got our bags on the carousel and right outside was the kiosk for the Aiport Limosine Bus which would take us to our hotel. We got on at 4:50pm and got to the Tokyo Hilton at 6:30pm. We were the third and last stop.

The hotel was lovely, but a nasty surprise was the previously unmentioned $71 a nigt charge for a trundle bed - for 2 of the 3 rooms! Apparently one was free as an upgrade for HHilton members. So we signed up A and my sister and got the ones in their room free, although now I don't get the points on my account even though I am paying for this trip. Boo. Oh well, at least I am not out another $710 for this hotel stay!

I researched a quick restaurant nearby for dinner before we left and we ate at Hina Sushi in the basement of the tower beside the hotel. It was yummy and filling (none of us finished it all) and was about 2100 a person. Glad we didn't do the AYCE version!

We headed back to our rooms, everyone got on to the wifi and settled down for the night. I think we were all asleep for 9pm.

And now today starts!

following along... excited to follow as we are just starting the planning process for a trip march/april 2016

I'm glad everything has gone so smoothly for you this far, hope you are having a wonderful time!!! - what's the weather/temperature like?

Just making some quick notes and will come back and fill in each day when I can sit on a proper computer.

The weather has been beautiful. We really have been fortunate. Most days have been sunny or partly cloudy, no rain so far, and temperatures around 24 Celsius/mid 70s F.

Friday we had our Backstreet Guide guide Mari. We visited the Meiji shrine, the Tokyo Tower, Akihabara and lunch at Korean BBQ place in electronics superstore's top floor, tourist office at Akihabara, Asakusa, Sensoji temple and Nakamise Tori street. Didn't see Ginza as planned. Tired, lots of tired feet and jet lag.

Saturday we were all off a little. Breakfast buffet at hotel. Shopping at Takashmaya, (kids kimonos, jewellery, baby clothes, toys)and lunch in the food court, then over to Tokyo station to get our bullet train tickets for Monday to Kyoto. Learned our lesson about the Metro line and the JR line and how far apart they can be. Shopped in the First Avenue area. Really found areas to sit challenging - would have loved a place to sit and regroup. Headed home as the walking today was a lot and a lot of feet hurt, abandoning plans to revisit Asakusa.

Sunday, we went to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. We ate udon noodles and fish dumplings at the little cafe. museum was amazing. Great souvenirs in the gift shop. Farmer's market/flea market outside and a spontaneous stop to make origami in a tent for free. We then went to Harajuku and saw some lovely cosplayers, and went to Kiddyland toy store, and ate at TGIFridays -lol. We wanted seating for our group, air conditioning and food that wasn't too expensive - dinner for 9 came to 140,000y. After that was swimming at the hotel and an early night.

Even the night owls amongst us have been asleep by 9am and up with the sunrise at 430. Time change has really affected our stamina by the end of the day.

Have been able to use subway confidently after first day with our guide showing us. Sorted out differences in different lines and why one might choose a route over another. Pasmo cards. Vending machines.

Hotel - breakfast buffet, Central Park across the street, Starbucks, subways nearby and shuttle to Shinjuku station, 24 hour convenience store in basement, electronic toilets, pool, walking equivalent to a long Disney day each day.

Today's adventures include a 300km+/hour bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto for the day, where we have a guide booked for the day. Our guide plans to bring us to Fushimi Inari Taisha and its 1000s of tori gates, the temple of Kiyomizu-dear, the temple and zen garden of Kennin-ji, and then the Nishiki food market. Hopefully we can get in a tea ceremony before heading back to Tokyo. We are having a great trip - and the little kids are having amazing stamina and good humour.

More random notes. I am a pretty fit person and used to lots of walking on vacations and rate this vacation with having a high amount of city walking and many steps. Elevators are plentiful but small. Some stations have escalators but not all. Have seen some disabled folks using transit - I think most stations are accessible. Some stations have Braille. Found you have to be bold on subways - people are not rude but in the mad rushes you need to assert yourself getting into th stream. Should have broughtt running shoes and not just sandals. Had to buy my son some running shoes and his feet were holding him back. The subway stations are large and have many floors. There are some benches but overall not places like food courts in malls to rest and have a drink. Being 5 months pregnant has meant swollen and painful feet by the end of the day, and weary, but otherwise holding up well. Beds at the hotel are heavenly and lovely thick feather pillows. Easy to find drinks and water at the ever-present vending machines. All cost about 130y. Water fountains have good tasting water. Tap water at hotel is good tasting. Very few people of size. Have not seen anymore more than just overweight/stocky. Even in touristy areas almost all people are Japanese. Our group is very loud and take up a lot of space compared to most people. Store clerks and such have been very friendly and eager to help. All students study English for 6 years so most people can speak some basic English, and others are quite capable. Few are fluent in English, even at hotels.

We have been paying around 1000-1500Y/pp for lunches. Drinks in restaurants are about 4000y. Not a lot of places have children's menus but when they do they are around 500-600y pp, but don't incl drinks. Dinners are 2500-4000Y pp at a moderate restaurant, and TGIFridays in Harajuku was 2200pp with a main and a beverage. A nice restaurant would be about 6000Ypp. Our hotel's buffet dinner is 7000!!! Subway rides are about 200y pp per trip, and vending machine drinks are 130-160 yen. You get a lot of coins so a change purse is handy and one has to actively work to get rid if change regularly. Steaks are very expensive even at TGIFridays: about 3800.

Bathrooms have mostly been western style with electronic toilets, and some bathrooms offer the addition of squat toilets with older folks seem to use quite comfortably.

We have seen some older women wearing kimonos, and some 40 year old women too. Most clothing is quite conservative - no cleavage, no bare shoulders or legs, lots of nice shoes and purses! People don't eat or drink on subways or walking around. Lots of candy stores. Lots of Starbucks. McDonald's is cheap, as is most western food.

Sorry for random thoughts - will make this a cohesive trip report later! Using an iPad stifles my writing.

Thank you so much for keeping us updated! I hope the weather continues to be nice for your whole trip.
Sound like you are packing a lot in!!! I'm glad there are lots of great souvenir options, as I'm hoping to get quite a few! The food sounds wonderful and it's nice to know that you are getting around with ease and finding it easy to speak with people.

On your note about people of size, I'm not sure if it relates to your group or was more of a general observation, however, I'm a larger girl (around US dress size 16) and so if on your trip you come across anything that may be problematic for a larger person (in terms of literally fitting into seats/spaces etc) I'd really be interested. I've read that train/rides seats are pretty much the same but I am a little anxious about it!

Take care, look forward to your next update!

While seats and such are smaller than North American seats, as a larger person myself I felt a little too large but not uncomfortable. Seat belts in buses were longer than the average airplane belt. Turnstiles and such were plenty big. I think it would be very hard for me to find clothing and shoes here (size 16-18, 5'10, and size 11 feet). I do feel conspicuous as a tall, big pregnant person who is very large chested, but I am who I am so what can I do. I have been wearing clothing that doesn't reveal my full back and shoulders tattoo and nothing low cut and that's the best I can do!

Also wanted to add that we rented a mifi and that has been indispensible for navigating the subways and places. I rented it from Japan Wireless and it was about $70 for 12 days. It comes with an extra battery to charge it or a cell phone.

We bought our bullet train tix online ahead of tiMe through JapanIcan.com and saved 22% but had to make time to pick them up ahead of time at Tokyo Station. But for 9 people it saved me over $400 so it was worth it

Thankyou- most of my clothes are quite conservative but I do have a couple of vests packed for under my dresses! I still haven't arranged a mifi but previous reports have also said that it is a really useful thing to have.
Great saving on the train, how did you enjoy the journey?