Konnichiwa Y'all A trip report! All of Japan added - Link in my signature.

[amyren]

I can’t believe that we are only 6 weeks away from our Japan trip! Part of me is super excited and part of me is well terrified.

We are a family of 4 from Atlanta. Here we are at our favorite sushi joint.

I’m Amy. I manage a carpentry business. We make custom furniture, kitchens, wine cellars, paneled libraries etc.… My uncle owns the business and gives me a flexible schedule that allows as much (unpaid) vacation time as I want. My husband Jason is a special ed teacher who “moolights” as an Ebayer (believe it or not he makes MORE money selling junk on ebay than the does teaching.) We try to travel every year. We’ve traveled to Australia & all over Europe (most recently to Iceland). We’ve traveled with and without kids. This will be our first adventure with both children.

Our daughter Maisie is 6. She loves gymnastics, art, writing and all things Disney. She’s very interested in geography and culture and I’m sure this trip will be a great learning experience for her. She traveled to Europe for 3 weeks at age 3 (including DLP) but aside from cruising hasn’t traveled internationally since then. She’s most excited to experience Tokyo Disney Resort but is also looking forward to the monkey park in Kyoto & Deer park in Nara.

Our son Ezra will be 20 months when we travel. Like any toddler he’s energetic but he’s generally very content. He loves his blankie, Mickey mouse, cars & legos. He likes car travel so we’re hoping the motion of the plane will have the same calming effect! He also still likes to be carried in our ergo carrier, hoping that will make transportation with a toddler a bit easier.

14 days in Japan as a family of 4 will definitely have it’s challenges:
Will Ezra sleep on the plane?
Will it rain the entire time we’re there?
Will we be able to navigate the Tokyo metro?
Will we be able to purchase the right train tickets?
Will we be able to order food at restaurants without knowing more than 5 words of Japanese? (Did I mention we don't eat meat)
Will we be able to find diapers and milk?
Will Tokyo Disney Resort be jammed packed during our visit?
Am I absolutely insane for thinking that we can take both kids to Japan?
These things stress me out but you know what…. that’s part of the adventure! Something will go wrong and that’s okay. It’s going to be amazing. So here’s the lowdown.

We arrive at Haneda at about 10:30 pm on May 29. Our first obstacle will be figuring out how to get to our hotel (Hotel Century Southern Tower in Shinjuku). It looks like the last Limousine bus leaves Haneda around 10:30. By the time we clear customs and pick up our bags it will be closer to midnight. Another option would be the train. Taking the train with a stroller, 2 kids and our bags seems problematic at best. Plus we’d have to walk from the train station to our hotel dragging along the previously mentioned stroller, 2 kids and bags. I’m guessing we’ll just suck it up and pay the taxi to take us straight to our hotel.

Day 1 – This will be a low key day. I’m assuming we will not sleep well the previous night due to excitement & jetlag so we plan to do a self guided walk close by our hotel. We are within walking distance of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, The Tokyo Toy museum and a couple of parks (Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Meiji Jingu). After taking in a few sights and a quick nap I’d love to check out Ninja Akasaka for dinner. It’s not within walking distance but a short metro ride away.

Day 2 – We have scheduled a private tour with Backstreet Guides.
Their suggested itinerary includes:
Rikugien garden
Sensoji Temple
Nakamise Dori
Sky Tree
Ginza for shopping (Sony store, Hello Kitty, Kyukyodo)
I like most of the itinerary but I may switch out shopping for time at the Imperial Palace.
Our tour ends at 2 so we are open for the evening. I’m not sure what we’ll work in. I’d like to go to Odaiba but we may save that for another day.

Day 3 - Time to head to Tokyo Disney Resort! We do not plan to do parks our first day so we’ll likely take our time getting there. Hopefully we can store our bags at Disneyland Hotel before check in then spend some time at Ikspiari and maybe ride the monorail and see the other resorts.

Day 4-7 – Parks! We’re dedicating 2 days to each park. According to the crowd calendar Monday June 2nd (our first day in the parks) will be the most crowded. Tues, Wed & Thurs appear to be much lower crowd level. I’m sure I should have a commando plan to but I feel like with 4 days we’ll get to do just about everything. We will definitely take advantage of the fastpass system and hopefully figure out the rider swap system as well. Since we travel to WDW 2-3 times a year I really want to “take it all in” and focus on attractions that are exclusive to TDR. Of course there will be overlap. Maisie is insistent that the first ride “has to be” Thunder Mountain. I’m also excited to ride the Tokyo version of Tower of Terror but I’m not waiting 2 hours to ride Toy Story Mania. I’m excited to experience the parades and shows offered at TDR.

Day 8 – My birthday! Time to say goodbye to Disney and travel to Kyoto. We have nothing planned except to travel to Kyoto and check into our hotel Citadines Karasuma-Gojo. We will have a kitchenette so we’ll probably do some grocery shopping to stock up on breakfast food & snacks.

Day 9 – We’ve booked a driver/guide for the day. Our itinerary includes: Nijo Castle, Ryoanji & Golden Temple.

Day 10 – The plan is to visit the bamboo forest at Arishiyama, the monkey park and possibly Sagano Senic Railway.

Day 11 – 3 choices: Travel to Nara and visit the deer park, travel to the Amanohashidate Sandbar or if it’s rainy Osaka to visit the aquarium.

Day 12 – Travel back to Tokyo check back into Hotel Century Southern Tower.

Day 13 – Odaiba (if we didn’t make it there previously), Kasai Rinkai Park (aquarium) or Sunshine City (if it isn’t so sunny)

Day 14 – Tokyo – Honolulu check in to Aulani and RELAX

Day 15-19 – Relax in Hawaii! Hopefully travel to North Shore & Dole Pinapple plantation but we plan to spend a lot of time poolside at Aulani and eating pancakes with Mickey.

Day 20-21 – Travel home

So that’s the plan! I’m looking forward to any suggestions or tips especially from those of you who have traveled to Japan with children. I’ll be updating my blog before, during (assuming I have internet) and after our trip. I plan to review some kid related travel products and ideas. Review hotels, restaurants, parks & attractions and of course post approximately10,000 pictures.

Japan has been a dream trip for years. It seems intimidating but come on what’s the BEST that could happen?

 

[confectioneer]

Hi Amy, it sounds like you have a WONDERFUL trip planned!

I haven't travelled with kids so can't offer any advice there, but I think 4 days is a great amount of time to spend in the Disney parks (2 days each park).

Big Thunder Mountain is great, but I think your family will especially like the rides unique to Tokyo like Pooh's Hunny Hunt.

Make sure you leave room in your luggage for a popcorn container. Heck, make sure you leave room for multiple popcorn containers.

 

[tinibee]

When I came to Japan from the US, my kids (5 and 11 at the time) got up early for like 2-3 days. Like 4-5am in the morning. The nice thing is going from the US to Japan is easier jet lag wise vs the other way back. I'm doing kind of a reverse version of your trip (Tokyo-Seattle-Disneyland-Aulani-Tokyo). I've been looking at www.jetlagrooster.com to build a plan to minimize jet lag.

I would definitely suggesting getting some things from a conbini for your hotel mini-fridge. They fridges usually have some overpriced stuff in them (soda, beer, water) that I would put up and replace with kid friendly goodies (milk - in japanese gyu-nyu or mili-ku), just in case your little ones get up before you and open the fridge. Japanese yogurt drinks are pretty good too.

If you go to a regular supermarket to buy diapers - just a heads up - there are two baskets that are different colors. One for shopping and one that the cashier puts your items in when you pay. Check what other people have and make sure you grab the right one!

If you want to learn a few more Japanese phrases/words quickly, I suggest genkijapan.net videos. They are painfully catchy!

Have a great trip!

 

[tim123]

I can’t believe that we are only 6 weeks away from our Japan trip! Part of me is super excited and part of me is well terrified.

We are a family of 4 from Atlanta. Here we are at our favorite sushi joint.

I’m Amy. I manage a carpentry business. We make custom furniture, kitchens, wine cellars, paneled libraries etc.… My uncle owns the business and gives me a flexible schedule that allows as much (unpaid) vacation time as I want. My husband Jason is a special ed teacher who “moolights” as an Ebayer (believe it or not he makes MORE money selling junk on ebay than the does teaching.) We try to travel every year. We’ve traveled to Australia & all over Europe (most recently to Iceland). We’ve traveled with and without kids. This will be our first adventure with both children.

Our daughter Maisie is 6. She loves gymnastics, art, writing and all things Disney. She’s very interested in geography and culture and I’m sure this trip will be a great learning experience for her. She traveled to Europe for 3 weeks at age 3 (including DLP) but aside from cruising hasn’t traveled internationally since then. She’s most excited to experience Tokyo Disney Resort but is also looking forward to the monkey park in Kyoto & Deer park in Nara.

Our son Ezra will be 20 months when we travel. Like any toddler he’s energetic but he’s generally very content. He loves his blankie, Mickey mouse, cars & legos. He likes car travel so we’re hoping the motion of the plane will have the same calming effect! He also still likes to be carried in our ergo carrier, hoping that will make transportation with a toddler a bit easier.

14 days in Japan as a family of 4 will definitely have it’s challenges:
Will Ezra sleep on the plane?
Will it rain the entire time we’re there?
Will we be able to navigate the Tokyo metro?
Will we be able to purchase the right train tickets?
Will we be able to order food at restaurants without knowing more than 5 words of Japanese? (Did I mention we don't eat meat)
Will we be able to find diapers and milk?
Will Tokyo Disney Resort be jammed packed during our visit?
Am I absolutely insane for thinking that we can take both kids to Japan?
These things stress me out but you know what…. that’s part of the adventure! Something will go wrong and that’s okay. It’s going to be amazing. So here’s the lowdown.

We arrive at Haneda at about 10:30 pm on May 29. Our first obstacle will be figuring out how to get to our hotel (Hotel Century Southern Tower in Shinjuku). It looks like the last Limousine bus leaves Haneda around 10:30. By the time we clear customs and pick up our bags it will be closer to midnight. Another option would be the train. Taking the train with a stroller, 2 kids and our bags seems problematic at best. Plus we’d have to walk from the train station to our hotel dragging along the previously mentioned stroller, 2 kids and bags. I’m guessing we’ll just suck it up and pay the taxi to take us straight to our hotel.

Day 1 – This will be a low key day. I’m assuming we will not sleep well the previous night due to excitement & jetlag so we plan to do a self guided walk close by our hotel. We are within walking distance of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, The Tokyo Toy museum and a couple of parks (Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Meiji Jingu). After taking in a few sights and a quick nap I’d love to check out Ninja Akasaka for dinner. It’s not within walking distance but a short metro ride away.

Day 2 – We have scheduled a private tour with Backstreet Guides.
Their suggested itinerary includes:
Rikugien garden
Sensoji Temple
Nakamise Dori
Sky Tree
Ginza for shopping (Sony store, Hello Kitty, Kyukyodo)
I like most of the itinerary but I may switch out shopping for time at the Imperial Palace.
Our tour ends at 2 so we are open for the evening. I’m not sure what we’ll work in. I’d like to go to Odaiba but we may save that for another day.

Day 3 - Time to head to Tokyo Disney Resort! We do not plan to do parks our first day so we’ll likely take our time getting there. Hopefully we can store our bags at Disneyland Hotel before check in then spend some time at Ikspiari and maybe ride the monorail and see the other resorts.

Day 4-7 – Parks! We’re dedicating 2 days to each park. According to the crowd calendar Monday June 2nd (our first day in the parks) will be the most crowded. Tues, Wed & Thurs appear to be much lower crowd level. I’m sure I should have a commando plan to but I feel like with 4 days we’ll get to do just about everything. We will definitely take advantage of the fastpass system and hopefully figure out the rider swap system as well. Since we travel to WDW 2-3 times a year I really want to “take it all in” and focus on attractions that are exclusive to TDR. Of course there will be overlap. Maisie is insistent that the first ride “has to be” Thunder Mountain. I’m also excited to ride the Tokyo version of Tower of Terror but I’m not waiting 2 hours to ride Toy Story Mania. I’m excited to experience the parades and shows offered at TDR.

Day 8 – My birthday! Time to say goodbye to Disney and travel to Kyoto. We have nothing planned except to travel to Kyoto and check into our hotel Citadines Karasuma-Gojo. We will have a kitchenette so we’ll probably do some grocery shopping to stock up on breakfast food & snacks.

Day 9 – We’ve booked a driver/guide for the day. Our itinerary includes: Nijo Castle, Ryoanji & Golden Temple.

Day 10 – The plan is to visit the bamboo forest at Arishiyama, the monkey park and possibly Sagano Senic Railway.

Day 11 – 3 choices: Travel to Nara and visit the deer park, travel to the Amanohashidate Sandbar or if it’s rainy Osaka to visit the aquarium.

Day 12 – Travel back to Tokyo check back into Hotel Century Southern Tower.

Day 13 – Odaiba (if we didn’t make it there previously), Kasai Rinkai Park (aquarium) or Sunshine City (if it isn’t so sunny)

Day 14 – Tokyo – Honolulu check in to Aulani and RELAX

Day 15-19 – Relax in Hawaii! Hopefully travel to North Shore & Dole Pinapple plantation but we plan to spend a lot of time poolside at Aulani and eating pancakes with Mickey.

Day 20-21 – Travel home

So that’s the plan! I’m looking forward to any suggestions or tips especially from those of you who have traveled to Japan with children. I’ll be updating my blog before, during (assuming I have internet) and after our trip. I plan to review some kid related travel products and ideas. Review hotels, restaurants, parks & attractions and of course post approximately10,000 pictures.

Japan has been a dream trip for years. It seems intimidating but come on what’s the BEST that could happen?

Hi Amy
You seem like a very nice family. Lucky you guys. Have fun. What an adventure.
Since you are at Disneyland hotel and you don't want to wait 2 hours for Toystory….when you go to DisneySea…do so first thing when they open…if they open that day at say 8am, get there at 7:15 and wait in the line for Hotel guests..they will let you in at exactly 7:40 before the rest of the crowd. Then go immediately to the left with the rest of everybody else (many who are running) and wait in the fast pass line which opens at exactly 8am (if the parks opens at 8am that day..check the schedule)…once you secure your fast pass you can either hop right in the SB line (very short wait by then) OR jump in standby line for ToT right next door. This is basically the touring strategy for the Japanese parks. Toy story will be sold out by 9am everyday and have ridiculously long SB lines all day and night.
At Disneyland its not so bad with Poos Hunny Hut…so same strategy applies..
in line for hotel guests about 45 minutes before regular opening and 20 minutes special entry…go straight to Poos Hunny Hut for a fast pass then jump in SB line….
Once you get those to biggies out of the way in both those parks you can take it easy for the rest of your trip.. Early June mid week is a slow time at TokyoDisney (slow for Japan)..hopefully you will have good weather!
Make sure and give us a trip report when you return!
Tim
PS Be sure and check out the Ambassador since you have lots of time..Take the gang to Chef Mickeys..it is nothing like WDW at the Contemporary…The Japanese Disney experience is the cream of the crop.

 

[Tam1067]

I have spent quite a bit of time in Japan. The Imperial Palace is not worth seeing. Skip it.

The monkey park in Kyoto is nice, but it's on the top of a mountain. I think that might be difficult to do with your little guy.

Upon arrival at Haneda, I recommend a taxi if you miss the last bus. You'll be tired, and the Tokyo train system can be daunting especially when you're jet lagged and with two kids. Also some trains are super crowded with drunk businessmen returning home before the last train at might night. I would not want to do that if I were you. Or, you could stay near Haneda that first night and move hotels the next morning. There are lots of hotels nearby and some have free shuttles.

 

[Minnie222]

To travel from Haneda airport to your hotel, I strongly suggest to use the airport limousine bus to go to Shinjuku Station West, then walk to your hotel. It is a easy 5 minute walk from the Shinjuku Station West location to your hotel.

If it ends up too late and no more buses, I still disagree on using train to travel to your hotel. Because it involves going up and down stairs. With your haul and the kids, it is very hard. I will take a taxi.

When you travel to Japan and Honolulu, beware of serious jet lag. We tend to get up very early in the morning and get extremely tired in the afternoon around 4pm. So, please plan the first couple of days very lightly for the first two evenings in Japan and Honolulu.

Tokyo Disney and Aulani are amazing places that you will love.
Hope you have a great trip!!

 

[south park]

I just returned from Japan. We used Backstreet Guides for an all day tour in Tokyo - we chose to do all day because it allowed us to do more things and it was $90 more to book the whole day. We were tired at around 4pm and had Miwa our guide take us back to the hotel. Even though we ended early it was worth it.

We also used Backstreet Guides for a day trip out to Kamakura. I felt it was well worth it. We hiked some of the trails and had lunch at a wonderful restaurant we never would have found on our own.

See if you can get Miwa as your guide she was great.

We arrived at Tokyo Disney and Disney Sea an hour before park opening and were surprised at how many people were there. FYI, we were there during spring break so crowds were insane. My nephew would get FPs for a ride and we would meet at another attraction and do standby. He is a fast runner so he was tasked as the runner.

We loved using single rider - Indy, raging spirits, and splash mountain.

Have a wonderful trip.

 

[tinibee]

Oh, South Park's post mentioning Kamakura reminded me that perhaps you could consider a temple stamp book. At many of the temples/shrines in Japan you can get a stamp (goshuin). I did it in Kamakura where you can get a stamp board of the 7 Lucky Gods. As you go to each temple, you can pay to get a stamp/calligraphy in your book or on your board. Its kind of a cool souvenir. If you do the book make sure you write in romaji each shrine name so you don't forget

 

[shelemm]

Do you eat fish/seafood? Not sure if you are including that in "meat" since most people at that point would say they are vegetarian.

Taxi far from Haneda to your hotel will be $80 - more if they charge for luggage.

 

[amyren]

Thanks for all of the replies & suggestions! We are getting very excited and a bit nervous about our trip!

Confectioneer – I’m so excited about the TDR original attractions! That was one of my favorite things about DLP. DD just imagines TDR to be exactly like WDW so that’s why she’s so excited about Big Thunder (her current favorite at WDW). I’ve heard awesome things about the popcorn! What’s your favorite flavor??

Tinibee – When is your trip? The time change will be a huge obstacle. We’ve traveled to Australia (with a stop in Hawaii on the way back) so I have a bit of an idea of what a transpacific trip will be like but who knows with the kids! Do you suggest napping during the day? DD is 6 and we still make her nap at WDW so she’s used to taking a rest on vacation.
We’re definitely going grocery shopping to stock the fridge especially since the kid’s routine will be off with the time change. I’m going to try to not overpack diapers and wipes and go shopping for them as soon as we arrive.
The temple stamp book sounds like something my 6 year old would enjoy! Can I purchase this or is it something I would make?

Tim123 – Thanks for your suggestions! I looked at MiraCosta but there’s nothing (reasonably priced) to sleep the 4 of us. Hopefully this will NOT be our last TDR trip so I’ll try to get MiraCosta next time! I’m excited to check out MiraCosta though! We hope to arrive to TDR early before check in and spend time looking at the other hotels. Oh and DH is a cross country coach so he will be SPRINTING for all of our fast passes =)

Tam1067 what would you suggest instead of Imperial Palace? I don’t really want to spend much of our tour time shopping (which was the guide’s suggestion). I’ll pick up a souvenir here and there but I don’t really want to spend time looking at all of the high tech stores. I’ve heard about the mountain at the Monkey Park... We actually spent Sunday hiking with the little one in the backpack carrier. This may sound crazy but I think we’re going to take a bicycle lock so that we can lock up the stroller when the terrain looks too rough and switch him to the carrier. I’m with you on the taxi. Limousine Bus would be my first choice but I know by the time we get out of customs it will be long gone. We’ll just suck it up and pay for the taxi. I know it will be expensive BUT it’s the most convenient for us with our kids.

Minnie222 – If we can make the limousine bus we definitely will but I think we may miss it. I will not be taking the train with the kids and luggage late at night. We’ll take a taxi. Side note- We’re staying at the same Tokyo hotel at the beginning and end of our trip and the hotel staff said they would keep some of our luggage when we travel to TDR & Kyoto. I hope to leave our Hawaii stuff and carry on toys in Tokyo so that we aren’t dragging it around Japan with us. If this works out we’ll only have backpacks and roller duffel bags for 2 weeks in Japan which should make our other train trips easier. Do you think this is a reasonable option or should we look into a storage locker at the train station? I couldn’t figure out how long you can rent a storage locker. We’ll need one for like 10 days.
Thanks for the tip on the jetlag in Honolulu. I haven’t planned anything for Hawaii yet (except for our character breakfast). I plan to spend a lot of time relaxing! Do you have suggestions for what to do in and around Aulani? Did you make dinner reservations ahead of time?

Southpark - Great to hear positive reviews of Backstreet Guides! We opted for a half day anticipating that we will be tired and ready for a rest after lunch. We're hoping that's enough time to get a bit acclimated to the city and figure out how the metro system works. Funny that you mentioned Miwa bc I think I saw a trip report with her as the guide. I'll see if I can ask for her.
According to the crowd calendar TDR shouldn't be too insane the first week of June but I have know idea how it will compare to WDW. Our secret weapon at WDW is the baby swap. I hope we can figure out how to use it at TDR.

Shelemm yes we eat fish so technically we’re pescetarian. We were strict vegetarian for years and started eating fish about 18 months ago. We rarely cook it at home and only eat it out. I think we should have lots of options in Japan. I've also found dietary cards in Japanese to aid in ordering =)

Thanks again for the suggestions and keep them coming!! In one month I'll be flying over the Pacific.. hopefully with 2 sleeping children.

 

[tim123]

Thanks for all of the replies & suggestions! We are getting very excited and a bit nervous about our trip!

Confectioneer – I’m so excited about the TDR original attractions! That was one of my favorite things about DLP. DD just imagines TDR to be exactly like WDW so that’s why she’s so excited about Big Thunder (her current favorite at WDW). I’ve heard awesome things about the popcorn! What’s your favorite flavor??

Tinibee – When is your trip? The time change will be a huge obstacle. We’ve traveled to Australia (with a stop in Hawaii on the way back) so I have a bit of an idea of what a transpacific trip will be like but who knows with the kids! Do you suggest napping during the day? DD is 6 and we still make her nap at WDW so she’s used to taking a rest on vacation.
We’re definitely going grocery shopping to stock the fridge especially since the kid’s routine will be off with the time change. I’m going to try to not overpack diapers and wipes and go shopping for them as soon as we arrive.
The temple stamp book sounds like something my 6 year old would enjoy! Can I purchase this or is it something I would make?

Tim123 – Thanks for your suggestions! I looked at MiraCosta but there’s nothing (reasonably priced) to sleep the 4 of us. Hopefully this will NOT be our last TDR trip so I’ll try to get MiraCosta next time! I’m excited to check out MiraCosta though! We hope to arrive to TDR early before check in and spend time looking at the other hotels. Oh and DH is a cross country coach so he will be SPRINTING for all of our fast passes =)

Tam1067 what would you suggest instead of Imperial Palace? I don’t really want to spend much of our tour time shopping (which was the guide’s suggestion). I’ll pick up a souvenir here and there but I don’t really want to spend time looking at all of the high tech stores. I’ve heard about the mountain at the Monkey Park... We actually spent Sunday hiking with the little one in the backpack carrier. This may sound crazy but I think we’re going to take a bicycle lock so that we can lock up the stroller when the terrain looks too rough and switch him to the carrier. I’m with you on the taxi. Limousine Bus would be my first choice but I know by the time we get out of customs it will be long gone. We’ll just suck it up and pay for the taxi. I know it will be expensive BUT it’s the most convenient for us with our kids.

Minnie222 – If we can make the limousine bus we definitely will but I think we may miss it. I will not be taking the train with the kids and luggage late at night. We’ll take a taxi. Side note- We’re staying at the same Tokyo hotel at the beginning and end of our trip and the hotel staff said they would keep some of our luggage when we travel to TDR & Kyoto. I hope to leave our Hawaii stuff and carry on toys in Tokyo so that we aren’t dragging it around Japan with us. If this works out we’ll only have backpacks and roller duffel bags for 2 weeks in Japan which should make our other train trips easier. Do you think this is a reasonable option or should we look into a storage locker at the train station? I couldn’t figure out how long you can rent a storage locker. We’ll need one for like 10 days.
Thanks for the tip on the jetlag in Honolulu. I haven’t planned anything for Hawaii yet (except for our character breakfast). I plan to spend a lot of time relaxing! Do you have suggestions for what to do in and around Aulani? Did you make dinner reservations ahead of time?

Southpark - Great to hear positive reviews of Backstreet Guides! We opted for a half day anticipating that we will be tired and ready for a rest after lunch. We're hoping that's enough time to get a bit acclimated to the city and figure out how the metro system works. Funny that you mentioned Miwa bc I think I saw a trip report with her as the guide. I'll see if I can ask for her.
According to the crowd calendar TDR shouldn't be too insane the first week of June but I have know idea how it will compare to WDW. Our secret weapon at WDW is the baby swap. I hope we can figure out how to use it at TDR.

Shelemm yes we eat fish so technically we’re pescetarian. We were strict vegetarian for years and started eating fish about 18 months ago. We rarely cook it at home and only eat it out. I think we should have lots of options in Japan. I've also found dietary cards in Japanese to aid in ordering =)

Thanks again for the suggestions and keep them coming!! In one month I'll be flying over the Pacific.. hopefully with 2 sleeping children.

Happy for you and family Amy,
Check out my new film. "I think I'm turning Japanese"
Watch in HD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7brMX8Y9sk

 

[tinibee]

Oh, another suggestion would be to buy a train card vs buying tickets ala carte. The train prices recently changed but I haven't seen the ticket prices on the machines adjust so you end up buying a higher priced train ticket. If you have a pass, it will only charge the exact fare. Its not a huge price difference but with enough train rides, that could equal up to another plate if 100 yen sushi! ;-)

 

[shelemm]

I highly recommend Sunshine City, the aquarium inside, and Namjatown. Nothing like it in the US, that's for sure!

You should have no problem in restaurants as long as you can eat seafood. Definitely bring a card explaining that. Expect a language barrier wherever you go. If you take a cab, the driver will nto speak Englsh, so bring an address in Japanese (always keep the busines card of yuor hotel with you), preferably also a map in japanese as well.

 

[tinibee]

Do you suggest napping during the day? DD is 6 and we still make her nap at WDW so she’s used to taking a rest on vacation.
We’re definitely going grocery shopping to stock the fridge especially since the kid’s routine will be off with the time change. I’m going to try to not overpack diapers and wipes and go shopping for them as soon as we arrive.
The temple stamp book sounds like something my 6 year old would enjoy! Can I purchase this or is it something I would make?

I say yes to naps if it makes things more manageable. My kids didn't really sleep on the plane. We arrived in Japan in the afternoon and they were falling asleep over dinner, but after that, it wasn't too bad. Disneyland Hotel is really close to TDL so its nice to go back and take a rest break with kids. If you buy food at the Looking Glass sundries that need warmed up, the staff there will warm it up for you and give you cutlery/chopsticks. We done that for dinner before when we are too tired to go to a restaurant in the park.

In regards to diapers, I've heard that Goon diapers are good, Moony is okay but Japanese Pampers are better than Moonys. I have no first hand knowledge of this, but heard it from other moms.

You can buy the stamp book at the temple/shrines. Here is a link about the stamp books - http://japantravelcafe.com/japanese.../the-japanese-temple-stamp-book-go-shuin-chou. Each stamp that I got on our stamp boards was 300 yen each and our stamp board was 1000 yen. I think the books start at around 1000 yen and go up from there depending on how fancy of a book you want. I recommend you pay in exact coinage as a monk kind of ripped me off when I paid with a 1000 yen bill for two stamps, but my Japanese was not good enough to argue it. At least the extra money he kept is going towards a good cause, right?

We are leaving for vacation in the states the middle of June. Just in time to miss Tokyo rainy season, only to go to Seattle for year round rainy season

Have a great trip and I look forward to your trip report!

 

[Minnie222]

Minnie222 – We’re staying at the same Tokyo hotel at the beginning and end of our trip and the hotel staff said they would keep some of our luggage when we travel to TDR & Kyoto. I hope to leave our Hawaii stuff and carry on toys in Tokyo so that we aren’t dragging it around Japan with us. If this works out we’ll only have backpacks and roller duffel bags for 2 weeks in Japan which should make our other train trips easier. Do you think this is a reasonable option or should we look into a storage locker at the train station? I couldn’t figure out how long you can rent a storage locker. We’ll need one for like 10 days.
Thanks for the tip on the jetlag in Honolulu. I haven’t planned anything for Hawaii yet (except for our character breakfast). I plan to spend a lot of time relaxing! Do you have suggestions for what to do in and around Aulani? Did you make dinner reservations ahead of time?

If the hotel allows you to store the luggage there while away, I certainly suggest you take advantage of it. This is much easier than renting a storage locker.

Aulani:
For the kids, check out Aunty's beach house. There are morning hours where parents can go in to play with younger kids. At that time, you can bring both your kids there to play, and also familiarize your girl at that place. Then, at other times you can just drop off your daughter there. (your little one is too young to be checked in) You need to fill in a form to check your girl in. CMs there are very nice and they have games and story-times etc with the kids there. My DD7 was hesitant to go in, but just loved it there after she tried.

For Starlit Hui, arrive early! They have stations at the lawn to do different cultural stuff with the kids. It was fun.

Other cultural activities to do (free) include: making your own fresh flower lei, learn Hula, surf (on lawn) with Chip and Dale, etc. Check the daily newsletter for these. They are really great activities for you, and the kids.

Regarding restaurant reservations, we didn't book ahead, we just walked in. But we went during very low time (late January), crowd was low. We like to eat at "Off the Hook", a relatively decent priced place at Aulani. We also bought milk and cereal/ bread for breakfast in the room.

 

[amyren]

Hey everyone! We're currently in Kyoto and I finally had time to download and edit some of my pics so I've stated my Trip Report! It's on the blog. I'm really only up to day 3 of 21 soooo…. I've got a ways to go but check it out!

 

[pandv_2000]

It's probably just me but I can't see a link to your blog. Could you repost it please? I'm very interested to read it as we are currently 9 weeks out from our trip

 

[amyren]

It's probably just me but I can't see a link to your blog. Could you repost it please? I'm very interested to read it as we are currently 9 weeks out from our trip

=) Sorry it's in my signature!
www.amyandjasonallen.blogspot.com

 

[pandv_2000]

=) Sorry it's in my signature!
www.amyandjasonallen.blogspot.com

Thank you - I was on my phone so couldn't see your signature.

Thanks for sharing. Your kids are really cute and I love those Buzz and Woody toms. Like you, our kids are fairly well traveled. We believe in sharing these experiences as a family and yes, it's a different kind of vacation but so worth it. How are you finding Japan with the stroller? We have decided to leave ours at home this time and try not to go too crazy as we felt very resticted with it last time. Our little boy was about 2 1/2 when we went last time and we got a lot of folk asking if they could take pictures of the "kawaii" little blond boy. I bet your kids are getting a lot of attention too.

 

[amyren]

Thank you - I was on my phone so couldn't see your signature.

Thanks for sharing. Your kids are really cute and I love those Buzz and Woody toms. Like you, our kids are fairly well traveled. We believe in sharing these experiences as a family and yes, it's a different kind of vacation but so worth it. How are you finding Japan with the stroller? We have decided to leave ours at home this time and try not to go too crazy as we felt very resticted with it last time. Our little boy was about 2 1/2 when we went last time and we got a lot of folk asking if they could take pictures of the "kawaii" little blond boy. I bet your kids are getting a lot of attention too.

Yes this trip has been a LOT of work but totally worth it. I'm looking forward to Aulani in 3 days!
We haven't had too many issues with the stroller. I'm glad we have it. Ezra is very comfortable in it and can take naps here and there. We also brought our Ergo carrier which was great for waiting in line at TDR, hiking up to the Kyoto monkey park, checking out Fushimi Inari but it gets really hot! We've found that most places around Kyoto have a stroller park so we can easily leave the stroller and switch to a carrier if necessary. It has been a pain at the train stations & subway but usually I just carry Ezra up stairs or escalator and Jason carries the stroller.
Oh my have the kids got attention. Especially Ezra. It's like being in the entourage of a tiny rock star LOL. We've heard "Kawaii" about a million times especially from high school age girls. They all want to give him five and pet his hair. He totally eats it up. At this point he is hamming it up waving, blowing kisses and playing peek-a-boo with random women where ever we are! I haven't had anyone ask to take a picture but I think a few people snuck pictures of him at TDR.
Enjoy your trip! What are your plans??