Japan (Part 1)

We have two weeks in Japan after changing our plans to come home early so we streamlined things to focus primarily on the kid’s first priority: Tokyo. That means we cancelled our plans for Hiroshima, Naoshima, Koyasan, and Hokkaido. It’s a bummer but we also feel confident that Japan is a place where we will return.  

After landing in Osaka we took a Hello Kitty train to Kyoto where we spent a couple quick nights before Tokyo. We went to the Kiyomizu-dera temple up in the hills which was crowded beyond belief but still beautiful. Afterwards we stopped at a super yummy mom and pop counter for ramen that was recommended to us. We finished the day with an evening stroll through Gion. 

On our second day we went to the majestic Arashimaya bamboo grove and then to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, a temple hidden in the nearby hills. This temple was definitely our favorite. It is much quieter with very few visitors and is known for its many (1200) unique Rakan statues. We loved meandering around looking at all the different faces.

After a quick stop at a cafe, we headed back into the city to take the bullet train to Tokyo. The train reaches almost 200 mph and tilts when it turns at high speed. Add to that the incredible views of Mt. Fuji and it makes for a spectacular experience. 

Of course we couldn’t go to Japan without doing a food tour. We decided to do a pretty basic one in Shinjuku which interspersed food stops with visits to Memory Lane, the big G-dzilla, and the 3D cat billboard. We also got to eat taiyaki (fish shaped pastries) which was on our shortlist.  

We also scored tickets to baseball at the Tokyo Dome! It was a “classic battle” between the visiting Hashin Tigers and the home Yomiuri Giants. The historic rivalry goes beyond baseball. The fans were loud throughout the whole game with chants and songs (see video below).