Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku

On our third day in Japan, we left our accommodation in Asakusa and caught the train to drop off our luggage at our next hotel which was the Hiyori Hotel Maihama (near Tokyo Disneyland). 

The train stations were never really that far away from where we are staying, and I don't mind walking through the streets with our luggage. 

Unfortunately, the trains were often very full, and we felt bad taking up lots of space with our luggage. We didn't end up forwarding any luggage on this trip as it was just too hard because we were staying in Airbnbs rather than hotels (except for at Disneyland).   We ended up splitting up between train carriages after a couple of trips, as we realised it would be easier with our suitcases. 

We dropped off our suitcases at our hotel and then caught the train into Shibuya so that Melissa could see Shibuya Crossing and everything in central Tokyo. 

We paid for a drink at the Magnet store so that we could go up to their lookout. 

Inside people from all around the world had written notes and hung it on the wall. 

We all spent a bit of time looking around Shibuya before meeting back up again, so we could walk together to Harajuku and Shinjuku. 

The Nike store is so cool and all I could think about was how much Aaron would've loved it. 

We went to Takeshita Street which we knew would be hectic, but we also wanted Melissa to experience it and I was keen to get some crepes. 

We are very wary of the touts there (very big African men, who try to lure you into their shops) as the boys were lured in last time and we've heard lots of stories about them. We avoided them as soon as we saw them. 

We always find the different drinks so fascinating. Apparently, this Pepsi has a high amount of caffeine in it - more than a regular Pepsi. 

We ended off the day at Shinjuku which always has lots of people out and about, drinking on the streets.  I don't mind visiting there, but wouldn't want to stay there. 

The boys and Melissa had fun trying on glasses in the Blue Elephant store. 

We all ended up getting different things for dinner. Kobe and I found a place where you could just order food on the iPad which we loved. 

We then jumped back on the train for the big trip back to our hotel at Disneyland. It wasn't quite as close to the one we stayed at on our first trip, but we still loved it. They had a shuttle bus which we could get to the Disney monorail. They had a little station in the foyer where you could choose a couple of little treats every night like face masks, or bath bombs. 

Every evening they had free dashi chazuke from 9:30 pm - 11:00 pm which is a rice soup. It was for when people were coming back from Disneyland or DisneySea. It was fun to put on your own toppings on top of the rice and broth and it was really yummy. They also had free drinks every night. 

We had joining rooms in this hotel, and we loved that they supplied us with Japanese pyjamas and slippers.  We were tired after a long day but were ready for a big day at Disneyland the next day. 

Yokohama Day Trip

Our second day in Japan started off, the way that our first day ended - back at the Konbini to grab some food for breakfast. It's such a cheap, easy option (especially things nothing really opens until 10 am) and the food is actually so good.  

We had decided to have a sleep in but Jalen was up and about a lot earlier than us and went out exploring around the area. Once we grabbed our breakfast, we walked to meet him so we could catch the train together. 

To get to the train we had to walk through the area around Senso ji which I'm always happy about.  It's always packed during the day and lots of people were dressed up in kimonos. 

Our first trip to Japan was in January which meant it was winter. We were lucky when we went as it was a very mild winter and it didn't really feel cold, but we were loving the spring weather during this trip and got to see the end of the blooming of the cherry blossoms. 

We caught the train to Yokohama for a day trip, which was only about 20 minutes from Asakusa. On the way there I was looking up information about Yokohama and I read that it had the 'world's largest Ferris wheel' but didn't see the other detail that said 'with a clock'. So the rest of the day we kept joking about it being the 'world's largest Ferris wheel with a clock' and now we have a joke whenever we see something with a clock saying it's the 'largest ______ with a clock'. 

Jay, Kobe, Melissa and I decided to go on the Ferris wheel (Harri isn't a fan of heights) and loved seeing Yokohama from above.   Below us was a theme park, which we decided to go to when we got off.  We tried to buy tickets to go on a roller-coaster, but they don't let you know when you buy tickets from the machine when the roller-coaster is shut, so we ended up having to get refunds for our tickets. 

I'd heard about the Noddle Cup Museum and thought it would be fun to check out since it was free.  It was actually very cool and had some great displays and things to do and see. 

We decided to pay 500 yen (about $5) to design our own cup noodles, but we had to select a time to do it and it was about an hour wait.  We didn't mind as we were all hungry and came across this cute little area where you could order noodles from different places around the world and it was all so cheap. I think each option was only around 500 yen ($5) and the food was really yummy. 

The meals were small, but delicious and we ended up buying a couple each from different countries. 

I still think about the shaved ice that we had there. I'd never had anything like that in my life, and it was so delicious and just literally melted in your mouth. 

Once it was time to go and design our own cup noodle, we bought the cup out of a vending machine and was then shown to a table where we could spend as much time as we wanted decorating the outside with markers. 

It was actually lots of fun, and nice to just sit down and relax a bit.  

Once we finished decorating the outside, we had to take it over to where they fill it and we got to choose the toppings that goes inside including the protein, vegetables and spices.  They then wrap it up and put it in a bag which is filled with air to protect it.  We loved the whole experience. 

We then walked to the Red Brick Warehouse which had lovely shops inside and beautiful gardens outside. 

This is the kind of photo I wanted. 

This is often what I'd get, as I would be telling off the boys about something, and they obviously all take me very seriously! ;) 

We can always rely on Jalen to make us laugh. 

Yokohama was beautiful and it felt very different to Tokyo, even though it wasn't far away.  It reminded us a lot of Sydney being on the harbour and with all the lovely old buildings as well as modern ones. 

When we got back to Asakusa I wanted to just walk around on my own for a while (one of my favourite things to do in Japan is just wander by myself and take in the sights) and was so happy to come across a street show that I saw on our first trip. 

Everyone just got their own food for dinner, so Kobe and I decided to go and check out the food at the supermarket, as we knew they have amazing meals that are really cheap. They also discount them after 7 pm. 

We ended up buying a few different things and some things for breakfast and the salmon meal I got from the supermarket, was some of the best salmon I've ever had and it cost about $7 AUD. 

Before going to bed that night, I decided to go out for another walk by myself to see Senso ji at night one last time, as we would be leaving Asakusa the next day.  There is just something so incredible about it and it blows my mind that it's just in the middle of a huge city. 

I felt like we'd already done so much in our first two days and loved being back. 

Our Second Trip to Japan - Kamakura Day Trip

Ever since I took Japanese in Year 11 at Don College, I became obsessed with everything Japanese. I loved learning about the language and culture and knew that one day I would love to travel to Japan. That 'one day' just kept getting further and further away as I was a poor uni student, we were a poor young married couple and then a family struggling to just pay for the things we needed every day, as we only ever had one income coming in. 

I never imagined travelling without Aaron (and he would've preferred to have travelled to the USA instead of Asia) but something just sparked within me when I was 49 and I decided that I had made enough excuses about travelling overseas on my own (too hard, too expensive, too stressful) and I decided to finally plan a trip to Japan for my 50th.  

It was definitely the trip of a lifetime, and I loved Japan more than I ever expected. I was blown away with the technology, history, language, culture, people, scenery and food. I was so happy that all three boys wanted to come (Harri wasn't so sure at first) and the longer that we were home from our first trip, and the more we talked about it, we realised how incredible it was and wanted to go back. 

I'd see lots of flight deals pop up after our first trip and would check them out and dream about going back but in reality, I didn't think we would be back so soon.  One day I got home from work and Harri's girlfriend Melissa mentioned that QANTAS had flight deals in the school holidays. I had already seen the deals during the day, and just didn't think much of it, but when Melissa mentioned it I suddenly just thought 'why not'.   

I thought it's only money and I had come home from my first trip with some money as the trip didn't cost as much as I thought it would be.  I quickly put on the family chat that I was keen to book tickets and to see who was going to come back with me (the boys with full-time jobs help pay for their flights and activities and food in Japan) and I was so happy that everyone was keen! 

We booked the tickets last October and our trip wasn't going to be until April, but that would give us time to save up.  I told Melissa she was very welcome to join us on our trip if she was keen and she kept saying no because it was a 'family trip' but we'd already had our family trip to Japan and we were so keen to show her why we loved Japan so much, so I was so happy when she decided to book to come as well.  

April actually came up very quickly and we were so excited to go back.  We met Jalen in Melbourne and stayed there overnight in a hotel close to the airport, before catching an early flight from Melbourne, into Sydney and then from Sydney to Tokyo. 

Melissa had made up some little packs to give to the flight attendants with special treats and useful things in them, and they absolutely loved it and treated her and Harri so well, giving them special little gifts such as the QANTAS pyjamas and caps and keyrings. When we landed in Tokyo they asked Melissa and Harri if they wanted to have a look in the cockpit and these two airport workers were very happy. 

On our first trip we flew Jetstar which was fine, but we absolutely loved flying QANTAS. 

We arrived in Tokyo (Narita airport) about 8:30 pm and had to catch to the train to get to Asakusa so that we could get to our accommodation which was an Airbnb. The train got extremely busy, so I was glad when we could finally get off and was so excited to see Senso Ji as it's one of my favourite places in Tokyo. 

It was so nice to walk through at night as it wasn't busy and it really hit me that we were actually back in Japan and I couldn't wait for the next couple of weeks.  I felt so much less stressed this time round and knew we could just get straight into sightseeing and doing what we wanted to do as we knew how easy it was to catch trains and get around. 

We found our Airbnb and dropped off our luggage and then headed straight to the closest 7 Eleven near our accommodation so Melissa could experience it for the first time. We grabbed our favourite snacks and then headed back to hopefully get a good sleep, before our first full day in Japan. 

Melissa and Harri's room was right through a sliding door to my room, so there were lots of laughs as we chatted through the wall at night. They were excited to wear their new QANTAS pyjamas. 

The next morning, I woke up so excited to get out and about.  I think the whole trip I just kept thinking 'I can't believe I'm back in Japan!!'.  I already knew this trip would be awesome as Harri had struggled a little bit during our first trip as he had concussion and found it to be over stimulating at times. As the trip went on, he settled into it and started to enjoy it more, but this time he was looking forward to everything from the start and couldn't wait to see it through Melissa's eyes since it was her first trip there. 

There is nothing better than a second bucket list to Japan, than being there the same time as one of your best friends and cousin's family.   When Simone told me they were also planning a trip to Japan and South Korea in April, we had hoped our dates would line up but didn't plan our trips around each other. Once we had finished planning, we got together to see if there were any days that we could meet up while in Japan and we were so excited that there were a few days, when we would be in the same city.  

We met them at the Asakusa Tourist Information Centre and went up to the free lookout before jumping on the train together. 

They had arrived a couple of days before us and done the big touristy things in central Tokyo including Shibuya and Shinjuku. On this trip I wanted to show Melissa all the touristy things and places we went to on our first trip, but I also wanted to see some different places and do more day trips. I had heard that Kamakura was a great, easy day trip from Tokyo, so that's what I had planned to do with Simone and Simon and their family. 

It took about an hour on the train, and our first stop was Komachi street which is full of food stalls. 

We then walked to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu where we did the purification ritual before going up to the shrine.  

If you ever want a great travel companion who will bring you lots of laughs, you need to travel with Jalen. 

We took lots of photos with the sake barrels. 

We jumped on a train for a short ride to the area near the beach and from there we walked to Kotoku-in which I was the most excited about seeing. 

It cost 300 yen (about $3) to go inside the temple.  The giant Bhudda was incredible and looked a lot bigger in real life. Kobe and I paid 50 yen to go inside the statue (about 50 cents) and people were inside praying and touching the sides. 

We then walked to Hase-dera which was also beautiful and had so many special little areas in the grounds to see. 

The temple had incredible statues inside, but you are asked not to take photos inside. 

There were lovely views of Kamakura from the top of the hill. 

There were even caves in the temple grounds, which you could walk through, and they also had incredible statues inside. 

The whole temple grounds were so beautiful, and I was so glad that we made the trip to Kamakura as there was so much to see and do, and it was all very close to each other. 

Everything about Japan excites me and I loved seeing these cute schoolgirls in their uniforms with their matching bags at the train station. 

It was a very packed train ride back to Asakusa. 

We said goodbye to Simon and Simone as they headed back to their accommodation and knew we would be meeting up again in Kyoto and I couldn't wait to see them again. Spending our first day back in Japan was the best day, and I felt so lucky to be back there again, with the boys, Melissa and my extended family and one of my best friends. 

I loved walking around Asakusa that night, just taking in all the sights that seemed so familiar because we spent a lot of time there on our first trip which was only 15 months before this trip. 

We finished off the day with getting Ichiran for dinner (unfortunately they couldn't fit us in individual booths which is half the fun) and then we got some of our favourite ice creams at the konbini before heading back to our accommodation. 

I went to bed feeling so happy that we had almost two weeks ahead of us in such an incredible place.