Family Trip to Japan

I took my mom and my nephews to Japan!

Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto

We were there for about two weeks and we got to spend time in Tokyo and Osaka. We got to see more of Japan by taking day trips to Kyoto, Nara, and Lake Kawaguchiko. This was my first international trip in almost four years and it was also the first international trip of my nephews in almost a decade!

Dotonbori in Osaka

Several years ago, I asked one of my nephews if he wanted to go anywhere for the summer. He said he wanted to go to Japan. I told him that it was too expensive for a summer trip but I promised to take him once he graduates high school. Unfortunately, passport issues and the pandemic prevented me keeping my promise. That is, until now.

Mt. Fuji

My family was actually planning a different trip this year but because my grandmother was confined for a while before passing away earlier this year, we weren't able to make that happen. I thought that maybe we could go to Japan instead during my nephews' school break since visa application takes only a week and Japan is not that far away. Unfortunately, because this decision was practically last minute, my mom was the only other person in my family who could join us since everyone else couldn't take 2 weeks off of work on such short notice.

Hachiko statue in Shibuya, Tokyo

What helped me was that I already prepared a high-level itinerary for a trip to Osaka and Tokyo a few years ago. (The initial idea was to go there back in 2020 but we were faced with a global pandemic at the time.) I dug up those plans and started adding more detail into it. It also helped that many of my friends had just been to Japan and they shared a lot of tips and suggestions. In the end, our itinerary looked like this:

Day 1: Travel from Manila to Osaka
Day 2: Day trip from Osaka to Nara
Day 3: Universal Studios Japan
Day 4: Day trip to Kyoto
Day 5: Day trip to Kyoto
Day 6: Travel from Osaka to Kyoto via Shinkansen
Day 7: Lake Kawaguchiko to see Mt. Fuji
Day 8: Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa, and Ginza
Day 9: Akihabara and dinner at Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu
Day 10: teamLab Planets and Odaiba
Day 11: Disneysea
Day 12: Shibuya, Meiji Shrine, and the Imperial Palace
Day 13: Travel from Tokyo back to Manila

Unicorn Gundam statue in Odaiba

It was a full schedule and in fact, we ran into some bad luck: bad weather disrupted our plans and we didn't get to see everything we planned to see. Nevertheless, it was an incredible trip that I got to enjoy with my family. Over the next several blog posts, I will write in greater detail about this amazing trip.

Torii gate at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo

Next: Osaka