Trip to Japan

We just got back from a life-changing trip to Japan! My son has been learning to speak Japanese for several years, through middle school, high school, and his first year in college, so we went to Japan for a summer family trip to celebrate his hard work. He did an excellent job translating for us and we all had an amazing 10 days exploring Tokyo, Harajuku District in Shibuya, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. We stayed in Tokyo for two days and then the remaining days in a sweet little home in Kyoto, but we traveled by subway and train to explore other areas. The cities (Tokyo & Osaka) are vibrant, colorful, busy, and exciting, while Kyoto is a smaller, more mellow town with many traditional homes, shops, shrines, and amazing restaurants. The touristy town of Nara was a fun shopping town with shrines & the famous Nara deer which were very human-friendly.

I am exhausted and dealing with jet lag but I wanted to share some pictures of our amazing trip. I can’t tell you how wonderful and safe the country of Japan is–the people are so kind, everyone is respectful of those around them, it’s so clean–even the busiest streets! The packed subways & trains are filled with people who are so quiet out of respect for each other, nobody cuts in line, and everyone is so courteous to each other. The food is amazing, affordable, and full of flavor, textures, and color!!! We had everything from noodle bowls, sashimi, beef katsu, sushi, ramen, tonkatsu, & wagyu beef and it was ALL delicious.  My kids had an absolute blast shopping and my husband and I had fun watching them have the time of their lives. The fashion style ranges from pretty crazy & over the top (but super cool) to traditional kimonos and suits with ties.

We endured 95-104 degree temperatures with 75-85% humidity which we Oregonians are NOT used to! Thankfully, we had neck fans, sun umbrellas, cooling scarves, and hand fans to help keep us cool! Our little abode in Kyoto was really neat and in a cool little alleyway adorned with lanterns and amazing restaurants, one where we had delicious steak and sashimi, a tiny spot with tasty bowls of ramen, a cool craft beer pub 5 feet from our home, which had tasty appetizers, fish and chips, and good Japanese IPA beers that we loved–the owner, Simon was a great guy and he played trivia with us each night that we stopped by.

I will always cherish the memories of this fantastic trip with my family and I can’t wait to go back to explore more of this wonderful country! If you ever have a chance–GO TO JAPAN!

Portland/Vancouver, Canada:

Tokyo:

Harajuku District in Shibuya:

Kyoto:

 

Nara:

Osaka: