Top 9 Ways to Really Experience Kyoto and Tokyo with Kids- The Musts!
Our oldest son Luke chose Japan over everywhere else in the world. The geishas. The sushi. I actually don't know why he chose Japan, but it was our most eye opening culture shock. It was stoic, highly organized and profoundly mysterious to a western family. It's peace and beauty was undeniable. We arrived in Kyoto for a week to see what “traditional Japan” felt like then on to Tokyo for 10 days to see “modern Japan”. Both provided a rounded look at the Japanese people and country as a whole.
KYOTO:
Embrace the culture, learn some lessons and have some fun. That was our motto as we arrived in Kyoto. Japan is a very stoic culture. 97 percent homogenous. There’s no jaywalking, no talking on trains and no littering. The exact opposite of America. It was unlike anything we had ever experienced. We bought the Japan Rail Pass and decided to see and “fit in” all that we could in Kyoto and Tokyo. Anything we could fit into a two hour train ride was fair game.
Top Experiences and Places to Enjoy near Kyoto with Kids.
1) Relish Old Japan and Stay in Kyoto.
The beauty of old Kyoto is something that you really don't want to miss. Seeing a “real” geisha walk down the street In Kyoto was something our boys will never forget. How do you know who the “real geishas” are? It's hard to explain. You just know. Their walk, their presence, their aura. They're masters of their domain, their craft. Both they and Kyoto have a mysterious peacefulness to it. To experience it fully, we took the kids to see a traditional tea ceremony and geisha performance in Kyoto. I highly recommend this. They fell in love.
2) Amazing Day Trips from Kyoto Via Train and Bus.
Hiroshima. We decided that it would be important to show our kids Hiroshima and the ramifications of war and how time heals the human spirit. What a sobering experience. We visited Pearl Harbor with the kids earlier in 2017 and it was interesting to see the other side of the coin in Japan. The kids were rightfully worried about how they would be perceived as Americans here, but in the end, it was a great teaching moment to confirm that we as humans can heal, but should think carefully about our actions because they can be felt generations later. It's a beautiful memorial.
Himeji Castle and Engyohi Temple. Want to feel what it's like to be a ninja in a pristine castle dating from the 1300’s? Only 1.5 hours from Kyoto, Himeji is worth the train ride. Beautiful gardens filled with koi surround the grounds of the castle and the tour takes about an hour to get through. Amazing photo ops abound inside and outside of the castle. After the castle we took a 15 minute bus ride to the Engyogi Temple grounds. This is worth every minute and an amazing addition to our trip to Himeji. Visit the peaceful Zen Rock Garden at the Ryoan-ji Temple and take the nature walking paths to historic temples where the peaceful sound of nothing are enough to keep you going and rejuvenate your soul. It was early November and the leaves were turning red near the temples. We finished the day writing haiku poems with the kids while sitting outside the temple grounds.
Sagano Bamboo Grove, Arashiyama District. This is a remarkably pristine bamboo grove close to Kyoto. Spend the whole day or half a day in this beautiful district. Crowded but worth the trip.
Kinkaku-Ji- The Golden Temple. This was our boys favorite place near Kyoto. It's stunning. The photo opportunities in the fall with the changing leaves are near perfect.
Fushimi Inari Shrine. Get some exercise. Wear the kids out. Takes about two hours to complete. Beautiful and the color is etched in your mind when you leave. I never look at the color of a traffic cone the same again .
TOKYO:
We arrived in Tokyo and were in for quite a shock from the slowness of Kyoto. Almost 40 million people and such order! Man, how many people could cross a street together in Shinjuku Crossing? We explored the city mostly by subway and walking. Sometimes we were riding the rails with kindergartners riding by themselves in uniform on the way to school in the busiest city in the world. Unreal. The city is very safe to say the least. Google maps is essential and once figured out, taking the subway was easy.
Top Experiences and Places to Enjoy near Tokyo with Kids.
1) Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. We spent a couple days exploring this pristine garden in the middle of the city. It's gigantic and it could take you all day to see the sights there. If you like photographing nature, this place will blow you away.
2) Best Ramen in Tokyo. Ramen Tatsunoya Shinjuku. This place took the prize after visiting seven of the best Ramen places in Tokyo (we ate it every day). Nothing compared.
3) Best Sushi Experience. Oubei Tokyo. This isn't your standard conveyor belt sushi experience. You place your order via a screen, then magically your food comes zooming out from the back of house on a turbo-charged beltway and stops right in front of you. Somehow, you smile every time. The kids went insane.
4) Tokyo Metropolitan Building. Free observation deck where you can see the whole city from above. The city's scale is so massive that it can only be truly appreciated from high above.
5) Shinjuku Crossing and Red District of Kabukicho. Watching hundreds of people cross the one of the busiest intersections in the world at once is a sight to behold. Visit the busiest Starbucks on the planet and walk the streets at night to get the full experience. The lights will mesmerize the kids. They'll never forget the energy of Tokyo.
Sayonara Japan.
Cheers to dreaming- Matt