November 2, 2018 I arrived in Tokyo with 2, 20 year old’s in tow. We decided to follow the recommended 2 week itinerary from the Lonely Planet web site, it takes us from Tokyo to Hiroshima and back with many stops in between. I pre-booked all but 3 nights before we departed, I tried to keep the accommodations at a low budget with 3 star minimum so that it would be realistic for the young adults. I decided to use Booking.com since they provide a APP and offer a variety of places from hotels to apartments to hostels. The first 3 nights we stayed at the Shinjuku Kuyakusho-mae Capsule Hotel. I have never stayed at a capsule hotel before but figured I have stayed in hostels in Costa Rica and it would be a good experience for my bonus kids. We spent our first few days walking around getting lost and eating. We found Godzilla, giant robots and drift racing. We ate a lot of curry and soup. The capsule hotel was a fun experience and I recommend the one we stayed at, they have a place to eat dinner, fun pajamas and all the toiletries you could need, this way is a super affordable way to stay in Japan.
Next stop Kyoto for 3 nights, we stayed at the Grand Japanning Hotel Kyoto Station North. This place was in a perfect location close to the Unesco Temple. I had the kids in charge of figuring out the transportation and what to see when we arrived in each destination. Besides the temple that was walking distance. A short bus ride to Nara, domesticated deer roam free in the parks, the park outside Tōdai-ji, the 15 meter tall bronze Buddha.
Osaka 2 night stay at the Hotel Il Cuore Namba. I enjoyed Namba, I love that everywhere we go is walking distance or an easy bus ride. The train system in Japan is amazing and efficient. Namba is famous for the food on Dotonbori street. We ate Takoyaki, not enough Gyoza, my favorite Kushikatsu (only dip once), Okonomiyaki and Sake! of course. Namba is also the location of my cousins friends tattoo shop, so I went and got a tattoo souvenir.
A quick pit stop in Himeji was recommended so we did and checked out the castle, we stayed at APA chain hotel, Himeji-Eki-Kita. The day was beautiful and the castle stairs helped us attain our steps goal.
Heading to the farthest destination on this trip we stayed in Hiroshima 2 nights at Leclerc Kusao. Our apartment was walking distance to the Hiroshima Atom Bomb memorial. I enjoyed walking this area the most, it is near water so walking across the bridges and thru history in a place that was devastated by war and hate. I am grateful to have stayed in a place with such emotion attached to it. The kids got to wonder around all day and night exploring the streets of shopping and food and neon.
Takoyaki
Heading back toward Tokyo, the longest stretch of our train rides was going from Hiroshima to Shin-Fuji where we stayed at a traditional Japanese Ryokan and ate at a local traditional restaurant. We stayed at Fujimi Ryokan, this was my least favorite not because I minded the shared bathrooms or the mats on the floor, shared social area, roof top foot bath and free beveraged. Simply because it smelled like bathroom deodorizer and cigarette smoke all in the halls. We walked 2+ miles to the train station from our place. I didnt expect this area to be so industrial looking.
Last night back in Shinjuku at what I could say was my favorite apartment on our trip. The Shinjuku Apartment 519519. We finally got to go to the Robot Bar to see the show, familiar with the area after our initial stay. We wandered the streets and I popped in to the bar to see Yukio for a drink. The kids won a ton of stuffed animals that they had to carry back on the plane.
