Japan

We booked the trip for the first two weeks of March, in part because the flights were remarkably cheaper in early March vs later, and we'd also read that there is a lot more internal tourism during the cherry blossom season in later March. We decided to forego seeing cherry blossoms to travel in the lower peak time (and it turns out we saw a few early blossoms anyhow). The exchange rate is currently very favorable (151 Yen to USD), so that was an added bonus. We rented a wifi hotspot for $85, which was shipped to Sara and Todd's place, and we dropped it in the mailbox at the airport when we departed. It was small and easy to use, and it kept us connected throughout the trip so we didn't need to pay for an international cell plan. The only drawback was we couldn't communicate with each other if we separated. Prior to travel, I'd downloaded digital Icoca IC cards to our Apple Wallets, and we were able to take most subways, trains and buses throughout Japan by swiping our phones and could refill from our credit cards with a click. We also got Yen in cash in advance, which we did need at some temples, street food vendors and ramen shops.

We were grateful for the direct Delta flight from MSP to Tokyo (Haneda), which was smooth despite being 12.5 hours. We then caught a 3 hour flight to Okinawa, where Sara and Todd picked us up. They're living in Okinawa for 2 years (through Oct 2024) and have a lovely place looking right out at the ocean where we enjoyed 2 days/3 nights with them. It was warm and humid, and we strolled on the seawall. We took a humpback whale watching excursion along with some of Sara's coworkers. The seas were rough, and many people on the boat were sick. Thankfully we all took Dramamine before getting on the boat, but we still felt a bit green. We had some great meals together and they took us for a tour of the military base and the big commissary store. We went to a platform built for watching the planes takeoff and land from Kadena Air Force base. We always build in coffee breaks, and I discovered Starbucks had a seasonal sakura latte that was faintly cherry flavored but not too sweet- this became a favorite throughout the trip.

View from Sara and Todd's bedroom

Whale watching

Whale watching

Out for dinner- including complimentary poisonous snake-infused liquor shots

Catching up with Quinn

We took a 2 hour flight from Okinawa to Osaka (3 nights). Here was our first opportunity to start figuring out the subway system. Google Maps is the hero- it helped us navigate anywhere, including telling us which car to get into to expedite getting to which exit to take from the station. In Osaka, we went to a world-class aquarium that had whale sharks. We visited Osaka Castle, the Osaka Museum of History, and spent some time in the Dotonbori area ("crazy town" as our friend Dawn calls it). We discovered the restorative properties of ramen and ate sushi twice- once in a "revolving" conveyer belt restaurant and once in a place that had locals waiting in long lines for sushi made right in front of us. Our hotel (Dormy Inn) had a floor devoted to onsen facilities where we enjoyed a soak each evening. A highlight was a 30 min reserved visit to a mini pig café. At one point Andy had 9 pigs on his lap.

Our first of many bowls of ramen

Coffee break at Marufuku

Osaka Aquarium

Whale shark

Osaka Castle- great views from the top

Mini pig café

Mini pig café

Dotonbori

Sakae Sushi

Okonomiyaki at Chibo

We took a train to Nara, about 28 km away, for a day trip. We saw the Todai-ji Buddhist temple, housing the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha. We fed the deer in the park, then walked to the Katsuga Shrine. We took another train to the Horyu-ji shrine, the oldest wooden structure in the world and Japan's first UNESCO site.

Todai-ji

Todai-ji

Todai-ji

Katsuga

Feeding rye crackers to the deer

Horyu-ji

We took the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto, where we stayed 2 nights.

Fushimi Inari Shrine, with 10,000 tori gates

Yasaka pagoda

Starbucks

Early blossoms!

Bamboo garden at the Kodai-ji temple

Kiyomizu-dera temple

Heian Shrine gardens

Heian Shrine

The great eating continued. The "Jamaican" ramen place was a little weird, but Andy loved the Kobe and Wagu beef and fresh strawberries.

Our hotel breakfast buffet included tiny servings of dessert. The matcha pudding was divine

Niyama Teppanyaki restaurant

Niyama Teppanyaki restaurant

Strawberry parfait at Arrow Tree

We took another shinkansen from Kyoto to Odawara, then a train to Hakone where we'd booked one night at a ryokan, the Airu.

Using Google Translate to understand all of the choices available for coffee prior to getting on the train

Mount Fuji as seen from the bullet train

We took a switchbacking train, funicular, and cable car up into the mountains, then the magic abruptly ended when one of the sections of cable car was down for maintenance and it took us 2 hours to get back to town by crowded bus.

View of Mount Fuji from cable car in Hakone

Fortunately, our nerves were soon soothed when we checked in at the Airu and were given a cocktail then escorted to our room and advised to put on the provided yukatas and soak in our own private balcony onsen overlooking a mountain and wait until they called us to dinner.

Balcony stone onsen, overlooking a mountain

Figuring out the provided socks

For dinner, we were escorted (wearing our yukatas and socks) to our own little dining room, where a very attentive waiter served us an elaborate meal, including grilling our own wagu beef.

Our dinner menu

During dinner, the staff set up futons in our room, and after another onsen soak I succumbed to a temporary food coma. Andy roused me to go check out the bar, which was filled with aquariums. The bartender turned out to be hilarious, and we had a conversation using the translator app on his phone. When he learned that Andy enjoyed whisky, he kept plying him with free tastes of various Japanese whiskeys, and saying "don't tell the front desk."

Food coma

Conversing with the bartender

We slept well on those futons, and then it was time for breakfast. I'd ordered the Japanese breakfast and Andy the Western. My breakfast included 15 different dishes.

Breakfast

Sadly, our magical ryokan visit came to an end. We wheeled our luggage to the Hakone train station to figure out how to get to Tokyo. It wasn't hard, as there was an express Romancecar train leaving in 10 min (again, the public transportation was unbelievable- we never waited more than 15 min, to go somewhere, ever).

Arriving in Tokyo, we found our way to the Godzilla hotel (2 nights) in Shinjuku. We took in the views from the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan building, walked to the Meiji-jinju shrine, and went to the Tokyo National Museum. We went to see the Godzilla movie, in Japanese, in an Imax theater. Despite the theater being filled, it was completely silent during the previews, film, and the entire credits before everyone stood up and silently exited.

Godzilla hotel in Shinjuku

Inside Godzilla hotel

A coffee flight at Starbucks Reserve

Shopping on Kappabashi Street- filled with shops of kitchen wares

Another early blossom find

Views from the Tokyo Metropolitan Building 

The interactive and digital art installations at TeamLab Planets were really cool. We spent an hour at a Maid Cafe, which was quite silly, and saw the "Samurai Restaurant Time" show with dancers riding robots.

TeamLab- digitally projected interactive koi

TeamLab- hanging orchids

Maidreamin Café 

Maidreamin Café 

Samurai Restaurant Time

The last full day of the trip was dedicated to Disney Seas, and we transferred to the Disney Ambassador Hotel (2 nights) the evening before. We had a wonderful day in the park. The lines for rides are quite long (2-3 hours) and we did the best we could with limited free and for-purchase priority status on the app, and enjoyed the shows, meals and a drink at the Theodore Roosevelt bar. The people-watching was fascinating. The park visitors were about 80% young female, many in groups wearing the same outfits and sporting the same Disney merch (Minnie the clear fan-favorite). The park put on an amazing 35- min evening show in the bay, and when the show reached a roaring conclusion, there was no sound from the crowds of thousands.

On the day we flew home, we got a 5th and final serving of ramen in the Haneda airport. Andy was so inspired, he researched recipes and made ramen for us the 2nd day we were home. It was delicious.

Andy's homemade ramen