Background In July 2023, our family visited Kyoto and Osaka! This has been at the top of our family wish list for a few years. We visited in late July and combined this trip with a Hawaii visit and 3 days in Seoul.  We visited Asia previously (Tokyo 2017) but this was the first time Ellie came and the first time we visited the Kyoto/Osaka area. This post covers our visit to Universal Studios Japan and a brief visit to the Osaka area. Read all of our 2023 Korea/Japan posts at the following links: Seoul, South Korea: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Seoul Day 1: Myeongdong, Namsangol Hanok, Seoul Tower Seoul Day 2: Hanbok rental, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanham square, Hongdae Seoul Day 3: Gangnam Area, COEX Aquarium, Myeongdong Night Market Kyoto, Japan: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Kyoto Day 1: Higashiyama Temples: Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, Kiyozdemeru Osaka: Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Osaka Dotonbori Kyoto Day 2: Arashiyama River Cruise, Monkey Park, Bamboo Gardens, Kyoto Day 3:Aeon Mall, Nishiki Market, Pokemon Center,Gion Matsuri Gallery Kyoto Day 4: East Kyoto Temples: Philosophers Path, Nanzeji Temple General Tips for Amusement Parks Research: As early as possible, start researching your plans and have a rough idea of what your priorities for the day will be. There are also constantly changing procedures for how the lines work with names such as fastpass, maxpass, lightning lane, genie, etc. Even reading what other people have done 2 months ago may not apply to your visit, but it’s still good to get a general idea. Get there early!  I know it’s vacation and sleep is valuable, but the first hour of the park is a prime time to get as many rides in as possible, and then you can take a mid-morning break to re-group and figure out the rest of the day. If you’re staying off-site, you’ll need to add time for driving in, going through security, and making your way through the turnstiles. Also, often the parks will actually open 30 minutes before official. Again, read some of the blogs that are dedicated to staying up-to-date on current procedures. Save time and money on dining: We packed some snacks and ate them while walking between rides. Take advantage of mobile ordering in the park and quick-service options. Share a meal when possible, and save room and money for snacking (Both brought from home and purchased at stands) Prepare yourself and kids for lines: Unless you’re going on a truly slow day such as a rainy Wednesday in the off-season, you’re going to experience lines. Activities and snacks and patience patience patience are so important. Phone apps and other games are nice to bring along. Also, many lines have theming that you as the adult can help direct attention to and ask to point out characters and colors. Don’t minimize “small” rides and experiences: This is a tip for myself as well as others. Don’t be overly focused on big-name rides. Some of the characters will have minimal waits and some of the artistry shouldn’t be rushed through just to get on to the next item on a to-do list. This is especially true when line waits get long. Is it better to wait in a line for an hour for a 5 minute ride or spend some time in a playground or looking at fun sculptures.  Park Highlights and Itinerary Universal Studios Japan Date of visit: July 2023 Kids’s ages: 5.5-year-old Ellie and a 8-year-old Carter. Highlights: Nintendo Land, Jurassic Park Coaster We decided on this trip to not purchase the extra add-ons Express Passes. These options allow you to pay fees to skip lines either for a group of rides or individual rides.  One of the key tips for all theme park trips is to start your day on time. “Rope drop” is the term used for arriving 30 minutes early and being at the entrance turnstiles when the rope drops to mark opening.  In the morning, we took a train from our hotel in Kyoto to Universal City where we spent the morning and afternoon at Universal. Although the park was open from 9a-8p, we compromised with our theme park hating family members (cough cough) and prioritized a few sections with arrival at 8am and plans to stay until lunch and then explore Osaka.   This was a rough itinerary of all the highlights we hit: Universal Studios Japan: We bought tickets ahead of time from Klook and got to the front gates at 8a, one hour before official opening. We didn’t buy any express passes and planned to head straight to the Nintendo area. For the Nintendo area, you need a specific entry pass which you can get as soon as you enter the gates. I messed up my app (turn it off and turn it back on Jennifer!) and we ended up getting tickets for 11am. We did some rides in the Jurassic area and Harry potter world. Ellie was not big enough for the Harry potter ride but the rider swap system worked out great for this area. We watched a short parade and then headed back to our main reason for making the trip to Universal: Nintendo Land! Nintendo Land: Oh my goodness, this area was so fun!! Even besides the rides, the whole area was so cool with moving scenery and characters to visit. We didn’t purchase power bands or any snacks in this area (because sometimes we’re cheap lol) but still enjoyed the area so much. Ideally, we would have entered earlier when lines weren’t as long but it is what it is.  We grabbed a lunch ticket for the cafe (that we ended up not using) and went to the yoshi ride. This wait was about 45 minutes and there were lots of sights along the line. We also brought books and snacks and made sure to potty break ahead of time. The ride itself was a slow tour around the area. Really

Background In July 2023, our family visited Kyoto and Osaka! This has been at the top of our family wish list for a few years. We visited in late July and combined this trip with a Hawaii visit and 3 days in Seoul.  We visited Asia previously (Tokyo 2017) but this was the first time Ellie came and the first time we visited the Kyoto/Osaka area. This post covers our visit to central Kyoto including Aeon Mall, Nishiki Market and the Pokemon Center Read all of our 2023 Korea/Japan posts at the following links: Seoul, South Korea: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Seoul Day 1: Myeongdong, Namsangol Hanok, Seoul Tower Seoul Day 2: Hanbok rental, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanham square, Hongdae Seoul Day 3: Gangnam Area, COEX Aquarium, Myeongdong Night Market Kyoto, Japan: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Kyoto Day 1: Higashiyama Temples: Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, Kiyozdemeru Osaka: Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Osaka Dotonbori Kyoto Day 2: Arashiyama River Cruise, Monkey Park, Bamboo Gardens, Kyoto Day 3:Aeon Mall, Nishiki Market, Pokemon Center,Gion Matsuri Gallery Kyoto Day 4: East Kyoto Temples: Philosophers Path, Nanzeji Temple Day 4: Aeon Mall, Nishiki Market, Pokemon Center,Gion Matsuri This day was a detour in our plans. We had originally planned on heading to Nara with deer and other fun sites. The kids were feeling the end of the trip running around woes and we decided to re-group and do some more kid focused activities. We had a great time and got to see some spots that I’m sure wouldn’t make many people’s must do itineraries but were fun additions to our day Aeon mall: I saw on an instagram a fun arcade area in a mall near Kyoto station. This would also be a good detour if the Kyoto Railway museum is on your list. At the mall, we stopped by UNIQLO for some cute outfits and pokemon shirts. I always love uniqlo in Hawaii. We also went to DAISO, a dollar store where we spent too much money on small trinkets, toys, chopsticks, and washi tape. So much washi tape! At the arcade, the kids loved the pokemon and kirby game and we watched some streamers do some really complicated taiko drumming. So cool! Nishiki Market: We didn’t get to wander the korean markets as much as I wanted to so we prioritized a spot at Nishiki market, a long strip of food stands and little market shops. We ate so well and for relatively cheaply. Ellie was in heaven with crab stick, Carter continued his love of eel, and we had takoyaki (octopus balls), tempura (fried shrimp), beer, mochi, and more. Note that you shouldn’t eat and walk so we kinda hovered at each stand. There were also options for sushi, steak, oysters and more. Pokemon Center: After all the planning we did to avoid crowded places on weekends, we did not think about the craziness that would be the pokemon store on a Saturday afternoon. The line took about 30 minutes. There were lots of unique items and people playing games, both online and card games. It wasn’t particularly cheap but some of the items are exclusive to the store including really cute sleepy stuffies. Gion Matsuri:  We happened to visit in July during the Gion Matsuri Festival season. Although we didn’t see the actual parade, we were still able to see a really cool gallery exhibit next to the park that has pictures and a small gift shop. The floats are huge! We stopped for ramen for dinner, one of our favorite foods in Japan! More Asia 2023 Posts Read all of our 2023 Korea/Japan posts at the following links: Seoul, South Korea: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Seoul Day 1: Myeongdong, Namsangol Hanok, Seoul Tower Seoul Day 2: Hanbok rental, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanham square, Hongdae Seoul Day 3: Gangnam Area, COEX Aquarium, Myeongdong Night Market Kyoto, Japan: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Kyoto Day 1: Higashiyama Temples: Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, Kiyozdemeru Osaka: Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Osaka Dotonbori Kyoto Day 2: Arashiyama River Cruise, Monkey Park, Bamboo Gardens, Kyoto Day 3:Aeon Mall, Nishiki Market, Pokemon Center,Gion Matsuri Gallery Kyoto Day 4: East Kyoto Temples: Philosophers Path, Nanzeji Temple

Background In July 2023, our family visited Kyoto and Osaka! This has been at the top of our family wish list for a few years. We visited in late July and combined this trip with a Hawaii visit and 3 days in Seoul.  We visited Asia previously (Tokyo 2017) but this was the first time Ellie came and the first time we visited the Kyoto/Osaka area. This post covers our fun day in the Arashiyama area including a boat cruise, monkey park, and bamboo gardens! Read all of our 2023 Korea/Japan posts at the following links: Seoul, South Korea: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Seoul Day 1: Myeongdong, Namsangol Hanok, Seoul Tower Seoul Day 2: Hanbok rental, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanham square, Hongdae Seoul Day 3: Gangnam Area, COEX Aquarium, Myeongdong Night Market Kyoto, Japan: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Kyoto Day 1: Higashiyama Temples: Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, Kiyozdemeru Osaka: Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Osaka Dotonbori Kyoto Day 2: Arashiyama River Cruise, Monkey Park, Bamboo Gardens, Kyoto Day 3:Aeon Mall, Nishiki Market, Pokemon Center,Gion Matsuri Gallery Kyoto Day 4: East Kyoto Temples: Philosophers Path, Nanzeji Temple Day 3: Arashiyama River Cruise, Monkey Park, Bamboo Gardens, Gion Hozugawa River Boat: This was a highlight of our trip! A common recommended route for people visiting the Arashiyama area is to take a train west to Kameoka station and then a riverboat back. We went straight to the Kameoka station from our hotel to start our day. This area itself was really cute with a huge soccer stadium and some small shops nearby. The boat ride was about $50 for adults. From my reading of reviews, I thought this would be a relaxing picturesque ride. It was so much more! Parts were peaceful, but parts were rapids-ey with bamboo poles pushing us within inches of rocks. As I was writing this blog post, I also saw that there have been capsize accidents in the past. A good reminder to do research ahead of time. We would do this tour again. There were cool animals to see and really fun sights. Towards the end of the ride, a small motorboat pulled up with snacks! So fun! Lunch: Per the recommendations of several blogs, we stopped at Arashiyama Yoshimura, a really yummy tempura and soba spot. We were able to get a window seat and relax. The food was delicious! A little pricier than other spots we went to throughout the week but it was great. Although the boys said give them ramen over soba anyday. Iwatayma Monkey Park: This park has Japanese Macaques living all over the park. There is a steep 20 minute climb to the top of the hill and a small entrance fee. At the top there are monkeys swimming, monkeys playing, monkeys being mean to other monkeys. So many monkeys! There was a small area where humans could get in a room/cage and feed the monkeys. It was very silly 🙂 The area also has nice views of the city including all the way towards Kyoto city. Bamboo Gardens: By this point, we were kinda tired but we wanted to see the famous bamboo grove. It was really cool to see the tall stalks moving in the wind. It was really hot during our visit and we didn’t do this full hike as the kids were exhausted. Hotel time: With most of our itineraries, we try to plan lots for the morning, take a break after lunch (used to be nap time but it’s a little more flexible now) and then head out for dinner and maybe one more activity. While we were in Kyoto, we set the kids up in their own room and hooked up the switch to the TV.    Dinner: Conveyor Sushi: Near the Kawaramachi area, we planned on doing some shopping and eating dinner. We were pretty exhausted and did some wandering around the Pontocho alleys and decided on conveyor belt sushi at Morimori. Around this part of town there are also fun spots like Kiddyland toy store, Takashimaya department store and other cool spots. We also stopped at a grocery store to grab some drinks so we would stop stopping at every vending machine More Asia 2023 Posts Read all of our 2023 Korea/Japan posts at the following links: Seoul, South Korea: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Seoul Day 1: Myeongdong, Namsangol Hanok, Seoul Tower Seoul Day 2: Hanbok rental, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanham square, Hongdae Seoul Day 3: Gangnam Area, COEX Aquarium, Myeongdong Night Market Kyoto, Japan: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Kyoto Day 1: Higashiyama Temples: Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, Kiyozdemeru Osaka: Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Osaka Dotonbori Kyoto Day 2: Arashiyama River Cruise, Monkey Park, Bamboo Gardens, Kyoto Day 3:Aeon Mall, Nishiki Market, Pokemon Center,Gion Matsuri Gallery Kyoto Day 4: East Kyoto Temples: Philosophers Path, Nanzeji Temple

Background In July 2023, our family visited Japan!  We visited in late July and combined this trip with a Hawaii visit and 5 days in Seoul.  This post covers the Higashiyama Temple area. This was split between our first half-day and our last half-day. Read all of our 2023 Korea/Japan posts at the following links: Seoul, South Korea: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Seoul Day 1: Myeongdong, Namsangol Hanok, Seoul Tower Seoul Day 2: Hanbok rental, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanham square, Hongdae Seoul Day 3: Gangnam Area, COEX Aquarium, Myeongdong Night Market Kyoto, Japan: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Kyoto Day 1: Higashiyama Temples: Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, Kiyozdemeru Osaka: Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Osaka Dotonbori Kyoto Day 2: Arashiyama River Cruise, Monkey Park, Bamboo Gardens, Kyoto Day 3:Aeon Mall, Nishiki Market, Pokemon Center,Gion Matsuri Gallery Kyoto Day 4: East Kyoto Temples: Philosophers Path, Nanzeji Temple Day 1: Higashiyama Temples: Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, Kiyozdemeru Hello Kitty Train! We kicked off the Japan portion of our trip with a ride on a Hello Kitty Train! The Haruka runs from Kansai airport to Kyoto station and has cute decoration, seats, and even bathrooms lo. Tickets are about $24 per adult and half-price for kids Lunch: Eel! Near our hotel, we found a small chain called Nakau that sold curry, eel, salmon, and fried chicken. Super cheap too! After getting settled into our hotel after our day of travel, we decided to go see some temples. We didn’t have big plans for the day but just wanted to visit a few sights on our first day. Because we didn’t head out till around 4pm, many of the sites were closed by the time we got there. If you’re copying our plans, this should be done earlier in the afternoon rather than later like we did. Southern Higashiyama Temples: Chion-in Temple was the first temple we visited. Chion-in is very grand with a huge entrance gate (the biggest in Japan!). There are beautiful pagodas and gardens. The cost is less than $5 for adults (paid in cash). We walked by the entrance gates and continued our walk to Maruyama Park Maruyama Park: This cute park is beautiful and has lakes and bridges and mountains in the background. We grabbed some vending machine drinks and walked through the park to the Yasaka Shrine area. The kids rang the bell and we saw the large and beautiful shrine. Gion Walk: We skipped some of the temples as we continued south through Ninen-Zaka & Sannen-Zaka Streets. This area is super cute with beautiful houses and a 100-year old starbucks. Warning that there are lots of stairs in this area! 🙂 But check out these views of the Yasaka Pagoda! This pagoda was built in 592! We continued the walk towards Kiyomizu-Dera temple. Although we were too late to view the temple, it was still awesome to see. If we had planned our day better, we would have tried to grab some convenience snacks for lunch and headed out immediately so we could see the sights when they were open Izakaya dinner: For dinner, we had some awesome yakitori (and edamame!) at a restaurant near our hotel. There were no English speakers but we survived with google translate and papago and it was delicious! Day 5: East Kyoto Temples: Philosophers Path, Nanzeji Temple​ Random Kyoto neighborhoods: I made this a category of its own because it was a fun little side adventure. We decided to save some of the other farther sites such as Nara and Fushimi Inari for a future visit but still wanted to visit a few more good free temples on our last full day. I saw a blog post for some off the beaten path spots and we wandered over to Takenaka Shrine and Shinsho Temple. These are not on anyone’s top lists but were still gorgeous. And we found a neighborhood playground. Always a joy. Philosopher’s path and Nanzenji Temple: We walked along the philosophers path from North to South. This path is a beautiful walkway next to a small canal. I’ve read its especially gorgeous during cherry blossom season. The walkway got its name from a philosopher who used to wander the street to walk to University. The walk itself is only about 15 minutes.  We ended the walk at Nanzenji Temple. This temple was absolutely gorgeous with gardens and mountains in the background. It even had an aqueduct. So cool! In the afternoon, we took the Hello Kitty train and headed to a hotel near the airport for an early morning flight.  Some spots in the Kansai area we’ll save for our next trip:  Railway Museum Samurai exhibit Golden Temple Fushimi Inari red shrines Side trips to Himeji, Nara, Kobe, Hiroshima More Asia 2023 Posts Read all of our 2023 Korea/Japan posts at the following links: Seoul, South Korea: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Seoul Day 1: Myeongdong, Namsangol Hanok, Seoul Tower Seoul Day 2: Hanbok rental, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanham square, Hongdae Seoul Day 3: Gangnam Area, COEX Aquarium, Myeongdong Night Market Kyoto, Japan: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info Kyoto Day 1: Higashiyama Temples: Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, Kiyozdemeru Osaka: Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Osaka Dotonbori Kyoto Day 2: Arashiyama River Cruise, Monkey Park, Bamboo Gardens, Kyoto Day 3:Aeon Mall, Nishiki Market, Pokemon Center,Gion Matsuri Gallery Kyoto Day 4: East Kyoto Temples: Philosophers Path, Nanzeji Temple