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Boos Family - Japan 2023

March - April 2023
A 12-day adventure by Meredith Read more
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  • TravelerBoos Family - Japan 2023
    Day 1

    Heading Out to Haneda

    March 28, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Up at 3:15 a.m. and out of the house by 3:40. Gram kindly drove us to the airport and she, along with Jiji, will look after Walter, Escher and Soft-Paws. Kyrie was hungry so we stopped in at 7Eleven for breakfast. Early flight from MYR
    to Atlanta then late afternoon flight to Haneda. Airport pretty empty at 4 a.m. got Kyrie plugged in so she could work on her drawings on the iPad.

    We are all very excited and a little nervous about this trip. It will be 5 years since Greg and Kyrie have been there (4 for me, thanks mom!) and since the pandemic Japan kept some of the strictest border closures in the world. They only officially opened up to international travelers late last November. It will be interesting to see what has changed in that time. Regardless, this is going to be a great trip.

    We have reservations to the Pokemon Cafe for Kyrie, the TeamLAB planets exhibit for Greg and a Yukata (kimono) styling appointment for me and Kyrie. Also our hotel is a stone throw from Akihabara which everyone was happy about. When I told them there was a built in FamilyMart, all concerns evaporated.

    The Atlanta airport international terminal is spacious and quiet. We saw ‘vintage’ lunchboxes (many of which Greg and I had used at school), a plane made of corn and randomDa Vinci-esque models hanging from the ceiling.

    We were able to snag one of the seats behind the bulkhead so Greg can stretch his legs. Hopefully the flight will go well and the next update will from Tokyo!    Read more

  • TravelerBoos Family - Japan 2023
    Day 2

    Made it to Tokyo

    March 29, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Perhaps we are getting too old for a 15 hour flight. Granted like childbirth we will forget how uncomfortable it was…

    Anyway, we were able to get Greg a spot without a chair in front of him so he was able to stretch his legs the whole flight. Unfortunately the two people ahead of me and Kyrie decided to recline completely despite they had nothing but space ahead of them. We were squished but both slept some of the flight.

    Customs and immigration was busier than I’d ever seen and took almost two hours to clear.

    We took a taxi out of sheer decadence to the MyStay Hotel in Ochanomizu. Very pleasant driver and nice, if not rainy, views of Tokyo at night.

    Our room is really big by business hotel standards. Everyone has a bed and at that point that’s all that mattered. We did a run though the attached convenient mart for dinner. Got the usuals-egg salad sandwiches, rice balls with tuna, etc. Kyrie did a Sailor Moon lucky pull and got a key chain of Sailor Uranus (which was way too funny in our sleep deprived minds.)

    We made it till almost 10pm Tokyo time before we all passed out. We will plan more to do tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerBoos Family - Japan 2023
    Day 3

    Sakura!

    March 30, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Up at 3:30 am…so much for no jet lag. Decided to go to Chidorigafuchi to attempt boating. A Sakura was gorgeous. Sadly the boats were flooded so the attendants announced they didn’t know what time they would open.

    We found a place for a late breakfast after some trial and error. I had some of true best honey pancakes ever. After that we did a bit of shopping in Akihabara and came back to our hotel to rest around 2 p.m.    Read more

  • TravelerBoos Family - Japan 2023
    11
    Day 4

    Friday in Tokyo

    March 31, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Up at a late 4:30 a.m. Everyone showered and clean and out by 7:30 to attempt the boats again. Many things we want to see don’t open until 11 so it’s a good activity for the morning. Kyrie and I took the boat out and Greg was kind enough to take pics from the land. Contrary to Kyrie’s opinion, I didn’t come close to hitting anything and we made it back with one minute to spare.

    Afterwards we ventured out to Alice on Wednesday and Kiddy Land to store. Everyone is dragging a little bit so we didn’t stay long. The crowds are overwhelming. But Kyrie found the Magolor Kirby plush she was on the hunt for.

    Kyrie and Greg hit the grocery for supplies. We relaxed for the latter half of the afternoon in perpetration for visiting the illuminations at Shinjuku Park. Unfortunately Kyrie stumbled on the subway steps and twisted her ankle. All of us went back to the hotel. After discussing it, Kyrie insisted we go ahead without her. We did…but the line into the park ran the entire perimeter of the park and by 8:40 we gave up and headed back. It was the longest line I’d ever seen. We will try for the illuminations another day. Personally I’m proud I stayed awake this long.    Read more

  • TravelerBoos Family - Japan 2023
    Day 5

    Saturday

    April 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    We actually were able to sleep in! No one woke up before 7! We went out to Denny’s for breakfast (if you can count honey caramel pancakes as breakfast…) then hung out in front of Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara until the store opened. We were able to go to Daiso (dollar store) and get some nice souvenirs. There was also a huge toy shop that made everyone’s morning. Afterwards we went to the Don Quixote novelty store and found lots of interesting things.

    We went back to the hotel to relax a bit. After a lot of debate we decided Greg and I would try to see the illuminations in Shinjuku park at 7. We left at 3:30 (>_<)… the people herding the daytime reservations were very nice if not confused why we were here so early. Another Japanese last was all like, “They are here like me so we won’t get in the unbelievable line like last night!” Hahaha.

    But at 5:45 some random person came out shouting orders out of a bullhorn in rapid fire Japanese. Turns out they changed the entrance to a mile down the road. So even though we’d been waiting where they told us to we still got passed up by half the crowd. But, but, BUT we got in, we got a purple lantern, we got our Sakura mat and flower fortunes and the park was INCREDIBLE! We saw a guy propose and took pics for them then as we left we handed off our lantern to a family and the mom was overjoyed. So as much as I complained about the whole situation, we were where we needed to be the whole time.    Read more

  • TravelerBoos Family - Japan 2023
    2
    Day 6

    Sunday

    April 2, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Everyone was up too early again at 5am. We all chilled until things started opening and walked to Akihabara’s Radio Kaikan…many things were purchased, including my birthday present which I’m not sure exactly how I’ll get it/her home. Eh-heh.

    After a stop at the hotel we went to the Ochanomizu Train Station to catch the express for Nakano. We made it to Nakano Broadway in less than 20 minutes and got to see all the carp streamers in the shopping street. Nakano has a lot of independent shops with vintage and retro flair. Everyone agreed the process and items were a lot better and more fun to search for. We even set a butterfly free that has been trapped in the shopping complex.

    We ate at our favorite noodle restaurant Nidai Fujisoba for dinner (Tanuki udon and tonkatsu soba set) and topped it off with soft serve melon ice cream cones.    Read more

  • TravelerBoos Family - Japan 2023
    Day 7

    Monday

    April 3, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 55 °F

    Didn’t sleep well but Kyrie and Greg slept till 7. We decided it’d be good to see how much stuff we had and Tetris it into the suitcases. So far we have two big bags still empty somehow.

    We went to Shinjuku to the Disney Flagship store to get various souvenirs. Afterwards we attempted to find the 3D billboard but I might have underestimated the sheer scale of Shinjuku Station. Greg saved the day by finding the tourist center and finding the way. We saw the huge 3D kitty dressed as a policeman.

    Afterwards we rested a bit in preparation for our afternoon at teamLab Planets. It took a bit to get there, a bus as well as the subway this time but it was totally worth it. There will probably be two posts to hold all the pics and videos…

    See the next post for teamLab Planets…it was awesome.

    Afterwards we were all pretty tired. We ate at Jonathan’s family restaurant and were served by a robot cat…I kid you not. Which was also awesome.    Read more

  • TravelerBoos Family - Japan 2023
    Day 7

    Monday-teamLab Planets

    April 3, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Together with Others, Immerse your Entire Body, Perceive with your Body, and Become One with the World
    teamLab Planets is a museum where you walk through water, and a garden where you become one with the flowers. It comprises 4 large-scale artwork spaces and 2 gardens created by art collective teamLab.

    People go barefoot and immerse their entire bodies in the vast artworks together with others. The artworks change under the presence of people, blurring the perception of boundaries between the self and the works. Other people also create change in the artworks, blurring the boundaries between themselves and the works, and creating a continuity between the self, the art, and others.    Read more

  • TravelerBoos Family - Japan 2023
    Day 8

    Tuesday

    April 4, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 59 °F

    Today we went to the Skytree/Asakusa districts. There were many stores at Skytree. We went mostly for the Kirby Cafe Store since Kyrie is a fan. After seeing a few other favorites, ( AND A SLOTH!!) we headed to Yae Kimono to get dressed up. They not only provided the outfits, they also did our hair. Once we were properly outfitted, we went to Sensoji Temple. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel and Greg headed to Akihabara since he’d been the pack mule photographer for us for most of the day.Read more

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