One week in Tokyo! — Mika's Photos

A jam-packed, exhausting, eye-opening, fun-filled 7 days in Tokyo! Arlo and Lucy had a wonderful time observing the differences, taking in the sights, trying the food, riding the trains. Tokyo packs a punch, and we’ll be back for sure! Just need to rest our legs a bit first. 🗼⛩️🍙🚅

It's the trip we've been waiting for, and Arlo is ready!

Enjoying Hagen-Daaz ice cream in the lounge. Turns out kids under 6 can get in for free (with a gold card holder).

Arlo and Lucy get to take the new underground shuttle to the satellite terminal for the first time.

At the airport, we ran into Arlo & Lucy's friends, Brooklyn & Boss, who were also off to Japan.

Settled into the flight nicely (although we managed to get the only window seats without a window).

This peaceful image lasted for about 3 minutes.

Lucy proudly didn't sleep a wink on the flight, and was thrilled to receive this 3am breakfast.

Got our luggage, got our children; and waiting for the Keikyu Express into the city!

Lucy loves to hold onto the handles!

No wasted opportunities collecting the Eki stamps.

Pointing out where we just came from.

And we emerge in down town Tokyo (Kuramae)! Blue skies, and beautiful Japanese buildings.

First stop: breakfast from 7-Eleven.

And then we stumbled upon this view.

Tokyo, we made it!

Our first stop of the morning is Senso-ji Temple.

And that seems to also be the case for everyone else in Tokyo today.

Everyone else was touching the lantern, so Lucy had to, too.

Arlo really wanted to get a fortune.

He got the best one!

Our first giant koi spotting. They were hungry!

Lucy waiting patiently, while Mum & Arlo got the commemorative calligraphy in the stamp books.

Wafting the incense (as observed).

Continuing on to the shopping galleries behind Senso-ji.

Don-don-don quijote! With the same catchy music as in Bangkok.

Arlo was enthralled by this street performer.

So many bikes!

Continuing through Kappabashi.

Stopping at a tiny park for a swing, and a bite to eat.

And finally to our AirBnB!

The tatami room, which proved to be a great play space...

... and the bedroom for Mum & Lucy.

View out the (little) balcony.

There was a nice playground only ~3 minutes away (which Lucy spotted through an alley).

And dinner from our (soon to be) go-to grocery store, after a very long first day.

Night night from down here!

Good morning! Seems like someone slept well!

Very well-rested, refreshed, and ready for another (much cooler) day!

An emerging fascination with manhole covers.

And this one can spot a slide from a mile away.

A refreshing morning walk, and our destination is there in the background.

Walking along the scenic Sumida river.

Getting closer!

So many funny, different vehicles here!

Almost there!

We made it! Tokyo Sky Tree!

What's this? A glass floor!?

Say "cheezu!"

Next stop: Sumida aquarium, at the base of Tokyo Sky Tree.

It's not a big aquarium at all, but very beautifully curated.

The jellyfish exhibits were stunning.

Giant sting ray...

... and daddy shark!

Taking attendance. Making sure all the penguins are there (by name).

Arlo was really fascinated by these cute little garden eels.

And Lucy liked this giant guy (who's not a puffer, but looks like he should be).

These jellies are only 2-3 days old!

Lunch time, at the food court in the Skytree mall.

Yummy tempura, udon, and soba.

And we stumbled upon an official Tomica store!

Can't leave empty-handed. (Actually, the prices were really good!)

Really happy with his new Isuzu dump truck.

Comparing vehicles.

Now walking along the JR Chuo line.

Our first vending machine encounter.

Lucy spotted another fun playground.

This one had a great, fast (staticky) slide.

And some good climbing equipment.

This is a 5-star ramen restaurant! The line never got shorter.

Made it to Akihabara, for the Sunday walking street.

Chaotic and windy, but a great opportunity to stroll down the middle of the road!

Abbey Lane vibes?

A common, but still funny, site!

Old amidst new.

Exhausted by dinnertime for a second night in the row.

Up early, and ready for another exciting day.

But not without some tatami tumbling first.

Today is Monday, and so it's our first rush hour experience.

Really cute Toei trains for sale in the station.

We've come to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Complex, but it's not open yet...

... so we've come to this awesome playground next door first.

The have the widest slide I've ever seen.

Similar to slides in Taipei, it's made of polished concrete. And it's very fast!

Lots of ninja obstacles.

And a very neat-looking, but extremely slow, slide.

Here, Arlo is smiling... and stuck.

Riding another airplane. The flight the other evening was not enough.

Two monkeys.

Heading back to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building now.

Nice views from up here, too!

Back on the train (this time after rush hour).

Quick nourishment break (but so much single-use packaging!)

Dad's herculean effort pushing Arlo in the stroller up this hill.

Here we are! The Tokyo Toy Museum!

We ended up spending almost 4 hours here!

Playing alongside school groups.

Arlo really liked this game. (We ordered it once we got home.)

Recognize this cactus?

Toys for all ages (and foot sizes)!

A soroban play area.

Move the abacus around inside the giant vat of beads, and see how many you can pick up.

Lucy knows to roll the die, and match the color.

Playing magnetic football. They both got it.

Even the construction site next door was interesting.

Lunch break in the school yard.

And then back to play with more toys - including the classics.

Gathering mushrooms.

That was a fun afternoon!

Too tired to stay awake for the interesting manhole covers.

We made it, by foot, to Meiji Jingu.

Coming from the back entrance, you walk through absolutely enormous trees.

Lucy was awake for it, but someone else wasn't.

Lucy knows the drill before entering the shrine.

What's he doing?

Someone's awake now, but not in the mood for photos.

We're in the neighborhood, so we might as well check out Takeshita Street in Harajuku!

It's famous for its crepes, so we'd better try the crepes.

These go-karts (on the main roads) seem to be a new tourist fad.

Stumbled upon the Yamanote line!

And back at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for its evening light show.

What a spectacular show!

Someone doesn't know how to control her voice indoors. (Or, more likely, chooses not to.)

Another dinner after an exhausting 22k-step day.

Today's the day Arlo's been waiting for!

We're heading to Tokyo Station...

... to buy our Shinkansen tickets!

And we're ready to go!

To say that someone is excited would be an understatement.

And we're off to Odawara.

Here we are thanks to our N700, Kodama service.

Hanging back in the station to wait for the next Shinkansen to shoot through.

Nose!

Lots of cool manhole covers in Odawara, too!

Our first stop (accidental) is a Ninja experience.

The ninjas played a big part in the history of Odawara; and here, we had a chance to test our ninja skills.

Arlo found a sword hidden below the floor boards.

Carefully trying to slide along a wall.

Hiding - pretty subtly, I must say.

And now, onto the castle.

Here's how the castle would have been constructed.

These two were still in Ninja mode, and looking for places to hide.

Made it to Odawara Castle.

Nice view from the top, and only a few stairs to get here.

Enjoying a well-earned ice cream. (Or is it lunch?)

Lucy spotted this cone from all the way at the top of the castle.

Heading back to Tokyo.

Posing with our train.

A few tracks over, Arlo spots the real Sinkansen of his dreams.

A clear shot of the E5, in all its green glory.

Heading home on everyone's favorite Yamanote Line.

Stopping at Ueno Park. We thought we might do the pedal boats, but the entire pond is a massive lotus garden right now.

On the way home, stopping at this park we'd spotted a few days earlier.

The roller slide was a big hit!

The diameter of these rollers is much smaller than the one we tried in Taipei. I think that helps.

As if we hadn't ridden enough Shinkansen yet today!

And the funny 3-way slide (banana slide?!) that we'd seen from the street.

Vegan ramen for dinner.

They have really great children's programming on TV at dinner time (smart!). Lucy loved dancing along.

It's never too young to start learning about flow charts!

Today, we're heading to Odaba.

Look at all these school kids walking to school by themselves.

Here we are, on the Yurikamome, heading out to Odaiba.

Crossing the Rainbow Bridge.

And walking to our first destination.

Lucky that this fire truck was here to give a fire safety training session to the business next door.

Our first stop: Small Worlds miniatures museum.

It's one of the largest miniatures museums in Asia, apparently.

Watching a space shuttle take off.

The exhibits were interactive; pushing buttons triggered trains to drive, lights to turn on, things to move.

But the clear highlight was...

... an operational replica of Kansai International Airport!

It cycled through days (daylight, sunset, night time, sunrise).

With planes taking off and landing throughout.

A night time departure.

And a Qatar flight landing.

In the workshop, a technician is fixing a broken finnair aircraft.

Interesting place to visit once.

Enjoying a small playground while Dad goes to find lunch.

Next stop, the Tokyo Water Science Museum.

This museum - run by the Bureau of Waterworks - was perfect for their age.

Watching fish swim by.

Making water tornadoes.

And standing in a giant bubble.

Learning about how water makes up plants and animals...

... and how water gets in, and out, of our bodies.

Installing some water pipes.

It's turned into a stormy day in Tokyo Bay. Better hurry back to the train!

Stopping at Hakuhinkan Toy Park on the way home; Arlo woke up just in time!

The Shinkansen train that he'd like to buy.

Nissan concept car on display in Ginza.

Udon & tempura for dinner from the grocery store.

And more wonderful dinnertime programming.

Tonight, the flow chart is about monkeys picking fleas.

It's a beautiful day to head back across town and check out Shibuya.

First stop: Hachiko -- and Arlo had the shirt to match.

Next, the stamp.

And then, the scramble.

Looking at the scramble from above.

Then, our favorite shop: Hands.

How do you like your eggs?

Lucy enjoyed the shopping!

Delicious ramen for lunch.

A kids' set for these two...

... and a few delicious vegan options for the adults.

And then we hopped into Mika Otake's car!

And these two were asleep in a flash!

Playing in an art exhibit at Tokyo Midtown.

Finally meeting Mika after all these years.

Good thing all the Mikas got the t-shirt memo!

Last stop for the day: TeamLab Borderless.

It's an interactive art x science x technology exhibit.

Checking out their tummies.

Going for a slide.

Walking through fields of light.

When you catch the birds, they turn into flowers.

This room was filled with orbs running along tracks. Very neat.

If you have enough patience, you can create a fish, and it will join in the swim.

Fortunate that we were able to secure tickets! They sell out weeks in advance.

Great view of Tokyo Tower on our way home.

Stopping back at the toy store, this time with passports in hand, to buy the Shinkansen.

Arlo was thrilled!

He wasted no time drawing his and Lucy's together.

How convenient that they fit perfectly inside the sliding door track!

Matching the E5 with the one on his sweatshirt.

Well, that's one way to sleep!

It's time to check out of our AirBnB! Lucy's helping to chug all the Yakult in the fridge.

Heading down to Yokohama for the day.

Leaving our bags (and sweaters, boo) in a coin locker...

... and heading out to explore.

First stop, the Nissan Gallery, in their global HQ.

All the latest cars on display, in a huge showroom.

And some classics, too.

Can't get enough of these boxy Japanese cars.

This one is cute, too!

Next stop is the small transport museum in the headquarters of the Keikyu Corporation.

Stand back, everyone! Arlo's driving the bus!

Stopping at another playground: this might be the smallest one yet.

Trying their mouthes at a drinking fountain.

Good thing we brought a spare shirt, Lucy!

Yokohama Cosmoworld!

Of course, stopping to ride the ferris wheel.

There goes Diving Coaster: Vanish!

Spotted a duck boat (actually, they called it a duck bus) coming out from the water.

We're almost at the top of the 112.5 meter wheel -- formerly the world's tallest.

Tempted to visit, but decided to skip it.

Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, fixed up and filled with neat shops and restaurants now.

Actually, the whole waterfront is very nicely done.

I guess it's a deep sleep... on his side!

And here we are in Yokohama Chinatown, Japan's largest Chinatown.

Again, Arlo woke up just in time.

A neat dragon made of lanterns overhead.

Lucy kind of got the manhole cover plot... but not quite.

Despite it being a brisk, overcast day, and we left our sweaters in the locker... these two still wanted ice cream!

This one is a nicer one!

Finally learning to share the stroller... on Day 7.

Our last Japan sun is gone. Time to start making our way back to Haneda.

Taking the subway back to Yokohama Station. This is the last stop on the Minatomirai line.

Stumbled upon a plant-based curry restaurant in the station. The last supper!

And heading straight from Yokohama to Haneda.

I think Japan's had enough of us.

We've got hours to kill. Thankfully Haneda Airport -- land side -- is an attraction in itself!

Hey! Who knew Hakuhinkan Toy Shop had a Haneda branch, too! We could've just come here!

Enthralled by the ops video.

So tired, but can't sleep.

Getting their last drops of energy out in this kids play area airside.

Arlo hoarded all the play pieces (including logs and a tree) to make a Shinkansen...

... and then rounded up all the other midnight travelers to ride with him.

This pretty much sums up our flight back. (In that same windowless row 35!)

And the final leg of the journey! Thanks for traveling with us!