Japan has long been on my travel wish list but I didn’t expect to go there until after the Olympics planned in 2020. For 2017, we were planning on going back to Spain and Europe.
In Fall of 2016, my sister and I were talking. Her youngest child was becoming more independent and able to be watched by our families. My sister was finally gaining back some independence after many, many years of raising her children.
“I want to see the Cherry Blossoms in Japan.”
I looked over to Eric and we didn’t flinch. We looked up flights and found the perfect window for the blossoms in March.
We had a 4 hour layover in Incheon, Korea. Not enough time to explore (Incheon has tours to/from the airport!), but it’s a massive airport with lots to do.
Our first stay was in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo’s massive entertainment, shopping, and business districts. Shinjuku train station is also the world’s business railway station. We got lost everytime we stepped in. It was overwhelming.
It’s Hachiko!
Daimaru. I want to live here.
It turns out we arrived at the peak of the cherry blossom season, it was late this year! Here’s what we found at Shinjuku Garden.
We found ourselves eating A LOT during this trip. After hours, we decided to try the Monster Cafe in Harajuku. During the day, there are lines for this wacky place.
With 2 days to spare, we spent some time shopping in Ginza and Shibuya. While at the Disney Store, we decided to spend our last day of this leg of trip at Disney Sea. We spent a rain soaked day at Disney Sea.
bonus: catch Angela’s video from our Ramen street visit here.