Japan

Family · Travel

Japan

I love traveling to Japan, and I’m even thinking about retiring there someday. Our family visits often, and the kids love it as much as I do.

Here are a few of our favorite things: the food, the places we keep going back to, the fun surprises, and the friends and family we get to see.

Food

Conveyor-belt sushi is a family competition, and the kids always try to build the tallest plate tower. We also love a long dinner at an izakaya, a big bowl of ramen, and a browse through the whisky shelves.

My son giving a thumbs up next to a tall stack of empty plates at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant in Japan
Conveyor-belt sushi: my son’s plate tower
My daughter smiling and pointing at her stack of sushi plates at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant
My daughter keeping pace with her own stack
A wooden boat piled with sashimi on an izakaya table, with bowls of edamame and fries
A sashimi boat at an izakaya, with edamame and fries
A bowl of Jiro-style ramen topped with a pile of bean sprouts, thick slices of chashu pork and garlic
Jiro-style ramen: sprouts, chashu and plenty of garlic
A whole grilled fish with onions, lemon and parsley on a sizzling iron plate at an izakaya
Grilled fish, still sizzling, at an izakaya
Shelves of Japanese whisky in a liquor store, including Suntory Torys and Black Nikka bottles
Food & drink: the whisky aisle at a Japanese liquor store

Favorite places

We love Tokyo’s temples and shrines and the view from up high, but some of our favorite moments are out in the countryside. Since my kids are soccer players, a J.League match is always on the list, and the supporters and the fireworks are something else.

Our family standing in front of the main hall of Zojoji temple in Tokyo, with a skyscraper behind it
In front of Zojoji’s main hall in Tokyo
A high view over Tokyo looking down on the temple roofs of Zojoji and the trees of Shiba Park
Looking down on Zojoji from above
A view from high up over Tokyo toward a cluster of glass skyscrapers and city blocks
The Tokyo skyline from up high
A wooden shrine gate and courtyard at Meiji Jingu on a rainy day, with wet stone paving and big trees
Meiji Jingu on a rainy day
My son and daughter standing inside the giant Olympic rings outside the Japan Olympic Museum in Tokyo
In the Olympic rings at the Japan Olympic Museum
A three-story pagoda rising above a small red-roofed temple building and stone statues in a wooded hillside, in the rain
A three-story pagoda at a country temple in the rain
Bright green rice paddies in the countryside, with misty forested mountains behind them
Rice paddies and misty mountains in the countryside
Urawa Reds supporters filling the stands with flags and a THE PRIDE OF URAWA banner at a J.League match
The Urawa Reds supporters’ end at a J.League match in Tokyo
Pink and blue fireworks shooting up above a packed soccer stadium at night
A fireworks show over the stadium at a J.League match

Soccer is a big part of our family at home too. See how the kids’ teams are doing in the sports section.

Fun finds

Japan is full of surprises, from giant Godzillas and video game heroes to the coolest laundromat you will ever see.

My son and daughter posing with a giant Godzilla statue at a Godzilla store
Meeting Godzilla
My son posing next to a statue of Ryu from Street Fighter throwing a hadoken at a Jump Shop
Dodging Ryu’s hadoken at a Jump Shop
My son sitting in a lounge with walls covered in framed Michael Jordan memorabilia
A lounge full of Michael Jordan memorabilia
My son standing next to a gray Ferrari parked on a rainy city street
Car spotting on a rainy day
My son standing in a bright Japanese coin laundromat lined with washers and dryers
Even the laundromats are cool
My son and daughter in front of an ambulance and a red fire engine at a Chiba City fire station
Visiting a Chiba City fire station
The kids riding horses with guides at a countryside ranch
Horseback riding at a countryside ranch

Friends & family

The best part of every trip is the people. We catch up with family and friends, and the kids pick up right where they left off with their friends.

Me, my wife, my son and my daughter standing on a seawall with the ocean behind us on a sunny day
The four of us on a seawall by the ocean
My son and daughter wearing matching blue Japan national team soccer jerseys
Matching Samurai Blue jerseys
A group of family and friends standing together in a bright lobby with couches
Family and friends, all together
Kids sitting on the floor playing video games together at a friend’s place, with snacks on the table
Video game time at a friend’s place
Family and friends sitting on the floor and playing with small dogs at a dog cafe
Puppy time at a dog cafe