What happens when you get a full-time remote job? Apparently, your blog writing gets REALLY slack! But I recently had some lovely feedback, so I thought it was about time I spent catching up on our past few adventures.

So here goes!

Let’s start with our Japan 2023 summer trip.

My first piece of advice is don’t visit Japan at the height of summer! We did. And it was insanely hot! The sweat was dripping in places it shouldn’t, and the kids were at meltdown point far earlier than expected!

But aside from that obvious tip (which we should have followed), here is my top travel itinerary for spending 10 days in Japan. The best part? You can utilise the 7-day rail pass and mix in some fun for the kids and some great sightseeing for the adults!

Day 1 – Osaka

We flew directly from Jeju to Osaka in an hour—which was heaven! But if you’re flying to Tokyo, you can easily rejig the itinerary to fit. Just be aware that the more days you use your travel rail pass, the more it will cost you (kids 5 and under are free). Unfortunately, there has been a significant price increase since we visited.

On arrival, we headed straight to the train terminal, where we purchased our tickets from a vending machine. We arrived early evening, and the kids were already tired, having only recently flown from Australia back to Jeju. It was fairly chaotic, and the line for the JR Rail Pass was MASSIVE. So we opted for the do-it-yourself method, which meant catching a slightly slower train to our metro stop. 

The airport station is probably chaotic no matter what time of day. I’m still not sure we purchased the right tickets or got on the right train, but we made it!

We stayed near Osaka Central Station because we wanted to make sure it would be easy to jump on the metro our first morning and head to Universal Studios for an action-packed day. It was a great little apartment with three double beds and a kitchenette that you could shut off from the bedrooms so we could enjoy a drink and some ramen while the kids slept!

Day 2 – Universal Studios, Osaka

After just a 12-minute ride from Osaka Central Station, we arrived at Universal Studios Osaka! Although we were up relatively early and arrived for opening, it appeared we weren’t the only ones trying to get in early to avoid the heat! 

The lines moved pretty quickly, though. The only hiccup was the no external food policy, which was even more unfortunate for us as we’d just stocked up at a Family Mart on our way to the park, so the kids had plenty of snacks for the day. You can imagine how well that went down with us and the kids! 

Top tip: Family Mart’s are everywhere and have a great variety of sandwiches, snacks and prepared meals that are family-friendly!

The kids had a ball (and so did we!) despite the insane heat. The bigger kids loved the Harry Potter rides and our youngest loved the Sesame Street area, including the self-drive cars. Despicable Me was popular with everyone, despite very long lines (and not understanding a lot because, obviously, it was all in Japanese!)

You can buy tickets online before arrival to make the process easy.

Day 3 – Bullet Train to Hiroshima

Heading to Hiroshima via bullet train, our JR Pass came into play. 

You can pre-purchase these passes from various online sites and get them sent to you by post. We were in Australia when we organised ours, and they arrived by Express Post within a day or two of purchase. You then just need to head to a JR ticket office to activate the 7-day pass when you arrive in Japan. The staff can also help you book tickets for individual train rides so you get a secured seat.

Unfortunately, because we were travelling at the height of summer and there were plenty of tourists, there were no booked seats left (a running theme for our trip). So we jumped on the unreserved section. Thankfully, we didn’t have any issues throughout the entire trip finding seats together. 

While in Hiroshima, we stayed at Oriental Hotel Hiroshima, which was about a 20-minute walk to the Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima Peace Park, and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. We ended up racing through the museum at a pretty rapid pace, as some images were a little confronting for the kids. Although far less so than the Vietnam War Memorial Museum. But the experience did leave a mark on all of us. 

That evening it was dinner at a random dusty park in front of our hotel from the local Family Mart before an early start to jump on a Shinkansen for Tokyo!

Day 4 – Tokyo Baby!

After a 4 1/2 hour ride on the train where the kids enjoyed some tablet time and snacks, we arrived in Tokyo! The heat was extreme so after getting a little side-tracked (e.g. lost) walking from the subway to our Tokyo accommodation, we rested for a while before exploring our area.

We found an amazing Okonomiyaki restaurant within 15 mins walk for a proper traditional Japanese meal. You can watch the pancakes being cooked and the menu is pretty extensive with some great options for vegetarians. As expected the kids didn’t eat much, but we enjoyed it!

Day 5 – Exploring Tokyo

It was time to explore Tokyo and the must-do area for us (and the kids) was Harajuku! The famous shopping street that’s crazy full of tourists didn’t disappoint. The kids loved the capsule store which is literally an entire store made up of toy capsules. I think they were a little overwhelmed by the options available! 

We also got some delicious sweet crepes from a street vendor and managed to push our way through the crowds for as long as we could stand. Our tween was pretty happy to explore the fashion and made a couple of purchases before we couldn’t stand the crowds and heat any longer.

We explored a few more areas on foot later in the day (including more toy capsules – the kids new favourite) but were pretty exhausted and headed back to the hotel to seek the comfort of our air conditioning before an early start in the morning.

Day 6 – DisneyWorld Japan-Style

It was time for the most magical place on Earth… in the heat of summer! ;p

We jumped on a bus from near where we were staying and it took us directly to the park in about 45 minutes. But there are multiple ways to get there, including the metro.

This was our second Disney adventure after visiting Florida the previous summer, so we had a bit of a game plan this time and hit the ground running to get on as many rides as possible! 

The first stop was due to be Thunder Mountain, but a 2 hour wait right on opening meant a change of plan was needed! Instead, we enjoyed lots of the smaller rides first, perfect for smaller kids (the traditional Disney rides and Toon Town). This was an excellent strategy for building our youngest two up for a few bigger rides later in the day! 

We took advantage of the Standby pass, which could be used once per day per person (bookable via the Disney app). My eldest daughter and I headed for Space Mountain, while hubby took the younger two on the Baymax Ride. We’d finished our ride before they’d even got through the line (the pass wasn’t available on Baymax at the time).

A great day out but probably a bit too much given we’ve just done Universal – definitely recommend when it’s a little cooler!

Day 7 – Historical Kyoto

After a minor issue with jumping on the wrong train, because we were running to make it, we finally made it to Kyoto. 

When we got our tickets checked, the conductor told us the JR Pass doesn’t work on that type of train, which meant we needed to get off at the next stop and change to another train. The conductor was very friendly—I’m assuming this happens a lot (in fact, I’m pretty sure I remember we did this the first time my husband and I travelled to Japan on our own years ago). And as the next train was on the platforms directly opposite, it was an easy change.

After finally finding a locker big enough for our bags at the Kyoto train station (where everyone seemed to have the same idea of storing bags), we headed to explore the ethereal beauty of Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. It was stunning, but to be honest, with three kids in tow, 40 degree heat, and jam-packed with tourists, it wasn’t the most pleasurable experience I’ve ever had!

We returned back to collect our bags, get a much earned ice cream and took a taxi it to our gorgeous AirBNB which had air con and Netflix for some relax time!

Day 8 – Nara Deer Park

About an hour from Kyoto by train is the amazing Nara Deer Park. There are a few different train lines you can take, and plenty of helpful staff at the train stations depending where you’re based. Some trains will be covered by your JR Rail Pass, but not all lines, so remember to check or you’ll be forking out more cash when you exit at Nara Station.

The Nara Deer Park is nothing short of surreal. Friendly (and some that look not quite as friendly) deer roam free and you can purchase food to feed them (but be warmed they will swarm you!). 

My eldest loved it, my youngest was petrified the entire time, and my middle was somewhere in between!

Day 9 – Kyoto: Tori Gates and Gion

Again, like every other tourist in town, we were up early to explore the world-famous Tori gates of Fushimi Inari. This shrine is a pathway that’s lined with over 10,000 Tori gates. The total path extends 4 kilometres up to the very top of Mount Inari, and I’d say we got probably ¾ of the way before the kids had well and truly had enough in the heat.

The Fushimi Inari Shrine is free to enter and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Later that evening, we headed into Gion, with the hope of glimpsing geisha. Unfortunately, we realised later that evening that Mondays are apparently the worst night to see geisha as they rarely work on Mondays.

Instead, we roamed the streets and enjoyed looking at the beautiful traditional architecture before a downpour led to us taking shelter and high-tailing it back home before we got too drenched. 

Day 10 – Kyoto to Osaka and Home (With a Few Bumps!)

The downpour turned out to be the tail end of a typhoon, so when we got up early to grab the train back to Osaka we discovered all trains cancelled for the day! 

Given our flight home was early the next morning, and we had accommodation booked, we had no choice but to grab a taxi (about an hour’s drive) and fork out for a very expensive cab fare. It was also too early to check in to our Osaka accommodation, and because of the typhoon, there was nothing open. 

Tired, wet and seeking shelter, we finally found a McDonald’s open and set up for a few hours before we could check in. 

Thankfully, the rain eased later in the day so that we could explore Dotonbori, known as the “Kitchen of Japan”. Despite the weather, it was heaving with people and the food options were endless! I would have loved some more time (and a babysitter) to properly explore this area, which really came alive in the evening.

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All up, we had a great, action-packed trip and while a few things fell off the itinerary because of the heat, it wasn’t really an issue for us because we’d visited Japan previously. The Japanese people are super friendly, travel is easy, and the country is very child-friendly. But be warned, it is expensive – particularly if you’re seeking accommodation with a bit more space, as most tend to be pretty tiny for a large family. 

Happy travels!