36 hours in Kyoto

Over the last decade, several people have told me that I’d love Kyoto, so was excited to finally go. My brother’s family joined for my adventure year trip and it did not disappoint. Even though we were there for 36 short hours, we had some magical moments.

Highlights: 

• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

• Samurai & Ninja Museum 

• Fushimi Inari Shrine

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

Walking into the forest felt like stepping into a movie, where nature was its own character. The rustling of bamboo in the wind was the perfect soundtrack for our stroll. The kids did not enjoy the “boring” walk, but we powered through nonetheless. When the snow started to fall against the sunny sky, it felt magical. 

Samurai & Ninja Museum

The kids enjoyed their hands on experience in the Samurai Ninja Museum. They were able to throw some ninja stars and blow darts. I enjoyed learning more about the history and culture.

Fushimi Inari Taisha: The Thousand Torii Gates

Early the next morning, we visited the vermillion torii gates before the crowds started. The kids enjoyed writing their wishes on the fox-shaped tablets that you can hang in the shrine.

Kyoto has this beautiful blend of ancient and modern, more than any other city that I’ve visited.  I would go back in a heartbeat although it would likely be better without young kids.

We've done a lot of travel in the last 2 months, so looking forward to staying in Taiwan for a bit. Our final trip is slated for either Hong Kong or Shanghai. Happy to hear recommendations on which Disneyland is better!

Upcoming family adventure year trips: 

✅ Warren: Bali & Komodo Island Indonesia for the Komodo dragons (Jan 2025)

✅ Mel: Kyoto, Japan for the cherry blossoms (Mar 2025) (Moving Kyoto to Feb 2025 with Michael & Richelle and will search for cherry blossoms in Taiwan)

✅ Lexi: Chengdu, China for the giant pandas (Oct 2024). She also voted for Komodo dragons. 

✅ Ellie: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the underground tunnels.  She also voted for Komodo dragons. (Jan 2025)

❑ Tori: Hong Kong for Disneyland (May 2025). She also voted for the mall. 🤷🏻‍♀️

*****

Family Travel Tips for Kyoto Arishimaya Bamboo Forest and Fushimi Inari Shrine:

• Itinerary: Everything is train accessible. We went early in the morning (before 8AM for the shrine and before 9AM for the bamboo forest) to avoid the crowds.
• Carrier/Stroller: Carrier is a must for the Fushimi Inari Shrine as it has many stairs. Stroller was fine for the bamboo forest. 
• Clothing: Nothing to note, but we went during winter, so it was quite cold (high 20s/low 30s). If I were to do it again in the winter, I’d bring hand/foot warmers.   
• Shoes: Comfortable walking shoes are a must—expect a lot of stairs and uneven paths.

Lunar New Year - Part 2

Part 2 of our lunar new year trip took us to Ho Chi Minh City.  It was a unique opportunity to see Indonesia, Vietnam, and Taiwan during this holiday season.  We saw beautiful decorations everywhere and many spontaneous lion dances.  

Some Ho Chi Minh highlights: 

• Visiting and learning about the Cu Chi Tunnels
• Cooking class with Hoa's kitchen

The history of the tunnels was quite sobering. While it's quite commercialized now (lots of tour groups), it's still eery to be in the place where the war took place.  Our tour guide shared the ongoing impacts for multiple decades after the fighting stopped. Lexi was impacted by the stories of the war and nervous about the visit.  Ellie was engaged in the engineering behind the tunnels and the booby traps. We might have a STEM-kid in training.  

Our second highlight was a cooking class with a local guide.  We made pho-ga (chicken pho), spring rolls, and a coconut crepe - forgot .  It was a lovely way to enjoy the culture and of course enjoy a delicious meal. 

Our trip to Ho Chi Minh City was quick, but informative AND delicious. 

Upcoming family adventure year trips: 

✅ Warren: Bali & Komodo Island Indonesia for the Komodo dragons (Jan 2025)

❑ Mel: Kyoto, Japan for the cherry blossoms (Mar 2025) (Moving Kyoto to Feb 2025 with Michael & Richelle and will search for cherry blossoms in Taiwan)

✅ Lexi: Chengdu, China for the giant pandas (Oct 2024). She also voted for Komodo dragons. 

✅ Ellie: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the underground tunnels.  She also voted for Komodo dragons. (Jan 2025)

❑ Tori: Hong Kong for Disneyland (May 2025). She also voted for the mall. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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I'll be adding some practical travel tips for anyone traveling with younger kids. 

Practical travel tips for Cu Chi Tunnels (Kids ages: 3, 7, 9).

• Itinerary: Speedboat (1.5 hours) + Tunnels (1 hour) + Lunch (1 hour) + Return boat trip (1.5 hours).  
• Carrier:  We brought this, but no need. The tunnel tour is very little walking, so the kids were fine. 
• Clothing:  I'd recommend long pants since it gets pretty dusty while climbing the tunnels. If you take a boat in the morning, a long sleeve/jacket is a must. Even though the weather was around ~90°F in the afternoon, we were all cold in the morning due to wind of the 1+ hour speedboat ride. 
• Shoes: Kids wore their sports sandals which was fine. 

Lunar New Year - Part 1

Happy Year of the Snake! 🐍

The kids returned to school this week after the lunar year break.  We went to Indonesia (Bali + Komodo Island) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh).  Too much fun to pack into one blog post, so Part 1 is focused on Indonesia.

The first part of our Indonesia trip was a beautiful resort in Bali.  We swam, ate, read, and the kids went Kidz Club each day.  This was the first time Tori was able to join the big kids in the programming, so that was really fun to see.  These aren't the types of trips that I would have planned before, but have learned to enjoy them as a family.  

Bali highlights:

• Resort buffets - the resort had several great eats, but the kids (and I) most enjoyed the Japanese buffet where they cleared out all the salmon sashimi. I didn't take nearly enough pictures of the delicious food.  🍣
• Swimming - we spent A LOT of time in the pools.  The kids enjoyed the beach, by which I mean they enjoyed looking at the beach from the swimming pool.  
• Kidz Club - Tori, Ellie, and Lexi were all able to join the kids club together for games, arts & crafts, and definitely some video games.  Their favorite was the ginormous ball pit. 

Our big excursion during the Indonesia trip was an overnight to Komodo Island. This small island and the nearby islands have so much nature and beauty.  The guide said "welcome to jurassic park" when we arrived and it definitely delivered. Trekking to see the Komodo dragons would have been exciting enough for me, but there was so much more.   

(Optical illusion photo: we're really about 10 feet BEHIND the komodo dragon and there are lots of tour guides to keep us safe!) 

In addition to the komodo dragons, we visited a pink beach (from the red corral bits), Warren went swimming with manta rays, we saw baby sharks swimming nearby, saw a few dolphins, and experienced the vast beauty during our boat tour. 

Our very short visit to Indonesia was lovely and we're so grateful to get to see so many Asian countries this year. 

Upcoming family adventure year trips: 

✅ Warren: Bali & Komodo Island Indonesia for the Komodo dragons (Jan 2025)

❑ Mel: Kyoto, Japan for the cherry blossoms (Mar 2025) (Moving Kyoto to Feb 2025 with Michael & Richelle and will search for cherry blossoms in Taiwan)

✅ Lexi: Chengdu, China for the giant pandas (Oct 2024). She also voted for Komodo dragons. 

✅ Ellie: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the underground tunnels.  She also voted for Komodo dragons. (Jan 2025)

❑ Tori: Hong Kong for Disneyland (May 2025). She also voted for the mall. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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I'll be adding some practical travel tips for anyone traveling with younger kids, mostly so I don't forget when people ask me in the future. :) 

Practical travel tips for Komodo Island (Kids ages: 3, 7, 9)

• Carrier: I took Tori in a carrier given the uneven terrain. This was a definite must for a toddler.
• Clothing: Hats + bathing suits + shorts was fine.  It was very sunny and hot (85°F) when we went. I also brought a small portable fan, which the kids shared. 
• Shoes: Kids wore their crocs, which was fine.  If I did it again, I'd probably have chosen their sports sandals (Tevas) since we did about an hour of hiking with some hills. Our tour guide gave E a piggy back ride when she got tired. 
• Tour:  We would recommend a high speed boat as we were able to see a lot during our trip.  Some stops were between 30 mins to an hour away from each other.  We passed a lot of the slower, more cruise-like boats, which is different trade off if folks enjoy time on a boat.