Obon in Japan

August 9 - 17

Unbeknownst to us, we planned our vacation to Japan (Osaka, Tokyo) during Obon, a national holiday, and arguably the busiest time of the year with kids.  There were lots of crowds and lots of heat, but we all still had a great time.  

Kids enjoyed seeing animals at Nara Park, Osaka Aquarium, and a hedgehog cafe. 

Tokyo was quite full with Disney Sea, Sanrio Puroland, and this amazing art exhibit at teamLab Planets.  Also, we found a Louie’s pizza shop at Disney, so lovely to have his namesake in a “family” photo. 

The best part of our experience is the “kids meals” are udon, ramen, and karaage, so the girls ate well.  They also loved buying stuffies, buying art supplies that look like stuffies, and going on rides from their favorite stuffies… clearly a theme. 

The worst parts were that there’s no such thing as take-out in Tokyo (eating with toddlers at restaurants is no fun), the crowds, and a complex subway system for the illiterate. We feel like we only explored 5% of the cities, so looking forward to going again sometime this year.  

Getting geared up for Tori’s first day of preschool and the big girls starting at the end of the month.