Yesterday, we visited the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. This museum is also known as Miraikan, which in Japanese means ‘future museum’. At times it really did feel like stepping into the future. The museum is known for its cutting edge science where you can explore a variety of topics. There were exhibits…
Category: Japan – Tokyo
Tokyo Skytree Up Close and Subway Amateurs
Something I love about Tokyo is that we can wake up and ask ourselves ‘What should we do today?’ – and there are what feels like endless options. We thought about going to the sumo museum to make up for yesterday. However, we discovered today that it’s closed the entire month of September for a…
KitKat Tasting and Pajama Friday
Last night we did a blind KitKat tasting competition. It was so much fun! KitKats are a big thing here in Japan and are seen as a good luck charm. KitKat sounds like Kitto Katsu – a phrase in Japan that means ‘surely you will win’. They are often given with a good luck message…
Bridges, Beer, and The Beauty of Tokyo Nights
An activity we have enjoyed a lot since being here in Tokyo is walking along the Sumida River. Here we can walk side by side and without the interruptions of crosswalks on the local streets. The amazing 27 km river is spanned by 37 bridges. Each bridge is unique in it’s design and absolutely stunning!…
Shibuya Crossing Adventure
Today we visited one of the most iconic and busiest pedestrian intersections in the world – Shibuya Crossing. During its busiest, up to 3,000 people cross this intersection at once from all directions. We went on a Sunday morning, which is a less busy time and it still felt crazy! Here’s a picture I found…
Field Trip Fridays and Family Movie Night
When we got ready to start school this morning, Braxton asked if we could have pajama day. This reminded me that Fridays were often a fun day for him in school. In 3rd grade he had ‘Friday Fun’ which involved getting to play games on his chrome book. In 4th grade, they had something very…
Akihabara Electric Town – Tokyo Turned Up
Today we visited Akihabara Electric Town, known as Akiba by the locals. This is Tokyo’s hotspot for Otaku culture. Otaku culture is the vibrant world of passionate fandom rooted in Japanese pop media—think anime, manga, video games, cosplay, and beyond. It is a sensory overload of neon signs, multi-level stores, arcades, and themed shops. As…
Zombies Staggering Into Tokyo
Today we ventured out to our first temple and restaurant. We are still not fully recovered from our jet lag, but wanted to start exploring the area more. Prior to going to the temple we researched appropriate attire and behavioral expectations. Shoulders and knees should be covered, it is customary to bow before entering the…
Jet Lag Curveball and Japanese Language
We all went to bed last night thinking we would sleep all night and wake up feeling less jet lag. Like a lot of things so far with our gap year, we were taken by surprise. We are experiencing what AI called a ‘jet lag curveball’. Apparently, the second day of jet lag can be…
New Country, Same Crew: Our First Day in Japan
We made it to Tokyo! By the time we got to our Airbnb we had been traveling for 19 hours. The flight was long, but didn’t feel un-manageable. None of us were able to sleep much on the plane, so by the time we landed we were exhausted. We had travel leading up to this…