We are down to the final week before our trip. There’s been a lot of panic-packing and overall just excitement and anxiety. It’ll be interesting to see how we manage with an infant and a kid bur thankfully, we have help.
A Geisha performing at our hotel in Kyoto
Today, I want to revisit my first ever trip to Japan. Its funny how I’ve lived in Asia for half my life but I didn’t get to go until after I was already in the US. It was cold when we went but pleasant. My favorite activity of course was getting to eat a lot of very delicious Japanese food.
All-you-can-eat Matsuzaka Beef
Itedakimasu!
Real Matcha
Of course, we did quite a bit of sightseeing. We unfortunately didn’t have time to see Arashiyama, the bamboo forest, but we did get to go to the temple, Fushimi Inarii, and it was spectacular! I love how the colors are just so vibrant. It was quite a hike. We may have gotten a little bit lost at some point, but thankfully, with the cool weather, it was enjoyable.
While Kyoto was pretty mellow, Tokyo was completely wild and crazy. It was densely packed and there was so much activity everywhere! We went to the light up robot show that the late Anthony Bourdain went to and it was every bit as crazy as uou would imagine.
Another highlight for me was our trip to Yamazaki Distillery. We were able to drink their top aged whiskeys for cheap! The grounds were beautiful too and we took the tour to see how it is all made. I loved the cavern with all the barrels. And the fall colors too of course!
Photos from inside the distillery and our tasting flight
My favorite, the barrels!
All in all, it was a very fun, albeit tiring, adventure. It was my first time riding the Shinkansen (bullet train), and we also ate the rainbow cotton candy you can use as a hat in Harajuku. And then, there was a lot more eating!
Ahhh that’s better. Reminiscing helped stave off the anxiety and increase the excitement. And with that, I leave you with Mt. Fuji. Apparemtly, its rare to see it in full since it usually is covered by clouds. Lucky us!
