Must do things on your first trip to Japan
Hey, it’s your dad here and this year we took our first family trip to Japan and though we barely scratched the surface, we loved it. Here is my list of the favorite things I saw. First up is Team Lab Planets. I’ve been in AV for 11 years now. I’ve even dabbled in some projection mapping, but this is next level. This is interactive art. From finding your way through a maze of lit spheres to walking barefoot through waters that have fish projected onto them to this room that feels like it goes on forever. And with the app, you can actually interact with the lights. This whole experience that took about 2 and 1/2 hours to go through is too much for words. You just have to experience it. It’s wondrous. Next up is something I didn’t know existed. Japanese curry. I’m really mad at all of you for not telling me this existed throughout my life. Japanese curry consists of a curry, rice, and some kind of cutlet. I chose pork every time. This so quickly became one of my favorite meals, it’s now in our family dinner rotation. I found a pretty decent version of the curry in all the major grocery stores. Even found it at Epcot. Which leads me to my next favorite thing. And of course, you knew it’s got to be Disney. I only got to spend 2 hours in Disneyland Tokyo. And that’s fine because they still had their evening passes, so it was only $30 to get in. But even in that short time, I discovered how much better the Japanese do Disney. Just compare the Winnie the Poo ride there with the two we have in the United States. It’s not even a close comparison. Plus, they don’t just have one big castle, they have two. Then there’s Disney Sea. I have wanted to go here for a very, very long time, and it was everything that I hoped it would be. We only spent about 8 hours here cuz like I said, we were just scratching the surface of traveling Japan. But every inch of this park is themed, and themed well. People aren’t lying that this is the best Disney park in the world, and I cannot wait to go back and spend more time there. The next spot has something for everybody, and that’s Miaima Island. But first up, make sure that you are visiting at least some of the time at high tide because you want it to look like this and not like this. I mean, it’s still cool, but it’s not as great as a photo opportunity. For me, with my love of the outdoors, I wanted to go to the top of Mount N. If I had the time, I could have hiked up there as there are tons of trails all over the island, but the ropeway is going to save you some sore legs. While the ropeway doesn’t take you to the top of Mount Mason, it does take you to a lookout that is very competitive for the view. And there’s no hiking involved, but I do love to hike, and I read that the best bet to see monkeys on this island was at the peak. So, I started heading up to catch up with my wife and son, who had already left. Now, this isn’t halfdom or anything, but it’s not an easy hike either. It’s a two-mile roundtrip hike, obviously, with about a 400 ft elevation gain. The kicker is that it’s also going to be very hot and humid, but it is kind of worth it. Just below the top is the eternal fire hall. This fire has been burning for 1,200 years. That’s astounding. When I finally reached the top, which took about 30 minutes, alas, there were no monkeys, but you did have a beautiful 360 view. The next great experience was the Sagno Romantic Train. Less romantic with a family of four, but still worth it. This experience consists of two 25-minute train rides out and back between Arashyama and Kamayoka along the Hosagawa River. This was a great experience for the whole family. We all loved it. They’re even really good about making sure you sit on the opposite side of the train for each direction you go. So, between the two trips, you get a good view of all the sites. I’ve read that the two most popular times to go on this train is one in the fall and two during cherry blossoms. I was planning on seeing more of Japan on my next trip, but thinking about this trip at either one of those times of the year, I think I’m going to have to come back and do this as well. If you get off the train before it makes its way all the way back to Arashyama, you’ll find yourself within a bamboo forest. This is far enough up the hill that there are fewer people up there as most people walk into the forest from Arashiamyama. But if you keep going up the trail, you’ll find fewer and fewer people till you’re pretty much alone. We had already walked through the bamboo forest a couple of days earlier. This afternoon of exploring the outdoors was one of my favorite experiences. The next thing I really loved about Japan is that everywhere you look is a work of art. Japan is the most photogenic place I’ve ever been. I mean, it tops Yoseite for photo opportunities. The buildings are beautiful. The gardens are perfectly manicured. There is a reason why it’s so popular on Instagram. But speaking as your dad, stop to really take it in. Honestly, that’s one of my favorite things about my Insta 360 camera. They don’t sponsor me, but I do tell everyone how much I love this camera because one, the camera allows me to just walk around and really experience where I’m at, and two, I actually get to be in the footage. You don’t know how many family vacation videos I’ve made over the years that I only have about three pictures in. Back to the scenery, though, even the cities are gorgeous. I recognize that some of the photogenicness, that’s a word, is just that it’s so different from the West and especially the United States. But I challenge you in the comments to name a place that’s more photogenic than Japan. And while you’re down at that part of the page, like the video and subscribe to the channel. Got lots of interesting trips coming up. Plus, I still have more of Japan to share. And with that, I will see you next time.
Japan completely blew our minds as a family! From the moment we stepped off the plane, everything felt like stepping into a living work of art. In this video, I’m sharing the 6 things that surprised us most during our incredible Japan adventure – and trust me, some of these will change how you think about travel forever.
Main Content Breakdown:
What we cover in this Japan travel guide:
🏯 Why Miyajima Island’s floating torii gate left us speechless (and the best time to visit)
🏰 Tokyo DisneySea experience – how it compares to Disney World and why it’s a must-do
🍛 Japanese curry revelation – why this comfort food became our family obsession
🎨 The incredible attention to detail that makes everything in Japan feel like art
🚂 Our magical ride on the Sagano Romantic Train through Kyoto’s bamboo forests
Team Labs Planets
As a dad who’s traveled to Disney World countless times and explored national parks across America, Japan offered something completely different for our family. The culture, the food, the experiences – everything exceeded our expectations in ways I never imagined.
0:00 Introducti
0:10 Team Labs
0:44 curry
1:12 Disney
1:57 Miyajima
3:13 the Sagano Romantic Train
4:32 everything is art
1 Comment
Everything is art- well said!