Seven years ago, Avital and I lived in Tokyo for three months. Ever since, we’ve been yearning to return and, this April, we finally made it back. We brought Curio (just turned four) and my parents, who had never been. It was a fantastic trip and Japan as every bit as wonderful as we remembered.

Exploring Shibuya with the family

Temples, shines, palaces, and shopping

We spent about ten days in the country – half in Tokyo and half in Kyoto. Our goal was to show Curio and my parents some of the greatest hits and to give them a sense of our life in Japan. Each day we’d aim to hit about one major activity, plus plenty of walking around neighborhoods (often from one meal or snack to the next). This was a reasonable pace for a four-year-old and Curio was generally an easy traveller.

The family in front of Tokyo Station

In Tokyo, we walked around the Palace Gardens, Iidabashi, Shibuya, Azabu-Juban, Harajuku, Yoyogi Park, Ueno, Asakusa, Ginza, and more. We hit the big shrines and temples but also delighted in wandering the quiet side streets. The exchange rate was highly favorable and we took advantage of it by buying new glasses and tons of Uniqlo (for me) and a hoard of ceramics (for Avital). We also made it Teamlab Borderless (in Roppongi) which was delightful, though not nearly as interactive as Borderless in its old location. Next time we’ll check out Planets instead.

The family in Teamlab Borderless, surrounded by glowing lights

In Kyoto, we stayed in a lovely old Machiya which had two gigantic bath tubs that we enjoyed each night.

The family at our bath in the Machiya

We took the family to some old favorites, including Nijo Castle and Fushimi Inari and we explored some sites that were new to us, including the Imperial Palace gardens and Kodai-ji temple.

The family in the Kyoto Imperial Palace Garden

The best food in the world

One of our favorite things about Japan is the food. This trip, we revisited some of our old favorites and found some great new restaurants, too. We shared a huge array of Japanese cuisines with the family and most were hit. Curio and my parents tried: oden, donburi, sushi, onigiri, takoyaki, imagawayaki, kaiseki, wagashi, soba, udon, kakigori, okonomiyaki, and much more. We dined at Michelin stars and bib gourmands, department stores, and konbinis and we were delighted at every turn.

Gary and Randy eating sushi in Shibuya

Since leaving Japan in 2019 we’ve dreamed of once again eating our favorite pizza in the world: the tuna sashimi pizza at Savoy Tomato to Cheese. The pizza was as good as we remembered but we also tried the wagyu beef pizza special which was even better – maybe the best pizza in the world.

The family eating pizza at Savoy

Curio was an adventurous eater, trying everything we asked and often going back for seconds. Here he is devouring octopus on a skewer:

Curio eating Octopus

One highlight was trying the Kakigōri at Azuki to Kōri, which elevated the shaved ice dessert to its highest form. We tried two shaved ice (blood orange and strawberry with crème brûlée) and they were amazing. Curio drank the melted remains from the bottom of the bowl.

Curio getting ready to eat shaved ice

One night in Kyoto, Avital and I snuck away for a Michelin Star meal at KOKE. We had 14 delicious courses of Okinawan food with Spanish twists, many of which had unusual combinations of sweet and savory flavors. It was a treat – the type of food we couldn’t get anywhere else.

small bites in beautiful dishes

またね Japan!

Ten days was too short but it was still incredible being back. We’re already scheming about how to return in the next few years, and maybe this time we’ll do one of the famous hikes, like the Kumano Kodo. Until then, we say またね (see you soon) and dream of great food and wonderful adventures.

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