A week-long trip to Japan was definitely not included on my bingo card for this year. As much as we love to travel, experiencing Japan with my family never even entered my consciousness. Thankfully, it had entered the mind of my child.
Let’s Start From the Beginning
When our children were young, I read the book Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World by Bob Goff. In his book, Goff discusses his decision to give each of his children a trip to their chosen destination. Inspired by his choice, my husband and I offered each of our children the same offer: an adventure before they graduated high school to a location of their choice, with just mom and dad. Oh, and they also get to plan the itinerary.
Who would have thought that our firstborn would take us on an unforgettable 7-day journey through Japan, leaving us exhausted, full of memories, and transformed for the better?
Explore our Tokyo to Mt. Fuji itinerary, with visits to Hiroshima, Osaka, and Kyoto to see all we encountered during our adventure.
Our Japan Itinerary
Day One-Tokyo: On our arrival day, we kept our plans minimal. First stop, our “home” for the next few days. We spent four days in Tokyo and loved that our cozy Airbnb was within walking distance of the train station, grocery stores, and our favorite convenience store, 7-Eleven. If you visit Tokyo, you MUST check out the 7-Elevens. Offering various fresh food options, they are different from your average convenience stores. We even purchased dinner from the closest one on our arrival night.
Day 2- Tokyo: One of the best tips I can give anyone traveling abroad is setting aside a day for a private tour. It’s the best way to see a significant amount of the city with someone familiar with the area. A bonus is that the tour guides will often provide background information on the history of the area and its culture. That was the case with our tour guide, Moishe, from Tokyo Grand Tours. We highly recommend him and this company.
Day 3- Tokyo: I woke up feeling unwell this morning, so my son and husband visited the Tokyo Sky Tree without me. 
Luckily, I started feeling better by lunchtime, and we went to the one place I suggested for our itinerary, The Snoopy Museum. Yes, you read that right; there is a museum dedicated to the history of Charles Schulz and his beloved Peanuts gang just outside Tokyo. The Peanuts Cafe is next to the museum and provided the perfect end to our day.
Day 4- Tokyo: We visited Tokyo Disneyland on this particular day. Tokyo has two Disney parks, Disneyland and Disney Sea. Since the tickets were very affordable, we took the opportunity to unleash our inner child and play all day. This turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. Most of the rides are familiar. However, Â out of all the rides offered, the Beauty and the Beast ride reigned supreme. Â My husband, Sam, and I enjoyed it so much that we returned on our last night in town to ride it again before flying back home.
Day 5- Tokyo to Hiroshima: We got on the bullet train for a four-hour ride to Hiroshima the following day. Our trip ran 
smoothly until I realized I had lost my Japan Rail Pass, which we bought to cover our train travel for the entire week. I was frustrated, but thankfully, I could purchase daily tickets, and we continued our journey. Once we checked into the Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel, we went straight to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum for the day. This day was more somber than the other days on our trip. Still, one of the most meaningful aspects of traveling is the ability to gain new perspectives on historic events through the eyes of others.
Day 6- Hiroshima to Osaka: We only spent one day in Hiroshima and arrived at the train station early the next morning to head to Osaka, with our main focus being Osaka Castle. Osaka Castle is a history lovers’ dream, and we spent hours immersing ourselves in ancient Japanese culture. We concluded our tour with a visit to the rooftop cafe with a breathtaking view of the city. The boys returned later that evening to check out Dontonbori at night. I hung back, rested my feet, and ordered room service.
Day 7- Osaka to Kyoto: We combined two significant cities in one trip, stayed overnight at The Westin Osaka, and headed to Kyoto the following day. Kyoto, once the capital of Japan, is famous for its Buddhist temples, palaces, geisha culture, and shrines. Our itinerary included a day trip to Kiyomizudera Temple, founded in 780 and tucked away in the hills east of Kyoto. Known for its breathtaking view from a wooden stage built on the hillside near the Otowa Waterfall, we joined the multitudes of others in hopes of catching a few fleeting traces of cherry blossoms from the temple’s view, and we were not disappointed.
We spent the entire day climbing stairs and venturing to higher terrain to enjoy the beautiful classical Japanese architecture. However, surprisingly, one of the city’s best views came from our hotel’s rooftop club, where we decided to dine that night.
Day 8—Osaka to Mt. Fuji to Tokyo: By day 8, we felt travel-worn. Nevertheless, one more location remained on our list, and it was a big one. 
We thought we’d save some time and stop to see Mt. Fuji during our train ride from Osaka to Kyoto. My husband’s only request was to have lunch at a place with a stunning mountain view. Thinking we could quickly fulfill his request, we were surprised that the area around the Fuji station was relatively barren, offering zero dining options. So, we flagged down a cab and gave the driver only a few Google-translated instructions: “Please take us to a place where we can have lunch with an incredible view of Mt. Fuji.” And off we went.
My safety-first personality still cannot believe we trusted a stranger to drive us to an unknown location. Still, I am thrilled with the results because our driver delivered us to a diner above a welcome center with a postcard-worthy view of the mountain, where we all sat and enjoyed bowls of ramen before heading back to Tokyo for the night.
Day 9- Home Bound: We arrived near dinner-time in Tokyo after our adventure at Fuji. We chose to stay at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel near the airport, which allowed us to pop back into Tokyo Disneyland for one more go-round on the Beauty and the Beast ride and the final chance to grab Mickey Mouse waffles for dinner. The best part of this resort included spotting the monorail outside our balcony doors and watching the fireworks over the castle at sunset, giving us an ideal conclusion to our trip.Â
A Few Final Tips:
- Take time to research what you need for the perfect Japan visit. I checked out Two Wandering Soles for practical tips on what to bring and not bring into the country. However, here are a few tips I learned from our travels.
- Don’t let the language barrier keep you from visiting. Google Translate is the best tool for helping you navigate around the country. Plus, everyone we met showed us extreme patience and kindness regarding communication.
- The train system in Tokyo is intricate but entirely manageable; however, you must purchase a Japan Rail Pass to use the bullet train, and whatever you do, hold on to that ticket!
- By the way, you will need to purchase a pass in advance. I advise doing that before you leave.
- When using trains, remember train etiquette. Avoid phone use and keep conversations quiet.
- Always carry yen for places that may not accept credit cards. We were stuck at Disneyland because we needed more yen to purchase a monorail ticket back to our hotel, and they didn’t take cards. So, always make sure to have yen on you.
