When I think back on our first family trip to Japan, there are so many things that come to mind.
The food. The trains. The walking. Getting lost. The little discoveries around every corner. The moments when we looked at each other and thought, Are we really in Japan right now?
And then there are the places that gave us memories we know we’ll be talking about for a long time.
A Day at Universal Studios Japan
For my husband and my son, this was their first time visiting a Universal Studios theme park, so you can imagine how excited they were.
We kept an eye on the weather and got our entrance tickets through Klook for a day when it wasn’t supposed to rain. Getting there meant taking the train—and remember that Kansai Pass we had? We definitely put that thing to work. We used it to get around throughout our trip, and Universal Studios was another place where it came in handy.
One of the coolest parts actually happened before we even got there.
As we were riding the train, we started seeing people dressed in Hogwarts uniforms.
Hogwarts uniforms.
On the train.
Heading to Universal Studios Japan.
Looking back, we absolutely should have brought our son’s Harry Potter costume. What were we thinking?! 😂
Once we arrived, we basically made a whole day of it. We went through as many sections as we could and rode whatever rides made sense for us. We did have to be selective because of my son’s scoliosis, so we couldn’t just jump on every ride we saw. We had to choose wisely.
But there was still plenty to see and do.
Our favorite section was Harry Potter. Of course it was. Walking around that area really did feel like stepping into another world, and seeing our son enjoy it made the whole experience even better.
Another highlight for him was WaterWorld. He had a blast watching the live-action scenes, and it was one of those moments where you could tell he was completely caught up in what was happening.
Jurassic World was another favorite.
We stayed all day, ate lunch inside the park, continued exploring, and didn’t make our way home until it was nighttime.
Exhausted? Absolutely.
Worth it?
Absolutely.
It was one of those days where you know you’ve made a family memory.
When Old Japan Meets Modern Osaka
Osaka Castle was a completely different experience.
You probably don’t need an entire day for Osaka Castle. You can spend half a day—or a little more—and have plenty of time to take it all in.
What struck me most was the setting.
It almost felt like the castle was sitting in the center of the city, surrounded by everything modern Osaka has to offer. Shops, restaurants, buildings, people going about their day—and then, right there in the middle of it all, this massive historic castle surrounded by two moats.
It was such a cool contrast.
Getting to the castle grounds meant a lot of walking, including quite a bit of walking uphill. And apparently, Japan had decided that our trip needed to include ALL THE WALKING. 😂
Along the way, there were vendors selling snacks, food and drinks, which was definitely appreciated after making our way uphill.
As we got closer, I couldn’t help but think about how this place was built centuries ago without the machinery and technology we have today.
How did they build something like this?
It looked incredibly well fortified, and standing there, it wasn’t hard to imagine samurai guarding the castle and people living within those walls hundreds of years ago.
We didn’t go inside the castle itself. The line was long, and there was an additional entrance fee, so we decided to stay on the castle grounds instead and simply enjoy the views.
And honestly, I was okay with that.
Sometimes you don’t have to see every single thing to appreciate where you are.
And Then There Was Kyoto
Our trip to Kyoto was another one of those adventures where we had a plan—but not necessarily a clue how to execute it. 😂
We knew we wanted to visit Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, so we took the train from Osaka to Kyoto.
Once we got to Kyoto Station, we realized we weren’t exactly sure where we needed to go next.
So we did what any sensible traveler would do.
We went to the information center and asked.
They pointed us in the right direction, and we took the bus toward Kiyomizu-Dera.
And then?
We walked.
And walked.
And walked some more.
Here’s to more walking!!!!! 😂
The streets leading up to the temple are cobblestoned and climb uphill, with shops lining the way. There are food vendors, souvenir shops and places where you can even rent kimonos.
It was crowded, too. Kiyomizu-Dera is famous, and plenty of people were making their way up the hill with us.
So here’s my little piece of advice: bring a water bottle.
You will thank me later.
Once you reach the temple grounds, there’s plenty to explore. The grounds are vast, and you can wander around and take your time.
And this is where something really special happened for me.
I finally saw cherry blossoms.
🌸
Remember how I had wanted to see cherry blossoms during our Japan trip?
Well, I didn’t get to see them throughout the trip because the blossoms were actually expected to bloom after we had already left Japan.
Boohoo for me.
But then we got to Kiyomizu-Dera.
And there they were.
Cherry blossoms.
It wasn’t the huge explosion of pink I had imagined, but I didn’t care.
I got my cherry blossoms.
And somehow, finding them there made them even more special.
While we were walking back down the hill, I also found one of my kokeshi dolls in one of the shops.
And here’s another lesson I learned:
If you see something you really like, get it.
Because you might think, I’ll come back for it later.
And then, before you know it, you’re at the bottom of the hill, the buses are there, and you’re moving on to the next part of your adventure.
So yes, I got my kokeshi doll. 😊
And Then, There Was Mt. Fuji
Our trip was coming to an end.
We were on the Shinkansen from Osaka back to Tokyo, heading toward the airport and, eventually, home.
This time, we were riding the bullet train in the morning. It was sunny, which meant we actually had a chance to see the scenery outside the windows.
And somewhere around more than halfway through our ride, I was looking out the window on the left side of the train. I happened to be sitting in the aisle seat, so I was looking across toward the two-seat section on the other side.
And then I saw her.
Mt. Fuji.
There she was in all her majestic form, snowcapped and enormous against the clear sky.
I was mesmerized.
I tapped my husband. Then my son.
I think I just whispered, “Mt. Fuji.”
And I pointed out the window.
For a few seconds, we just looked.
Oh. My. God.
There it was.
Mt. Fuji.
Japan’s symbol.
And it was just…right there.
I don’t think you can really understand how massive it is until you’re actually looking at it. It’s so tall. So enormous. And somehow, seeing it from a moving Shinkansen made the whole thing feel surreal.
We weren’t planning this.
We hadn’t booked a tour.
We weren’t standing at some famous viewpoint waiting for it to appear.
We were simply on our way home.
And Japan gave us one more memory.
A really, really big one.
And then comes the part that still makes me laugh.
Did I take a freaking picture?!?!?!
NO.
😂😂😂
I didn’t take a picture.
My husband didn’t take a picture.
My son didn’t take a picture.
None of us took a picture.
We were too caught up in the moment.
And honestly?
I’m okay with that.
Because every once in a while, you get a moment that you don’t experience through a camera lens. You just experience it.
I can still picture it in my head.
I can still feel that little jolt of excitement when I realized what I was looking at.
And I still get chills thinking about it.
That was how our first trip to Japan ended—with Mt. Fuji appearing outside our Shinkansen window just as we were about to leave the country.
Talk about perfect timing.
Next time, though?
We’re going to make it a point to see Mt. Fuji on purpose.
Not just as she passes by the window of a bullet train.
We’re going to stop.
We’re going to take our time.
And yes…
We are absolutely taking the freaking picture. 😂🗻
We Didn’t See Everything—and That’s Okay
There are so many other places we could have visited in Kyoto.
And that’s exactly the problem.
There are so many places to visit in Japan that trying to see everything in one trip just isn’t realistic.
We had to choose.
We picked the places that mattered most to us and tried to enjoy them rather than rushing from one attraction to another just so we could say we’d been there.
And I think that’s one of the biggest things I’ll remember about this trip.
We didn’t see everything.
We didn’t experience everything.
We probably didn’t even do everything the right way.
But we experienced Japan together.
We rode trains and figured things out as we went. We walked until our feet were tired. We got lost. We ate things we’d never tried before. We saw places we’d only ever seen in pictures.
My husband experienced his first Universal Studios theme park.
My son got to walk through the world of Harry Potter, watch WaterWorld, see Jurassic World and explore a country he’d been excited to visit.
And I finally got to see cherry blossoms.
Even if it was just a little bit.
Maybe that’s the funny thing about travel.
Sometimes the things you miss become the reason you want to go back.
We didn’t get to see all of Kyoto.
We didn’t get to see Japan in every season.
We didn’t get to check everything off the list.
And that’s okay.
Because now we have a reason to go back.
There are more places to explore.
More food to eat.
More trains to figure out.
More things to get lost looking for.
And hopefully, more cherry blossoms waiting for me somewhere.
Our first family trip to Japan may be over, but I don’t think our Japan story is.
This feels a lot more like a beginning than an ending. 🎌❤️
