Japan Trip 2024

Japan holiday with the kids in Nov and time simply flew by... Weather was great, nobody got sick. Two and a half cabin size luggage just enough for 4 of us with ample space for shopping loot!!! We did what we set out to experience - bento on the Shinkansen, frenzy scooping up discounted Isetan food after 7pm, mandatory picture of the Gilco Man...

Tokyo

Always wanted to skip Tokyo altogether... BUT... I really wanted to visit TeamLab. Interesting start to the journey... 

I have deep affection for the Harry Potter series so this place was on my check list. With such high expectations, I was slightly disappointed that we were not sorted by the Sorting Hat upon arrival. I wonder which house I would be in. But we did spent a good 4 hours from beginning to end. 

"Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike." 

— Albus Dumbledore

"Youth can not know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young." — Albus Dumbledore

"If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." — Sirius Black

"When in doubt, go to the library." — Ron Weasley

And so we did! Not to the library but to a second hand comic stall in search of anime. Serious stuff.

Osaka

One day, the kingdom of the peaceful mushroom people was invaded by the Koopa, a tribe of turtles. The mushroom people were turned into stones, bricks and even field horsehair plants. And the Mushroom kingdom fell into ruins. 

The only one who can undo the magic and return them to their normal selves is the Princess Toadstool, the daughter of the mushroom king. Unfortunately, she is in the hands of Bowser, the king of the Koopa. We, the Mario warriors set out to earn as many points as possible to free the princess and restore the fallen kingdom!

I was not even a Mario fan but I needed to get my hands on their merch after running around Mario land. This place was way too cute.

Jaws was a big part of my childhood yet M&M had never heard of the movie. Threw them into the deep end without much context or what to expect. Morg was quite rattled. I was... wah this was soooo good.

Kuromi - who the hell is she? Mr. Morg, to our disbelief, insisted we stayed and watch Kuromi sing and dance!! Infinity infinity infinity!!!! Bizarre scene of Morgi dancing with whole bunch of adult fans. I flatly commented in the crowd that the only bunny I like is Miffy, with Megan going into immediate panic, "ma, you cannot say that loud!!!" Death stares from all My Melody fandom. Oh. Different groups yah?

USJ was such a happy place. I found myself smiling the entire day... 

Osaka Aquarium - this was as close to diving as I can show my family. The ocean and its creatures have their ways to enchant us and draw us into their deep mysterious world. So calm, yet powerful. M&M could sit there watching fish for hours. Even Ken was mesmerised like a little boy trying to take everything in. 

Kyoto

Fushimi Inari Shrine! Insta perfect tori gates was one thing but the food stalls right outside were the real deal! Street stalls selling Wagyu and Kobe beef steaks!!! Megan voted wagyu whereas I was camp Kobe all the way. Didi preferred his Potato Tornado... Ultra pretty and tasty daifukus and candied strawberries just a few meters away. Snacking was never this good.

Morgan was dead serious about Omikuji. He wanted the full experience shaking the box, exchanging for the fortune written on a piece of white paper. Google translate could not fully placed his fortune in the good/ bad category. Hence, following traditions, he had to fold the paper and left it behind at the Shrine. It was charming. 

Mr Morg said his fav place on this trip was Nara - because he overcame his fear of feeding the deers! He became brave. 

Meggi's fav place was the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Or not exactly the forest, since we were so blissfully distracted by all the shopping and food along the Saga-Toriimoto street leading to the forest that we barely enter the bamboo section. Meggi declared after an hour, "maybe we should just forget about the bamboo (and continue to explore the much more exciting streetscape)". 

A Miffy Bakery!!!! OK, let's skip the Bamboo forest. I agree! In life, we must have priorities... Mocha ice-cream, possibility the best ice-cream we have tasted in our lives... Actually, in hindsight, we should stay a night right here. Advice to anyone reading this blog. Stay. Bring more cash. 

Japanese food can never be not nice. 7-11 was Morgi's standard visit everyday. There was always space in his stomach for a 7-11 Onigiri. So much so that he even pray to the onigiri section - Never run out, Please Please never run out... 

Happy happy food... I miss Japan already....