Happy Thursday, friends!
Okay, I hope you’re hydrated, well-rested, and have time on your hands because today is a BIG BLOG POST.
I shared PART ONE of our trip to Japan on Tuesday, and today, I have PART TWO…which was a HUGE HUGE day in Kyoto!
We packed A TON of awesomeness into one day.
Let’s be real, where else on the internet are you getting MATCHA + MONKEYS + TRAINS + SOCKS today?
Happy to provide you with the best content the world wide web has to offer 😉 .
Alrighty, let’s get started with…
…a map of Japan 🙂 . I just wanted you to see where Tokyo is located and then where Kyoto is as well.
Kyoto is located about 227 miles from Tokyo. This city is certainly one of the many jewels of Japan. My travel agency sends clients to Kyoto often for overnight stays because it has so much to offer. As I mentioned in PART ONE, we decided to keep a home base in Tokyo and make day trips instead of relocating hotels, and Kyoto was the PERFECT day trip for our family. This was by far one of our favorite days.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I thought it was worth repeating, my travel agency can help you with as much or as little as you would like. We have some clients that just want us to provide the bar bones of the vacation and then they like to fill in all the gaps…while we have other clients who want us to hold their hands the entire time and plan out every single detail.
This day was certainly a “hold your hand” kind of a day which made is so enjoyable for this mama. I could sit back and just be present and relax knowing every little detail was prearranged and being handled by our tour operator.
Let me show you…
Good morning! Our driver was ready and waiting for us in the hotel lobby at 7:15 on this morning. He had a really nice van downstairs ready to take us to…
…the train station.
He not only had our tickets purchased, but he had a ticket for himself just so he could actually take us all the way on to the train right to our seats.
We would be taking one of Japan’s famous bullet trains from Tokyo to Kyoto (about 227 miles away).
The train ride was a little over two hours…
…which we did not mind. Clearly, we were excited about our day!
I watched a show on my phone and…
…enjoyed seeing Japan whiz by (sometimes getting up to 180 mph).
The ride was smooth and seamless and before we knew it, we were there.
We immediately stepped off the train and look who was waiting for us…
…our guide for the day was legit standing in front of our train car doors. We ADORED him immediately.
And look what he had on his bag…
…Buc-ee! Our guide had visited San Antonio, TX 🙂 .
He lead us out of the Kyoto train station…
…where we had a driver and van waiting for us.
Off we went!
Our first stop was…
…Nishiki Market. You guys, we could have spent all day just here!
Known as “Kyoto’s Kitchen”, this little street is lined with more than 100 shops selling everything from fresh seafood and veggies to Japanese treats and sushi.
Take a look…
We stopped and ate as we walked. We wanted to try EVERYTHING!
We visited a chopstick shop and each picked out a set to bring home…
After we left the market, our guide wanted us to see the food hall in a nearby store too. We clearly do not pass up any opportunity to eat on vacation 🙂 .
The girls all got ice cream.
We hopped back in the van and as we were driving to our next stop…
…our guide went over some Japanese history with us AND taught us all how to count in Japanese. (They drive on the right side of the vehicle, so he was not driving 😉 .)
Our next stop was…
…a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
We asked our adorable driver to take a pic with us too 🙂 .
The Japanese tea ceremony lasted about one hour. It was held in this beautiful building with a traditional Japanese garden right outside.
Oh hey! We love tea!
Here was the other side of the room. Please note…
…you had to remove your shoes before coming inside and, as you all know, I don’t wear socks, so they gave me a traditional pair of socks to wear. See how the big toe has its own little spot? Ha!
We learned all about the history, the training, and the art of tea making…
Apparently Mades sat in the “special” seat, so she was asked to taste the matcha first.
After her tasting, we were each given a traditional Japanese “sweet”…
…awwww one of the many wonderful things about traveling with your kids is that they will try things they would NEVER try at home. This “sweet” was a pickled leaf covering rice with a red bean paste center. Did they love it? Of course not. Haha! They were too polite to say so in front of her though. They waited until we were back in the van 😉 . (I didn’t love it either, but we all ate it.)
After our “sweet”, it was our turn to make matcha…
…now this was delicious!
After we left, the girls all wanted to buy matcha and make it at home.
Andrew said he actually really enjoyed his little lesson on the art of making tea.
Smith literally told me he was firing his travel agent.
Bahahahahaha! I laughed and laughed about that comment for days.
After the tea, it was time for us to drive to…
…our third stop of the day.
At this point, it was around 2:15, and we had arrived at the Golden Pavilion and Kinkakuji Temple…
Off we went with our amazing guide to see…
…the Golden Pavilion (named for the gold leaf that adorns it). The temple and surrounding gardens were gorgeous…
Stunning, right?
The weather was absolutely spectacular on this day, and we enjoyed our time here visiting.
We hopped back in our van after the Golden Temple to drive over to…
…the beautiful river area in Arashiymama. This area is absolutely stunning and known for…
…the 20 minute hike you take up the mountain…
…up, up, up we went to visit…
…the monkeys.
Yup.
We got monkeys plus a really pretty view of Kyoto below.
The monkeys roam freely but since they are well fed here, they congregate in this one area.
What is it with us vacationing with monkeys? Anyone else remember Bali…
…yup. Seems to be a trend for us. Ha!
Okay, back to the Japanese monkeys…
…my kids thought this was so cool. You know me. I fear rabies, so I kept my distance.
Oh hello there!
Smith getting as close as he can to take a picture. He clearly does not fear rabies.
Believe it or not, more monkeys are in our family’s future on this trip.
The last two days we were in Japan were the first two days of Cherry Blossom Season which is a HUGE DEAL. Everyonnnnnnne was talking about it.
We were lucky enough to see some…
…during our stay, but I bet right now, it’s absolutely spectacular.
Our last stop of the day was a yummy, traditional teppanyaki dinner (basically hibachi)…
We loved our guide so much that we asked him to please join us for dinner (our driver politely declined). I am so glad we did because he brought all the fun…
…he taught us more Japanese words and whipped out origami for the kids. He taught them how to make a swan. So sweet, right?
Everything we ate was DELICIOUS…
One side of the table…
…and the other.
Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Tokyo.
We had the best best best day, Kyoto!
We had tickets on the 7:30 PM train back to Tokyo and as you might imagine…
…this guy waited and waved at us until we pulled out of the train station. He and Buc-ee.
The Shulls S-L-E-P-T hard on the train back to Tokyo. Two hours and fifteen minutes later and the doors opened and the same driver as earlier that morning was standing right there in front of them waiting to take us back to the hotel…
…we were tired but happy.
And that is PART TWO!
You guys, tours like this are created by us EVERY DAY using the best, best, best tour operators in the world. We would love to help you create the same kind of vacation magic too. CONTACT US HERE for more info.
I am sharing one of my FAVORITE Easter recipes today just in time for your holiday! Make sure you check that out too.
Have the best Thursday, friends! I’ll see you tomorrow. xx
Elspeth Mizner says
What an adventure! All those food items look delicious!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Kara says
Looks like an epic day! Do I spy an Ohio State hoodie on Smith!? That is my alma mater… Go Bucks! 🙂
Mix and Match Mama says
You do!!
Sarah Shaneyfelt says
How fun!!!! The Japanese tea ceremony looked so interesting! And your Kobe beef dinner–yum!
MeetTheShaneyfelts
SS says
I love counting in Japanese. It is so interesting. Many moon ago our school had a foreign exchange student from Japan. We got to be good friends and I asked her to teach me how to count. I taught our kiddos too. Lol!
Mix and Match Mama says
That’s a fun little tidbit! My kids have been counting to 10 since we’ve been back on repeat 🙂 .
Paula Hobbs says
I’m not sure how you’re going to top this day, but I can’t wait to see more!! How super fun and educating at the same time!
Kristen says
Trip looks amazing, overall how many days did you spend in Japan ?
Mix and Match Mama says
We spent 8 nights!
Marian says
Hi Shay! So enjoyed reading about your trip to Japan. I do have a question. I signed up for your blog to receive an email everyday of whenever you publish and about 2 weeks ago, I stopped receiving Mix and Match Mama. I signed up again, still no email. Checked my spam folder and nothing. Was wondering if you knew what was happening. Thank you for any help!
Mix and Match Mama says
That is so weird! Are you using this email that you have here? I can check and see what’s going on! If you’re using a different email, comment back and let me know what it is. I won’t publish the comment, but I’ll be able to check. THANK YOU!
Marianne B Pielow says
I also stopped receiving emails notices.
Mix and Match Mama says
I just checked and both of your emails are still on the list. I am going to reach out and ask tech support if they know what’s happening. Double check your trash/spam folders one more time. It says both of you were sent today’s daily email.
Sarah DeWald says
What a fantastic day! The joy you all had shines through!
K.K. says
This sounds delightful!!!! What a day. Thanks for sharing!
Laura says
Wow, what a great trip. Japan is on my To-Go list. My husband and son went on a winter trip and went to a lot of festivals. They both loved it. It makes me very interested in seeing Japan.
Yvonne says
Wonderful recap! I can’t wait to go to Japan it’s on my list! Tomorrow my husband and I leave for Paris all planned and booked by your agency! It is so true your agency handles ALL THE DETAILS and they are happy to answer any question I have! Highly recommend Mix and Match Travel, it’s like you have a team working on your behalf. They have so much knowledge and information they share so your trip goes off seamlessly! Thank you and your team!
Mix and Match Mama says
Yvonne, we are so excited for you guys! Thank you SO VERY MUCH for allowing us to be a part of your vacation. Paris in the spring is going to be GORGEOUS! I can’t wait to see pics!!
Patti Kelso says
It sounds like you had the best day, how fun!!
Sonya Derczo says
Love all the pics from your Japan trip! I bet the cherry blossoms are in full bloom now. And what a treat to have sushi, a tea lesson, & hibachi in Japan. This post makes me want to visit Japan now!
Shelby says
Thanks for sharing! Did you see the bamboo in Kyoto?
Mix and Match Mama says
That was on our list for the day, but by the time we got finished with the monkeys, we had run out of time.
Michelle says
Were you able to see Mt Fuji on your train ride? It was too cloudy the days we took the train. Kyoto is my favorite city in Japan so far.
Mix and Match Mama says
Yes! We were!
Amy says
How was your motion sickness on the bullet train?
Mix and Match Mama says
I was worried about that, but it was just like being on an airplane for me (minus the turbulence). I don’t typically ever get nauseous on flights and can read/watch TV, etc. On boats and cars and *most* trains, I can’t do anything but look forward. This was moving so smoothly and quickly that I didn’t have any issues and was even able to watch a show on my phone.
Karleigh Johnson says
A dream trip for us! Our kids are little (1 and 4.5 years old), but I can’t decide if it would be better to go when they’re older or YOLO and go soon. We were supposed to go in March 2020 (pre kids) and we all know what happened then. Now we have two babies and are trying to decide if it’s a good trip to take with kids.
Mix and Match Mama says
I’m obviously the wrong person to ask…my answer is to seize the day and take the kids 😉 .
Kristy Moore says
Okay, so I clearly need to read your posts a little more closely as I see you did do trips out from Tokyo! How fun! Looking forward to reading more about your trip (it’s helping me build my own trip to Japan hopefully for 2027!). have the best day!
Mix and Match Mama says
We do! We most certainly do 🙂 .
Marla says
Hi Shay! I am LOVING these posts. When is the cherry blossom season? I have always wanted to experience it but then I wonder about crowds? LOVE the monkeys …..how close can people get to them ? Ironically I have a friend who is getting rabies shots – raccoon bite. Your fear is valid !!
Mix and Match Mama says
Everyone said it started this year on March 20th and then goes about a month. The peak time to visit would be early April. I asked about the crowds and everyone agreed that cherry blossom season was by far the busiest with the Christmas season in second place.
MelanieL says
Such a fun day! Smith firing his travel agent about did me in LOL!!!
Mix and Match Mama says
Me too, hahahaha!
Bren says
I am reading in a quiet house this morning and Smith’s comment made me laugh out loud too!
Truly – ask anyone who knows me well – nothing makes me happier than reading/hearing/talking about people’s vacations. I always so look forward to your trip recaps, Shay, whether for a week plus, or a weekend. What an amazing trip you and your agency planned!
Mix and Match Mama says
You sound like me! I love, love reading/listening to people talk about traveling. xx
Alisha says
I’m dying at firing the travel agent hahahahaha
Kristen says
I had wondered if you saw the cherry blossoms! So glad you were able to catch some of that beauty! Looks like such an exciting trip!
Anne says
Your kids are so lucky. Besides making memories, they’re getting educated in so many things!
Holly Wirth says
Thank you for sharing your trip- there is so much to see in Kyoto that it is difficult to do it in one day. Our first trip to Japan we did a day trip from Osaka. Send trip- we stayed 3 nights in Kyoto- the better choice- got to see “off the beaten path” less crowded areas
Sheaffer says
My goodness y’all packed in some serious fun, some yummy bites, and some great memories!
Kacy M says
So fun! The train is definitely your friend in Japan. We had our “home base” in Fukuoka (major train station there) and took day trips to seven cities when my family went two years ago.