Finding the Right Way to Travel with Kids in Tokyo

During this trip to Tokyo with my kid, friends kept telling me: I really admire you for being able to run around with a child!

Actually, when I think about it, I have to admire the kid's dad. As a Sagittarius born to be wild and love freedom, he feels uncomfortable if he doesn't go out on a trip every year. When he sees a cheap airfare, he buys it first, regardless of whether he has vacation time or not.

So, what if there's no vacation? — Take forced leave anyway.

Anyway, we can't miss out on letting the kid's dad go on trips, and having a kid shouldn't stop that. I remember the time when we carried our son to Bali. Seeing his cheeks reddened by the sun, looking like he had been "played with" by his parents, I thought: It's not easy being our kid!

Of course, traveling is always joyful. Every trip, the kid's dad and I have a clear division of labor: he is responsible for the itinerary and all the hotel arrangements, and I am responsible for playing with the kid and writing the travelogue afterward.

He enjoys planning the itinerary, and I enjoy writing. Clear division, each doing their own part, harmonious and happy.

Okay, enough talk. Let's see what we experienced in Tokyo this time~

// 1 //

The airfare was from Vanilla Air, flying from Hong Kong to Tokyo. We grabbed a special offer before Chinese New Year: only 1300 RMB for a family of three for the outbound flight!

The high-speed rail from mainland China to Hong Kong has opened, so we only took one hour from Guangzhou to Hong Kong.

We arrived at Hong Kong Airport quite early, but the children's area at the airport was great. Our son could sit there quietly.

The flight was 5 hours. This time, our son behaved well on the plane, staying quiet the whole time.

We arrived in Tokyo around 9 PM and took the late-night subway to our accommodation. I had heard that taxis in Japan are very expensive, so we bought a Japanese subway pass on Taobao in advance. Throughout the trip, we traveled by subway. Fortunately, Tokyo's subway network is extensive, making it convenient to go anywhere.

The first guesthouse we stayed at was near Koiwa Station. We booked it on Airbnb. It was very clean and comfortable.

The bedroom had tatami mats, which felt great and very cozy. By the way, the bathroom had a smart toilet, which was really handy. After using it, the kid's dad said he wanted to buy a smart toilet and carry it back to China... Of course, I stopped him.

It was already midnight, but our son was still very excited and refused to sleep. The kid's dad and I planned the next day's itinerary: go to Shinjuku for a full day of shopping, and after that, no more shopping.

The next day, we woke up naturally, had a brunch at a restaurant called Matsuya, which has many chain stores in Japan.

Speaking of which, during this trip to Japan, we didn't take many good photos. Because the kid's dad had to hold the baby while taking pictures of me, it was really hard to strike a pose. Having him crouch down to take an upward shot of my long legs? Difficult!

Shinjuku is one of Tokyo's core commercial areas, with shopping, entertainment, everything you can imagine: Kabukicho, Nichome, Sanchome... If we didn't have a kid with us, how wild would we have been?

On the sweltering streets of Shinjuku, our scene was like this:

We didn't bring a stroller on this trip because our two-year-old son no longer wants to sit in a stroller. He can't be strapped into it, so it would have been just dead weight. So, the kid's dad had to carry him the whole time. I couldn't hold him for long with my slender build.

The biggest impression in Tokyo is that it really is the shopping center of the universe! With Japan around, how can Hong Kong dare to call itself a shopping paradise?

Here, even the most non-materialistic person will be ignited with shopping passion. It's so easy to buy things—you can buy blindly!

Of course, having a kid still restrained our uncontrolled shopping spree. Our son twisted and turned among the shelves in the mall, touching this and that. We had to act like we were in a battle, finishing quickly and getting our son out of the battlefield. He was about to knock over the shelves and go wild!

The kid's dad carried the baby all day, and his arms were about to break. I was also exhausted. Traveling is already hard work, and traveling with a kid is like carrying a heavy mountain, and that mountain is not well-behaved.

Many restaurants in Japan are very small. With our big and small bags and a bouncing kid, we couldn't eat properly in a restaurant. So we decided to buy bento boxes from 7-Eleven and eat back at the guesthouse. Then we found out that 7-Eleven bento boxes taste just as good as the ones from restaurants!

That was the end of the first day. Before sleeping, we thought that although we had wandered around Shinjuku for a day, there were still many places we hadn't visited, like Kabukicho. We would have to find another day to go back to Shinjuku, not for shopping, but just for eating and wandering.

// 2 //

The next day, we still woke up naturally—after having a kid, "waking up naturally" means waking up at 7 or 8 AM because the kid wakes us up.

The kid's dad's plan was to go to Senso-ji Temple and Tokyo Skytree.

Senso-ji Temple was crowded with people. There were many unique shops. Online guides suggest wearing a kimono to visit Senso-ji, but we couldn't be bothered with that. Just carrying the kid and smoothly touring the area was enough.

Our son was born in the Year of the Monkey, and he really jumps around like a monkey. Look at the worried expression on the kid's dad's face.

When our son fell asleep and became quiet, we finally had a chance to take a family selfie.

After visiting Senso-ji, we headed toward Tokyo Skytree. The weather was great. On the way to Skytree, there was a children's playground where our son had a lot of fun.

Skytree was right in front of us, but we took our time, stopping to play along the way. It took us one or two hours to get there.

Tokyo Skytree is the tallest tower in the world, with a height of 634 meters. The ticket to the 350-meter observation deck costs 2000 yen, and an additional 1000 yen to go up to 450 meters. After buying the tickets, we ascended Skytree and had a panoramic view of Tokyo.

As night fell little by little, the scenery became more and more beautiful.

There were many tourists at Skytree. When we went down after seeing the night view, there were still many people lining up to go up.

Senso-ji and Skytree are really nice. When you come to Tokyo, you definitely need to check them in~

// 3 //

On the third day, we had to change accommodation. We moved to a guesthouse near Kameari Station. This guesthouse was even better. The landlady, who lived next door, was extremely enthusiastic. The room was still very clean and comfortable, and it was fully equipped with everything: sanitary pads, face masks, sterilization spray... It had even more things than our own home!

The tatami was so comfortable to sleep on. The kid's dad said, "Let's remove the bed in our bedroom and replace it with tatami..." Hmm, we'll think about that later~

We took a walk around the new guesthouse, ate something, and then went to Akihabara.

Akihabara is Japan's famous street for electronics, games, and anime. Our impression after walking around was: This is truly a paradise for otaku!

There were long lines in front of various gachapon machines, all kinds of anime merchandise, game merchandise, large and small electronics, and the AKB48 Theater is also here.

// 4 //

On the fourth day, we went to Tokyo Disneyland!

Disneyland is a place that has haunted my dreams. Entering that scene, hearing the familiar music, I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings: moved, excited, thrilled, nostalgic...

I remembered the half year I spent at Walt Disney World in Orlando, USA, during my senior year for an exchange internship. It still feels like a dream, such a simple and joyful time!

Back then, I was carefree and worry-free, earning an internship wage of 10 USD per hour, and I was so happy. Now, I can't be happy without 10 million RMB.

After entering society, even if you suffer a huge injustice, you have to swallow it. But back then at Disney, even if I encountered something that wasn't really a big deal, I would stand up to defend my rights. What a fearless student era!

Society has worn down so many of our sharp edges.

I once swore that I would definitely bring my child back to Orlando Disney to check in.

This time, I brought my son to Tokyo Disney first!

Sitting on the little train, watching my son's eyes dart around, his little fingers pointing here and there, babbling something, I felt a surge of comfort and emotion.

This Disney castle, which I had photographed countless times in the US, finally had a family portrait of the three of us!

I remember when a few of us Chinese interns first arrived at Disney, seeing foreigners scream wildly when they saw Mickey, Minnie, and Donald Duck, and we initially found it unbelievable. Later, after being immersed in that environment for half a year, we were "brainwashed" too. Disney's culture is so powerful; once you are exposed to it enough, you will definitely develop a Disney complex.

In the evening, the fireworks started. Familiar scenes, so nostalgic ~ Memories really are more wonderful than reality~

Let me share a work photo from back then ~ Hmm, this uniform looks pretty ugly now ~

With the beautiful dreams of Disney, we ended this joyful day. Our son behaved much better at Disney than in the shopping areas. After all, he's a child, loves to play, and likes colorful things.

// 5 //

I forget the name of the place we went on the fifth day. It was also a huge commercial area. The famous Hachiko statue is there too.

By the way, Japan has many thrift stores (second-hand stores) that are very worth browsing.

This time, we went to some "lower-end" thrift stores that had平民 brands like Zara, Forever 21, and also went to high-end thrift stores selling Balenciaga, Fendi, LV, etc.

I didn't find anything, but the kid's dad found a The North Face and a Nike jacket at a thrift store at about 50% off. And they were both brand new! Awesome.

// 6 //

Tokyo has so many places to visit. This time we only stayed in Tokyo and still couldn't cover everything.

I have a very good impression of Japan. The people are very friendly and polite, and public places are very quiet.

The guesthouses were great, especially the second one. The landlady was very kind. But she didn't speak English. Whenever we needed to communicate, she would bring her daughter along.

Fruits in Japan are quite expensive. We never got to eat them. On the night we returned from Disney, we were surprised to find a bag of strawberries hanging on the door, left by the landlady. It felt like seeing a bag of money—so expensive~

However, I'm not sure why so many Japanese people in Tokyo didn't speak English well. Many times, we couldn't communicate even after a long time. They could only understand simple words like "how much." Anything slightly more complex was beyond them. Once I wanted to order takeout and said "take out," but the server simply couldn't understand what I wanted. She chattered away in Japanese, and I couldn't understand either, so I had to give up ordering takeout.

Also, at Disney, I asked a staff member what time the fireworks were, but she didn't understand "fireworks." I wrote it down for her to see, but she still shook her head. I wondered if Tokyo Disney didn't call it fireworks. Later, I found the fireworks information in the brochure.

Why is their English not good? It's an international metropolis~

Of course, this communication issue didn't affect our trip much. The whole journey was tiring but happy.

Is traveling with a kid tiring? Exhausting! Many times I wanted to spank him. He was too noisy and didn't listen at all. We couldn't even enjoy sightseeing and shopping properly.

Will I travel with a kid next time? Yes! He's my own child, so I have to raise him even if I have to crawl. I can't just keep him at home every day. We only have time to go out once a year, so of course, we have to bring him along!

I've always had a dream of being a travel blogger, eating, drinking, playing, and shopping with my kid, earning money while having fun. In Tokyo, when our son was being difficult, the kid's dad asked me, "Do you still want to be a travel blogger?"

I think my answer is still yes. No matter how tiring the trip is, at least my mind is relaxed. I can temporarily put aside work, politics, and earning a living.

Physical fatigue isn't real fatigue; it's mental fatigue that truly wears you out.

Tomorrow is another maddening Monday. What each trip brings me is the determination to work harder to earn money and achieve financial freedom as soon as possible. Then I can play however I want!