“お誕生日おめでとう, dear Maverick! お誕生日おめでとう to you!”
Japan is a different world—especially for the one-year-old we travelled with for two weeks.
Tokyo
It is strange to think that we would be leaving a country that has a smaller population than a single city in Japan, but we left Whitehorse for Tokyo for two weeks. The 10-hour flight over was pretty awful, but that was expected. Even though we had a bassinet seat for Maverick, the drastic time change made it challenging to ensure that sleep was obtained, so we decided our first night to stay at the airport to minimize this.
From the airport, we had to take public transit to our hotel. Even with Google Maps instructing us where to go and what to do, everything was in Japanese (I know, a shock right?). Trying to navigate the busy station with all of our luggage was difficult; however, once we figured out the system, it was relatively easy and very cheap to transit around Japan.
We explored Tokyo for a couple of days, visiting famous landmarks such as the Shibuya Crossing, the Tokyo Skytree and, in general, the chaos of the largest city in the world.
No matter what time of day it was, there were hundreds or thousands of people in any one spot. On 4 a.m. walks with Maverick. we saw the drinkers; at 8 a.m., the workers; and everything in-between.
While in Tokyo, Maverick had his first birthday! And a highlight on our last day was to visit Tokyo Disneyland. Surprisingly lots to do there with an infant.
Kyoto
After Tokyo, we visited the extremely beautiful and green (though not as much as Whitehorse) Kyoto. This is the city of forest and temples. We stayed in a traditional Japanese house with a shared bathroom, which I would not recommend with a baby. Nonetheless, we explored the bamboo forests, the monkeys and the endless temples and shrines in Kyoto.
Osaka
The last stop was Osaka: not quite as impressive as Kyoto. First we stopped in Kobe, to eat Kobe beef, then we visited rather boring Osaka. It is known for its food, but for us, the food in Tokyo was much more interesting and better. Osaka is a street-food place and not very pretty. We visited the aquarium and Ferris wheel, but otherwise wouldn’t recommend this on a visit bucket list.
Overall, the trip was good. Travelling with a baby was a challenge, but we survived the weirdness that was Japan!
Time change
By far the hardest transition to Japan was the time difference, and with a baby, this is even more so because babies and sleep are the priorities. We managed to adjust to Japan’s time relatively easily by not setting Maverick down for bedtime until it was Japan’s bedtime on the plane. This ruse actually seemed to work.
Baby friendly (?)
Japan seems to be child friendly, but I wouldn’t say it is baby friendly. Not one single place had a crib, so it resulted in us having to share our bed with the Maverick for two whole weeks. This is a rather exhausting endeavour to undertake. In addition to the lack of cribs was the lack of baby high chairs in restaurants (lucky to have space at a table, let alone room for a high chair).
Eating
Eating involves a lot of rice; like seriously, I need a break from rice. But everything and everywhere was fast-paced eating. From convenience food, to booth settings, it was actually difficult to find places you could sit with a baby and eat. Restaurants often couldn’t physically accommodate us. And the food was often strange (to me, at least); I’m not a fan of raw fish. So things like sushi, which in Canada I quite like, were all raw fish in Japan.
Toilets
I still have no idea why, but Japanese people love a warm toilet seat. Yes, the toilets will open upon arrival, sing as you do your business, and self flush all while being toasty warm. It’s weird.
Translation
Generally, most important things were in English; however, you were often met with the difficulty of not understanding what was on the menu. Our translation device would translate a menu, but what does “happy food” mean? Even the translations didn’t make sense to us. I’d highly recommend a translation device that can translate a picture, as well as translating speech.
Teeny-Tiny Spaces
I’ve never stayed in such small hotel rooms before. Literally, our room in Japan was not much bigger than the bed. This can make it rather challenging when taking a baby who likes to walk and play. Where does he do this? I often spent time in the lobby with him.
Transportation
Strollers seem to be the worst idea ever in Japan, and lucky for us, we had a hiking backpack. This made travelling, particularly in the metro, very easy. It’s a hustle-and-bustle place that requires moving out of the way.
Convenience FoodYes, 7-Eleven is actually a place where you get food! Their 24/7 convenience stores are places of quick, tasty and affordable food options, and they are everywhere.
