The Deer - Nara, Japan

Deer… are aggressive. They look so peaceful and majestic in the above photo under some cherry blossom trees, but that was after lunch. When they’re hungry, they can be pretty feisty.

The scenery was beautiful. We saw several temples that day, and the deer are an ever-present part of that experience. That’s why we couldn’t wait to feed the deer as soon as we arrived in Nara, early in the morning.

The deer in Nara are known for bowing to you to beg for a deer cracker. You can buy these crackers at kiosks around the town. You show them that you have a cracker, you bow, they bow, you give them the cracker. While this is usually the case, because we tried to feed the deer first thing in the morning, they were pretty hungry. This led to a lot of being chased by deer, but also fun times.

After the deer ate up all of the crackers we had, they finally moved on to other guests (or victims) in the park. Of course, I say all of this in jest. It was an amazing experience, and I would absolutely do this again. Now, for your enjoyment… the deer trying to hug us… with their skulls…

Arashiyama Monkey Park - Kyoto

If you’re looking for a unique experience in Kyoto, you’ll definitely want to check out Arashiyama Monkey Park. Located in the historic Arashiyama area of Kyoto, this park offers a chance to interact with some of Japan’s famous macaque monkeys.

Entrance costs 550 JPY, which is roughly $5 USD. After passing the entrance, you’ll hike for about 15-20 minutes uphill. It’s a nice hike on an easy trail that is well maintained. Soon, you’ll reach the top and begin seeing monkeys. The summit of this small mountain has a few smaller trails to walk around on to see the monkeys, as well as a little courtyard area.

At the edge of the courtyard, there is a small building that sells monkey food. This building has fenced windows, so you can stand inside the building and feed the monkeys through the fence as they stand outside. It’s like the opposite of a zoo, putting the humans inside the building for the monkeys to look at. It was so fun to feed them! They stick their little hands in and grab the food directly from your hands!

At the end, we walked up a small trail to the very top where we could see the entire monkey park and look down over all of Kyoto. This park offers amazing views of the city! I definitely recommend checking out this park. If you love animals, this is the place to go and interact with them! Check it out next time you’re in Kyoto.

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Komagatake Ropeway - Views of Mount Fuji

One of the best views of Mount Fuji from the Hakone area is from Komagatake Ropeway. This ropeway takes you from the shores of Lake Ashi to the top of Mount Komagatake. This ropeway climbs slowly up the mountainside, giving you a full view of Lake Ashi as it ascends. Toward the top, you’ll even be able to see Mount Fuji on a clear day.

At the top, there are some nice walking paths to explore as well as a beautiful shrine. Next to the shrine, you’ll be able to see more of Mount Fuji. As you can see in this photo below, Fuji is so big that it even shows up in the background of the shrine image.

We’ve been to this ropeway twice, once on a clear day and once on a completely cloudy day. When it’s cloudy, this mountain area is completely in the clouds. It felt like we were in another dimension, shrouded in fog. We had know idea that such an amazing view was actually behind all of those clouds.

A round trip ticket up and down the ropeway will cost you 1600 yen, but if you get the Hakone Free Pass in the area, you’ll get 10% off. I definitely recommend the Hakone free pass, as you’ll get access to free bus rides in the area on specific bus routes. You’ll also get other perks and discounts. It’s a great way to get around Hakone!

So next time you’re in Hakone near Lake Ashi, check out the Komagatake Ropeway! You can find it right by the Prince Hotel. Enjoy!

Teppen Shibuya - Grilled Meats and Vegetables

A new year and a new post! Let’s talk about food. One of the foods we wanted to try in Japan was Yakitori. Yakitori is typically different types of grilled chicken on a stick with some sort of sauce on it. We went to a restaurant that served yakitori and other types of meat and vegetable skewers, called Teppen Shibuya Onnadojo. This place was delicious and the staff was very welcoming and friendly to tourists. The reason we went inside was because one of the workers flagged us down and asked if we were hungry as we walked by. The answer is always, “Yes!”

This place had a very wide variety of dishes. We were interested in their grilled meat and vegetable skewers, as well as their yakitori. First, they brought us a small plate as a type of appetizer. This was really similar to a chawanmushi, a savory egg custard dish, with some green onion, fish roe, and little fish called Shirasu on top. There was dashi poured over the top that brought the whole dish together. Delicious!

Next, we started with a few kinds of yakitori. This one was my favorite. It was a chicken meatloaf. The restaurant has a house recipe for their chicken meatloaf that is then marinated and grilled.

Then, we moved on to some other grilled skewers. I was interested in their grilled mushrooms. These were incredible. They were marinated and grilled with a nice smoky flavor from the grill. Then, they finished these off with some extra sauce in the mushroom cap folds. YUM!

They also have some interesting pork dishes. First, we tried these pork wrapped peppers stuffed with cheese. The cheese was hot and bubbly inside of the pepper, and the pork was crispy and delicious.

Next, we tried the pork stuffed with green onions. This was another really flavorful one. The onion pork combination was perfect!

At the end, the shop even gave us a really cute thank you message plate with two brownies for dessert. That really showed their hospitality! What a nice gesture!

We loved this place so much that we went back again on our second trip to Japan. Teppen Shibuya Onnadojo is on a little side street just a few minutes from the main shopping area. It’s the perfect place to relax and enjoy good conversation after a long day of site seeing. I definitely recommend you check them out on your next trip!

Cup Noodles Museum - Create Your Own!

If you love cup noodles or instant ramen, I’ve got the perfect experience for you. Did you know there is an entire museum dedicated to Cup Noodles? Did you know that you can even make your own custom cup noodles to take home as a souvenir?

There are two cup noodle museums in Japan, one in Yokohama and the other in Osaka. I’ve been to both, but the Yokohama location is bigger and has more to see and do. I recommend checking it out while you’re staying in Tokyo.

When you enter, you will learn about the evolution of Cup noodles and see a really colorful display of the noodle development. They have packaging from all of the eras of cup noodles so that you can see how it has changed over time. It also makes an excellent backdrop for photos.

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Then, you’ll learn more about the origins. They have an exhibit about the founding of cup noodles for you to explore.

Let’s get to the fun stuff. One really cool element of the Yokohama location is a tasting room. It’s an old fashioned city scape with ramen shops surrounding a food court. This is very similar to the Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum, which you can read about in my other post here.

My favorite part was actually creating my own custom cup noodle. You enter a large room where you get an empty cup noodle cup. Then, you sit down and decorate it however you like with markers. This is a great activity for kids or adults. Each time I’ve done this, it was with other adults, and we all had a great time. Next, you take it up to the noodle station. You move your cup through a noodle-filling machine by turning a lever. Then, a cup noodle staff member will add whatever dehydrated toppings you want as well as the soup base flavor of your choice. There are so many options to choose from! I chose seafood base with shrimp, crab, green onions, and corn. My friend picked curry base with shrimp, corn, kimchi, and green onion. You can really customize it however you like! At the end, you package it up in a nice little protective bubble for your cup noodles and take it home.

We ended our museum tour with an excellent view. They have a balcony where you can look out over the harbor in Yokohama and take in the beautiful sights.

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This was a wonderful experience. At the Yokohama location, be prepared to spend several hours and come hungry and ready to eat. The Osaka location can be toured in about an hour, as it is smaller and does not have the tasting room. It does still have the create-your-own cup noodles, though. If you’re planning your trip to Japan, I definitely recommend checking this place out!

Sanrio Puroland

If you know me, you know how much I love Gudetama. Of course, we went to the Gudetama Cafe in Osaka in one of my previous posts. But we also went to Sanrio Puroland. This themepark is a Sanrio character theme park about 40 minutes away from Shinjuku station in Tama ward. They have tons of attractions and photo opportunities with all of your favorite Sanrio characters.

One of my favorite parts to this amusement park was the Gudetama area. There was an entire exhibit dedicated to Gudetama “traveling the world” as different foods. There are lots of fun Gudetama photo-ops, as well. Gudetama as an omurice, gudetama on a burger, gudetama in a crepe, and many more!

Another adorable part of Sanrio Puroland was the boat ride. This was very reminiscent of the “Small World” boat ride in Disney, except with all Sanrio characters. It was so cute! I absolutely loved Cinnamoroll baking cinnamon rolls and PomPomPurin carrying around pudding. Each of the characters were represented in this boat ride that is fun for the whole family.

And if you’re looking for Sanrio swagg, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve never seen so many Gudetama items as I did in this store! There is something for every Sanrio character here. Many items are even unique to Puroland and can’t be found anywhere else!

Of course, every good attraction has food! And Puroland has a great cafeteria! All of their food is character themed. We ate Gudetama ramen, a gudetama donut, and a Wish Me Mell Pancake with ice cream and berries. It was fun and delicious!

If you’re a Sanrio fan, you’ve got to check out this theme park. Come see Hello Kitty and all of her friends next time you’re in Tokyo and come check out Sanrio Puroland.

Japan’s Crab Restaurant - Kani Doraku

Have you seen photos of a restaurant in Japan with a big moving crab on the front? That’s Kani Doraku. With over 40+ locations, this chain has become very popular with tourists and locals alike for their crab and seafood themed cuisine. We visited the location in East Dotonbori, in Osaka.

This restaurant is upscale, with a nice atmosphere. This location is directly along the river, so we had a very nice view during our meal. We sat at floor seats with the leg area cut out below, which was a fun experience. We ordered a set meal that included a table grilled crab, some sushi, soup, as well as other crab themed dishes.

My absolute favorite part of this meal with grilling our own crab over a Japanese table grill. They brought out all of the ingredients and a grill. We then cooked our own food. It was super fun! Of course, each course was delicious.

This is one of those restaurants that you have to visit when going to Japan. To me, it was so fun to experience. They even have souvenirs available for purchase. Next time you’re in Japan, go check out one of the many locations of Kani Doraku for a delicious meal!

Ueno Park Cherry Blossom Festival Food

One of my favorite places to visit during cherry blossom season is Ueno Park, in Ueno Ward, Tokyo. This park is filled with tons and tons of cherry blossom trees and lots of food to enjoy! Most years, you’ll find people setting blankets and tarps out under the trees and setting up picnics to watch the cherry blossoms while they eat. They call this “hanami.” There are food vendors of all kinds at this festival, but here are just a few of my favorite street foods from the past few years.

Above is a photo of some delicious yakitori I ate in 2019 at the festival. You’ll notice the skewers are labeled with the cut of meat on each skewer. They were all coated in a delicious teriyaki sauce and marinated very nicely. They were fresh and juicy and definitely one of my favorite things at this festival.

Next, we have some delicious street corn. They’re grilling it fresh at the food stall with some butter for flavor. During this visit, it was still a little cool outside, and this nice hot corn was the perfect snack.

Another favorite is something I’ve never seen in the US… grilled crab on a stick. It is imitation crab, so more of like a crab flavored fish cake on a stick, grilled. They season it, grill it over a charcoal grill, and top it with Japanese mayo. This was my #1 favorite food item at this festival. Absolutely incredible!

In 2019, we found this delicious snack. They’re called “American Long Potatoes” at most of the food stalls around town. This was so funny to me, since we don’t have fries this long in the US. But these fries are literally about 1 foot long, and then they’re drizzled in the topping of your choice. I chose liquid cheese and parmesan. It was really satisfying and crunchy. They make these extra long fries not by cutting potatoes into strips like American fries, but actually by mashing the potato, putting it into a presser, and pressing out these long potato strings into the fryer. So really, it’s almost like fried mashed potatoes.

Finally, no meal would be complete without a drink! And what better drink that a cherry blossom themed drink! Japan has tons of cherry blossom themed snacks and drinks during the spring season, and alcohol is no exception. This is a brut rose Chandon tastes pretty much like the normal Chandon but with a hint of cherry blossom flavor. And the bottles are beautiful. You can buy a glass or an entire bottle to share with friends during hanami. We saw this in 2018 and 2019.

There’s so much more here besides these delicious foods. Don’t forget, the cherry blossoms here are world renowned. I definitely recommend visiting this festival in the spring and trying something new. Enjoy!

Owakudani - Hakone's Volcanic Valley

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In my last post, we talked about the black eggs of Owakudani, in Hakone, Japan. Now, let’s talk a little bit more about this volcanic valley, itself. This is the second half of my Owakudani blog series.

Owakudani is an active volcanic valley. There are sulfur vents around the entire area. The area it self is one of the stops along the Hakone Ropeway. It is only 2 stops away from Togendai station. Just hop on the Hakone Ropeway at Togendai station, ride past Ubako station, and stop at Owakudani. As you approach, you’ll start to SMELL the area from pretty far away. Sulfur.

There are sulfur vents all over the area. You’ll see the clouds of steam and gas rising as you approach. It almost looks like another planet. It also smells terrible. It smells like rotten eggs due to the sulfur. When you arrive, you’ll land at a really nice visitor’s center. There is a fantastic gift shop, where I definitely recommend getting some fun souvenirs, but there is a second shop, so don’t buy too much just yet. Then, you’ll step outside, and you’ll see it…

There is a huge valley off to the south/southeast of the ropeway station with the sulfur mine. They are efficiently mining the sulfur like a well oiled machine. It is a bright yellow green color and smoky. If you stay on the ropeway and head to the next station, you’ll get to see the full view of the mine.

Continue along the path, and you’ll find another gift shop. This one has even more souvenirs. This is also where you can get the famous black eggs, cooked in the volcanic hot springs. From here, you’ll have a great view of Mount Fuji.

If you continue to walk, you’ll find a ramen shop and some other food vendors. We bought a nice hot cup of amazake from one of those vendors on a super cold day. Amazake is a sweet, low-alcohol sake. It kind of tastes like horchata, if you’ve ever had that before, except that this store sold it hot. It was kind of like a hot, cinnamon sugar rice milk with a hint of alcohol. It was delicious, especially since it was so cold.

From this point, there is a small shrine that leads off to a trail up the mountain. Unfortunately, on particularly bad sulfur days, the trail is shut. Each time that I have been there, it has been closed due to the bad volcanic sulfur activity. However, I hear that it is a nice hike.

Overall, this area is amazing. It really does feel other-worldly. I definitely recommend checking it out when you go to Hakone. And definitely… try those black eggs.

Owakudani's Black Eggs

In the mountains of Hakone, lies a volcanic valley with live sulfur vents, called Owakudani. Owakudani’s claim to fame is their “kuro tamago” or black eggs. This post will be the first of a two-part series on Owakudani, and this time, we’re going to talk all about these special eggs.

The “kuro tamago” is a normal, standard chicken egg. The only difference is that it has been hard boiled in the hot spring waters of Owakudani. Because the hot springs are filled with so much sulfur, the outside of the eggshell turns black like coal. But don’t worry, the inside is still your typical egg.

These lucky black eggs are said to add on 7 years to your life for every egg you eat! I ate 5 of these, so I am in for a long healthy life! These eggs are so famous, that they even have a statue of the black egg in front of the visitor center.

I ate my eggs with a little bit of salt while sitting on some nice benches that look out at Mount Fuji in the distance. From this vantage point, you can see the giant mountain perfectly on a clear day. After cracking open the egg, there is nothing unusual about it. Once you get past the black shell, everything else is normal.

The eggs were still hot and the air was cool and crisp with the mountain climate. It was the perfect combination. I have never enjoyed a hardboiled egg as much as I did in that moment. If you are ever in the Owakudani area, you have to try it!

Stay tuned for more details on Owakudani in the next part of this series. We will talk about the terrain, views, and other sites to see in this volcanic valley.

Rikuro Ojisan - Fluffy, Jiggly Cheesecake

Let’s talk about cheesecake. Normally, you think of a delicious, cheesy thick piece of rather solid, rather cheesy dessert. It’s usually pretty rigid, right?

That’s not the case for this famous cheesecake in Osaka. This cheesecake is a fluffy, jiggly cheesecake that bounces around when you move it. It is like the jiggly memory foam of cheesecake. It bounces right back! That’s because they use more whipped egg whites. It’s all about the fluffy egg texture. And that is exactly what makes it so good…The fluffy, bouncy, but still creamy cheesecake texture.

That’s why, when we went to Osaka, we had to visit Rikuro Ojisan (Uncle Rikuro). Uncle Rikuro’s cheesecake is well known worldwide for their bouncy cheesecakes with a raisin layer and branded stamp on top. They are a staple in Osaka for this delicious dessert. We had seen countless videos about this cheesecake and had to try it out for ourselves. It did not disappoint. It was absolutely incredible! We loved it so much the first time, we went back again on the following year’s trip.

On our first visit, we ate in store. We purchased a slice of cheesecake and a drink and sat in the cafe to eat. It was a super cute atmosphere with great service. The smell of sweets filled the air. They brought us our warm slices of cheesecake. The soft, squishy cake practically melts with each bite. The eggy texture makes it filling, but not too rich. It was the perfect amount of sweet. The bottom layer of the cheesecake is scattered with raisins to add an extra pop of flavor.

We went to the location right by Osaka Namba Station. It was just a quick walk from our hotel, in the middle of a covered shopping street called a shotengai. It was easy to find and a great evening activity. I definitely recommend checking out Rikuro Ojisan Cheesecake if you’re ever in Osaka.

Unicorn Gundam - Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan

Odaiba… a futuristic, fun-filled area of Tokyo that is a must-see on your trip. There is so much to do in this area, but one of the biggest attractions is the life-sized Unicorn Gundam in DiverCity Tokyo Plaza.

If you're not familiar with gundam, it is a popular science fiction franchise in Japan. There are tons of movies, animes, manga, video games, and merch for these giant fighting robots. The basic idea is that they are robots used to fight, controlled by a pilot in a cockpit inside. That said, they’re supposed to be huge in the stories, for maximum military strength. And this guy is huge! The Odaiba model is almost 65 feet tall! He’s modeled after a gundam from the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn series.

One of the coolest things about this attraction is that he isn’t just big… he also moves. If you stop by at 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm or 5 pm, you’ll catch quite a show! This gundam transforms and lights up… his armor even shifts into destroyer mode! And later in the evening, there are projected scenes from the anime and music playing every half hour. This is really a cool display! And it's free.

While you’re there, check out the rest of the plaza. It's a really nice park with beautiful flowers and walking paths. I definitely recommend this attraction, so check it out next time you visit Tokyo!

Hakone Crafthouse - Glass Bead Art

Thanks for checking in on part 3 of my series about Hakone Gora Park. If you haven’t checked it out yet, check out my post about Hakone Gora Park overall and also my post about Glass Blowing.

Today, we are going to talk about another craft workshop to experience at Hakone Gora Park… Glass bead-making at Hakone Crafthouse! This was especially exciting because you can incorporate your glass bead into tons of items at the end of this process… a necklace, key chain, bracelet, charm, hair accessory, etc. Hakone Crafthouse is a craft workshop experience inside of Hakone Gora Park that offers activities such as glass blowing, pottery, glass etching, and of course today’s topic, glass bead making.

First, you’ll select your glass color and what type of pattern you’d like to make on the glass bead. The first time I visited, I made a turquoise glass bead with gold accents. The second time, I chose pink with polka dots and gold. They have tons of color and pattern options. Then, you sit down with your instructor one-on-one. They put safety gear on you and set you up in front of a blow torch and some supplies and walk you through the entire process.

First, you begin by heating a metal rod that you will wrap molten glass around to create your bead shape. Then, you begin to heat long colorful sticks of glass over the flame. As the glass begins to melt, you’ll slowly allow it to drip onto the metal rod, as you rotate the rod. This will start to create a ball shape around the end of the metal rod. You’ll keep adding layers and layers of the hot liquid glass over the flame, making sure to shape the bead with gravity as you go.

Then, you’ll roll the molten bead through gold leaf and heat it in the flame again. If you’re adding polka dots, you’ll lay out tiny little glass pieces of different colors and roll them onto the bead you’re creating. At the end, you’ll heat it all up nicely in the flame and rotate it evenly, so that you have a nice round bead. Then, it needs to cool. While it cooled, we took a break, grabbed a snack, and explored the park a bit.

Finally, it was time to turn our bead into an accessory! As the staff preps your bead, you’ll pick your accent beads or charms to add to your accessory. For my necklace, I picked some lovely gold and turquoise accent beads to complement the hand-crafted bead. For the key chain, I stuck with the pink and gold theme and picked cute golden charms and pink beads to match the lovely gold key chain.

Then, you get to assemble the bead and your accents all onto the accessory. In the end, I had a lovely, handmade souvenir that I was really proud of. It’s definitely a conversation starter, and you can honestly say you crafted it yourself in Japan!

This is such a fulfilling experience. Both men and women were doing this activity, especially since they had other unisex items like key chains that even the men could enjoy crafting.

If you enjoyed this post, please check out my other posts about the activities at Hakone Gora Park, including glass blowing. This entire park was a whole day experience that I will never forget. If you’re going to Hakone, this park is a must-see attraction.

Hakone Crafthouse - Glass Blowing

This is part two in my series about Hakone Gora Park. Check out my post about the park overall. I’ll also be releasing one more post about the park.

This time, let’s talk about glass blowing! One of the best parts of Hakone Gora Park is the Hakone Crafthouse. I can (and did) spend the whole day here. Crafthouse offers several different types of craft options including glass blowing, glass bead/jewelry making, pottery, glass etching, and glass engraving. For today’s post, we’ll focus on the glass blowing.

First, you sign in at the front desk and choose what type of item you’d like to craft. They have different shapes and sizes of cups, mugs, vases, etc that you can choose from. Then, you pick your glass accent colors and what type of design you’d like to make. I chose turquoise and light green accent colors. I also selected an option for glow in the dark speckles.

Then, you’ll enter the crafting area. One wall of the crafting area is all open patio doors, so it really lets in the mountain vibes. You’ll sit down at a workbench as the worker preps the ball of molten glass on a long metal pole. He’ll also lay out the pieces for the accent color option you selected. You start by shaping the glass blob, and beginning to blow the blob up with a little bit of air. The staff then roll your glass through the accent color pieces and heat it again for you.

Then, you’ll alternate back and forth between shaping the piece, heating the piece, and adding more glass. The staff helps you and instructs you how to create the perfect shape the entire time (English is also available). You’ll use many different tools, such as a wet wooden paddle, newspaper, and small wood piece. Eventually, you start to see the piece take shape. At the end, they’ll make sure to even out any mistakes so that your piece looks nice.

I absolutely loved the whole process. It was peaceful but also creative, working with hot glass in the cool mountain scenery. It was also exciting to try something new. In the end, when your piece is all finished, they’ll even mail your craft back to your home, halfway around the world. When I returned home from Japan, my creation actually beat me home and was waiting for me in the locked mailbox. And I love how the cup turned out!

I definitely recommend doing this activity. It is a great way to spend the day. If you like this post, stay tuned for my last post in this Hakone Gora Park series, coming soon. We’ll be talking about bead/jewelry making with lampwork.

Hakone Gora Park - More Than a Park

About an hour and a half from Tokyo, you’ll find Hakone and Gora. These two mountain towns are a must see for those who love the Japanese hot springs (also called onsen). Between the breathtaking mountain views and the relaxing hot waters, this area will make you feel refreshed and rejuvenated. From many parts of town, you can even see Mount Fuji.

One of my favorite places in this area is a lovely park called Hakone Gora Park. It is right off of the Hakone Tozan Cable Car line, a block from the Koen Shimo Station.

This is so much more than just a park. This is an all day experience. Seriously. I suggest you plan to spend the whole day here. It costs 500 yen to enter, or about $5 USD. That is definitely worth the price! In this park, besides the park itself, there are botanical gardens, a tea ceremony house, a craft park with multiple types of craft workshops you can try, 3 restaurants, and even a gift shop. The entire park is a registered national monument due to its value.

The botanical garden consists of several indoor greenhouses with unique environments in each. It is beautifully decorated with flowers in every building. You will even find fountains throughout the botanical garden, which adds to the relaxing sounds around you.

Next is the park itself. This park has something to see during all parts of the year. There are flowers during the warmer months, cherry blossom trees in the spring, fall leaves, winter snowy views, and even a holiday display!

There are 3 food options: 2 cafes and 1 sweets shop. We tried some delicious rose ice cream during the spring at the sweets shop and dined at one cafe in the afternoon. The food was delicious at both places we tried. We even ate our ice cream by the fountain.

We did not get to experience the tea house. We ran out of time spending most of our day crafting. It looked very nice, though.

Now, the crafts. You can choose from several craft workshops and try your hand at making something new. Each craft workshop has a fee, but you get to take home what you make. We did glass blowing and glass bead making/jewelry making, which I will write about in an upcoming post. They also had pottery, glass etching, and floral arrangements when we were there. The crafts really make this place special. You can make your own souvenir and remember the experience every time you use the item. If you rather buy something pre-made, you can also check out the amazing work of their local artists in the gift shop.

Definitely check out my upcoming blog posts for more on glass blowing and glass bead making in the park. And put Hakone Gora Park on your list to check out, next time you visit Japan.

Driving Go Karts in Shibuya and Harajuku - Street Kart

Last spring, we got to experience Shibuya and Harajuku in a rather unusual way… by go kart. Thanks to Street Kart Shibuya, you can dress up in character onesies and drive a go kart all around town. There are several locations and different routes you can take, but we picked the night time Shibuya and Harajuku route.

We knew right away that this was going to be amazing. At night, with all of the lights, driving down the busy streets seemed so surreal. It feels like you’re in a movie. The neon signs surround you and you feel like you’re becoming part of the night’s cityscape.

We drove through Shibuya crossing, with the huge TV screens, video advertisements, and bright lights. We drove up to Harajuku and through the Omotesando area. We even got a special view during cherry blossom season. We went down one side street that was lined with cherry blossom trees. The trees were lit by the streetlights, making a bright glow throughout the branches. The trees made a tunnel overhead as we raced down the road and around the corner, back into the busier traffic again. The air was cool and strong, and felt like roller coaster winds on your face. It really was a rush to experience!

If you’re ever in Tokyo, definitely check it out. I definitely recommend the night session. Bring a GoPro to capture video or photos, as driving while using your phone is not allowed. I’m sure the day session would be fun, as well, but at night, you get to see all of the lights! It really made it special.

Cat Cafe Mocha - Shibuya - Tokyo Japan

On the 8th and 9th floors of a skyscraper in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, you’ll find Cat Cafe Mocha. This place is a cat connoisseur’s paradise. If you love cats, this place will definitely be somewhere you’ll need to check out. It is two levels of super chic, stylish cat cafe filled with a modern vibe, free drinks, and of course… cats… and sometimes in costumes.

On this occasion, we visited during October when the cats were dressed up in cute little costumes. This one was a police officer cat and was super well behaved. He looked as though he actually may have enjoyed the costume. We assume this was a seasonal event for Halloween, as when we went during the spring the following year, the cats were not in costume anymore (but they were still just as cute).

The atmosphere is high class and soothing. They play calming music. The lighting is soft and spot lit. The furniture is all cat friendly but very modern. And the views are incredible! Since you’re looking out the 8th or 9th floor, you can see the beautiful lights of Shibuya, sparkling below you. As the cats leap around from hanging baskets or climb a wooden tree sculpture, you just feel happy. You can pay a little extra to feed the cats treats, or you can just enjoy the cats’ company. They even have toys so that you can play with the cats. No matter what you’re doing there, it’s relaxing and enjoyable.

We originally planned to only be here for maybe 20 minutes, but we really got drawn in and stayed for over an hour. They give you sanitized slippers when you walk in the door and a locker in which to place your personal items. You pay per 15 minutes, so definitely watch that clock if you’re on a budget. You can even buy little souvenirs to take home and show your friends.

Overall, this was one of my favorite places to relax in Japan. They have several locations around Tokyo and other parts of Japan, so make sure to check them out on your next visit!

Gudetama Cafe - Osaka, Japan

Ok. You’re going to need to just deal with how incredibly obsessed I am with Gudetama. Gudetama is a Sanrio character, a character from the same company as Hello Kitty. Gudetama, however, is an egg that embodies laziness and a love of sleep and all things chill. He is my spirit animal… spirit food?

Anyways, he has his own cafe in Osaka, Japan, in HEP FIVE, a mall in the Umeda area. Japan has many character themed restaurants, so I was really excited when I found out that Gudetama has his own cafe. We went to it, and it was amazing. First, you walk up to a Gudetama themed entrance, and upon walking in, you’ll see Gudetama everywhere!

There are Gudetama plushies all around the cafe and even a Gudetama statue in the front. The entire time, you’ll hear Gudetama cartoons playing on TVs throughout the restaurant. There is even a gift shop in the entrance of the store. Here you’ll find all of the Gudetama swag you could ever want. It’s even Sanrio official merchandise.

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Next, let’s talk about the food. Because Gudetama is an egg, of course you’ll find a ton of egg type foods like udon and gyudon. But you’ll also find some super cute desserts like the Gudetama custards that come in little egg shell containers or the Gudetama ice cream Sunday. All of the food items have super cute Gudetama pun-themed names in Japanese, too.

The food was delicious and definitely made the experience really memorable. If you don’t leave that cafe with a fully belly, humming the Gudetama theme song for the next day and a half, then something has gone seriously wrong.

Next time you’re in Osaka, Japan, definitely try this place out. Even if you’re not as big of a Gudetama fan as I am, it’s an absolute must-see.