Golden Week 3: Tokyo

We traveled to Tokyo on the Shinkansen, or high-speed bullet train, which everyone should ride at least once if they visit Japan. We stayed at a ryokan, or traditional inn, that had a great location in central Tokyo. We spent our first afternoon exploring the modern side of Tokyo, checking out cool boutiques and browsing Omotesando Hills, a high-end mall built by famous Japanese architect Tadao Ando. We spent a little time taking in the famous Shibuya crossing that evening, which is supposed to be one of the busiest walkways in the world.

We started day two at the beautiful Rikuigen Garden. Afterwards, we met a friend at a wondrous place called Namja Town. It is owned by the arcade maker Namco, and in American terms, can be likened to a cat-themed Chuck E. Cheese's on steroids. We had fun exploring and getting treats as adults, so I can't imagine how fun it is for kids! For dinner we had tomato ramen, which merges the deliciousness of ramen with Italian flavors: fantastic.

Day three was meant to start in Asakusa, one of the historical areas of Tokyo, but we stumbled upon a Bandai building while walking from the train station. We couldn't resist snapping a few shots with the cartoon characters. Asakusa itself was very touristy but still lots of fun. The soon-to-be-opened Tokyo Skytree, Japan's new tallest building, snuck its way into several of my shots.

After Asakusa, we took a relaxing walk through the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. Finally, we met some new friends, who we learned were in Tokyo at the same time as us. We got Chicago-style deep dish pizza at a new place called Devil Craft Pizza. The pizza and craft beers were fantastic, and I highly recommend it for anyone in Tokyo who is craving something American.

Golden Week 2: Kyoto

The second day of our two-day pass was spent going to Kyoto. My parents had been to central Kyoto on their previous trip to Japan, so this time we went to Arashiyama in the northwest part of the city.

Arashiyama is famous for its bamboo-lined walking path. It's also home to Tenryuji temple, one of Kyoto's five most famous temples. We also went to the nearby Kinkakuji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, another one of the big five.

On our way home from Kyoto, we stopped in downtown Kobe and ate Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is one of the most famous foods in the Kansai region, and in my opinion, one of the best Japanese foods that hasn't really been exported much to the rest of the world. It is often described as a savory pancake, but that doesn't really do it justice. This particular okonomiyaki had less batter and used egg as a binding. Make sure you try it if you ever visit Japan!

Golden Week 1: Osaka

My mom and dad came to Japan for ten days over Golden Week. Golden Week is always at the end of April and beginning of May and is when several national holidays land on the same week. Typically you can use two vacation days to get a full nine-day vacation.

For the first two-thirds of the trip, we crammed my parents into our tiny apartment and made it our home base from which we did regional sightseeing. We took advantage of a great train pass, called the Kansai Thru Pass, that let us have travel unlimited for two days.

We spent our first day going to Osaka, and we sure got our money's worth! We started the day at Umeda Sky Building, a great place to take in a view of the city.

After that we went to Osaka Castle. It was actually my first time there, even though I have been to Himeji Castle six times! Himeji Castle is one of Japan's most famous, and the best part about it is that its interior looks completely original. You get to walk to the top barefoot up the wooden steps that samurai walked up hundreds of years ago. Osaka Castle has a museum-like interior, including an elevator, but the castle grounds are much more expansive. It was definitely worth the visit.

We went out of our way to visit Bird Coffee, the hip cafe owned by the very hip Truck Furniture company. We got there around 3 p.m. but still had to wait 45 minutes to get a table! My croque madame sandwich and iced coffee was worth the wait.

Finally, we went to the Osaka Aquarium, or Kaiyukan, which I understand to be the second largest aquarium in the world. It's most famous for its gigantic, multi-floor tank, which utilizes massive panes of 1-foot thick acrylic glass and is home to a whale shark and manta ray among lots of other amazing creatures. I recommend it to anyone passing through Osaka.

This owl was part of a random Egypt exhibit