Tokyo Family Vacation Part 2: Odaiba

Now we are really getting to the fun stuff!  Odaiba has something for every member of the family.  The first place we hit was Joypolis, an indoor amusement park.  They have indoor roller coasters, arcade games, giant interactive video screens everywhere, and a lot of virtual reality games featuring race cars, jungle expeditions, and even a tour of terror using VR technology.  img_7233 The line was long but moved very quickly.img_7112 My kids loved the many giant interactive screens.  For this one, my younger son, Cameron had his face scanned and put into a walrus.  The walrus makes faces, blows bubbles, and eats food that you can release by pressing the food button.img_7109 This interactive screen switches peoples faces.

Cameron whacks some Sonic the Hedgehogs.  On the right, the boys have fun with the giant joystick that controls the chairs beneath them.  Don’t fall off Cameron!!

After going to Joypolis, we moved on to the Lego Discovery Center.  This place was AWESOME and crowded.

They enjoyed all the creative activity stations.

The Lego City features many of the famous landmarks in Tokyo.  The lighting changes to display day and night time scenery.

For the adults, we continued on to VenusFort.

Besides the many shops, one of the highlights was the History Garage.

Odaiba is near the ocean and it felt much more airy than Shinjuku.  Next stop, Ueno Zoo!

Tokyo Family Vacation Part 1: Shibuya & Akihabara

“WE’RE THE GRISWALDS!” my husband, Alex, exclaims, as we fly into Narita Airport.  Although I roll my eyes at his corny 80’s joke, I am just as excited as Alex and my two boys, Gavin (12) and Cameron (10) who have never been to Japan before.  It’s my fourth trip in my lifetime and I never tire of the culture, the shopping, and the food!  I highly recommend Tokyo as a destination for a family trip.  Here are some highlights from our fall trip to Tokyo.

Trips out of Honolulu International Airport are always kicked off with homemade spam musubis from Nana.

We arrive at our Airbnb in the Shimbashi area of Ginza and immediately hunt for food.

DAY 1 – Shibuya and Ginzaimg_7194A warped panoramic of the famous Shibuya crossing.  img_7048

Thank goodness my brother-in-law carried this giant pink shopping bag.  It was the beacon that kept us together when crossing the Shibuya main intersection.

Adores in Shibuya is an arcade full of crane games filled with our favorite Japanese character plush dolls!

We were in Heaven every day with reasonably priced, high quality sushi available everywhere.  My chirashi sushi set was about $9.

The toy section in Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara is a toy store on steroids!

Then we went on to Mandarake, more toys and manga!

For Part 2, I will share moments from Odaiba!