Travel Party of 5 | Points & Miles for Family Travel

Tokyo on Points & Miles with Kids - Part 2! (Shibuya Area!)

• Raya & Duane

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Thanks for finding our podcast! We are a family of 5 who does most of our travel using credit card points and miles and we share how we leverage credit card offers to earn a ton of points/miles so we can afford travel as a larger family.

Follow us on Instagram @TravelPartyof5

These are all the experiences we booked in Japan using Viator:

Our Fave Japan Experiences

We close out Tokyo with five days in Shibuya, sharing the hotel that worked for a family of five, the food tour that converted our kids into sashimi fans, and a sumo dinner that was fun and very touristy. Duane takes us back to the bases where he grew up, and we end with our honest take on TeamLab Planets and Singapore Airlines long-haul economy.

• Hyatt House Shibuya location, room types, and Globalist perks
• Kitchenette value, laundry realities, and breakfast quality
• Train choices between Shinagawa and Tokyo Station
• Shinjuku food tour highlights and kid-friendly bites
• TeamLab Planets vs Borderless, ticket timing tips
• Sumo dinner format, audience matches, and tourist factor
• Harajuku wins with latte art, misses with mini pig cafe
• Yoyogi Park reset and unplanned wandering
• Returning to Sagamihara and Zama, memory-lane moments
• Singapore Airlines economy vs JAL economy, points costs

Please leave us a rating or review wherever you listen
Any questions, send me a message on Instagram @travelpartyof5! 


SPEAKER_00:

In today's episode, we are wrapping up the last of our Tokyo trip with five days in the Shibuya area, including what we did, what we ate, and what we might skip next time. Listen in. Hi, I'm Raya.

SPEAKER_02:

And I'm Dwayne.

SPEAKER_00:

And we are your hosts of the Travel Party of Five podcast, where we share how we travel as a family of five around the world.

SPEAKER_02:

We will also share how we use points and miles to travel as affordably as possible and sometimes even completely free.

SPEAKER_00:

So if you're wanting to travel more with your family, but you're not sure how, we'd love for you to listen in.

SPEAKER_02:

So welcome to our podcast where we hope you learn a thing or two to get you closer to your next trip.

SPEAKER_00:

Hello.

SPEAKER_02:

Thanks for tuning in. We are to our podcast.

SPEAKER_00:

I asked Duane, I said, can you please say welcome back to the podcast? And he was like, People already know what podcast they're listening to. Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

So welcome back. If this is your first time, then yes, this is the Travel Party of Five podcast.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, that's Dwayne. My name is Reya. We are your hosts. Um, we are pretty unserious on this podcast. So welcome and enjoy. Um, if you do enjoy, please leave us a rating or review wherever you listen. Okay, uh, so we are wrapping up our Japan trip finally. It feels like it's been ages. Uh, to we have five days in Tokyo to finish recapping. So if you haven't listened to any of the other episodes.

SPEAKER_02:

Five more days in Tokyo.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. If you haven't listened to any of the other episodes, I would recommend doing that as well if you have a Japan trip planned or maybe kind of just, you know, it's on your bucket list for the future, especially with kids. Um, if you have not listened to any, I will quickly recap that we spent five days in Tokyo, then we took the bullet train to Kyoto, we spent five days in Kyoto, and then we took a bullet train back to Tokyo for five more days. So, in total, our trip was 16 days, including travel time, and uh five nights, five, five, five. So we took the bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo and again booked that through Kluke. I said this on the last episode, but you can also book through the Smart X website. It's S-M-A-R-T-E-X. However, I found that website fairly confusing, and so we paid a little bit more to book through Kluke, which was much easier, and 5X on Racketton. Um, the train ride is a little over two hours, it goes very quickly, and I don't know, I feel like nothing to write home about. We brought lunch on the train like we always do, and it was great. Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Unfortunately, we were unable to see Mount Fuji again because of the weather.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it was very, very foggy and like cloudy that day. We actually had very good weather the entire trip. It only rained really one day, and it was during the five days that we're about to recap, and it didn't rain a lot. It was like just kind of sprinkling.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

It was warm though.

SPEAKER_02:

It was humid.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. So we were there at the end of September, beginning of October, and the the temperature was still mid-80s most days, and still very humid. I do think if you're planning to go in the summer, it will obviously be hotter and even more humid. We found it bearable for the most part. There were a couple of days that were I I wouldn't recommend the summer. No, but the time we were there, it was mostly fine.

SPEAKER_02:

It was it was doable.

SPEAKER_00:

But there were a couple days where we were like, wow, it is really hot.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Especially the day we went to Hiroshima and Miyajima.

SPEAKER_02:

And Nara.

SPEAKER_00:

And Nara, yeah, it was hot that day too. So, anyways, um, okay, so we are back in Tokyo. We stayed at the Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya this time. This is a pretty new hotel in the Shibuya area. It is incredibly popular. So it was a category four hotel. It has jumped up now to a category five earlier this year. I booked it when it was a category four. So um we paid, I don't know, roughly 15,000 points a night, I think it was pretty affordable per room. Um, but our reservations were all wonky at this property. There was like a few reservations in my name and a few in Dwayne's name, and it was just pretty convoluted. And the reason for that is I originally booked the one in my name and then the one in Dwayne's name, but then I had to add on another day because when I bought our flights, I couldn't find points flights back on Singapore Airlines on the Sunday that we wanted to fly home on. So we actually flew out on Monday instead. So I needed to book Sunday night at the Hyatt, and at this point it had already gone up a category when this happened, and so I'm sorry, it had not gone up a category, but there was no availability, and availability didn't show up for points until after the category changed. So for our last night, we did pay the category five points price. I don't exactly remember what that was, and then I I failed us because I apparently booked two one king bedrooms, and the one king bedrooms do not connect, and I wasn't able to change either of the reservations because they had been booked before the points change, and I didn't want to pay more points. So I emailed back and forth with the hotel a few times, basically just trying to do anything I could to get um connecting rooms, and they were just like, no, there's nothing you can do. So I set alerts and I thought, you know what, I'll just pay the extra points. I'll set alerts for a two-twin bedroom, and I'll cancel the other one and I'll book it, and it'll, you know, it is what it is, but at least it'll be connecting. Uh but the two twin bedroom does not connect to the one king bedroom. You need a very specific room type, and it is suite, two twin beds. Like that is the room type. So basically, it's a you need a suite. So I would have had to, I think, book a twin bedroom and then apply a suite upgrade award to that room, which I didn't have one at the time, and so, anyways, we checked in, it took literally an hour because of we had all these different reservations and our rooms were not connecting. So yeah, but but they were able to give us rooms right next door to each other, yes, after about an hour, yes, it was it took a it was a process, and in fact, we had to check out of one room and move to a different room on our last night because I had booked a king bed with a sofa bed for the last night because there wasn't just a plain king bed available, and they weren't willing, like I said, I I just want to stay in this room and I don't care that like the other one costs more, whatever. Like, downgrade me, it's fine, but they couldn't because the hotel was sold out, they weren't having it, so I'm like, whatever, we'll just move. So the last night, my oldest and I, we stayed in in one room, and Duane and the little two stayed in the other one. We moved our room the last day, and it was fine. It was still a few doors down from the other room.

SPEAKER_02:

So not only that, it was way bigger than the room because I'm pretty sure it was an ADA.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it was an accessible room, we figured out it was huge, really big. We were like, Oh, we should have had this room the whole time, yeah. Um, but it yeah, then we figured out it was an accessible room, so that's why it was so big. Um, so, anyways, a long story short, the hotel was great, but our rooms did not connect. I will say it was not as bad as I thought it was gonna be. I had built this up in my head and I was really stressed about it for months leading up to this trip.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, it was fine. It was crazy. Rooms come with a washer and dryer. Yes, in one little machine. It's it's both. Um, rooms were fine. The hotel is in a perfect location. Yes, right downtown Shibuya, a walk from a five-minute walk from the Shibuya crossing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

Um three-minute walk from the Shibuya train station.

SPEAKER_00:

They did end up covering breakfast for all five of us. Um, however, that was only because it took us so long to get checked in. So I do think they would have only done it for my room again as Globalist. Um, but because it took so long, they were like, as a courtesy, we're gonna cover it for all five of you for the whole stay, and they did. So that was great. Um, the rooms also like if you want to save money in Tokyo and you want to like not eat out at restaurants all the time, this is the hotel to stay in because each of our rooms had a like a little cooktop or a stove, a microwave, uh uh pans, utensils, cups, dishes, plates. Yeah, it's everything.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, it typically doesn't don't all hire houses and high places have that?

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, yes, I think so. But I guess I just was not expecting that in the Shibuya area, in what is not a huge room at all. But there was plenty of space for it. There was a little like storage area under the bed, so that was really helpful to you know get someone's luggage out of the way so you weren't stepping all over it because the rooms are not huge, but they were bigger than the Hyatt Place in Kyoto. Yes, they were, which was also surprising to me.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, but the Hyatt Place didn't have the little kitchenette.

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, um we would rank this, I think. So our in order of the three hotels we stayed at. Oh, we stayed at four. I forgot about the Hyatt Regency. I would rank it the um Ginza, number one, then I would say the Hyatt House Shibuya, because of the location. Then I would say Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay, and then I would say Hyatt Place Kyoto.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, I can agree with that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Um, great location. We took uh so when you're buying the tickets for the bullet train from Kyoto back to Tokyo, you actually can choose a couple of stations. Um, there's Shinigawa and Tokyo Station. And I looked on the map to figure out which one was closer to the Shibuya area, and it was actually Shinigawa. So instead of going all the way to Tokyo Station, we got off one stop before that at Shinigawa and went from Shinagawa directly to the Shibuya station. And the hotel is, I mean, super close. Yeah, like not directly above the station, but very close.

SPEAKER_02:

Three-minute walk.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And so we got off at Shinigawa and you know, just walked from the station to the hotel. The lobby for the it's kind of set up backwards. The lobby for the hotel is on the top floor of the building. Really backwards, and all the rooms are below it, so that was weird. So you go into the thing and you basically go up to what the 12th floor, 14th. 16th floor. 16th floor. And that's where the lobby is, that's where the pool is, that's where the breakfast is. But then our room was on like what the seventh floor? Yeah. So it was kind of odd. Um you want to talk about the other amenities like the pool and the breakfast and all that?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so they have a nice, I mean, a decent sized pool indoor, obviously, because it's on the 16th floor. Um and in high rise. Um, they also had a little place where you can buy food, microwaveable food, snacks, drinks, in the lobby, yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, wait, go back to the pool. Because they had also had like little locker rooms and a little hot tub.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, they did. And by little hot tub, she means like a two-person hot tub. And it's two people if you know the other person.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, if it's a stranger, it's a one-person hot tub.

SPEAKER_02:

There's a stranger already in it, and you gotta wait till he or she gets out because it's small.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's really small.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, and they have locker rooms where you can shower, they had a bathroom. Um they had a little thing to rinse your or to spin your bathing suit to dry faster. Oh, yeah. Well spin psycho machine. Um, yeah, so they like I said, they have that little area where you can buy food, um, snacks. Again, that's where you eat breakfast, the little restaurants right there. Breakfast was okay.

SPEAKER_00:

It was yeah, that was fine.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it was free, so it was it was good.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, we ate there every day because they were covering it for all five of us, but I think if we had to pay, we would not have eaten there. They did this is gonna sound really weird, but they had chicken nuggets and french fries that were actually quite good. I don't know if I was just hungry, but they were pretty good. They were really good, actually. And you know, they have all your your fruits, your yogurts. Um, I will say the fruit was probably the worst fruit I've ever tasted in my life. I gave I got some mango for the kids, and one of my kids was like, This is the worst mango I've ever tasted. It like literally had no flavor, so that was kind of weird. Um, but you know, they had cereal, they had eggs, they had all the things that you need.

SPEAKER_02:

Pre-made eggs.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Pre-made pancakes.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. It was fine.

SPEAKER_02:

Juices, yeah, it was fine.

SPEAKER_00:

Coffee machine. Coffee machine. You know.

SPEAKER_01:

Um what else do they have? I mean, I think that's it. Yeah, for amenities.

SPEAKER_00:

It does have a very nice view from the breakfast area.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So that was nice. And there's also like a, I don't know if you would call it like a walking path, but there's like an outdoor area that you can go out to that is I don't know. There's a bunch of greenery out there, and I think it's meant to be kind of peaceful.

SPEAKER_02:

You're talking about the little rooftop garden.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I don't think it was a garden though, was it?

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, it definitely wasn't a path. It was just a little area. It was called the rooftop garden.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it was nice.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, you're on the 16th floor overlooking Tokyo, so and I mean it just becomes kind of apparent how massive the city of Tokyo is. Like, it's so big. Like there's just there's like no end to it. It's kind of crazy. It's huge. Yeah, so we would stay there again.

SPEAKER_02:

We'll definitely stay there again.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep. Um, the washer and dryer does take a bit of time.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, it takes a while. And you know what? My only negative thing about this hotel is our room had a funky smell to it because I think it was the washer.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, it did have a weird smell.

SPEAKER_02:

It was yeah, it was weird. I mean, we dealt with it. We didn't complain or anything, but that was my only negative thing about this hotel. But I mean, the washer and dryer worked great. But it did take, I mean, to wash one small load, it took four hours.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, we basically did it at night and like just let let it go overnight, and in the morning I took the clothes out. At least that's how what we did in our room.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, yeah, so I was I mean, I was pretty sad that I didn't get to go out and do laundry on the streets of Shibuya. I already had it just in my room, which was pretty sad for me.

SPEAKER_00:

Sad for Dwayne. He didn't get his his quiet time um and the fun picture. Um, okay, so during these five days, um, we only had a couple of things scheduled and then we kind of left the rest open. So I'll tell you the things we had scheduled and then we'll kind of go into a little bit more detail on what those were. We did a food tour in the Shinjuku area. We had another Team Labs planned. So our first five days in Tokyo, we did Team Labs Borderless. And for this five days, we had booked Team Labs Planets. Um, so we had those two things booked, and we also had a sumo dinner, and those were really the only things we had planned, and then our last two and a half days were completely, I left completely open for us to do whatever we wanted. And that's a tip that I give a lot of people is to not overschedule yourself on trips because things always pop up that either you didn't know about or someone tells you about or whatever, and you're you're like, oh, I really want to do that. But when you're booked every minute of every day and you can't fit it in, that's disappointing, I think. So we always try to leave a few days. It also gives us, you know, in case someone is sick or whatever, when you travel with kids, that happens sometimes. Um, so it gives us time.

SPEAKER_02:

Or you're just a family of five with three rowdy kids and you just need a break, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, so but we did plan something on those days.

SPEAKER_00:

On one of the days.

SPEAKER_02:

One of the days.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh we'll get to that.

SPEAKER_00:

But yeah, so let's talk about the few things I just mentioned. Um, let's start with the food tour because I think we did that first. So I was it first? I think so. So we booked, I booked a food tour for all five of us through Viator, and it was in the Shinjuku neighborhood, um, which is where we took photos in during our first five days in Tokyo, but we didn't really explore the neighborhood too much. So um we were looking forward to that. I had booked a 4 p.m. tour, and they messaged me the either the day before or the morning of, and they were like, hey, we don't have anyone else for the 4 p.m. tour, and we no longer offer that time. Would you be willing to either move to the 7 p.m. tour or get refund?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, get refunded.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And I didn't want to cancel because I wanted to do the tour, so we were like, okay, we'll move to the 7 p.m. time and we just basically had a late lunch and tried to, you know, make the kids not super exhausted so that they were able to hang till 10 p.m. on the food tour because it it said it would take about three hours, and so I was a little worried that the little two wouldn't be able to make it, but the TLDR is they did great actually.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, they definitely did great. Um, so yeah, we had four planned stops. One was katsu. Yep, right? Porkatsu. One was fish. That was the first stop, right?

SPEAKER_00:

It was two sit-down spots and two like standing spots.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so the the first one was the fish joint. Yeah, so the first one was a fish joint, which our kids actually tried all the fish, which was surprising. They're I mean, they're good eaters, but when it comes to fish, it's it's you never know, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, they all ate all the sashimi, like the raw salmon, the raw yellowtail were the two best ones.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And they all ate it and liked it. And there were some other seafood things too, as well, that I didn't really like as much, but those were the two standouts. And I will say, I was like, okay, this is what people talk about when they talk about sushi in Japan. Because up until then it had just been kind of, I was like, eh, like it's okay, but it's not how people describe it. This was buttery, melted in your mouth. Like it was very good.

SPEAKER_02:

Um second stop was the what was the name or the kiniku?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, yeah, it was like all the grilled skewers and stuff. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

It was chicken, pork belly. Wait.

SPEAKER_00:

There was gizzard. Gizzard, was this the one with pork belly?

SPEAKER_02:

Anywho. I think so, yeah. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Because there was only there was like a seafood belly and a meat stop.

SPEAKER_02:

Gizzards.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Again, our kids tried all those things too. I I didn't even try the gizzard. No, that's not that's not for me. Um, again, yeah, that was good. And so our guides, it's worth noting, were like a couple of super young dudes.

SPEAKER_02:

Like one guy was American from Minnesota, who's living there now.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, but the other guy.

SPEAKER_02:

The other guy was a young English guy whose mom was Japanese. He said he grew up in Japan, but had a British accent. Yeah, it was weird. Really weird.

SPEAKER_00:

But it's because he only spoke English at home with his dad, who was British.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so that's where it's at. It was really just weird to experience that.

SPEAKER_00:

So I said, Well, when you speak Japanese, do you speak it with a British accent? And he was like, No. So I found that interesting.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I mean, he seemed very knowledgeable. The the guy from Minnesota was actually shadowing him. Yeah, he was like training. Yeah, he was training you, so he's new to it, but he also provided some insight. He was our son's best friend because they were talking about like anime and stuff.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, they Pokemon. Both of our boys were kind of hogging the attention of these guides, which I did not expect and has never really happened before on a tour. So I was kind of like, wait, what is happening? They were talking, they were asking all these questions about Pokemon and gaming, and they our kids thought that these guys were the coolest. The coolest. So that was pretty funny. Um, our third stop was uh pork katsu, and that was like standing. They basically brought out a tray and you like tried it on a toothpick, which is my favorite. It was it was really good, so did it was very good. Katsu. Um, we also at one point saw the 3D billboard that's famous with like the cat.

SPEAKER_02:

I just I think we were too close to it to experience the the whole 3D-ness of it.

SPEAKER_00:

Really? I mean, it looked 3D to me. Dwayne was not impressed. I thought it looked cool.

SPEAKER_02:

But I mean, I've seen videos of it on like you know, whatever Instagram, and it looks 3D.

SPEAKER_00:

For what it's worth, I thought it looked 3D when we were there. So, and the kids thought it was cool. And then our last stop was what are those things called?

SPEAKER_02:

Toy Toyoyaki or something. What is it? It's a little pancake thing with cream. Either there's either custard inside of it, red bean paste, uh what they had a special because it was yeah, it was like apple apple pie something, apple cream.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, it's taiaki.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, so it's like um, are they all like fish-shaped? No, oh no. So that's not perfect.

SPEAKER_02:

It's just probably their stamp, you know, their whatever.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, anyways, yeah, it's like a like a a sweet kind of like a pancake or something.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, well, you know what? That says a fish-shaped cake.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, does it? Yeah, we had to look up the name of it because we couldn't remember. Um, okay, yeah, so it was it was literally fish-shaped, and it had your choice of filling in the middle. Dwayne was like, I want custard because he's had these before. The kids and I got um the like the seasonal one, which was like a caramel apple type filling. It was good. The custard was better.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, the custard is my favorite.

SPEAKER_00:

Japan does custard really well. I'm just saying. But at Nishiki Market in Kyoto, I had one that was like I was pretty disappointed with the yeah, Dwayne was like, this isn't very good, but it's like I don't have a baseline, so I'm like, I don't know what it should taste like, but I did know that I was like, eh, that's not really my favorite.

SPEAKER_02:

But the custard one we tried in where were we?

SPEAKER_00:

Shibuya on the food tour? Yeah, yeah, that was Shinjuku, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, that one was yeah, it was really good.

SPEAKER_00:

It was really good. I I had wished I got the custard instead of the that's what I'm saying. So yeah, that was good.

SPEAKER_02:

Anyway, yeah, so that was our fourth and final stop um on the tour.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

But yeah, I mean, really.

SPEAKER_00:

It was 10 p.m. at that time.

SPEAKER_02:

So the kids were soldiers, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

They did a great job. They ate all the foods. Um, you know, it was it was it was a good time. Um the other thing we did was the Team Labs Planets, and I will say we liked the borderless one better.

SPEAKER_02:

The planets is the the one that has the water, which I thought was gonna be really cool. But I mean, yeah, it was it was okay. It was okay.

SPEAKER_00:

We didn't spend a ton of time because we didn't want the kids getting soaked, because we did read that if they are wet, you can't go into the rest of the exhibits, and we didn't bring extra clothes. So we kind of went through the water quickly, but I also didn't feel like it was that cool, you know?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I mean it was it was okay, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

There were parts of it that were very similar to borderless, yeah, so that felt a little like eh repetitive. Um and this one felt also felt very crowded.

SPEAKER_02:

So well, it was. I mean, we had to wait in line for a good half an hour before we got let in.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Um, so I probably I mean, I wouldn't do that one again, I don't think. I did read something that said the first one you go to is the one you like better. So it could just be that the first one we went to was borderless and that's the one we liked better. I do think it would be cool to do one of them, and I think you can decide which one looks cooler to you. Um, I booked tickets for that directly on the website. My tip on booking tickets for that is you definitely want to book them in advance and you want to go early because the way that the tickets work, it's a timed entry. You cannot go in before your scheduled time, but you can go in after. So book like us, whatever the earliest time is, and then if you get there, you know, I don't know, 30 minutes later, you still can go in no problem. But I think what happens is people continuously do that throughout the day. So the later it gets in the day, the more crowded it it becomes.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, matter of fact, we were super late to our time because we took the wrong train the first time and we had to like backtrack a good half hour.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.

SPEAKER_02:

We not only did we take the wrong train, but we were going the opposite direction in an express train.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, which means it wasn't stopping for us to get off. So we realized we were on the wrong train a good 15 minutes before we could do anything about it. So here we are just hurtling along on the train, going completely in the opposite direction of where we need to be going, and there's nothing we can do about it. And we didn't tell the kids. We just were like, Oh, okay, when it stopped, we were like, okay, we got to change trains. And by the time we got there, they were like, wow, like that took a really long time.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I mean, it did, it took us what at least an hour and a half from our hotel.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think it was close to two hours, and it was supposed to take a I don't know, 45 minutes. So yeah, that was kind of funny. Um, the the reason that we got on the wrong train, we think, so this happened to us twice during our entire two weeks, which I feel like is not bad. But the reason was, and I think we talked about this in the last episode. Sometimes there are timed trains that and I'm sorry, different trains that run on the same tracks. So the timing is very important. And I think we were not paying attention to the timing. So we got on we were on the right track, but we got on the wrong train, if that makes sense, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yes.

SPEAKER_00:

So if your train says it's you know 1258, don't get on one that's there at 1256, because it's probably not the right one. So that's my tip on that. Um the other thing that we did was we did a the the asaksa. Asaksa? Is that how you say it?

SPEAKER_01:

Asakusa.

SPEAKER_00:

Asakusa, but that's not how they were saying it. They were saying it much faster. It looks like asakusa, uh the Asakusa sumo club, but it's like asakusa. That's how they say it very fast. And it sounds funny. Asakusa. Asasakusa. Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, um it is anyway, very touristy.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. Full, like super, super, super touristy.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, there was nothing but white people there when we got there. That was it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I was like, oh.

SPEAKER_00:

But I want okay, so I wanted to see some type of sumo wrestling. And really there are two options. You can do like this sumo dinner club thing, which is what we did. Or depending on the time of year that you go, there are actual like sumo wrestling matches happening.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, but the like real ones.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, real ones. Which I don't think our kids That was why I didn't do it because I was reading up on it. You have to buy the tickets. First of all, the seats are generally pretty uncomfortable, and it's like an all-day affair.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, I'm still telling you. It's like an all-day affair.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Why did you stop?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, because I want I was waiting for you to stop looking at the football game and you know, look at me.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I mean it's it's a professional sport, so like we couldn't have taken the kids there.

SPEAKER_00:

No, I just was like, oh, like, first of all, I don't want to sit in these tiny seats all day. That was how it was described.

SPEAKER_02:

They're like bleacher.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, kind of. I read up on it and I was like, this does not sound fun, actually. So I was imagining, you know, something we could go to for like an hour or two.

SPEAKER_02:

And I don't think it's like but a real a real match would have been very exciting to see.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, I agree. Um yeah, so factor that in. I was like, I'm not gonna devote a whole day to this, so oh well, you know, sumo club it is, but yes, it was very touristy, and I do wish they had like actually sumo wrestled longer than they did. Um, so it's pretty short, it's like a 90-minute experience. You you go in, you sit down. I booked us front row seats, um, which did cost a little bit extra. I booked our tickets via Kluke. You also can book via Viator. The only reason I did it via Kluke was because for some reason Viator didn't have the the um the time available on the day that we needed to go. So, but Kluke did. I don't know why or how. Um, but I guess if that happens to you, check both. Um and make sure you're going through racketin for either one of those when you're booking stuff.

SPEAKER_02:

Um so yeah, you go to this place, um, it's all you can eat. Yes, and I thought the food was really good. I just I couldn't do seconds because I mean I was full the whole trip.

SPEAKER_00:

We we've been eating so much on this trip.

SPEAKER_02:

So much.

SPEAKER_00:

It's hot pot, so it's like broth with you know food in it or like meat and vegetables in it. And then there's also um there was fried chicken on the side and little little uh sweet dessert cakes. Um I don't know, a couple other things. Um you can order, like they bring you out your tray, and then you can order more through the app. You also can order drinks through the app. Um, I think it comes with like one drink.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, well, your first drink was free. Soda, water, beer, sake, and then you paid for the whatever you wanted after that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and when you leave, you basically give them I don't know, a code or whatever, and that's how they know what you ordered. We didn't order anything extra, so we didn't have to do that, but uh you eat your food, and then if you're in the front row, it's worth noting that they come around and they take your your table when you're done eating to allow, like so that there's room basically for the match to happen. And we were in the front row, so they took our trays. It was fine. Um and then the show starts, and they basically give you a little history about sumo wrestling, they introduce you know the two fighters and they assign a side, and then there was a geisha that came out and performed a Japanese song. Yeah, sorry, I forgot about that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. They they go through their tradition and yeah, give you a little story.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep. And yeah, so then they introduce the fighters, each side of the room has their own fighter. Um, and then they they do like they show you like some some sumo moves, and then they do a match, and the match is best of three, and it's was very quick.

SPEAKER_02:

And you know, they try to include a little comedy in it, some is you know cheesy, but you know, they're they got a few laughs from everyone.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, our kids were cracking up because one guy kept making a penis joke. Yeah, but he kept insinuating that the other his opponent had a very small, you know.

unknown:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

And let me tell you, our boys thought this was hilarious, like they were cracking up. Then they do all that, and then at the end they ask for volunteers from the audience as to who wants to come up and fight these guys, and they are in full sumo gear, like the diaper or whatever it's is that what it's called?

SPEAKER_02:

It's not called a diaper. What is it called? I have no idea, but it's not a diaper.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, the the belt thing. Yes, um, like, and that's it. They're big men wearing nothing but this belt, I guess, whatever it's called.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so they took like what six, seven volunteers.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it was eight. I think it was four from each side. I don't even think I told, I didn't even think I told you this, but there was more than four people that stood up on the other side, and one was this sweet little teenage girl who um they had everyone draw straws. They basically were like, we can only do eight, and so four and four. So because there were five, they had them all draw straws, and they drew straws, and the the little teenage girl got the short straw. So basically, they told her like she couldn't participate, but she wasn't understanding what was happening, and so like they kind of were like trying to kindly tell her to please go sit down, you can't participate, and she wasn't grasping the concept, so she just kind of stood the stood there, and then she was like, Do I do I go sit down? And they were like, Yes, and it was just like I felt really bad for her because I I she was not understanding what was happening, like she's probably never had to draw straws for anything in her life, you know. Like, what kid knows what that means? So you were, I think, in the bathroom or something.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, it's getting ready to soon.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah, so Dwayne volunteered, and the background on this. Do you want to tell the background? Okay, the background is I said, Hey, I'm booking this for us, and they take volunteers from the audience, and I really want you to volunteer. And he was like, Oh, yeah, no problem. I'll totally volunteer. Okay. Well, then the day arrives, the moment arrives, and I can I'm looking at him and I can tell he does not want to volunteer.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, I was having second thoughts. But I did, yeah, he did. I'm just I'm looking at him like, excuse me, we had a deal here, and so he begrudgingly raised my hand and they accepted my Dwayne.

SPEAKER_00:

Did not draw the short straw, so but it was fun. When can you say so?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, I did volunteer. There were eight of us, and I think I was number four or number five, and I went out there. You got to pick who you wrestled against, sumo'd against, and I picked the uh the other guy who was a big dude.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, who was so not the guy we were cheering for, but his opponent. Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

And I went out there really trying to beat this guy. Like I was really trying to beat this guy. In my head, I was like, I'm gonna go out there and I'm I'm gonna try to beat this guy. I did not do shit against this guy. He was it was like hitting a brick wall.

SPEAKER_00:

It's worth noting Dwayne is very strong. Like Dwayne is a strong guy. Like my dad is always my dad is always calling us up asking Dwayne to come move heavy things for him. And every time my dad is like, wow, that was that looked so easy.

SPEAKER_02:

But yeah, I didn't, I did, I didn't budge this guy, and I lost, obviously.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm it was a good time. I'm not just saying this because I'm your wife, though. You were the one who like lasted the longest in the ring with him.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, maybe, but there was one other big dude that I thought, you know, he he's got a chance, but he didn't last that long.

SPEAKER_00:

The only the only one who won was this tiny little five-year-old girl who obviously they let her win, but it was pretty funny. She was really small, yeah, really small, and she was very spunky.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, yes, from Australia.

SPEAKER_00:

A lot of people were from Australia, yes, they were, yeah. I think it's like an it's an easier flight for them, you know? It's probably just a few hours, just straight up. Yeah. So those were the three kind of main activities that we did for our last five days. I will link everything in the show notes that we that we did in case you want to book them or something similar, you can take a look. Um we also spent a couple of days just kind of exploring different neighborhoods. So maybe we could talk about that and then we could talk about visiting where you grew up. Sound good?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, what neighborhoods I forget.

SPEAKER_00:

We went to Harajuku and we went to um Harajuku. What was the other one?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, we went to um is this one where we went to uh Akiobara? Or is that the first one?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh that well, we went there just the first time.

SPEAKER_02:

Anywho, we went to Harajuku. We did that, is the fashion capital of Japan.

SPEAKER_00:

It's very like anime. Anime like this is where a lot of the animal cafes are. Yes. And we also we did an animal cafe. Um, we did a mini pig animal cafe, and which is a tourist trap, I've learned 100%. It was very expensive. And I didn't, I mean, I would have rather seen cats or something, but the kids were pumped about the mini pig, so whatever. I thought they were kind of like scratchy and gross, but whatever. It was fine. Um, but we learned after the fact from the guides on our food tour actually, that the pigs are really stressed and they like chew their tongues, and that was happening when we were there, but we didn't realize what was happening, we didn't realize that was a stress response. So we would not do that again. Um first of all, it was very expensive, yeah, like over a hundred dollars for like for like half an hour, 25 minutes. Yeah. And they do just kind of like if a pig, if you don't have a pig, they will grab a pig from someone else and bring it to you. And the pigs do not enjoy that. So, all in all, I would not recommend. Um, the guides on our food tour did say that the cat ones tend to be better. Um, basically anything where they're not forcing the animal to come and visit you, I think is is okay. Um this didn't really cross our minds before that the animals might not be well taken care of. So take our mistake as um a lesson for everyone listening. Um, like we I would not recommend this.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, definitely wouldn't recommend. And it was way too expensive. And yeah, the pigs were scratchy and piggy.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it just wasn't like it would if they weren't soft and cuddly. Like, I would have rather cuddled with a cat, you know. And I'm allergic to cats, but I think it would have been. They also have like owl cafes and yeah, I do think maybe that might be cool. I just I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

Um but yeah, just look into it, do your research.

SPEAKER_00:

We also did a latte art cafe, oh, which was really cool. Yes, so you basically none of these things were planned. We just kind of went to this neighborhood and I had like a Google Map saved thing of like things that I thought might be cool, and we never do all of them, but this was one of the ones I had saved. And basically, you go and you can either order coffee or hot chocolate for the kids, and they make latte art, and it can either be 2D or 3D, and they can do like Pokemon characters or you know, whatever. One of our kids had a one piece character, but you can also show them pictures. So, like I show them a picture of our dog, and they made a 3D.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, they used like foam and like I don't even know what they I think it's like burned sugar, maybe.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, and there's there were two people in this cafe that were doing all this art.

SPEAKER_00:

If you want to see photos of it, I have it on my Instagram in our Tokyo Highlight, it's gonna be under Tokyo 2, and so yeah, really I highly recommend that. It was super fun.

SPEAKER_02:

What was it called?

SPEAKER_00:

It was the called Reissue Cafe. Yeah, I had I think I have them tagged too, so yeah, super cool. Um, there's also a park that is, I would say, walkable from the Hyatt House Shibuya, but it's it's more in the Harajuku area. Do you remember the name of it?

SPEAKER_02:

The park?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that we walked to where we bought the um oh yeah. Yo Yogi Park. Yo Yogi Y-O-Y-O-G-I park. And there's like a I don't know, a shrine in there. We didn't really visit that, but there's a little shop where you can buy like frisbees or balls or whatever. And so we spent like 10 bucks and bought the kids a couple of toys. It's like a very tree-lined park, so there's a lot of shade and a lot of benches, and we went in there for about an hour and just let the kids run around.

SPEAKER_02:

And yeah, there is a rooftop park that I kind of regret not going to. That was pretty close to the hotel. Um, I've seen videos and pictures, I don't forget what it's called, but it's on the roof and it's like fairly big.

SPEAKER_00:

We we probably should have gone there, but well, I also I wanted to do a baseball game too, and you know, we just we couldn't make it all work, you know. Um what else did we do?

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, we just walked around how we just explored. I mean, that's one of the things you should do on one of your days off is just explore and find new stuff out there that you know no one's ever talked about.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, we went to, you know, a couple game rooms, um and yeah, we just kind of I don't know.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And the last thing we did, I'm gonna keep this short because we're we're already pushing it. Um, so if you've been listening, you know that I've I grew up in Japan on a military base. So I was actually lucky enough to have a friend that is stationed in Japan on one of the bases, and he got us onto the military bases that I grew up on. Um and let me tell you, I mean, it was it was awesome to be back. I it had been 22 years for me. Yeah um and to bring you know Ray and the kids with me, it was quite uh quite the experience for me.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, oh, it was really fun to see like what you've been talking about, you know, because we met.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, Ray has met a few of my friends from Japan.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, they all speak about it so fondly, like they all have the best memories, they're all like bonded together from being American and having this like incredibly awesome shared experience of growing up in a completely different country.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, yeah, I mean I'm still really good friends with, you know, a lot of people. A lot of people, yeah, a lot of people, and I, you know, still in touch with a lot of people. Yeah, wouldn't say really good friends, but you know, because we just drifted apart, but we're still in contact.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, but like you might not say really good friends, but if you like saw each other, you would it would it would be like no time has passed, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, um so Dwayne's buddy picked us up, him and his wife, and picked us up and all of our kids, yes, and their little like little minivan, Japanese style, uh drove us to Sagami Hara, which is the base that I grew up on. Um, yeah, we explored there. Oh, well, first of all, we had to sign in at the gate and we had to get passes.

SPEAKER_00:

And it's a process, yeah. It is a process your passport, your social passport, social.

SPEAKER_02:

So I gave them my passport and social and fingerprints, and fingerprints, and they print you out a pass, and you're supposed to take a picture so they could put it on the pass. Yeah, but as soon as he put in my information, I apparently I already have a picture in the database from when I lived there. So the guy printed it out and was like, Oh my god, you look so young in this. And I was like, What? And he showed me, and yeah, it was like a picture from when I was like 17 years old.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, that he threw on my my pass. Yeah, that was pretty funny.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so me and our oldest, we had to get our pictures taken, and the he had to look at our passports and all that. The I think 10 and under didn't need that, so our little two didn't have to do that, but the rest of us did.

SPEAKER_02:

But yeah, I mean, we explored that base for a little bit, it was just completely different from when I grew up. There's a few things that are still there. Like I sent videos of my friend's house that was still standing. Um, he appreciated that. Um, but yeah, I mean, everything else was our the elementary school I went to was torn down and rebuilt in a totally different area. Um but yeah, it was just awesome to be back. But from there we went to Camp Zama, which was the main base where the high school was, middle school, um, and all like the shopping facilities.

SPEAKER_00:

So you lived on Sagami Hara, but you like went to school on Zama? Yes, yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02:

So I grew up in Sagami Hara, but I also lived in Zama later in the later years.

SPEAKER_00:

They bust you over there or yeah, of course. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so then we went to Camp Zama and we, you know, went around that base, which I mean it's we got to see it was awesome, the high school. Yeah, and unfortunately it was closed because it was a Saturday, but we walked on the field.

SPEAKER_00:

We walked on the football field. Yeah, Dwayne played football in high school and was quite good.

SPEAKER_02:

So it was fun for the kids to see that it was a good time.

SPEAKER_00:

Dwayne has a a high a clipping that his mom saved from like the newspaper where he was praised for I don't know, having a great game and getting some touchdowns and whatever. And they they asked him like for a quote, and his quote was, I give all the glory to God. And I laugh about that a lot, maybe too much.

SPEAKER_02:

Anyway, yes, so it was great to bring my family back there and share that with them. Uh it's probably one of my most favorite memories.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, that's so sweet.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, but yeah, funny story, we were on the base walking from the club to the bowling alley, and I just hear someone shout my name. Oh yeah, and yeah, I had a high school friend that was on the base at that time, and he saw me and he was just shouted from his car, boing. So yeah, it was cool to meet him there as well.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yes, it was so random. And then you tell him at the bowling alley.

SPEAKER_02:

And then we went to the bowling alley.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, and you spent a lot of time there.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, I lived at the bowling alley because of his parents, yes. Yeah, and I used to work there during one summer. Anyway, I walked in, there was a Japanese guy that was working the cash cashier, and I thought, man, he looks really familiar. So, of course, I walked up to him and I said, You know, can I ask you a question? And he's like, Yes. I said, How long have you worked here? And he says, He just looks at me and goes, You're Joe and Annie's son, who obviously are my parents, and I just you know, it was I was shocked that he remembered me from I mean it had been yeah 20 plus years, yeah, crazy. Um, but yeah, I knew he looked familiar, so yeah, and he remembered me.

SPEAKER_00:

So crazy.

SPEAKER_02:

Um again, it was it was just so nice to share that with my family.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that was great. Yeah, um, also so kind of Alfred to Yeah, shout out to Alfred drive us around and Kathleen and his wife Kathleen.

SPEAKER_02:

Then we went to get Mr. Donuts. Yes, yeah, my favorite donuts again.

SPEAKER_00:

The custard, custard Duane was like, I'm gonna order six custard, and the rest of you can get whatever.

SPEAKER_03:

All about the custard.

SPEAKER_00:

The custard donuts were very good. So again, Japan does custard well. Yep, no notes, 10 out of 10. Um, yeah, we like went to this mall and just kind of walked around. Our kids were um the worst behaved children in this in this mall, but whatever. What can you do?

SPEAKER_02:

Um and yeah, then I mean that yeah, that pretty much wrapped up our Japan trip.

SPEAKER_00:

We flew home, so we flew into Hanaida Airport and we flew out of Narita Airport. Our flight back was Narita to LAX on Singapore Airlines. They have a fifth freedom flight, which basically means it's an a fifth freedom flight is when an airline flies between two countries, neither of which are their home country. So it's a direct flight from um Narita to LAX, and then we took an American Airlines flight that I booked separately from LAX back to Phoenix. Um, we flew an economy class. I was not impressed by the Singapore Airlines economy. I thought that I would be. I thought it would be really good. It was it was not. The seats were small, like in comparison to Japan Airlines economy on the way there, Japan Airlines wins hands down. Um the bathrooms were fine, also quite big, about the same size as on JAL, but the seats were it felt like I was on a domestic United States flight. Like that's how small the seats felt. And it's an 11-hour flight, so it was it wasn't great. The food was also not great. Yeah, it tasted weird, like it was chicken um yakitori, yakisoba, it was grilled chicken skewers on noodles, and like it was like I couldn't eat it. It tasted like a chemical or something. I don't know. Not a fan. Um, they did give the kids like I ordered kids' meals for the kids. The kids' meals were fine. Um, our kids fell asleep, so they didn't even eat the breakfast meal at all, like, didn't even open it, couldn't even wake up to eat it. Um, so that was, you know, fine. Um, but everything was just very cramped and crowded. Like, I don't know. I just wasn't a big fan. It cost 38,500 points per person to book one way in economy. I transferred points from American Express membership rewards to Singapore Airlines Chris Flyer program to book it. Um, yeah, I I think we're actually flying them economy again when we go to Thailand, and I'm like pretty unexcited about it. So, but you live and you learn.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So that's my two cents. Um, if you have a choice, I would fly Japan Airlines.

SPEAKER_02:

All righty, that wraps it up. This took way longer than I thought it would. So if you're still listening, we appreciate you.

SPEAKER_00:

We appreciate you if you've made it this far.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, as always, any questions, send me a message on Instagram. I answer all of them. And we will catch you on the next episode.

SPEAKER_02:

Have a good one.

SPEAKER_00:

Bye.