Japan, Week 1: Tokyo and Osaka

Trip dates: June 4–10, 2026

We spent three weeks in Japan this June. Tokyo first, then Osaka with a few day trips, and back to Tokyo for the last week. Lots of trains, plenty of food, and a few giant cartoon characters along the way. Follow along!

Thursday, June 4: Arriving in Tokyo

After leaving on Wednesday, we landed at Haneda on Thursday afternoon. Godzilla was there to welcome us to Japan.

Godzilla statue inside Haneda Airport. — Welcome to Japan.

We loaded up a van and headed into Tokyo. Once we got settled at our place, there was a FamilyMart stop for supplies. First order of business: figure out what to eat.

Friday, June 5: Asakusa

I tried natto. It was actually pretty mild. I think it would be good with rice.

An open container of natto with chopsticks.

We headed over to Asakusa for kimonos and tea. All five of us got dressed up and had some family pictures taken. A little different from our usual travel clothes.

All five family members wearing kimonos for a portrait in Asakusa.

There was matcha to whisk and drink, then more exploring around Senso-ji. Red gates, enormous lanterns, and plenty of places to stop for a snack.

Saturday, June 6: Harajuku and Shibuya

We started with a meal ordered from a ticket machine, then went out to explore. We passed the National Stadium and made a stop at an animal cafe before working our way through Harajuku.

A meal tray with rice, meat, cabbage, soup, and a can of Coke.

Takeshita Street was busy. There were crepes, capsule toys, and plenty of shops to look through. We also made it to Nintendo Tokyo and got a look at Shibuya Crossing.

Crowds filling Takeshita Street in Harajuku. — We were not the only people in Harajuku.

Sunday, June 7: More Tokyo

We visited Hie Shrine and walked through the red torii gates. The path makes it pretty hard to take a bad picture.

A path of red torii gates at Hie Shrine.

Then it was over to Yurakucho, where we found a giant white cat and a display for the Michael Jackson movie. Later we saw the big cat on the screen in Shinjuku. Quite a cat day.

Large white cat sculpture labeled Yurakucho.

Monday, June 8: Pokémon

We took the train and a gondola over to PokéPark Kanto at Yomiuriland. There were giant Pokémon, smaller Pokémon, and Pokémon snacks. Ady got to meet Squirtle and Charmander.

Katharine got up at 5 a.m. several days in a row to get the tickets. A lot of planning went into this day before we ever got on the train.

More photos and a few clips in our PokéPark Kanto post.

Chris and Ady standing in front of large Pokémon sculptures at Yomiuriland.

Back in town, we walked around Shinjuku and stopped for another family picture in Kabukicho.

The family together on a street in Kabukicho, Shinjuku.

Tuesday, June 9: Tokyo to Osaka

Moving day. We picked up food at the station and took the train to Osaka. A taxi got us to our next place, near Kohama shopping street.

We did a little neighborhood exploring and found curry at CoCo Ichibanya. Rice, curry, and a breaded cutlet. Works for me.

A plate of curry, rice, and breaded cutlet at CoCo Ichibanya.

Wednesday, June 10: Universal Studios Japan

We only had one day at Universal Studios Japan, so we booked a VIP tour. Katharine handled the planning. We got the family pictures at the globe, then worked our way around the park.

The family taking a selfie in front of the Universal Studios globe.

Super Nintendo World had Mario Kart trophies, Yoshi, and a lot of very familiar scenery. We also made our way through the Harry Potter area and over to Hello Kitty. A pretty wide range of interests covered in one park.

Dinner afterward came with an enormous pile of fries. Long day!

I put more of the day, including some ride footage, in our Universal Studios Japan VIP tour post.

That’s the first week. We’ll stay in Osaka next week and head out to see Nara, Wakayama, and Kyoto. There’s also a birthday to celebrate.

More from Japan: Week 2 · Week 3 · Universal · PokéPark