Our eyes lit up with delight when we arrived at Hoshino Resorts KAI Kinugawa Onsen, our destination Kinugawa Onsen ryokan. After walking from Kinugawa Onsen Station, we were met with a modest and very discreet gravel driveway – but when we turned the corner our family was amazed to be welcomed into a small building … Read more
A visit to Fuji Q Highland was one of the most anticipated experiences ahead of our most recent (pre-COVID19) trip to Japan particularly for myself and my two thrillseeking older children. We had first become aware of Fuji Q when planning our previous Japan holiday but at the time we weren’t able to fit it … Read more
After a big day out exploring Mt Fuji in our hire car our senses were intrigued as we traversed the windy valley road which led to KAI Hakone Ryokan, a luxury ryokan in Hakone. It was our first time staying in a luxury hotel and we were not quite sure what to expect. On arrival … Read more
On our most recent visit to Japan, we travelled in Japan for four weeks with our three children, in addition to a previous trip three years ago when they were commensurately younger. On our recent trip, we explored Tokyo for 10 very busy days, in addition to 6 days in Tokyo on our previous trip. … Read more
When you explore your options to get from Narita Airport NRT to Tokyo you should consider three main factors to decide the option which is best for your particular circumstances. These three deciding airport transfer factors are whether you are looking for the easiest, cheapest or fastest option – usually you can achieve only one … Read more
It is not uncommon for people to have to transfer directly from Narita Airport NRT to Haneda Airport HND or do the reverse from Haneda Airport HND to Narita Airport NRT to catch transferring flights. When booking their flights people may be unaware that the two airports are located quite a distance apart, with Narita … Read more
Trying to decide what do in Tokyo is a challenge! The city has a multitude of places and activities to do, and depending on our interests you have many themes to choose from – from futuristic, historic, cultural and kawaii (cute)! Tokyo is a metropolis which is very large and has many different neighbourhoods so … Read more
Studio Ghibli is one of the most loved and acclaimed animation studios in the whole world. Founded in 1985, Studio Ghibli has produced over 20 anime feature films. Seven Ghibli films are among the top 15 anime films made in Japan, five of their films have received Academy Award nominations, and ‘Spirited Away’ won an … Read more
A common question that I receive from people planning to travel to Japan is a request for assistance to find the best day tour option to visit Mt Fuji. There are a large number of options available, and while you can also visit Mt Fuji independently, a tour provides a great option to check out … Read more
Walking to see snow monkeys in the Jigokudani Monkey Park was like a dream come true. After seeing the iconic image of the Japanese snow monkeys we had finally achieved our goal to see them with our own eyes, and they did not disappoint. The group of 30 to 40 monkeys was fascinating to observe … Read more