Japan had always been a place my husband and I dreamed of visiting. We were intrigued to experience the super high tech, fast pace, bright lights and amazing street style of Tokyo. And having an 11 month old boy and being 4 months pregnant was not going to stop us from having an exciting adventure in Japan.

Now before travelling any where i always make sure i pack enough formula in case the country doesn’t sell the brand your baby drinks.

Next buy a travel stroller, one that is light weight and compact and cheap. I picked up a stroller for £35 from mother care.

Travel steam kit, where you can sterilise bottles, dummies and spoons. You can use sterilising tablets but i hate the smell of them and hate using chemicals like that on my children’s bottles. I picked up an amazing travel steamer from amazon for around £20 from Babytec.

And of course, Calpol and Nurofen.

Japan recommendations:

Transportation:

BUY a Japan Rail Pass – you should buy this before you leave as it includes the whole railway systems in the country except two trains. We got a 7 day pass for around £220.

Taxis – Very expensive and the doors open automatically – they are controlled by the cab driver. The drivers control the doors because there are a lot of bikes and to avoid accidents, the drivers like to open it themselves after making sure it’s safe. I would take a taxi journey just to experience the automatic doors lol.

Tokyo

We stayed at the Park Hyatt in the Shinjuku area which was amazing. As soon as you get to the top of the lift entering into the Hotel you are greeted by sky scraping views of Tokyo which was just breath taking.

If you aren’t staying at this hotel then you must visit The New York bar at Park Hyatt. The views are the best of Tokyo. It was here the movie lost in translation was filmed. You can view Mt. Fuji from the Park Hyatt bar, gym, swimming pool etc too. The Gyoen national garden nearby is great.

The area Harajuku which is around 15 minutes away by underground is a fashion haven. There is also a Kiddyland with loads of Japanese toys. The Japenese character toys are the cutest, I’m not sure who loved it more me or Xavier. You will find some attractions such as Meiji Jingu (shrine dedicated to Emperor/Empress Meiji inside the Yoyogi park. We did this in an afternoon (3 hours).

The Ginza district is a cool shopping district from all high end brands to local names. The Gucci store even had a Gucci Cafe where they served Gucci chocolate. Working in luxury goods and being pregnant how could i resist the Gucci chocolate and decaf coffee 🙂

We saw some of the best views in Tokyo at the Tokyo City Views in the area Roppongi Hills. Tokyo tower is also in this area. Nearby, you will find an inexpensive restaurant called Momotaro. It’s a yakitori (chicken skewer) restaurant in the Azabu-juban area (near the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi Hills. The menu is in Japanese and English. They have two pages of satay style food (teppanyaki style!) We enjoyed this!

Kyoto/Nara

The Arashiyama-Sagano area, outskirts of Kyoto was also one of the most picturesque places I have visited. Via the JR Sagano line, you can check out the Arashiyama mountains. You will find monkey park, beautiful rivers, cherry blossom trees and temples.

 The bamboo forest was my favourite. I never new such a beautiful place existed and if you travel to Japan you must visit this. Although it was difficult to push the buggy around.

There is also a deer park nearby in the area of Nara. Nara is the place where the deer roam free. And you can go to the temple that has the biggest Buddha in the world and there are a million deer there that you can feed and pet. Xavier was a terror trying to chase all the Deers and touch them. It was like Bambi heaven.

You can also have a great cultured evening of fun at gioncorner. A taste of Japan’s history and tradition. Where you can watch a puppet show, watch a geisha dance and sip Japenese tea. An amazing cultured evening, even Xavier was entertained.

In Kyoto, we stayed at the Hyatt and nearby there is a temple within about a 5 minute walk from the hotel. It has 1001 Buddhas in a very narrow building.

There are two stunning temples in Kyoto – Kiyomizu Dera and also Kinkaku-Ji. 

The Golden Temple was just breath taking. We wondered the Japenese gardens while Xavier crawled around and absorbed the atmosphere. The bright lights of Tokyo was just as I imagined. Even Xavier took a second to stare. This super fun, clean and fast city is full of life, culture, style and the most politest people. Oh yes i have to mention this. They even have heated toilet seats and doesn’t stop there, the toilet seat can let out water to give you a wash. Now thats what you call high tech lol. I would definitely take my children there again.