1. PACK LIGHT – I’ve been so blessed to have the opportunity to travel a lot internationally for my current position at work. I knew that travelling light was essential, especially when you know you’d be coming into the Japan Airport and will need to travel more via train to reach your hotel. Normally, I would have one carry on and my laptop bag. This time, having to travel with children you would need to pack more than usual. There’s the extra toiletries, additional shoes, portable fan (Depending on the weather) and undergarments that girls do require. Forget about the hair accessories, stuffed toys and extra blanket that we would normally travel with – we figured
it would be smarter to bring a half-empty light suitcase going there, which both girls carried themselves, and bring back hair accessories, stuffed toys and extra blanket that we’ve purchased from there. It’s killing two birds with one stone – You still can use it there but can take it back as a souvenir as well.
2. MEET NEW PEOPLE – I’m not talking about the people you already know. Traveling gave me a habit of tagging on Instagram, and also gave me the opportunity to meet Ms. Mihoko Yasukawa. She’s a teacher of Tsubaki no Kai or Table Sado. I was pleasantly surprised that she was able to meet with us when we visited Japan (At such short notice) to teach us not only how to eat Wagashi (Japanese sweets), how to make, serve and drink Matcha, how to take a closer look at Chawan (Matcha bowl) and basic etiquettes of Sado. She also explained briefly some of the history of Tea Ceremonies in Japan, and we got to visit one of the local temples 🙂
- TRAVEL – Most of us here in the US do not have the opportunity to travel via public transportation. I am very embarrassed that taking a bus wasn’t as ‘normal’ as one would think. But Ms. Yasukawa was so accommodating that not only did she gave me the direction of how to take the bus, but also took photos of how to get to the destination and picked us up at the bus stop 🙂 This truly showed us how hospitable she is.
- EXPERIENCE – Her tea room was very clean. You’ll truly feel tranquil and at home with the ambiance. She prepared such a beautiful table setting, and when she started with the tea ceremony, we were all in owe of how graceful she was. You really need to see it for yourselves. Her welcoming spirit made it easy for us to connect, even though we’re from two different parts of the world. And her instructions were simple and easy to follow, making it enjoyable for Cydney and Maxima. We tend to forget the art of making tea, perhaps because of the available and convenient way of getting them pre-made. However, what I realize during our class was that the time you spend with the people you’re with while you’re making and enjoying a cup of tea serves importance to building genuine relationship with people you just met 🙂
If you’re ever in Japan, or thinking about visiting there, I truly recommend visiting Ms. Mihoko Yasukawa and immersing yourselves into their long time family tea-making traditions.
3. TRAVEL VIA TRAIN – I almost had a mild heart attack when I found out that traveling via train can cost a lot – depending on where you plan to go. Fortunately, I knew someone who shared with me the magic and convenience of the JR 7-DAY PASS! Imagine you’d like to go from Nagoya to Tokyo. The fastest way to get there is by Shinkansen (Bullet train, 200mi/hr). One way would cost you about $130 (Child cost). So calculating, 1-time trip for 4 can cost you about $1000. But if you pay the same amount for a JR 7-DAY PASS, you can go back and forth however many times you want within the 7 days. We went back and forth to Tokyo, we went back and forth to Kyoto, we went via 1st class reservation tickets and we used it on any JR lines possible – It was totally worth it! The best part of it is that if you have children, they can eat or sleep peacefully on nice comfy chairs facing each other 🙂
4. ENJOY LOCAL FOOD – Yes, I’m not going to lie, my family loves to eat. So while we were in Nagoya, we tried a few upscale restaurant. But, there’s nothing like eating street foods when you’re in a foreign country. As soon as we arrived in Nishiki Market in Kyoto, we could smell the grilled ‘everything’… Honestly, we didn’t know what they were grilling at first, it was very difficult maneuvering through a wave of hungry people. Nishiki Market is Kyoto’s largest traditional food market. There were variety of seafood on sticks, fresh tofu, and as much Matcha as you can imagine, from ice cream to cold drinks to pastries and even Tiramisu. We were full by the time we made it to half of the block.
I couldn’t believe how adventurous both my children were until we got here.
My 5yrs old ate not one but two Octopus. My other child ate freshly made shrimp (More like huge prawn) tempura and we enjoyed fresh and humongous pieces of real crab meat on a stick. It was amazing trying different varieties of Japanese food. See there’s so much more than just Sashimi.
5. LESSONS LEARNED – STAY LONGER THAN WHAT YOU THINK – Due to work and first week of school, we only stayed in Japan for 5 total days, not including travel of course. There’s so much more to see. In fact, we were already imagining our second trip during the days we were there. I guess one of the most relevant piece of advice I could give you is to stay longer. It may take better planning perhaps, to find better hotel rates, planning a specific route and you may need to exit at a different airport, but it’s totally worth it. We only visited huge cities, we haven’t hiked Mt. Fuji nor have we stayed in a Traditional Ryokan located above Gero Onsen (Hot Spring) – there’s just so much to see. Take your time, enjoy everything that is different and meet new people.
As many of you know, my mom, my girls and I have spoken about going to Japan for vacation as soon as the girls can carry their own luggage. Last New Year, we surprised my mom with a ticket to Japan – we knew it would be difficult knowing that she was having a hard time walking, but we were determined to bring her there. It’s so difficult and very very sad to know that she never had a chance to enjoy our dream vacation with us, but I do hope I shared enough wishes and thoughts of my mom with my girls while we were enjoying our precious time there. I dedicate this memory to you mom.
POWERFUL WOMEN 