Note that this photo is a posed shot. You are supposed to cycling anti-clockwise around the lake! Haha If you are deciding between taking the train to Kawaguchiko or driving, you can check out the car rental prices at https://www.nipponrentacar.co.jp/english/user-guide/reservations.html and train prices at http://www.hyperdia.com/ It depends on whether you’re staying overnight at Kawaguchiko and the number of people travelling. Remember to add toll fees of about ¥4200 one way. We decided to rent a car but forgot about the toll fees so it ended up being more expensive. I’d say if you’re staying for one night and there are at least 3 of you, renting a car is a good option. If there are two of you and you want more freedom to move around (such as going to neighbouring places like Oshino Hakkai, Chureito Pagoda, Yamanakako etc) it is also better to rent a car. You should also be warned that traffic is congested upon leaving and arriving at Tokyo. We parked our car at ou...
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Tokyo Asakusa with Kids: Kimono dress up and Kaminarimon, Food sample making, Tokyo Sky Tree
When you travel with kids, you will tend to over-plan but it's alright, be prepared to let go of some activities because you do not want to tire them out (or they may become grouchy or worse, fall ill) so take it easy.
Although it is possible to pack all the activities into one day, we split it into two days due to the availability of slots for the food sample making. On Day 1, we did the food sample, lunch at Imahan and Tokyo Sky Tree. On Day 2, we did the kimono dress up and Kaminarimon.
Food Sample Making Experience
It seems that the English website for ganso sample house does not have the food sample making experience but if you click in the Japanese flag to change the language to Japanese http://www.ganso-sample.com/experience/, you can see it so I emailed them in Japanese to book the session. Not only did my nieces enjoy the experience, my brother and sister-in-law enjoyed themselves thoroughly too.
The shop is situated in Asakusa Kappashi, a short 10 min walk from Asakusa subway station. There are 3 time slots: 1100, 1400, 1600 and costs ¥2160 per pax for two pieces of tempura and one cabbage. It takes about 60-75 min and instructions are given in Japanese only.
Lunch at Imahan Asakusa
Lunch was Wagyu Sukiyaki at Asakusa Imahan. I had called to make a reservation but unfortunately, the restaurant is full so we queued for about 45 min for a table. We ordered the premium lunch set as well as the Kobe beef set but we felt that at 5 times the price, the Kobe beef set is too extravagant and that the premium lunch set was already very luxurious and satisfying.
Tokyo Sky Tree
After the food sample making, we headed over to Tokyo Sky Tree where fortunately, the queue wasn't too bad. The glorious weather made Mount Fuji visible so my nieces, like everyone else, were snapping away on their mom's phone.
You can see Mount Fuji in the distance
Taking a moment to enjoy the view and shadow of Tokyo Sky Tree
Kimono Dress Up and Kaminarimon
The kimono rental shop Asakusa Kimono Koto is perfect for its proximity to Kaminarimon. The packages I took included rental of kimono, hair accessories, socks, slippers and bag, and hair styling. The ladies are very skillful and gave my nieces such cute styles within minutes. They enjoyed walking to Asakusa Sensoji in kimono and we were approached for photos a few times.
（すみません、 日本語があまり上手じゃない。） A 2-hour drive from Yamanakako brought us to Shuzenji onsen, a quiet onsen town that has not been invaded by international tourism so it was really a relaxing time for us. This chateaux relaix brand hotel truly did not disappoint. Service was impeccable from the moment we made the reservation. They emailed to check whether we had any allergies or food we don't eat. Once our car was spotted, a staff came running out and greeted me by name. How they know who I am baffles me (we noticed that there were only 3 other groups of guests after us). We were shown to our room, Akenobo, immediately and served tea and mochi. I am reminded that the mark of a really top notch establishment is that there is no need to stand in line to check in. Once we were settled and refreshed by the tea, we filled in the check in form in the room. No passports were required, unlike in most other establishments. We changed into yukata and hung around the ryokan for a while, taking in th...
The Tsukuba Kasumigaura Ring Ring Road is a cycling route from JR Iwase station to JR Tsuchiura station and continuing to Lake Kasumigaura loop. The stretch between JR Iwase station and JR Tsuchiura station is 40km and the loop around the lake is about 100km so the total return trip is 180km. Map of Ring Ring Road from JR Iwase station to JR Tsuchiura station We only did part of the straight route and part of the lake so we covered only about 50km. Here’s a video of our trip. IMPORTANT NOTE: We based in Tsukuba because we needed to meet a dear friend. Tsukuba is not the best starting point for this cycling route because we had to cycle 10km to intersect at a part of the Ring Ring Road since public transport connection between Tsukuba and Iwase or Tsuchiura is poor. We took a taxi from JR Tsuchiura station back to Tsukuba (¥3400). When we told the taxi-driver our destination, he smiled happily and said Arigatou!! 🤣🤣 A better plan will be as follows: Use Mito in Ibaraki as a base. Mit...
Note that this photo is a posed shot. You are supposed to cycling anti-clockwise around the lake! Haha If you are deciding between taking the train to Kawaguchiko or driving, you can check out the car rental prices at https://www.nipponrentacar.co.jp/english/user-guide/reservations.html and train prices at http://www.hyperdia.com/ It depends on whether you’re staying overnight at Kawaguchiko and the number of people travelling. Remember to add toll fees of about ¥4200 one way. We decided to rent a car but forgot about the toll fees so it ended up being more expensive. I’d say if you’re staying for one night and there are at least 3 of you, renting a car is a good option. If there are two of you and you want more freedom to move around (such as going to neighbouring places like Oshino Hakkai, Chureito Pagoda, Yamanakako etc) it is also better to rent a car. You should also be warned that traffic is congested upon leaving and arriving at Tokyo. We parked our car at ou...
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