From LA to Kyoto

The long-awaited day finally arrived! Sometime in late 2025, we set a countdown to the day that we’d finally fly to Japan for our second trip there together. Peter and I packed fairly light as wintertime in Japan would finally be warming up by February’s end to usher in the ever popular cherry blossoms. With just two carry-ons and two backpacks, we were ready to embark on our next adventure. Because we’d so recently been there and would be bringing my parents who last visited in 2019 and my brother who has never been, our itinerary were dedicated to making their experience enjoyable.

Peter and I accompanied my parents and my brother Truman to the airport. Jackie, Peter’s sister, along with her friend Michelle were already in Korea and would be meeting us in Kyoto. The morning headed to the airport went smoothly without any major hiccups. As one does for an international trip, we arrived at LAX several hours early and spent most of the downtime pacing around to get steps in before the 14 hours of sedentary flight.

After several in-flight movies (my brother was lucky to have slept the entire flight), the wait was finally over and we landed in Osaka. Peter and I overlooked the train route to Kyoto when planning, so there was some momentary stress as we figured out pathing. With some help and running around like headless chickens, we secured our tickets. Fortunately it was not too chilly at 8:00 PM while we waited, but we were all tired from our flights. Kyoto was still 90 minutes away by train. Once on the train, most of us fell in and out of sleep until we arrived at our hotel.

Upon arrival, Jackie greeted us in the lobby as we checked in. The rooms were expectedly cramped, but we didn’t care at that point as we rushed to shower and wind down. My parents and brother shared a room and also brought more luggage than me and Peter, leading to a more cramped room. The amenities of the hotel were nice, including onsens, a small gym, and laundry facilities. Nearly 10:00 PM already, we hurriedly and excitedly went to bed to start our first full day in Kyoto. And at 6:00 AM, no less!

Our first day in Kyoto would be dedicated to exploring Arashiyama, with our first stop at the famous bamboo grove. We got there at the crack of dawn, snapped several pictures, and meandered through the area without the bustling crowds. The grove was much smaller than what I remembered from 2019. Because very few things open early in Japan, we ended up walking around and exploring lesser seen sights until a few nearby temples opened up, including Jojakkoji Temple and Adashino Nenbutsuji. The latter was a really cute temple, located a bit further out, but had its own private bamboo grove which served for more pictures!

After a long morning of walking, we were ready to fill up on sushi, a second round of coffee, and finally plenty of shopping. Jackie had recommendations for sushi as well as coffee where we could relax before our busy afternoon. As we traversed the busy streets, dropping by fragrance stores for the girls, Pokemon Center for Truman, and pharmacies for myself as I was coming down with cold-like symptoms. We pushed our way through Nishiki Market where we grabbed some roasted chestnuts and relaxed in a quiet lounge for a delicious midday snack. Rejuvenated, we dove hopped right into UNIQLO, GU, and MUJI so people could get their shopping out of the way. We finally wound down the night with some dinner, taiyaki, and a soothing onsen soak.

Though Day 1 was jam packed and rather tiresome, the next day eased up a little. Though we initially planned to drop by Fushimi Inari Taisha early in the morning to beat the crowds, we skipped it altogether for some much needed sleeping in. We instead had a slow morning with lifting, breakfast, coffee, and made our way to Jonangu Shrine in southern Kyoto to see plum blossoms. This is something my mom has been asking to see.

I find them to be equally enchanting as cherry blossoms but attracts a much less overwhelming crowd, resulting in a more pleasant experience. Jackie and Michelle unfortunately could not make it to this shrine with us, but we ended up rendezvousing in Uji to have lunch and shop for matcha. We brought the girls some camellia flavored mochi from Jonangu so they could share in the experience.

For lunch, Peter and I made reservations at the same restaurant that we had gone to in August 2025. Just located above the restaurant is a cute ceramic store where the owner handpicks crafts from all across Japan to showcase and sell. We arrived at Uji slightly earlier than intended, so while we waited for the girls, we dropped by a matcha bakery which had the best matcha-flavored milk bread. We also dropped by a familiar pickle store to pick up some goods, just as we had done on our previous trip. Finally, at only 11:00 AM and with our hands already full of bags, it was time for our lunch. It was as good as we had remembered it, and the chef even ran after us to take a photo! We finished our Uji leg of the trip by dropping in to a few matcha specialty stores to pick up a few canisters for home.

From Uji, we then took the train to Nara as seeing the bowing deer was high on many peoples’ lists. Tourists can buy crackers on site to feed the numerous deer; Truman was particularly excited for this. Unbeknownst to him, however, was that the deer can be very aggressive, often nipping at your clothes or extremities. After the party was thoroughly attacked by deer, we walked around and deeper into the park to visit a few temples.

It was soon 4:00 PM and so we made our way back to Kyoto where we had dinner, explored Kyoto Station, and experienced Japanese McDonald’s for the first time (underwhelming). It was yet another very long day, but full of good memories!

For Day 3, we originally planned to go to Kinkakuji, the famed golden temple, yet again at the crack of dawn. And again, we ended up axing that plan. We all needed to sleep in after the previous day. With a full night’s rest, we woke to a hearty breakfast before heading to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, the second of the plum blossom gardens we would visit on this trip. Whereas Jonangu featured primarily “drooping” plum blossoms that looked like floral fireworks, KTS featured a very large and varied selection of plum blossoms. We’re happy the girls were able to attend this time. Tickets into KTS included tea and Japanese crackers to enjoy while watching the plum blossoms. Peter and I were particularly impressed by the immersion of their sweet, floral scent.

Admiring the beauty at KTS took all morning and before we knew it, we needed to head over to lunch where we’d be meeting Jackie’s Japanese friend, Miyabi. Due to my error in planning, lunch did not unfold as intended, but luckily Miyabi was with us on this particular day and found another location immediately. It was impressive for having a party of 8! We had fancy unagi bowls for lunch, delicious and enjoyed by everybody.

After filling up on sustenance, we visited a coffee shop to get another dose of caffeine. Following caffeine, we went to a nearby shaved ice (kakigori) store to meet our persistent craving, despite it being at the tail-end of winter. Jackie and Miyabi stayed back to do their own thing and catch up, while the other 6 of us shared 3 mountainous bowls of kakigori. They were all very interesting and unique flavors which made it quite the experience!

For dinner, we would divide into two groups: Michelle, Jackie, and Miyabi would do their own thing, while Peter, my family, and I would have our own separate dinner. Miyabi kindly made reservations for our party of 5 at a superb soba restaurant, Saryo Tesshin. It was a spectacular experience—everything from food to ambience was amazing. With only 12 seats available, it was quiet, cozy, and intimate. It definitely hit the spot as far as “fancy” dinners go.

After dinner, my family was tired so they retired back to the hotel for an early evening in. Peter and I decided to explore Kyoto together, despite the light drizzle precipitating. It would be our last evening in Kyoto after all. We did something we don’t ordinarily do in the states—we found a cocktail bar, Mononoma, to hang out in. Set with dim, ambience lighting in a tatami room, Peter and I imbibed some unique cocktails and munched on bar snacks. In those bar snacks, we found a wildly addictive crispy mochi cracker that we sought after for the remainder of our trip (per our bartender, she could only find them in two stores in Kyoto)!

After our private night out, Peter and I felt ready to tackle our final day in Kyoto. Day 4 would be a combination of attending the newest teamLab exhibit in Kyoto followed by taking the bullet train to Tokyo to start our next leg of the trip. The morning was a hectic one as we rushed our luggage from hotel to Kyoto Station. Fortunately, we got to the station very early in the morning, making it easy to store our luggage in individual lockers before heading to teamLab. We spent 2 hours enjoying the Kyoto teamLab Biovortex experience.

It had some similar themes and concepts are other teamLab experiences, but also with some new features. Would definitely recommend checking it out!

We scurried out of teamLab back toward Kyoto Station to pick up luggage, lunch, and finally board the bullet train. Picking up luggage was anything but peaceful—hordes of people surrounded us waiting to claim our lockers as we retrieved our belongings. I was quickly flustered as Peter, who would usually be helping, was off trying to find the fabled mochi crackers from the evening prior. Apparently, a small grocery store located at the Kyoto Station was 1 of the 2 locations which carry them.

Needless to say, we survived the onslaught with plenty of time to grab bento boxes before boarding the bullet train. I had the great pleasure of sitting next to Jackie for the 3 hour train ride into Tokyo while everybody else quietly dozed. It was valuable bonding time as we reflected on the halfway point of our trip, mirroring my session with Peter the evening prior. Soon enough, we stepped foot into Tokyo Station where Jackie was stopped by security as she had lost her train ticket and thusly had to pay for a new one ($100)! Tokyo Station is a whole different level of crowded. We headed straight to our hotel which required many flights of stairs and assisting my elderly parents with their many luggages. We soon were rewarded with extremely spacious hotel rooms. The particular hotel we booked in Asakusa used to be an apartment complex, now fittingly labeled an “aparthotel” and fixed up with individual washers and dryers in every unit. Everybody washed up and before we knew it, it was 5:00 PM and time for dinner.

Michelle and Jackie had their own plans for their first evening in Tokyo. The rest of us went to a joint specializing in beef tongue. Deliciously tender! After dinner, Peter, my family, and I walked around a bit to explore Asakusa. We went to the nearby 24-hour Don Quijote which was quite the experience for my parents. They were gleefully excited to see all the cute offerings, but that euphoria was short-lived as they were soon overstimulated. Peter and I waited outside as my family took their time perusing the goods in DQ. After they emerged from the tower, we walked up and down popular tourist streets to check out various vendors.

Truman and my parents tired eventually and retreated back to their hotel room. Peter and I decided to check out local grocery stores—we were determined to find these enchanting mochi crackers. As we walked through a random mall, we saw an escalator leading to a downstairs grocery store. Down in that store, we found exactly what we were looking for, and grabbed every single bag off the shelf. We merrily meandered back to our hotel after that, ready for bed and for the start of our Tokyo chaos.