Tokyo with Kids

[torakris]

That pasta looks quite good! As a family with smallish kids as well family restaurants like Jonathan's are really wonderful. There is something for everyone, the price is good and although it may not be the best meal of your life it will be good.

It looks like you are already getting your fill of tonkatsu! Look for the tonkatsu sandwiches, those are my favorite.

It looks like the rain is going to clear up by this afternoon and the sun will come out so you can get back outside again. I just wish it was warmer for you, last weekend it was incredibly sunny and even hit about 70F.

[Blether]

Hi Majra, it's great to see you all here.

silly

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- I can't think what you mean. You're supposed to say 'kawaii !!!' when you see things like that

Those udon were a brave choice for someone for whom soup is out of the question (Edit: to say I've now read the posts in the 'First night in Tokyo' thread. Sorry not to have picked up on it, but yes, as Kris described 'no soup' will largely keep you away from noodles in Japan).

Thank-you so much for letting us share your experiences. As Torakris said, let's hope the weather holds up for you this afternoon.

Edited March 11, 2007 by Blether (log)

[Pouncy]

Something that has served me well here at sit-down (non-Beef Bowl) places is to take a picture with my digital camera of what I want from the display, and then show it to the waiter.

[Domestic Goddess]

Something that has served me well here at sit-down (non-Beef Bowl) places is to take a picture with my digital camera of what I want from the display, and then show it to the waiter.

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Hey, why didn't I think of that? I'd do that here in Korea and save me the trouble of tyring to tell them what I want (usually mangling the korean language very badly).

[Majra]

That pasta looks quite good! As a family with smallish kids as well family restaurants like Jonathan's are really wonderful. There is something for everyone, the price is good and although it may not be the best meal of your life it will be good.

It looks like you are already getting your fill of tonkatsu! Look for the tonkatsu sandwiches, those are my favorite.

It looks like the rain is going to clear up by this afternoon and the sun will come out so you can get back outside again. I just wish it was warmer for you, last weekend it was incredibly sunny and even hit about 70F.

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You are absolutely right about Jonathan's. It definitely got the job done.

Re: the weather...70F would have been nice! For us, who are acclimated to Florida temperatures, Japan was very cold. We were thrilled to throw open the windows when we arrived home yesterday, especially after a long and messed up journey getting back.

More trip reports will be coming as I find my notes, etc. The adventures were excellent, we really loved Japan!

[Majra]

Hi Majra, it's great to see you all here.

silly

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- I can't think what you mean. You're supposed to say 'kawaii !!!' when you see things like that

Those udon were a brave choice for someone for whom soup is out of the question (Edit: to say I've now read the posts in the 'First night in Tokyo' thread. Sorry not to have picked up on it, but yes, as Kris described 'no soup' will largely keep you away from noodles in Japan).

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Blether, we definitely attuned to the kawaii thing as the days passed in Japan. Very sweet, wish we had more cuteness factor here in the US.

Re: noodles, the udon soup wasn't supposed to happen that way. My daughter saw the plastic model of zaru soba in the window, and ordered it. Then, the man at the counter asked her if she wanted soba or udon. She saw that they were white instead of brown, and said udon. Then, he asked if she wanted it hot or cold. She said hot, and next thing she knew, a bowl of soup landed in front of her. She was a good sport about it, at least.

[Blether]

'Kawaii' is a tide you can't swim against.

... next thing she knew, a bowl of soup landed in front of her.

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Ouch !

[Majra]

On our second day in Tokyo, we awoke to cold rainy weather, and decided to head out to Sunshine City for the morning. My kids had chosen this destination long ago when doing their own trip research. On our way we stopped for coffee at the Starbucks in Ikebukuro train station. While we were sitting there, the Food Show opened for the day and we admired so many beautiful foods. We picked up a few gyoza and pastries and packed them away for later.

After a dizzying hour or two of arcade games and carousel rides at Sunshine City, we stopped here:

You know you're on vacation when mom says you can have ice cream before lunch.

We browsed Gyoza City for some lunch, but it was extremely crowded and we decided to move along instead. We headed out on the train toward Harajuku with Kiddie Land toy store as our destination. At this point our daughter began to feel unwell, but we pressed on, walking down Takeshita street on a crowded Sunday afternoon. It soon became apparent that we needed a break from the madness. All of the restaurants were packed, but we found an empty Thai restaurant on the 5th floor of a building on the corner just up from Kiddie Land.

We ordered two dishes: chicken with chilis and basil rice plate, and a wide rice noodle with pork and vegetables dish. Pretty tasty, although the portions were small, and the prices were high. But it was enough food to tide us all over, and more importantly, the quiet space provided us with a respite from the city. Usually I would interpret an empty restaurant as a bad sign, but in this situation it was just what we needed.

After buying out Kiddie Land, we walked up through Meiji Shrine. At this point my daughter was feeling quite ill, so my husband took her back to the hotel. My son and I walked back down Takeshita St. to the Daiso 100yen shop and I bought a bunch of kitchen and bento supplies.

For dinner that day my husband and son went out for yakitori somewhere in Shibuya. I stayed in with the sick and sleeping girl. The boys brought me food later: yakitori skewers, and an udon soup and curry rice combo from the same little noodle shop near our hotel where we had our dinner on the first night.

Of course this was too much food, but it was fun to try a little of this and a little of that. The curry rice was only gravy--no meat or vegetables. Is that common?

[Majra]

On Day Three, we found our jetlagged kids reading books on the floor of the hotel bathroom at 4am. Daughter was feeling better, and it was early, so we decided it was a great day to go to Tsukiji Fish Market. We picked up lattes on the way (and drank them while walking down the street) . At Tsukiji, the sights, smells, sunshine all contributed to a wonderful morning! Additionally, my son succeeded in his quest for Hot Vitamin C. Even with so many vending machines, this particular drink was not easy to find. He coerced his sister into trying one, but she did not care for it.

My husband, son, and I ate a delicious sushi breakfast here:

On our way back to the train station, my daughter ate her breakfast:

At that point, I had a mental breakthrough and took back every negative thought, word or deed I had ever directed towards McDonald's. It was truly a perfect application of the Golden Arches: when my child was millions of miles from home, and hadn't eaten much in 3 days.

Bellies full, we took the train to Mitaka and walked to the Ghibli Museum where we had reserved our tickets months ago. Rather than walking back to the station afterwards, we opted for the shuttle bus so that we could see the town of Mitaka. It was mid-afternoon at this point, and the plan was to find a lunch spot before getting back on the train. Trouble was, we couldn't agree on anything, the kids were tired, daughter's energy was fading fast. We ended up at McD's *again,* where she ate all of 2 chicken nuggets. My son was hungry so he ate a chicken sandwich.

Knowing that we were headed back to the hotel to tend to sick child again, my husband and I held out for lunch. Once in Shibuya station, we quickly ran through the Tokyu Food Show and picked up these goodies for our own lunch and brought them back to the hotel room:

We had 10 gyoza--pork/chive/scallion, 10 shumai--pork/shrimp, 6 mini inari, and then my husband ordered a bowl of noodles with fish cake and egg from our "regular" shop. I did not eat the noodles (too fishy for me), he did not eat the inari (too sweet for him), and neither of us finished any of these dishes that we bought. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, for sure.

We spent some time napping, and before we knew it, it was time to eat again! My husband was in the mood for some more adventure, and we made an ill-fated decision to go to Shinjuku at rush hour. The train was hot and mobbed, the streets were cold and mobbed, and the kids were tired and unhappy. After walking and walking and walking past restaurants that we could not agree on, we ended up in a tempura shop. My husband joked that we walked 5 miles for another bowl of noodles. Actually it was quite good.

This was my dinner. My son had the same.

My husband had rice:

My daughter had zaru udon, otherwise known as "Failed Noodle Experiment #2."

I had relayed the information I gleaned here about hot/cold/dry/soup noodles before she ordered this. When she tasted the noodles, I asked her if they were cold. Her answer? "Very." Apparently she had interpreted "cold" to mean "room temperature." Like the something out of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, this food was not quite right!

So she had walked 5 miles--cold, sick, tired--and didn't even come away with the noodles. We stopped at a Scandinavian Bakery in Shinjuku Station and she chose some pesto toast. By the time we got to the hotel she was too tired to eat it, but it made a good breakfast the next morning.

[torakris]

At least she tried things!

One thing I have learned when traveling with children is to just go with the flow. My 3 kids are quite adventurous eaters but on a 2 week trip to Indonesia last year we often found ourselves in McDonald's and A&W. I had a huge list of restaurants I wanted to go to but we ended up at about 1/5 of them. The kids were were often too tired or under the weather. It was far from my ideal trip foodwise but a wonderful trip nevertheless.

I ahve to admit the best food I had though was when I left my husband and kids behind and joined eGullet member prasantrin in Ubud, Bali.

I planned our upcoming Christmas trip too late this year (yes it is still March ) and we are going to go to Guam instead of Australia, I refuse to make any specific dining plans as I know they probably won't pan out...

[Majra]

At least she tried things!

Yes, she was a great sport!  She even stated that she wanted to go back and try things that she disliked again, to make sure.  She's a good kid.

One thing I have learned when traveling with children is to just go with the flow. My 3 kids are quite adventurous eaters but on a 2 week trip to Indonesia last year we often found ourselves in McDonald's and A&W. I had a huge list of restaurants I wanted to go to but we ended up at about 1/5 of them. The kids were were often too tired or under the weather. It was far from my ideal trip foodwise but a wonderful trip nevertheless.

I ahve to admit the best food I had though was when I left my husband and kids behind and joined eGullet member prasantrin in Ubud, Bali.

I hear you loud and clear.  You know, my husband just read my trip report posts so far and he thought that they sounded very negative.  In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.  We had an incredibly wonderful vacation, despite the illness and food issues of our child.  I knew food would be a challenge for her (that's why I made the topic to begin with), but this trip was planned with so much more in mind than food.  We accomplished so much good stuff and ate great foods too. 

I planned our upcoming Christmas trip too late this year (yes it is still March ) and we are going to go to Guam instead of Australia, I refuse to make any specific dining plans as I know they probably won't pan out...

I'm sure you will make the most of the experience no matter what circumstances arise!  Enjoy!

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[helenjp]

Who would have thought that you would go to Sunshine City! I remember when it opened .

As far as the food/fatigue/familiarity thing goes, your experiences are sounding familiar! When much younger, I was surprised at how easily tired and put off my kids were during a few days in Singapore - and even more surprised when they insisted that they had LOVED every minute of it and couldn't wait to go back!

I bet your kids remember things like the Hot Vit. C as major highlights .

[Kouign Aman]

I am impressed by your daughter's willingness to keep trying, especially when she wasnt feeling well. I've traveled with adults who had less gitzle.

I remember traveling as a child. It was always easier for me to try new things earlier in the day. At the end of a day with few breaks, lots to see, and little control of the situation*, some times it was hard to face one more adventure. I seem to remember milk and cereal = my parents version of the 'pre-meal' you mention on Varmints NYC w 4 kids thread. Those little boxes that turn into bowls pack quite nicely in a camera bag, and in Europe, it was always easy to find milk.

*kids dont get many decisions once the actual vacation begins. The plans made in advance, and the urgency to see as much as possible dictate so much of what is decided.

[Majra]

I bet your kids remember things like the Hot Vit. C as major highlights .

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Yes, it's those little things that really contribute to a family's own personal culture. We have a can of Hot Vitamin C here at home as a souvenir. The quest for that drink became a fun game as we roamed the streets of Tokyo. Besides checking each vending machine that we passed on foot, we'd crane our necks looking for it on the train platforms as we pulled up to each subway station. My son loved it when I told him that if I spotted it outside a train, that I'd hop off for it and meet him at the next station. It never actually happened that way, but he loved the idea, and it made the Hot C game quite silly and exciting for him.

[Majra]

I am impressed by your daughter's willingness to keep trying, especially when she wasnt feeling well. I've traveled with adults who had less gitzle.

I think she's really a foodie at heart. I'm not sure "picky" is the right word to describe her food habits. It's more like "particular." She's the type of person who notices if you switch brands of cream cheese. I think she could be quite well-respected for her discriminating nature once she's mature.

I remember traveling as a child. It was always easier for me to try new things earlier in the day. At the end of a day with few breaks, lots to see, and little control of the situation*, some times it was hard to face one more adventure.

This was our experience too. Our dinner times were generally more utilitarian than lunch times, at least in spirit, due to the tiredness factor. The 13-hour time difference had a lot to do with it, for all four of us!

*kids dont get many decisions once the actual vacation begins. The plans made in advance, and the urgency to see as much as possible dictate so much of what is decided.

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Very true. We had to make a couple of tough judgement calls with regards to our itinerary due to her illness. At her age, she was very aware of what was at stake as well. She did not want to miss out on anything, nor did she want to keep anyone else from their sightseeing. I told her that it was more exciting to be sick in Japan, than it was to be sick in Florida. And that there was no place I'd rather be in the whole world than caring for her when she was in need.

[Blether]

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If McD's ever needs a poster for the 'Happy Meal', this is it

It looks like you all had a really good time, and that's great.

Edited March 24, 2007 by Blether (log)

[Majra]

If McD's ever needs a poster for the 'Happy Meal', this is it     

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You hit the nail on the head!

It looks like you all had a really good time, and that's great.

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We had a very memorable and fabulous time in Japan. Of course you folks are only hearing about the food side of our trip, in order to stay on topic, so you'll have to take my word for it that the between meal adventures were outstanding.

[SuzySushi]

We had a very memorable and fabulous time in Japan.  Of course you folks are only hearing about the food side of our trip, in order to stay on topic, so you'll have to take my word for it that the between meal adventures were outstanding. 

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I'm curious what you thought of the Ghibli museum, which wasn't around the last time I was in Japan. Was it worth the excursion? Did the kids enjoy it? We're anime fans!

P.S. A Japanese friend of mine used to live in Mitaka, and I visited there 17 years ago, though I can't recall much about the suburb and I'm sure it's changed greatly by now.

[Majra]

I'm curious what you thought of the Ghibli museum, which wasn't around the last time I was in Japan. Was it worth the excursion? Did the kids enjoy it? We're anime fans!

P.S. A Japanese friend of mine used to live in Mitaka, and I visited there 17 years ago, though I can't recall much about the suburb and I'm sure it's changed greatly by now.

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We loved the museum! The place was so charming, with many interesting exhibits (and an awesome gift shop if you're a Miyazaki fan!!). The attention to detail at every level of the museum, right down to the rest rooms, was reminiscent of the best aspects of a Disney experience. The place is rather small--I don't think we stayed more than a couple of hours--but it was definitely a good excursion for us. We could have stayed longer to see movies (in Japanese only), but we were in "conserve energy" mode since our daughter was under the weather. (We also lucked out in seeing a visiting Wallace and Gromit exhibit.)

Mitaka seemed like a very nice little town. The walk from the train station to the museum was lovely, complete with a (single) cherry blossom tree in bloom, a little creek, a park with tennis courts, people walking dogs, sunshine on our backs, etc. Very fond memories...

Edited March 25, 2007 by Majra (log)

[Majra]

Time sure flies when you're busy! My little trip report lost its get-up-and-go sometime between the jetlag, work schedule, and ballet carpool, but I still have my trusty notes and a few photos to share. Let's see, where did I leave off...

My daugher awoke the next morning with a relapse in her cold symptoms, complete with fever and cough. I made one of those motherly declarations that she was to do nothing but rest and recuperate all day. Nothing except get to Kyoto, that is. We had seats reserved on the 9:30am Shinkansen. We arrived at Tokyo station with 45 minutes to spare, and I took my daughter to a sit-down cafe inside the station to sit and rest. I ordered a tiny and expensive cup of coffee. I am not a big breakfast eater in general--I usually just have coffee in the morning--but this time I really was just buying the table and chairs for a little while. My daughter sipped on some cola at my insistence (which she found funny, even in her unwell state. My kids don't drink soda very often.)

Meanwhile, my husband and son went for breakfast at a place next door to our cafe, where there was a conveyor belt restaurant offering fish and rice and miso soup. This photo is from a different restaurant, in Kyoto in fact, but my husband photographed it because he said it was the same foods that they had had for breakfast that morning in Tokyo station.

My son was begging me to broil fish for his breakfasts after this meal. He has always favored savory foods in the mornings, so this breakfast was right up his alley. Not typical American fare; maybe he was Japanese in a past life?

When the guys returned to the cafe to collect us for the train, they had two packages with them: one was cold packed, and off limits until White Day, and the other contained a box of sandwiches for me to enjoy on the train ride. They were beautiful. Egg salad with ham, and cucumber with cream cheese and salmon (I think). I ate them later and they were delicious. Japan is a good place for egg salad lovers like me. We also bought a couple of hot coffees from the vending machines on the train platform and took them on board. After sampling many different coffees over the course of our week, Georgia Cafe au Lait took top honors for me. I never drink my coffee sweetened, but I very quickly developed a taste for it in Tokyo.

We arrived in Kyoto and took a cab directly to our hotel. Our original plans called for an afternoon of exploring the train station environs, but that idea was shelved as per my morning motherly declaration of rest. The next meals were eaten here:

After we set up a futon for the littlest one, I went next door to Circle K convenience store and bought this for my daughter to try:

She loved it! I ran back and bought 3 more: she ate one, and we put two in the fridge for later. I also bought two sandwiches--another egg salad and ham, and a tonkatsu sandwich. I was glad that I got two sandwiches, because my 12 year-old vaccuumed up exactly half of each as soon as I walked in the door. We also shared a dark chocolate Dars bar.

Next, my husband and son set off for the afternoon. First stop was at a pharmacy. Armed with his trusty phrasebook, my husband communicated well enough to come back with some medicines.

Next the boys stopped here:

My boy was really tickled about the prevalence of Starbucks in Japan. We don't often go to Starbucks here at home, but I think it provided him a sliver of comfort and familiarity, much like McDonald's offered to his sister. Plus, warm drinks and cold weather are made to go together.

Soon after they found a second conveyor belt meal for the day. This time, sushi. Again, my son was very happy. He went to a sushi boat restaurant quite often when he was a baby, toddler, and little boy in California. That was a fun and quick place to take the family to when the kids were tiny. We don't have any conveyor belt sushi here in Florida where we live now.

After a long afternoon of shopping and exploring, the two guys ate one more meal at a beef bowl restaurant. My son had beef with rice and a cabbage salad and soup, and my husband had pork. When they came back to the hotel, they brought me a plate of the pork, along with rice and salad and soup, and some leftover beef as well. I ate a lot, but there was still a lot leftover.

Daughter slept straight through until morning, and awoke fresh and ready for more adventures. We gave her this medicine from the pharmacy, which performed miracles!

[Majra]

We spent the next 2 full days in Kyoto, and these times were among my favorites of all during our vacation. The sights were splendid, the daughter was back to her spunky self, and we ate some delicious stuff too. What more could a family ask for?

Some food highlights included the White Day gift box from the boys, which contained these mouthwatering good cheesecakes. Breakfast anyone?

Besides the delicious taste of these cheesecakes, we were suitably impressed with the packing technology. The little cardboard box had cold packs built right into lid!

Another favorite food in Kyoto was fresh, hot soymilk donuts. The kids scurried up and down the charming shopping alleys off of "Teapot Lane" to buy an extra bag of these steaming treats.

We also loved our first okonomiyaki experiernce! The do-it-yourself aspect of this meal suited us very nicely, and my daughter had a chance to make fried noodles exactly to her own specifications.

Kyoto also provided us with a new vending machine quest:

Qoo comes in different flavors, all of which were carefully compared and contrasted by the kids.

We also delved further into pastry while in Kyoto. Once skillfully guided away from McDonalds, my daughter reached nirvana. In a bakery.

[Domestic Goddess]

I love that look of bliss on her face! Priceless.

[Pan]

Hope you are enjoying your stay! For my family, Shibuya means "music exams", and a family meal with my brother in law afterward, usually at a Chinese restaurant. There's a big Tower records shop on the other side of Shibuya station too, ready to suck up any extra cash!

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I realize it's not about food, but I have to ask: Tower Records is still in business in Japan?

[Pan]

Great report, Majra!

It must have been really hard on your daughter to take the Shinkansen to Kyoto while having a fever, but I'm sure she's glad she got there. I went to Tokyo and Kyoto in 1975 when I was 10, and I particularly loved Kyoto. I want to know what was in that medicine.

[Blether]

I want to know what was in that medicine.

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I'll have a go at this one:

S.Tac by SS Drugs Limited

マレイン酸カルビノキサミン 8mg

ベラドンナ総アルカロイド 0.2mg

塩酸フェニレフリン 5mg

添加物として、ゼラチン、セルロース、白糖、ヒドロキシプロピルセルロース、ヒドロキシプロピルメチルセルロース、エチルセルロース、グリセリン脂肪酸エステル、タルク、トウモロコシデンプン、ラウリル硫酸Na、黄色５号、青色１号を含有します。

(guessing at some of the spellings)

Malein acid carbinoxamine 8mg

Belladonna alkaloids 0.2mg (woo-hoo !)

Phenirefrin chlorate 5mg (a relation of ephedrine ?) (Edit: Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride)

also contains various types of cellulose, glycerine, corn, talc, Yellow #5 and blue #1

Edited March 29, 2007 by Blether (log)