Tokyo Travel Diaries: Ueno Park & Tokyo National Museum

We visited Ueno Park during our 2nd day in Tokyo last November. Ueno is a large public park where you can find lots of temples, shrines, and museums like the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum for Western Art, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the National Science Museum. It is also home to Ueno Zoo, which is Japan's oldest zoo.

To get there, we took a train from Shinjuku to JR Ueno Station, and the park is just next to it right when you exit the station. It was such a perfect day to visit since the weather was nice and sunny. It was about 12°C but I was already freezing my butt off lol. I was also in awe of how beautiful the sky was, since you couldn't even see a single cloud.

Our 1 week Tokyo Itinerary

A lot of people have been asking me for our itinerary when we went to Japan last November so I'll share it here with you. Actually, I also asked some friends for help and also based this on sample itineraries found online like in Japan-guide.com.

But it really depends on your preferences and the season I think. Like we were there during the peak of autumn so I really wanted to go to the parks to see the beautiful fall foliage. And there were also winter illuminations during that time, so we made it a point to visit those attractions. A lot can also depend on the weather and if places are closed on certain days. And of course, if you're with young kids then you'll probably go to more places which will interest them.

We were originally planning a side trip to Osaka and Kyoto at first, but we changed our minds when we saw how many places we can visit in Tokyo alone. Although you most certainly can do a Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto trip in a week, I personally feel it will be too rushed and tiring. But anyway, hope this still helps those planning a trip to Japan soon. :)

Our Mt. Fuji & Hakone Tour

When we were planning our trip to Tokyo, hubby said that I was in charge of the itinerary but just make sure I allot one day for Mt. Fuji. So we asked some friends who've already done that and they suggested to book through Japanican.com.

I believe you can do this without a tour (like you can just ride a bus going directly to the mountain's 5th Station, or take a day trip to Hakone or Gotemba) but hubby and I wanted the full experience. Besides, this was the only tour we were going to take during our trip so we figured we'll splurge a little.

Japan travel tips for first-timers

For those planning a trip to Japan in the future, here's some of the tips I can give as a first-time visitor. We asked advice from family and friends who've been there already as well as did our own research. We decided to only stay in Tokyo during our 8 day trip because we really wanted to see as much as we could in the city (and trust me, it still wasn't enough time!). We figured we'll just go back next time to explore Kyoto and Osaka so we could also get the full experience without having to rush through anything.

Kiwa Korean Grill Dining at Solaire

Last January 14, I was invited to a blogger lunch at Kiwa Korean Grill, which can be found in Solaire Resort & Casino. Kiwa is a fine dining Korean barbecue restaurant, the only one in South East Asia. The grand launch is scheduled on January 28, 2016 but the restaurant has been operating quietly since December 24, 2015.

A BabyTV Birthday Party

Our youngest is now 2 years old! I've been so sentimental the days leading up to his birthday because I can't believe how fast time flew by. I still remember giving birth to him so vividly and how he was so small in my arms. I don't know if it's because he's our bunso, but he still seems like such a baby in our eyes. Probably because he doesn't fully talk yet (just babbling a lot, but he's always saying Daddy lately) and also most likely because I'm still breastfeeding him until now! Actually, I don't have much milk na but it's more of a comfort thing for him. But I really have to wean him na huhu... ;p

A Great Gatsby-themed party

I saw a friend's status in my FB feed a while back and it sad something like "did everyone agree that the theme for this year's Christmas party would be Gatsby?" I found it really funny because me and my girlfriends had just decided on that very theme, and I saw so many other barkadas/offices all dressed up in full 1920's attire. Grabe talaga influence ng mga Kardashians with Kris Jenner's birthday party right? So yes, in na in kami! ;p

Scenes from our Christmas break 2015

Here's some of the places we went to during the Christmas vacation. Can't believe the holidays are over already and it's now 2016!

Anyway, I really like how there's a nice Christmas display every year at SM Mall of Asia. It was so hard to take photos of the kids a few years ago (check out our funny pics HERE), but now they were surprisingly well-behaved!

Cute new finds from Daiso

I haven't been to Daiso (the P88 store) for quite some time now, until last week when I checked out the branch in Robinsons Townville. Look at all the cute stuff I found!

placemats

Cheers to 2016

Wishing you all a happy new year and the best in 2016!