Trip Back to Japan (Summer 2022)

 


Trip Back to Japan (Summer 2022)

It’s been about four years now, but this is a story from my trip back to Japan in July 2022, right after COVID restrictions were lifted.

Arrival in Tokyo & First Visit to DisneySea

After arriving at Narita, we stayed at a hotel near Urawa (just a regular hotel, not one of the Disney-themed ones).

From there, we headed to Tokyo DisneySea for the first time.

It was a blazing hot summer day in Japan.
Unfortunately, my kids had already lost interest in Disney, and the heat didn’t help either.

We ended up staying only from 10 AM to 3 PM before heading back to the hotel.
Honestly… not sure if we got our money’s worth.

Culture Shock at an Izakaya

For dinner, we took the hotel shuttle to the nearest station and went to an izakaya.

What surprised me most was that all orders were done on a tablet.
It felt like a bit of a culture shock.

Staying at a Minpaku (Apartment-Style Rental)

After that, we stayed for about a week at what you’d call a “minpaku” — basically an apartment-style rental with a kitchen.

It had a lot of charm and character, which we loved.
However:

  • It was a bit far from the station
  • No elevator, and we were on the 3rd floor

Carrying our luggage up was quite a workout.

Trip to Ise & JR Pass Experience

During this trip, we also reunited with relatives and then traveled to Ise.

Since it was before the price increase, we decided to try the JR Pass for the first time.
But honestly, I’m not sure we fully made it worth the cost.

In that area, Kintetsu Railway is actually much more convenient.

Traditional House Stay & Reunion

In Ise, we stayed at a traditional house rental, which was absolutely wonderful.

It was my first time back in Ise since my middle school field trip.
We also met up with a family friend from the U.S. who happened to be visiting Japan at the same time.

We met at Ise Grand Shrine (Inner Shrine) — it felt like such a meaningful reunion.

Discovering Ise Grand Shrine

I didn’t know this before, but Ise Grand Shrine isn’t just the Outer and Inner Shrines —
it actually consists of many shrines altogether.

We rented bicycles and explored the area, which was a great experience.

Later, we found out that the proper order is to visit the Outer Shrine first, then the Inner Shrine…
Oops.

Back to Tokyo — Staying in Shinjuku

We returned to Tokyo and stayed near Shinjuku this time.

Hotels near Kabukicho were affordable, but since I was traveling with my kids (not super young, but still), we chose a minpaku in Nishi-Shinjuku instead.

The good things about staying there:

  • Small kitchen
  • Washing machine

The downside?
Drying clothes was surprisingly difficult — there just wasn’t enough space.

Taxi Trouble on the Last Day

At the time, there were taxi apps for tourists, but they weren’t very reliable.

On our last day, the taxi we booked to Shinjuku Station was suddenly canceled.
We couldn’t find a street taxi either, which was pretty stressful.

Eventually, we managed to catch one, but it was definitely a nerve-wracking moment.

A Different Side of Shinjuku

In Shinjuku, I noticed things I hadn’t seen before:

  • Girls standing around holding signboards
  • Repeated announcements warning about scam bars

Compared to how I remembered it, Shinjuku felt a bit darker, more intense.

I was honestly surprised to see people openly holding those kinds of signs —
I couldn’t help but wonder, “Is this really allowed?”

Convenience… and Inconvenience

One last thing I noticed was how convenient — yet sometimes inconvenient — services in Japan can be.

  • Many apps and services require a Japanese phone number
  • Some are difficult to use for overseas visitors

It wasn’t always easy.

I wonder how much has changed since then.

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