MOTOSUMIYOSHI station

October 14th is known as Railway Day in Japan

so we went train-watching at Motosumiyoshi (Toyoko Line/ Meguro Line).

It's the perfect spot cause right infront of the ticket gate is rooftop garden

where the kids can watch all the trains pass.

It's a recommended hangout for train loving kids.
And luckily there's a bunch of benches so the mommies can sit down.
Bring lunch and you can spend the whole afternoon there.

Motosumiyoshi is famous for their local shopping street with bakeries, bento stores and lots more so you can buy lunch there.

Arakawa Amusement Park

When we're looking for something to do on the weekends, we check to see if there's any Anpanman shows going on at this site↓
http://anpanman.jp/shisetsu/event/nuigurumi/n_schedule_kt.html
Luckily, there were 3 locations that had the shows today so we chose to go to the closest called Arakawa Yuen. There were 2 shows (11:30am and 2:30pm) each 20 minutes long with a meet & greet afterwards.

They have some shows scheduled in October/November. and as long as you pay the 200 Yen admission for adults, you can enjoy the show.

As for the park itself it's the perfect size and a lot of fun for the kids. 　You can enjoy the 'Norimono Hiroba' with a ferris wheel, merry-go-round and smaller rides for the little ones;

see cute animals in the 'Doubutsu Hiroba,' play in the ball house in 'Fu-a Fu-a Land';

fish at the fishing pond;

color at the coloring corner; play on the slides in the park section.

If you get hungry, they have a mini restaurant and a kiosk to buy food at (& draft beer for the mommies and daddies).

It's only a 3-minute walk from Arakawa-Yuenchi-mae sta. on the Toden Arakawa Line.

http://www1.tcn-catv.ne.jp/acc/arakawa_yuen/yuuen01.html

(Japanese only)

ANPANMAN POOL

The last pool of the summer for kaito was spent at Yomiuriland's Anpanman Pool!

The Anpanman pool was huge compared to the usual local pool along with SL man slides, Uncle Jam's Bread factory, a section to play with water guns...definitely a fun place for kids.

There are also small waterslides and a wave pool making it fun for both parents and kids.
It's a great way to end your summer so check it out tomorrow (which is the last day)!

Adults 2800 Yen

Kids (over 3) 1800 Yen

To check more details see:

http://www.yomiuriland.co.jp/english/wai/

shiokaze park

Wanna have a barbaque party?
Shiokaze Park (close to Daiba station) is the perfect place.

You can rent everything you would need for a bbq (chairs, tables, bbq grill, etc)and you can order the food too.

Of course you can bring your own stuff/food too but if you're a crowd of 30+ people with kids renting the gear and having the food ready to cook is too convenient.

The price starts from 2000 yen.

Just keep in mind that it's hard to get a reseravation cause it's popular.

You can make reservations from 2 months before so even if it's a tentative date, make the reservation!

http://www.herofield.com/bbq/shiokaze/index.html

They have parking spaces or it's a 5 mins. walk from Yurikamome's Daiba Station.

railway-museum

If you have a child that is really into trains, perhaps check out the railway museum. In the museum you can ride the trains on display, see trains on the railway, buy the eki-ben(lunch boxes) and eat while watching the trains.
They also have a section where you can pretend to drive the train, study the history of trains, and lots more.

It's 1000 yen per adult and free for kids under 3.

http://www.railway-museum.jp/

Disneyland

Sota went to Disneyland for the very first time!

Didn't know what to expect from a day trip to Disneyland with a kid so didn't plan anything in detail but to simply enjoy the atmosphere.

Luckily, we got to see all the shows and parades

and go on a lot of rides

and even got to meet Mickey and Minnie!





The whole day, Sota's eyes were sparkling with excitement until we saw Captain EO

...since it's only til next June the adults wanted to see it but it was pretty scary that afterwards, I felt bad for dragging Sota along.

Other than that Disneyland is such a happy place where dreams can come true.
It's free of charge until age 3 (age 4-11 is 3,900 Yen) so if you're worried that your kid might not be able to enjoy it yet...nope, they'll love it. Adults is 5,800 Yen.

http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/index_e.html

And if you're there to celebrate your B-day, tell the staff and they'll give you a sticker.
You'll feel special all day long with the staff, Mickey and friends, telling you Happy Birthday!

Enoshima Aquarium

It was kaito's first time to the aquarium and he seemed to love it!

We saw the dolphin and seal show but he was more into the toys at the shop.

kaito also experienced his first waves at the beach nearby
which made mommy wanna surf(LOL)

Enoshima is a great cooling spot where you can enjoy the beach and aquarium.
Mos Burger Ocean Cafe Enoshima is also recommended.
They have special curry dishes and Loco Moco
and lots of toys for kids to play with.

Best way to get to Enoshima is by train cause there's always so much traffic.

Enoshima Aquarium
Entrance fee for adults is 2,000 yen
Free for kids under age 3
Yearly passport is 4,000 yen

Todoroki Ryokuchi

Todoroki Ryokuchi is a park in Kawasaki near Tamagawa River.

The park has several sports facitlies like the athletic staduim, a pond for fishing, a museum, tennis courts, pool and etc.!!There's also alot of nature which makes it a great place to play for kids!

kaito, who can now walk, was loving the parks obstacle course. It a place the whole family can enjoy, with slides that little kids can enjoy and slides that even adult would get a thrill out of.



During the summer, it might get a little too hot so you can rest at the museum. (Free entry)
The museum has a nursing room so you can even bring the little one.

The best way to get there would be by car but if you go by train, you'll need to take a bus from Musashi Kosugi St. or it'll take 10 mins. by foot.

http://www.city.kawasaki.jp/30/30kokan/home/todoryo.htm
(Japanese site only)

Nogeyama Zoo

Yokohama-shi's Nogeyama Zoo is free of charge!

Unlike the huge zoo's that have alot of animals, it's a very peaceful zoo.

It's nice cause the animals are very close. Right by the entrance is the lesser panda which you can almost touch.

kaito was scared by the ostrich's face coming so close. There's also a touching zoo with chickens, hamsters, chicks and mice.

kaito enjoyed watching the fluffy chicks but seemed a little frightened by the mice.

You can get to the zoo by walking 15 mins. from Sakuragicho St.

The zoo doesn't have a parking area so if you go by car, parking by the coin parking near the library is best.

After the zoo, you can even stop by at Landmark Tower or Red Brick Warehouse.

http://www.nogeyama-zoo.org/guidance/foreign/pdf/english.pdf

Omori Furusato-no-Hamabe

We went to Omori Furusato-no-Hamabe the other day.

It's an artificial beach but this is the only fake beach in Tokyo that has a cove, tideland, and white sand (carried from Shodo-shima).

There isn't much shade so a lot people were ready to get a tan or relaxing/having a picnic in their own tents.

There's a small food stand but I recommend that you bring your own food and drinks.

The beach doesn't allow you to swim but if you're going with your kid you can still enjoy the water and sand so don't forget to bring a change of clothes and towels.

After you enjoyed the beach, your kids can play at the roller slides or check out the seaweed museum.

And if you got a little too much sun, stop by the 3rd floor of the museum and rest in the air conditioned room while checking the view of the park.

It's a 15 min walk from Heiwajima or Oomori-machi St. on the Keikyu line.

http://www.city.ota.tokyo.jp/midokoro/park/furusatonohamabe/index.html

(Japanese site only)

Yokohama Anpanman Museum

We went to the Anpanman Children's Museum & Mall today.

There was an hour wait but since it was the 1st time there we decided to wait on line and see what's inside. It's 1000 Yen for both adults and children to get into the museum which has Character Diorama's, slides, murals, a stage where Anpanman comes out to dance (specific times only) and spaces for kids to play. If your child loves the animation and the story, they will love the museum.

As for Sota, he loves the songs and dancing so he wasn't as interested in the museum, so even though we waited an hour, we came out in 30 minutes (LOL).

But luckily, we heard that Anpanman would appear in the Mall's Square at 12pm so we got a space in the front. Sota was so excited to see the real Anpanman and to be able to dance with him.

So since you can see Anpanman and other characters appear in the mall (mall is free of charge), you really don't have to wait on line and pay to get into the museum. The mall has enough stores to see and places to eat that you can have just as much fun.

http://www.yokohama-anpanman.jp/main.html

(Japanese site only but they have English brochures)

Aoyama: BENOIT → Children's Castle

It's ok to splurge on lunch once in awhile...right?

Well, BENOIT - a French bistrot produced by Alain Ducasse, is a kid friendly cafe that lets you enjoy a course starting at 2000 Yen.

And the menu will change from April 15th making it a little easier to order (price-wise).


The day I went, we celebrated a friend's b-day so we ordered a birthday cake which can be made from 2000 Yen.

BENOIT
http://www.benoit-tokyo.com/en/index.html

BENOIT's food is fabulous but the location is also perfect cause right across the street is "Kodomo no Shiro - Children's Castle".

So after mommy is full and happy, next is the baby's turn.
"Children's Castle" has a 500 Yen entrance fee but the kids can play all they want there and with their facilities you don't have to worry about changing diapers and breastfeeding. (They have weekday passes for 3000 Yen which is good for 1 year)
.
kaito's favorite room was the music floor. They had a space that was ok for babies to crawl around in so babies who don't walk yet can enjoy it too. Samba time was today's special event so kaito was mixed in with the older kids dancing the samba. He loved playing the piano too.

National Children's Castle
http://www.kodomono-shiro.or.jp/english/

A perfect day to spend the day in Aoyama,which keeps both the mommy and baby in smiles. You might even be able to shop if your child falls asleep after such an eventful day.