Woke up at 5am to get ready and catch the Airport Express shuttle back to the Airport Express train station to get to the airport. Hong Kong International is a really nice and modern airport. Exiting immigration was all automated and the process was super easy. All airports should be like this. We were able to take advantage of lounge access here and had a small meal and then did some last minute souvenir shopping.
Inflight meal
The return flight was about 9 hours. After the first inflight meal, and one movie (I watched Serenity), the four of us fell asleep for most of the flight back which helped pass the time.
It was a fun trip. We were all ready to go home. Days have been long, hot, and tiring. We walked a lot! Nat and Tyler were eager to get back to LA and eat pizza. 🙂
Yesterday while at the Australian Dairy Company, we noticed many people ordering breakfasty items like ham and egg sandwiches and eggs and toast. All of the food looked really good. I was told of a similar place called Yee Shun Milk Company in the area so we decided to try it this morning.
After breakfast, we took the subway, then a bus to Victoria Peak. The views of Hong Kong were amazing.
More ice cream
Lunch: dim sum at Tim Ho Wan. “The world’s most inexpensive Michelin Star restaurant.”
Shopping in Times Square
David buying mangosteen. He showed the kids how to eat it back in our hotel room. It was their first time trying it.
Dinner: Noodles from Mak Man Kee Noodle Shop. This place was in the Michelin guide in 2018 and 2019.
Dessert. David ordered durian ice cream. The kids tried it and liked it. I was surprised!
Favorite part of the day:
Nat: Victoria Peak
Ty: Hello Kitty store (we stopped by one after breakfast)
David: aside from the mosquito bites, Victoria peak and getting durian ice cream
Our hotel provides a free shuttle bus to 3 different drop off points in the Kowloon area. One of the areas is Tsim Sha Tsui, an area at the tip of Kowloon near the harbor facing Hong Kong island. This morning, we took the shuttle to Tsim Sha Tsui and slowly walked up Nathan Road, stopping at various places to eat and shop. Nathan Road is a major street that leads all the way up through the Kowloon area.
Lunch: Din Tai Fung. The menu at this location seems to have more options than the ones in the US. Prices are much better too!
Afternoon treat: Australian Dairy Company. Popular for steamed milk. We got a hot & cold steamed milk and an almond flavored steamed milk.
After a long day of walking, the kids and David went to the hotel pool to relax
Dinner: dim sum at One Dim Sum. This place was really tasty!
Favorite part of the day:
Nat: night market. We passed it on our way back to the hotel and walked through again.
This morning, we took the ferry across the harbor to Hong Kong island. We met our friend Janet and her family for lunch at hc:Bistro. It’s a cute restaurant located in a converted prison building. The whole place has a hipster vibe with cafes, bookstores, and restaurants. The kids had a nice time chatting with Kai again.
After lunch, we walked around SoHo and then shopped in Causeway Bay. SoHo is a super cute neighborhood with little bars and cafes.
Cute ice cream shop
In the evening, we went over to David’s aunts place for dinner. Hot pot with plenty of fresh seafood!
Favorite part of the day:
Nat: lunch with Kai and family
Tyler: riding a double decker bus. (We rode a bus to David’s aunt’s place. The kids sat front row on the top.)
We crammed into the subway this morning along with work commuters and headed to the airport. I was nervous getting four of us in with our luggage, but we made it work! Our flight to Hong Kong was under 5 hours and it was a smooth ride. We flew Cathay Pacific airlines for this leg of our trip. The airline is much nicer than most I’ve experienced.
Last Japanese meal at the airport. Tyler and I opted for dipping ramen again. So good! I hope this becomes available in the Bay Area. Nat got udon and David got soba.
Inflight meal. Also included Haagen Daz ice cream which the kids were thrilled about.
We arrived in Hong Kong in the afternoon and took the Airport Express train & bus to our hotel, Royal Plaza Hotel. The hotel was really nice and attached to a huge mall.
This is the view from our room
In the evening, we met David’s cousin Joan and her daughter Kelly at a fun, modern dim sum restaurant called Yum Cha.
After dinner, we picked up boba from Tiger Sugar, a popular boba shop and then hit the night market
Today is our last full day in Tokyo. It’s only been 7 days but feels like weeks given how long our days have been.
First on our itinerary was a trip to Mori Building Digital Art Museum (teamBorderlessLabs). It’s a digital art museum housing a group of artworks that form one borderless world. It was a pretty cool place and great for pics!
There’s a room where you can color pics and get them digitized
Next door to the museum was a Toyota showroom
We walked over to Diver City for a late lunch. This was outside the mall
Lunch: donburi
In the mall, there was another Hello Kitty store!
In the afternoon, we headed over to Shinjuku to catch the Robot Restaurant show. I got mixed reviews going in, but we decided to try it since it’s a popular tourist attraction. Super random, but very entertaining. All four of us enjoyed it!
This was a boba shop next door
For dinner we found a stand up sushi bar. This place was very small, but we were lucky to get a place at the sushi bar without much wait. The sushi was delicious!
David and Tyler walked over to the coin laundry this morning to wash a load. Dirty clothes x 4 adds up quickly!
Our first stop today was Shibuya crossing, the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. There’s a Starbucks at one of the street corners with a great view where people hang out and people watch. We were able to snag great seats. It’s amazing the number of people that cross here.
We also got to see the Hachiko statue
There were two Hello Kitty stores in the area. We went to both 🙂
While the kids enjoyed themselves, David and I went to another Hello Kitty store
In the evening, we went back to Shibuya to check out the crossing at night time. It’s WAY busier at night! Crowds of people are in the area at night for the night life in the area.
The kids were full from eating at the Pokemon cafe, so they hung out at Starbucks while David and I went to eat. We opted for ramen again. I chose dipping ramen again. (This time curry flavored) It’s so good!
This morning we walked over to the Imperial Palace gardens and took a stroll through the grounds. It’s a nice place for a walk or jog (as we saw many people doing).
Next stop, Asakusa. A district in Tokyo popular for the Senso-Ji temple. The temple is surrounded by lots of shops and food shops set up for the large amount of tourists that flow through this area. Asakusa is also home to a new Hello Kitty store opened this year.
Nearby is Tokyo Skytree. It’s a broadcasting and observation tower and became the tallest structure in the world in 2011.
At the bottom, there is a multi-level mall with a grocery store, food court, and lots of shops. And much to my delight, a Hello Kitty store.
Lunch at the food court. I got spicy udon (dan dan).
When we checked in, we were told our reservation is actually for tomorrow! ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ I quickly realized I forgot to edit our schedule after making the reservation. I guess we’re going back tomorrow.
And so, we moved on to our next destination: Akihabara (electric town). Popular for video games, anime, manga, and computer goods. At night, the buildings light up much like Las Vegas.
We stumbled into a video game store and the kids spent some coins on the machines.
Dinner was at a small restaurant inside in train station. I ordered pork cutlet curry.
Nat picked up dessert before we headed back to our hotel. Cheese tarts.
First thing this morning, we hopped back on the Shinkansen (bullet train) and headed back to Tokyo.
Breakfast on the train
During the train ride, we caught sight of Mt. Fuji
After we dropped our luggage at the hotel, we jumped on a train and headed straight to Sanrio Puroland. It’s a Hello Kitty and friends amusement park. Needless to say, I was in HEAVEN. Everything inside was super cute!
Next stop, Harajuku. An area popular for cosplay culture, youth culture and fashion, fun food, and eclectic art.
Nat and Tyler took photos in a photo booth
The booth makes auto enhancements. Poor Tyler 🙂
Dinner: roast beef and steak bowls from a restaurant called Red Rock Harajuku. These were really good!
Dessert
Favorite part of the day
Ty: the boat ride at Puroland and snacking at McDonalds after
We started our morning with breakfast at Starbucks. There weren’t a lot of options for breakfast as it was still pretty early and most places weren’t open yet.
Our first stop was supposed to be another bamboo forest, but we got lost and couldn’t find it. I think the one we went to yesterday was “the one.” So we went on to visit the Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion). The place really is gold colored. It was embedded within a beautifully manicured garden.
Ryoanji Temple
Nishiki Market and surrounding shopping area. This area has rows and rows of shops and food stalls. You can spend days here!
Shrimp tempura stick
Tyler loves hot dogs
Ramune ice cream
There was a cool sticker shop the kids loved.
We took a break at a really cute (and tiny) cream soda cafe. Our legs were tired from all the walking we’ve been doing. It was nice to sit and relax a bit. The kids really enjoyed this place.
Much to my delight, another Hello Kitty store!
We took the bus back to our hotel and the kids were so tired, they headed straight to the room. David and I went to have dinner across the street inside Kyoto station at a Yakisoba restaurant.
Happy Father’s Day, David
Thoughts:
Many service workers in the touristy areas are actually Chinese people who also speak Japanese.
The temples here are surrounded by meticulously manicured gardens that are beautiful and serene.
Favorite part of the day:
Nat: Nishiki market area
Ty: Nishiki market area. In particular, checking out the sticker shop and having ramune ice cream.
