Scaredy Cat Travels

Tokyo or How To Lose Your Kid Without Even Trying

Spoiler Alert: We found him eventually.

Quote of the Day: Jackson – “Well, there goes the whole trip.”

You read that right. We lost him. Almost immediately.

I’ll back up. We touched down in Tokyo with both kids’ sanity hanging by a thread. Jackson because of the issues we’ve already covered and Rowan because 6’3″ just doesn’t do well after 12 hours in a seat on a plane. Even if it’s “Comfort” Plus. As we exited the plane, I regretted everything. This is how you know you’re really on vacation by the way.

Plans and Some Travel Details: Japan only just opened again to tourists in November of 2022. Since then, the entry requirements have changed every couple of months. As of this trip, Japan does not require any proof of vaccination or health screenings for entry. For Customs and Immigration, we (as in me) filled in our information in the Japan Web website a week before the trip. The website generated a QR code for each of us so when we were at the airport, there wasn’t much we had to do. If you forget to submit the information online ahead of time, you can still use the more traditional paper forms, but it will take longer.

At Immigrations, they scanned the QR code and our passport; took our picture and fingerprints, as part of their new biometrics recognition system, and we were through. It was not so different from scanning into Disney World on the first day of your trip. The wait was about 15 minutes (very different from Disney World). Baggage claim was immediately past Immigrations. Our bags were already there, so well organized I was certain it was Joe Lackie in the Haneda airport uniform straightening them as they came out.

This is similar to what we encountered. We also scanned the fingerprint of both index fingers.

A thing of beauty for a logistics lover

Customs was less organized. There were people wandering everywhere, and it was unclear exactly where we needed to go. After being unsure for a few moments, I just picked something. I found this tactic useful the entire trip. If you can’t figure it out after trying and are having difficulty getting help, turn on the “I am a confused American” face and head in a direction purposefully. If you are doing the wrong thing, they will quickly stop you and point you in the correct direction.

In this instance, we tried going directly into the line to exit but it turns out you have to go to a kiosk first to reiterate everything you’ve already filled out online despite scanning the QR code. The kiosks didn’t have clear lines so it was hard to tell who was waiting for one or how to queue for it. It wasn’t big deal and didn’t take long but it felt oddly haphazard compared to everything else in Japan.

The first order of business after officially entering the country was exchanging money. Many places in Japan still only accept cash especially some of the smaller restaurants and shops. It is also the only way to purchase or add additional money to your IC card (card used to pay for trains, subways, buses, vending machines and a convenience stores). Japan is a very safe place, and it is normal to carry around large sums of money.

A currency exchange location was just outside of Customs. The wait was short and the staff spoke English well. The strong dollar and weak yen were a bonus. While we were there, the dollar was about 30-40% stronger than the yen which equals a significant discount on travel expenses.

After that roaring success, there was a mini crisis when I discovered my phone would not work. The kids’ phones were fine but mine would not connect so I was initially unable to search Google Maps for the route to the hotel, look up reminders for purchasing the SUICA card, etc. I’ll admit, I did not react well, envisioning three weeks of trying to use the kids’ phones to get around or, even worse, having to visit an Apple Store or call AT&T. I shudder at the possibilities.

This is where having a teenager pays off. Rowan fixed it and I don’t know how. He told me but I would swear he was speaking Japanese. It was a setting and simply required a little phone knowledge and some patience. I have neither.

The SUICA machine I had looked up online was broken but we eventually figured out how to purchase one through the regular monorail ticket machine. We asked several people about the process (people who worked at the station, not randoms) but in the end really just figured it out through trial and error.

The Haneda monorail ticket machines. We purchased our SUICA card from the machine on the far right. You can also purchase single tickets for the monorail but there aren’t many situations where that would make sense.

There was someone working the Information podium but she was busy assisting others. We were able to figure it out on our own pretty easily. The machines have the option to switch the language to English.

The platform to catch the monorail is immediately to the right of these machines.

Our cute Monorail station exclusive SUICA card. Most SUICA designs incorporate their penguin mascot instead. We purchased the registered card which doesn’t cost more and allows you to have the card reissued if it is lost.

Our SUICA card design reminded me of the train from our Asia trip-themed Easter eggs this year. I apologize a little bit for being overly extra.

All of the things we needed – money exchange, SUICA cards and monorail station were in one small, easy to navigate area. We flew into Haneda airport which is somewhat unusual for US direct flights to Japan, but I recommend it based on our experience. It was compact and easy to get around but most importantly, it was much closer to Tokyo. I believe Narita, the larger and busier Tokyo airport (at least for international flights), is 1-1/2 hours from the city while Haneda was about 20-30 minutes including time to lose a kid. Of course this will vary depending on the transportation method you choose.

I don’t want to give the impression that Haneda is a small regional airport like Long Beach or even Love Field. Haneda is one of the busiest airports in the world. Because of this, it also offers many amenities like restaurants and shopping. We were focused on getting to our hotel so didn’t explore those options. All I know is the section we spent time in was well-organized, manageable in size and not overly crowded. We landed at 2:15 pm. I am not sure if that played a part in it or if we were blessed to be going to Japan before the true tourist surge hits.

Side Note: If you are going to Japan soon, it was just announced that sales of blank SUICA and PASMO IC cards (the ones sold in the Tokyo region) have been temporarily suspended due to a chip shortage. You can still buy the tourist version of the SUICA card as well as the versions that are registered and printed with your name on it. There are pros and cons to each which someday I’ll detail in a separate post about getting around Japan. We chose to buy the registered version on our trip even though the blanks were still available. It only added a few steps and seconds to the process.

I will add that the SUICA card is a necessity for getting around even if you purchase the JR Rail Tourism Pass (we did not but should have). The JR Pass does not cover all train or subway lines within Tokyo or any of the buses. Taxis are expensive in Japan so weren’t an option for our budget but also, I found taxis in both Japan and Korea to be the hardest form of transportation to negotiate. In Japan especially, the subways were easy, inexpensive, safe and efficient once we got the hang of it. If you are already used to subway systems in any other country, it’s not hard to figure out.

Back to the story though…as we were getting off the plane and going through Immigration and Customs, Rowan had been worrying out loud a lot about getting around when we don’t speak Japanese. I gradually realized he was picturing signage in Japanese only and no one speaking any English. I also began to realize he was nervous. Jackson is always nervous. I am usually nervous. Rowan is rarely, so sometime I forget to prep him in the same way I prepare Jackson or even myself.

We managed to get on the airport monorail unscathed, maybe because it’s very similar to the Orlando airport monorail. But on our first official Tokyo train, already busy as rush hour was just starting, Jackson and I were able to push our way in through the crowds with our luggage, but Rowan hesitated just a beat. I think he was self-conscious about being so forward. When he started to come in, the train doors began closing so he backed up; Jackson tried push them open, yelling for him to come but he wouldn’t (wisely) try to get through the half-open doors.

So Jackson and I watched him, still standing on the platform, as the train took off. I’ll just pause here to let you picture what the face of that 6’3” boy who has just spent 12 hours crammed into a plane seat next to the baby from hell and a crying sister to go on a trip he really really really does not want to go on looks like. Especially when it’s Rowan. I’ll also pause to let you imagine what 100+ Japanese people sound like when they go “ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” in unison as the doors close.

Spoiler Alert – Rowan got on the next train just fine and met us at the next station with no issues.

Once we found Rowan, the next goal was finding The Conrad. Finding it was relatively easy, getting in not so much. After a half mile walk from Shimbashi Station, we could see it, but could not, for the life of us, find the entrance. It felt like a test to determine our worthiness. If you can’t find the door, you are not of the sort that stays at The Conrad Tokyo. The search was compounded by the “layers” of the streets and walkways in this part of town. We lugged our bags up and down multiple staircases going from the elevated walkways and pedestrian bridges and then back down to the street level while searching. In hindsight, one person should have stayed with the bags while the others conducted the search.

The view from our hotel room gives a sense of the multiple layers of roads and walkways in the Shiodome area.

In the end, we located the entrance tucked away to the side of the building on a lower level. Completely invisible from the main roads. By this time, I looked exactly how you would think I would look. Definitely not Conrad worthy. I looked like a Fairfield Inn feels. So some of the pomp and circumstance of checking in at such a grand hotel was lost on me as I tried not to drip sweat all over the counter.

I’ve reviewed The Conrad in full in its own post, but I will say here that it is a truly lovely hotel. The staff were all friendly and accommodating; our room was large and comfortable with an amazing view of the city and Tokyo Skytree; the breakfast included in our AMEX deal was delicious and the hotel’s proximity to two subway stations (Shimbashi is .5 miles away and an easy walk once you know where to go; Shiodome is literally right outside the doors to The Conrad) is convenient. But I don’t think I would stay here again. More on that later.

Riding the Yurikamome elevated train on the way to TeamLab Planets in the Odaiba area. Views from the train were scenic as you cross the Rainbow Bridge (not that one) and bay area onto the islands. But it was a little difficult to see out at night because of reflections and others on the train.

If you recall from the planned “itinerary”, today’s goals were relatively simple – get to Tokyo; figure out transportation; check in hotel and hopefully make our evening reservation at TeamLab Planets (which has its own separate review). I am happy to report that we managed to accomplish all of that. It wasn’t graceful – we got turned around a lot, argued amongst ourselves a fair amount but, other than losing Ro, we had no major hiccups. Jackson playing hours upon hours of Persona 5 and me watching hours upon hours of YouTube videos prior to the trip were both very helpful. They gave us a base background of how things would look and operate. Things would not go this smoothly in the future – but for one brief shining moment…

Scaredy Cat Rating: I originally said two paws, and I think that’s accurate even with the momentary panic of leaving Ro behind. I might even lean toward just one paw.

The $$$: There were no surprises today. I loaded 10000 yen on each SUICA card which was a lot (over $100 US), but we used it all and had to recharge small amounts a couple of times later in the trip. We did not have another transportation pass so this covered all of our local transportation and was used for vending machines and some konbini purchases.

TeamLab Planets was about $25 per person in part because of my Klook issues. It should have been a little less.

In our busy-ness we forgot to eat until we got back to the hotel and realized we were starving. After looking at the room services options and momentarily losing consciousness, we settled on a $35 club sandwich and a $15 side of fries. Rowan did proclaim that the sandwich was the best one he’d ever eaten. It was pretty good. This meal was not at all what I envisioned flying halfway around the world to eat though. Slight foreshadowing for the entire trip.

Day Three was exhausting! Poor boy has no idea what’s to come.

A quiet end to the day for me, reading my book and watching the lights of the Tokyo Skytree from our room.