We kicked things off bright and early with a 5am pick-up from Dad (legend—thanks for making the trip from Rolly to be our personal airport chauffeur!). I’d taken a bit of a gamble booking the second flight of the day to Auckland, which meant a tight connection… but luck was on our side. We got a delay notification before even leaving Christchurch, which thankfully meant a much more relaxed walk between terminals. Jessie followed the green line like she was headed to the Emerald City.

The flight to Narita was smooth, and we had the most entertaining flight attendant—Ants—who had previously lived in Japan and spoke fluent Japanese. He was so chatty and even took my phone off me to set up the Wi-Fi before I’d had the chance to try myself. I didn’t argue. The plane was packed with families, which I’m guessing is why the crew turned off the refreshment call bells and asked everyone to head to the galley for snacks—which eventually ran out. Ants handled it with top-tier sass, joking that he didn’t know how the kids could still be hungry when it was time for the dinner service.

Narita Airport was smoother than expected, despite a few hiccups. Craig had pre-filled our immigration forms online, but the QR code disappeared, so we were scrambling to complete paper forms on arrival. The extra fingerprint scanners that were set up next to the queue (we assumed to get through the queue faster) gave up just before our turn (love that), so we headed straight to immigration, then breezed through customs with the officer barely looking at our forms let alone x-raying. I’d expected chaos, but it was surprisingly calm and quiet. The bus to our hotel was right outside the terminal, and ten minutes later, we were checking into Hotel Nikko Narita.

After a solid sleep (despite the 5am wake-up, thanks to the time difference), we spotted our first cherry blossom from the window—totally unexpected in such an industrial area. We headed down for breakfast at 6:30am, where the buffet offered all sorts of curious options: a supplements bar (I had fish oil, women’s support, and something that was meant to be good for your bones?), green powder to add to water, which tasted suspiciously like wheatgrass, and lots of other fun little surprises.

With 20 minutes to spare before our bus back to the airport, we took a wander past the sakura trees nearby—definitely past their prime but still beautiful.

Back at Narita, we attempted to navigate the Narita Express. I used the ticket machine instead of going to the counter (rookie move), ended up with return tickets we didn’t need, no reserved seats, and only a vague idea of what we were doing. Google Translate helped… sort of. We hopped on and spent the next hour playing musical chairs as we got bumped out of reserved seats by very polite locals. Lesson learned.

Transferring at Tokyo Station was smoother, although we had to buy a paper ticket for Jessie—kids can’t use a parent’s Suica card. We eventually arrived in Ōtsuka, our home for the next four nights. I’d picked it for its quieter, family-friendly vibe, and it absolutely delivered—super clean streets, a relaxed feel, and friendly faces.

After dropping our bags at OMO5 (too early to check in), we headed straight for lunch. Yes, it was McDonald’s. No regrets. After hours of transit with a seven-year-old, fast and familiar was the winning combo. Jessie’s celebrity status began here—the lovely lady bringing our tray wanted to know all about her and gifted her free stickers. That vibe continued all day. She’s basically royalty.

Next stop: Ikebukuro. I’d been looking for a less tourist-packed alternative to Shibuya Sky or Tokyo Tower, and SunshineCity ticked the box. The walk there was a sensory overload—in the best way. Neon signs, quirky shops, and a pet store that pulled us in against our better judgement (plus someone casually showing off a sugar glider outside an otter café… because, Tokyo).

SunshineCity itself was massive. We started at the Gachapon shop (Jessie was in heaven), then hit the Aquarium—so good—and wrapped it up with the Sunshine 60 observatory. It was a beautiful day, the city views went on forever, and we even managed to get a seat looking out to the views in the sun to have a drink before leaving.

We couldn’t leave without a Uniqlo visit—graphic tees acquired, and Jessie made full use of the escalators (every. single. one. Multiple times). Bonus: tax-free shopping for visitors!

Back at OMO5, we checked into our cleverly designed room—compact, but brilliantly thought out. Loft beds, hidden storage, and choose-your-own amenities at reception, including PJs. One quirky note: both hotels so far have given us printed breakfast vouchers for each day, per person. Japan is all about the precision… and the paperwork.

Craig chose a yakiniku spot called Jan for dinner, and Jan himself was a total character—no English, but lots of expressive energy. When we tried to BBQ already-cooked pork knuckle, he practically leapt across the table to stop us, pointing dramatically to the dipping sauces and declaring them “oishī!” (delicious). He wasn’t wrong. Jessie ordered more pork and basically drank the sauce.

We wrapped up the night with a quick 7/11 run (those grape-flavoured ice cream things are a must) and a little craft session at the hotel—OMO5 runs free activities, and we made sakura and rose bath salts before bed. It was the perfect end to our first full day.

Tomorrow we’re thinking of joining one of their walking tours to explore the neighbourhood.

Mata ashitane! (See you tomorrow!)

Laus ❤