If you ask me what I thoughts on Tokyo are, my answer would be 'it overwhelms me'. But then, it was only my first time in Tokyo and I think with more time (and money), I would definitely give Tokyo another chance!

We spent 4 days in Tokyo after visiting Okayama, Kyoto, and Osaka (read about it here), and it was clear that four days wasn’t nearly enough! As it was our first time there, we found ourselves navigating the metro system, managing strollers, and searching for halal food for a group of 11. 

Personally, the biggest challenge for me was bringing along a 6-month-old. Despite the common belief that Tokyo’s efficient public transport makes it easy to get around, I found it quite difficult with a stroller. The city wasn’t very baby or family-friendly; elevators were often hard to find, making it challenging to use strollers, and there were few baby-changing facilities. Plus, the language barrier made things a bit harder.

Nevertheless, Tokyo is undeniably a beautiful city, and these challenges didn’t diminish its charm.

Morning selfie with the gang.

Found a Halal Turkish restaurant for lunch in Shibuya. 

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Shibuya Crossing

Our first destination was the Shibuya crossing. We spent a whole day in Shibuya, which consisted of us photo stopping at the crossings (obviously), do a bit of shopping at Don Quijote, strolling and getting lost in the middle of Tokyo while trying to find halal food. 

 The highlight of the day was definitely Shibuya Sky. The Shibuya Sky is basically an observation tower and is an awesome spot for a 360-degree view of Tokyo, day or night. Tickets go quickly, so you would need to book in advance to pick your time slot. Sunset slots often sell out fast - as you'd expect. We were lucky to be able to get the slot just before sunset, which gave us a great view of Tokyo as it transitioned into the golden hour. But I'm sure Tokyo would look magnificent any time of the day. 

On the famous Shibuya Sky escalator - amazing experience! And it was a gorgeous day too!

My loves.

<3

The top deck was massive. We spent our time up there, enjoying the evening breeze and soaking in the breathtaking view of Tokyo under a beautiful blue sky. The kids were having a blast on the helipad (so extra, I know!).

People chilling waiting for the golden hour.

The next day, we had pre-booked our tickets to go into teamLab Planets TOKYO. This is the very famous immersive art experience. Unfortunately baby Nadine was not feeling well, so I stayed behind at the Airbnb with her while Fizal and Maryam went ahead (really bummed about this as we had pre-booked tickets weeks in advance and I was really looking forward to it, but oh well, my baby's health is always my priority). Since I usually handle the photo-taking, Fizal didn’t take many photos of himself and Maryam at teamLab Planets, so this is all we have to share, haha.

One thing is for sure, this girl had so much fun!

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On our last day in Tokyo, we decided to visit Sanrio Puroland, mainly to delight Maryam, since she has been showing interest in Hello Kitty. Ever since we told her we were going, she has been super excited about it, but unfortunately, we didn’t enjoy it as much as we had hoped.

The park felt more suited to young adults rather than young children. It was less of an interactive experience and more like a museum with various rooms and exhibitions (I feel the name Sanrio Puroland theme park can be misleading, I was hoping for a more interactive, normal theme park kinda vibe). Even the shows were in Japanese with no translations, which were hard for us to follow - so we just left midway since we couldn't understand a thing. The supposedly highlight of the theme park was the Sanrio Puroland's Miracle Gift Parade - where many Hello Kitties dance and all, but it was so crowded that we struggled to find a good viewing spot, so we also ended up not seeing much, if any at all - definitely a fail amusement park if you ask me. 

There was a Sanrio Character Boat Ride, which was a nice touch, but by that time, Maryam was already tired and not in the best mood due to the earlier parts of the day. She ended up falling asleep during the ride, missing out on what could have been the only fun experience.

This was something we wish we had not been to and had chosen a more child-friendly activity for our final day in Tokyo. It was disappointing not to see Maryam fully enjoy herself, and we regret not finding a better fit for her interests and energy level.