Autumn is a great season to travel to Japan - pleasing cool temperatures and a vibrant spectrum of reds and browns to spice up your entire trip. A great alternative to the popular cherry blossom season if you happen to miss that.

Fresh off our rejuvenating 6D5N trip in Kyoto and Osaka (read Kyoto and Osaka with HomeAway), we hopped on the speedy Shinkansen to bustling Tokyo for a couple of days because the girls want to visit Disneyland and Dad wants to drive his 1980s Tofu car (read Gear up in Hakone)

We put up in the Shinjuku Washington Hotel (main) which was in the prime location so that we could conveniently get to wherever we had planned for! But most importantly, there is a direct shuttle from this hotel that takes us directly to Disneyland! Given the big and comfy spaces from our Kyoto and Osaka accommodations from HomeAway previously, we really missed having a luxury of an apartment all to ourselves. This hotel room was really small, it was even a struggle to open up our luggage!

Here’s a little itinerary to introduce to you some of the unique activities there that you might just want to add to your own Japan checklist!

Day 1

Get pumped up from watching giant robot performances in the underground Robot Restaurant

It was already close to evening by the time we got to Tokyo and because we had already booked for the Robot Restaurant, we grabbed quick dinner at a simple eatery on the same street before heading over. Here we got to experience an out-of-this-world robot cabaret show that is outrageously weird and overwhelming, but entertaining of sorts. Loud music, glitzy props and costumes, bright lights, a one-of-its kind performance. Nothing like what we have ever seen before. Located right in the Shinjuku nightlife district.

P.S. It actually took more than 10 billion yen to decorate the entire place! I have never seen a room as bling as this.

The actual show was held in the basement, the seating area had small booth seats surrounding the central performance area. It was slightly cramped for us, but the kids were too dazzled by the neon lights to be bothered with these details.

Since this is a really popular attraction, it would be best to book your tickets online beforehand to avoid disappointment. The tickets for the 90-minute show alone would set you back by ¥7500 per pax (approximately SGD98), excluding any of their available bento sets, though you are entitled to a bucket of popcorn. I personally would not recommend that you dine here, there are way better options out there on Shinjuku street. Prices are slightly steep, but they are, after all, a highly raved attraction for their bizarre, mind blowing ambience and shows - truly an interesting eye-opener for the kids (and us)!

Website: http://shinjuku-robot.com/pc/?lng=en

Address: 1-7-7 Kabukicho Shinjuku-ku Tokyo, Japan

Contact number: +81-332005500

Showtime schedule: http://shinjuku-robot.com/pc/schedule.php?lng=en

Day 2

Snap away at Tokyu Plaza Omotesando- Harajuku’s famous insta-worthy spot

I’m sure you’ve heard of Harajuku. It’s a shopping and entertainment district where you can shop to your hearts’ content while enjoying Tokyo’s day vibes. There are rows of quirky Japanese stores and cosplay cafes along the streets that draws crowds of tourists to the area everyday - so do expect crowds when you come!

We aren’t really the biggest shoppers on travel, so we opted to visit another attraction in the area - Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku. While it is just a typical shopping mall carrying international brands, we decided to drop by at this famous photo spot right at the mall’s entrance.

Though the photos turned out nicely, we wouldn’t really say that this is a must for all travellers unless you’re in the area. However, if taking a walk down Tokyo’s shopping district is something that you would want to experience, you might just want to drop by to add on to your travel photo collection.

Address: 4-chōme-30-3 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo, 150-0001

Opening hours: Daily, 11am to 9pm

Make a wish in the healing Meiji Shrine

Shrines have always been a big part of the Japanese culture. The interesting traditional architecture and natural settings often speaks volumes about the Japanese way of life - something that we definitely want to experience while we’re there.

Did you know that Toriis, which are traditional Japanese gates at the entrance of shrines, symbolize the transition from the mundane everyday surroundings to the sacred shrine area? You’re supposed to bow once when you enter through it, and another time when you are leaving, so don’t forget that if you’re visiting a shrine!

Now here comes an activity that will excite the little ones - wish making! You can pen down your thoughts on a small wooden tablet (also known as ‘Ema’) and hang it in the shrine, in hopes that the gods will bless you and grant your wishes or simply, just for the fun of it.

Visiting a shrine would definitely be a great way to let you and your children relax, especially after all the city sights and sounds in bustling Tokyo!

Website: http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/index.html

Address: Meiji Jingu, 1-1 Yoyogi-Kamizono-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-8857, Japan

Opening hours (depends on your month of visit): http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/map/4.html

Live catch at Zauo fishing restaurant

Sashimi is definitely one of the must-eat delicacies in Japan. After all, it’s not everyday that you have the chance to savour fresh fish slices, skilfully prepared by master chefs. Our sashimi experience was a bit more special this time round when we had to fish for our own live catch at Zauo Fishing Restaurant. This restaurant is located at the lobby of our stay, the Washington Hotel!

The kids were obviously thrilled to see so many fish in a restaurant, especially with the cool boat-shaped dining area!

However, your dinner will largely depend on your fishing skills. There are a mix of expensive and ordinary breeds of fish available, but of course, it takes a mini fishing expert to be able to catch the more premium breeds like the sea bass.

Thankfully, we managed to catch 3 fish for our meal, in which the staff will put on a mini celebration for you by ringing the bell and announcing the weight of your catch to everyone. A little embarrassing, yes, but yay, dinner time!

There are various options on how you prefer your catch to be cooked. We highly recommend that you select a few cooking methods to switch up your dishes a little instead of having all sashimi which we did. On hindsight, we would have preferred to try the fried and braised cooking styles. The bones of the fish will not go wasted as you can always send it to the chef to have it deep-fried, which was YUMS.

Overall a really rewarding meal for us! We definitely had fun here and it’s a really unique experience for kids as well, though parents might have to be the ones really working hard to fish.

Can someone tell us what Leia was trying to do here?

Website: http://www.zauo.com/en/

Address: 3-2-9, Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023 (located on 1F of Shinjuku Washington Hotel)

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 11.30-2.30pm & 5-11pm; Saturday to Sunday, 11.30-2.30pm & 4-11pm

Day 3

The happiest place on earth, Tokyo Disneyland

We’ve been to many Disneylands around the world, but we’ll just set the record straight here: Tokyo Disneyland is hands down the best Disneyland we have visited (between Hong Kong, Tokyo, California). It is apparent even before you step foot into the park, the Disney Spirit is unparalleled.

Literally the happiest place on earth. The Japanese are such a good sport despite the crowd, be it the staff or the visitors. Everything was orderly. People are polite. The shopping experience is amazing, not to mention the exclusive Disney merchandise that you won’t be able to find in other Disneylands around the world. Those variety of super cute popcorn buckets!

While Disneyland will always have a huge crowd (which means long queues and waiting times), the staff here were exceptionally organised so that all the logistics were sorted out in a jiffy. Just take a look at their pram parking area and you’ll know what we mean. Orderly.

There’s always plenty to do in here and one day is typically not enough to cover all rides and attractions. The girls wanted to do everything - meet Daisy Duck, visit Minnie Mouse’s house, enjoy the fireworks and parade but we only have that few hours. So prioritising is key!

One thing to note here - unlike other Disneylands, access to a good view point of the finale fireworks parade (also known as the Central Viewing Area) isn’t on a first-come-first-serve basis. To secure the best spots to watch the shows, you would have to scan your tickets at a machine near Tomorrowland, where you may stand a chance to win the ‘lottery’ to be granted access into the Central Viewing Area. The staff are pretty strict on this and we had to leave the central viewing area because we didn’t know about the lottery system. May the odds be in your favour!

Website: https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/tdl/

Address: 1-1 Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture 279-0031, Japan

Contact number: +81-453305211

Opening hours: Daily, 8am to 10pm

It is always nice to spend a few days in Tokyo! Being nature lovers, we hopped on to Hakone for the third leg of our Japan trip to see Mt. Fuji and enjoy the more peaceful side of the country. Head on over here to see our more of our Hakone adventures!