Category: Asia

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My top 3 family travel secrets

Yokohama's Minatomirai waterfront (courtesy POHAN on Flickr CC)Which places in the world are not as well known (nothing is really a “secret”) for fun travel with kids?

I was recently tagged to answer this question by the globe-trotting SoulTravelers3, in a blog post about her family’s travel secrets.

The whole meme was started by Tribase in this post – I’m supposed to tag three more bloggers but sorry, don’t quite have the bandwidth these days to figure out who hasn’t already participated.   Still, I’m happy to play here….

You know how tough it is to pick just three? Sigh.

And of course I feel compelled to cover the planet….here goes my best shot:

In the United States

My choice is Memphis, Tennessee.

Go here for coupons/discounts from the city’s CVB (Convention and Visitor’s Bureau) because remember, a CVB’s whole job is to ensure a happy visit.

Memphis is big enough to have a variety of things to do, but not so sprawly as to wear everyone out.  Amenities and lodging are reasonably priced, and so is good food.  Summer is hot and muggy, but there’s always the Memphis in May festival.

We’re big music fans in my family, and the Birthplace of the Blues offers many ways for even young children to learn more about this country’s musical history and offerings.   For starters, the popular Beale Street historic district is actually pretty open to kids (I call it a civilized Bourbon Street) and when we visited, the guys at the door at several venues let the whole family in to listen to live music as long as it was fairly early in the evening.  There’s also the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Sun Studio (where Elvis and many others were launched) and the Center for Southern Folklore.

Before we arrived I showed my preteen an Elvis documentary (to try to explain the hype) then took her through his home at Graceland.  Believe it or not, she’s now an Elvis fan and the envy of her friends because she’s been to Graceland. Boring and weird Mom wins again!

Take the kids to see the formerly segregated Lorraine Motel (an important US civil rights landmark) where Dr. King was killed – it’s now part of the acclaimed National Civil Rights Museum.

Other kid-friendly places include Mississippi River attractions like the Mud Island River Park (including the Mississippi River Museum and a scaled down version of the river that begs for barefoot splashing) plus the Memphis Zoo, a children’s museum and in season, Redbirds minor league baseball at the downtown AutoZone Park.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn at Peabody Place, which was perfectly located downtown and was also attached to a small mall that occupied certain wiggly toddlers when needed.

In Europe

In a previous blog post here (titled Wonderfully off the tourist beaten path: Wadden Sea / Waddenzee Islands with kids)  I’ve written about the tongue-twisting but lovely Dutch islands of Texel and Terschelling.

They are only a short drive and ferry ride away from Amsterdam, but they’re very laid back, very Dutch and very nice for a beachy getaway.  Settle in, get some bikes for everyone (of course – it’s the Netherlands) and relax.

Here is the related Dutch tourism Web site about the islands – check it out.

If you can figure out how to pronounce the island of Schiermonnikoog, more power to you.

In Asia

I love the buzzy energy of Tokyo, and it’s a perfect destination with preteens and teens, but a bit too mind-blowing for little ones.  The crowds that older children find exciting are simply overwhelming when you’re two feet tall.

That’s why I like Yokohama, the seaside city south of Tokyo.

Make no mistake; it is Japan, so it is crowded, but somehow the location near the sea makes it feel more open.  There’s a big mall/hotel highrise called Landmark Tower (with a Pokemon Store – yay!) and it’s surrounded by an amusement park and wide pedestrian seawall.

This Frugal Traveler article in the New York Times about exploring Tokyo through its ramen shops mentions the terrific Ramen Museum in Yokohama, where you can get lots of different kinds of ramen to eat and walk through a sort of living history museum.  Super for families!

Here’s one of my very early posts on this blog: Kids in Tokyo – Escape to Yokohama.

There are my three family travel secret places; please share yours down in the comments!

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Asia

A magical visit to Hayao Miyazaki’s Ghibli Museum in Japan

Ghibli Museum souvenirs (photo by Sheila Scarborough)The Disney release of the movie Ponyo (here’s an extensive fan review on the Ghibli Blog) has heightened interest in its creator, animation master Hayao Miyazaki, and his Japan-based company Studio Ghibli.

You can visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka (a western suburb of Tokyo) to see a spectacular facility dedicated to the wonderful art of Miyazaki’s hand-drawn animation. Opened in 2001, it gives you a stunning peek into the mind of the reclusive Academy Award-winning artist.

My daughter, her cousin and I visited a few years ago and we absolutely loved it. Miyazaki calls it “the kind of museum I want to make….a building put together as if it were a film.”

In addition to the imaginative, swoopy, playful storybook architecture of the building itself, there’s the 80-seat Saturn theater with Museum-exclusive short Miyazaki films (in Japanese but I assure you, it doesn’t matter) exhibits and displays about art and animation, the Straw Hat cafe, a toddler playroom with a giant plush Catbus to jump on, and the “Mamma Aiuto” gift shop that requires sumo training to handle the large, polite but persistent crowds.

I don’t have interior photos or video because it’s not permitted by Museum policy (they want you to relax and enjoy, not record things.) You can buy a souvenir booklet in the gift shop, with plenty of pictures.  We loved the handcrafted fixtures made of stained glass, the stairway mazes, the water handpump on the patio, the many ceiling paintings and the bright colors throughout.

Your admission ticket, as seen in my photo above, is an actual piece of 35mm film from one of Miyazaki’s movies.

Continue reading “A magical visit to Hayao Miyazaki’s Ghibli Museum in Japan”
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Asia Blog Europe Middle East Philosophy USA

It’s been over 3 years: time for some Greatest Hits

fireworks-taa-daa-courtesy-mikul-at-flickr-ccI just want to say that this blog post’s title is totally awful SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ’cause I’m feeling like a REBEL. 🙂

Those who know me, know how my mental gears grind and how I over-analyze.

I prefer to think it’s my massive intelligence coming to the fore, but mostly I think it’s plain old worry-wart perfectionist tendencies.

Anyway, after crying in my beer this week about blog ranking, I dug around in the Family Travel Logue archives to find some posts to bring back out into the light.

This allows my readers some discovery fun and also helps me to remember that blogging is not all about whether I dominate Google for certain search terms in exchange for some ad dollars.

….because, you know, I could have my way with Google if I really wanted to (she says with a lot of bluster.)

In between the dust and cat hair, here are some of my family travel blog favorites pulled from the Archives attic. Please excuse any broken links – some of the posts have been around awhile and the Web keeps moving:

***  Travel in Second Life.  Because I don’t get enough of it in First Life and I like my Goth avatar.

***  Inexpensive Travel Souvenirs.  Because I was just starting to figure out video and I combined total vlogging inexperience with all of my worldly shopping from all over my house. Yay!

***  Best US family beach vacations. Because it’s summer, you know?

***  Survivor’s guide to Walt Disney World.  This was when I figured out that I ought to listen to my readers even though I’m not personally a huge Florida theme park fan.

***  Visit bountiful Brussels and What my daughter learned in Belgium’s Flanders Fields.   We never felt more immersed in Europe than in Belgium (and the Netherlands, so here’s Rotterdam for you.)

***  Winner of the who-knew-I’d-love-it award:  Big Country – the Kansas Flint Hills.

***  Two of my first big hits: Paris with kids – The Louvre, followed by High above Paris: a meal in the Eiffel Tower.

Continue reading “It’s been over 3 years: time for some Greatest Hits”
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Asia

My top tips for travel with kids to Tokyo, Japan

Ema wooden prayer cards at Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Tokyo (photo by Sheila Scarborough)Through a couple of referrals by mutual friends on Twitter (here’s my Twitter stream) I got a question from Mzinga executive and social media business strategist Jim Storer about taking his family to Japan later this year.

After pulling together an email for Jim, with links to most of my Japan-related writings across this blog, the Perceptive Travel Blog and some other publications, I thought, why not put the same consolidated information in a helpful blog post?

I lived in Japan for awhile while serving with the Navy near Fukuoka, on Kyushu, and returned a couple of years back when my daughter was a preteen, staying for about a month and a half near Tokyo.

Japan is not an “easy” destination for families  —  that’s not to scare you off,  but so you’ll know that standing around feeling like a complete idiot (and usually a lost idiot who can’t determine north from south) is TOTALLY normal for a visitor to Japan. It’s worth it, though.

I always advocate pushing out of the coddled tourist bubble and striking out on your own, but it’s harder to do that with kids in tow. Mix it up – do the “weird stuff” (occasionally feeling like an idiot) and then allow occasional forays into McDonald’s or Starbucks for some feeling of familiarity. Your brain will need it more frequently than you’d think, especially with kids.

I don’t care what anyone tells you, English is not widely spoken, but it really doesn’t matter all that much. Do a lot of bowing and hand gestures; the Japanese will generally go out of their way to help.

Let me tell you, travel around Europe after that was (comparatively) a piece of cake.

My writings on Japan:

***  Here’s an article I wrote about taking a preteen to Tokyo, for the San Antonio Express-News:  Navigating Tokyo with a ‘tween.

***  One of my first posts – an itinerary for Asakusa to Odaiba in Tokyo. It can fill one whole day.

***  They’re everywhere and they’re awesome – one of the main things I miss about Japan – vending machines!

***  You need to know how to use a squat toilet.

***  If you plan to rent a car in Japan, stand by to blow up your brain by driving on the left.

***  Here’s my guest post on Away.com’s family travel blog about climbing Mt. Fuji:  Trip of a lifetime – climbing Fuji with a preteen.

***  Great side trip from Tokyo: Yokohama (try to see the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum.)

***  Another good Tokyo side trip: the beaches at Zushi and Kamakura (see the giant Buddha, or Daibutsu, at Kamakura – here’s a Taylor family post about it, and an excellent description of the area by travelers Susan and Lars.)

***  Fun souvenir: Japanese children’s chopsticks and bento boxes.

***  More great souvenirs: Kappabashi Dori where you can buy plastic food.

***  Don’t miss the summer fireworks and local matsuri (festivals.) Check the Tokyo tourist Web site event calendar for matsuri dates and locations, but you may also stumble across one going on in the streets so be ready to get swept up in the fun! One of my favorite blogs about Japan, AMPONTAN, has a whole category about Japanese festivals; most posts are titled Matsuri-da!

Guidebooks – I wore out my copy of TimeOut Tokyo and I’m a long-time fan of Frommer’s guides for good overviews. Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Guides are pretty good but are rather heavy. I’d get one good guidebook for Japan overall and then a small one for the city where you’ll spend the most time.

Maps. You’ll want maps. The guidebooks have ’em and they always boot up and don’t need WiFi.

When you arrive, look for copies of Metropolis and TimeOut Tokyo magazines, for the latest info in English (Metropolis Visitor’s Guide online, and TimeOut Tokyo online.)

For good blogs and news sites about Japan, take a look at Alltop, an “online magazine rack,” and their topic page on Japan.

Another good book is CultureShock! Japan: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette.

Here’s the BootsnAll Travel Network portal page for Japan.

Did I miss anything about taking kids to Japan, especially Tokyo? Tell us about it in the comments….

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Asia

Out with demons, in with good luck at Japan’s Setsubun

I was rummaging through some of my non-digital photos this morning and found this one of my daughter participating in the Japanese festival Setsubun, which traditionally chases away dark winter and welcomes spring (according to the lunar calendar.)

It’s always held around February 3rd or 4th (I think it’s Feb 3 for 2009.)

The objective is to toss out the old, drive away evil and welcome good fortune.

Temples all around Japan hold ceremonies; we attended one when we lived in Sasebo, on the southern island of Kyushu.

Mame-maki, or the bean-throwing ritual, makes this event a real hit with the kids.  My daughter was a little surprised that the adults were encouraging her to throw things in the temple, but it didn’t take her long to get into the action.

The idea is to throw roasted soybeans at the evil spirits to chase them away – at the same time, you shout, “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” or, “Out with the demons, in with good luck!”

Try yelling it in Japanese – there’s something about the melodic words that always makes me smile and feel a sense of triumph over evil things like my perfectionism, lists of things that aren’t done yet and my messy living room. Out with those demons – get your gomi (trash) to the curb!

During January, stores in Japan sell special red oni devil masks (wear one to represent evil, and you’ll get beaned!) and little fuku mame bean packets – I like how this writer reflects on her early Japan discoveries each year during Setsubun time.

After we tossed beans at the temple, there was a bonfire outside. You eat special soft mochi (sweet red bean) rice cakes and watch the previous year’s bad fortune go up in flames. There were special decorative wooden tags to buy; scribble a description of your personal frustrations on it, then toss it into the fire.  We bought a tag, but now we use it as a Christmas ornament.

BootsnAll’s own Roving Ronin Report blog has a post about Setsubun, and that’s where I found RoninDave’s video below (here’s the URL on YouTube if you can’t see the box.)

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Asia Photos

Photo of the Week: Crocs invade China

Yes, folks, it is true. You can buy those attractive Crocs shoes for your kids all over the world (I picked up this flyer in Shanghai.)

Then again, I’m not sure that this is a good thing….

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Asia

Stop into China’s rbt for tea and juice drinks

I’m always hearing the China Business Network‘s Christine Lu on Twitter going on about picking up her favorite Jasmine Boba Tea.

While we were in Shanghai together on the China 2.0 Tour, she took me to the chain place that offers her favorite version of the drink.

The drink/light food restaurant rbt (“real brewed tea”) has a little green rabbit as a mascot and modern green decor (plus a couple of swings to hang out in.)

Its menu features a variety of tea-based drinks that I enjoyed and that I think would appeal to kids.

rbt brings Taiwanese-style tea drinks to much of China, with the added fun of little liquid-filled “boba” or bubbles/balls made of tapioca.

You suck them up, along with the milky green tea, through a special large straw.

Kids will like the juices and smoothies as well, so stop by rbt for some refreshment if you happen to spy the little green rabbit.

Here are the locations in Hong Kong, in mainland China (listings in Chinese) and in Malaysia and (wow) Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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Asia Blog Video Posts

Video: the Beijing to Shanghai overnight train

During the China 2.0 Tour, our blogger gaggle took the “soft sleeper” overnight train from Beijing to Shanghai, China. We left at about 7:30 pm at night from Beijing and arrived Shanghai at 7 am.

In China, perfect strangers share four-person compartments (both men and women together) but we re-jiggered compartment assignments as much as we could to have at least a few of our 2.0 Tour bloggers in the same compartment.

I shared with two very nice Chinese passengers and the ever-buoyant and enjoyable David Feng.

We had dinner aboard the train and I slept like the proverbial log. Something very soothing about that clickety-clack….

For my RSS readers and anyone else who can’t see the video box below, here is the URL for the video on YouTube.

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Asia Blog

The travel blogger’s lament

You know what drives travel bloggers crazy?

We don’t have time to blog when we travel.

I mean, we do only if we don’t sleep.

Sure, just gather info all day, take notes, shoot video, shoot photos, then spend all night drafting blog posts, uploading/grooming/tagging video, uploading/grooming/tagging photos and launching all of that info out into the blogosphere.

Just add a lot of Red Bull to your life, right?

I’ve been here in China (on the China 2.0 Tour) since November 9, in both Beijing and Shanghai, and have oodles of material for the Family Travel blog and other blogs/publications, but either no time to craft posts or no WiFi to upload it to the world.

All of us on the Tour have been actively covering Tour events on Twitter, but it doesn’t quite have the richness of a full blog post.

So, I ask for your patience until I can get some combination of time and connectivity. Meantime, here I am at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, under the watchful eyes of Chairman Mao’s portrait, and having the time of my life.

You’ll just have to trust me on that until I have time to tell you more. 🙂

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Asia

Happy feet in Beijing

After a long flight to Beijing for the China 2.0 Tour, I went with a group of our “old China hands” to find a foot massage/reflexology place as a way to attack everyone’s jet lag.

We ended up in a three-story foot emporium, a chain business in China, called Liangzi.

We split up into groups of three.

Elliott Ng of travel search site UpTake, Ernst-Jan Pfauth the Dutch ProBlogger and I went into a nice, comfy small room where each of us had a foot masseuse work the living daylights out of our feet and legs for about the next hour and a half.

Heavenly.

Elliott speaks some Chinese, so we spoke back and forth as well as we could (the two guys had women masseuses, I had a man) and talked about where we were from and what we were doing in China.

My masseuse was “Number 87;” I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t know his actual name because I had no pen and paper handy. He was only 19, said that he works the 10:30 am to 1:30 am shift and that I was his 7th client.

He was super-nice and efficient and by the end of our session, I had had my toes, arches, heels and calves pretty thoroughly mooshed, rubbed, prodded and smacked.

Each masseuse was very sensitive to discomfort, the room was soothing and I drank lots of hot water with lemon and honey (supposedly to help flush out toxins.)

On the way out, we also had a short shoulder and back massage.

After a 20 hour flight, carrying luggage and schlepping a laptop on my shoulders, this was MOST helpful to my mental attitude.

The whole session was about US$15 – a total bargain, obviously.