7 Days 6 Nights Father and Son Travel Log to Osaka and Kyoto!!!

- September 13, 2018

Basically this post is sharing about how I managed my 3 years old son alone in 7 days 6 nights trip to Osaka and Kyoto. Many fathers would think it is an impossible mission to handle a kid alone. They will need their mother at all times, changing diaper is a nuisance, always crying for milk, running around uncontrollably and many more. I will show you how I did it in a simplest way I can put it in this post.

Preparation before your travel with your kid:

More family trip as a start. At least 5 times a year, local or overseas.
Take your kid to local tourist spots first. Such as zoo, water park or beach and overnight for just one night for the start. Gets longer stay throughout the year. Get started when they are still very young. So you anticipate what kind of urgency and mess you will get yourself into. It may be frustrated but in the end you will get used to it.
Start to take him to take a plane. So he knows about an airplane and it is taking him to somewhere very far away from home.

I am not trying to brag. My son is a well-behaved kid but like any other kids, whenever they are tired, they will get very irritable. So in such a trip, you have to make sure you plan time for them to sleep. Even it is on a plane, train or a bus.

Things must bring during the trip:

Diapers - For example, 8 days 7 nights trip, bring 8+2 diapers. My son had done his potty training at home but when traveling, you will never know where the toilet is. Sometimes they may not able to hold their pee. So it is better to put them on at all times as their underwear.
Formula milk - My son drinks 3 times a day. So I just packed about 300g of milk and have a small powder container to take out so that you can prepare the milk for him anytime and anywhere
Flask - it is for the hot water. You can get hot water from any 7-Eleven or Family Mart for free.
His own backpack - buy a good quality backpack which he can carry for a long time without feeling sore. I personally recommended Deuter backpack. After that, you put everything in his backpack such as a diaper, flask, small powder container and his own toys.
His own toys - Get him to pack his own toys. He will choose a few of his favorites. If he got too many, tell him to pick just 2 or 3 toys only. Toys are very important in a flight where he will gets uneasy for sitting for long hours.
Baby carrier (optional) - My son is already 17kg at 3 years old so having a baby carrier is killing me. If your kid is not as heavy as mine, you can bring a baby carrier but never a baby stroller.

I do not need a stroller or a baby carrier. This is how I get him from a place to another place. A sturdy luggage is good enough to hold his 17kg weight. He is very good at holding it tight no matter any kind of accidents might happened. Not to forget, you need to have a strong arm too.

Day 1: KUL - KIX - Sannomiya - Himeji

2.00pm: Booked with AirAsia which cost RM1903.50 for a return ticket which includes 25kg luggage and meals. It was a long flight but my son was too tired and slept for about 2 hours 30 minutes before start playing with other kids on the flight for the rest of the time.
9.25pm: Reached Kansai International Airport, Osaka (KIX). Picking up my JR West Rail Pass - 1 Day. After that, I bought a bus ticket to Sannomiya Bus Terminal for 1,950 yen. Note: If your kid is not taking up a seat, you can choose not to buy a child ticket. Only for age 3 years and below you can do this.
11.30pm: Took 1 hour 10 minutes to reach Sannomiya and we walked across the road to take the JR Tokaido Sanyo Line from Sannomiya Station to Himeji Station. I have to wait after 12.00am to use my JR West Rail Pass 1 Day. It starts from 12.00am - 11.59pm. The pass cost 2,300 yen. JR line is very expensive.
1.15am: Took 1 hour to reach Himeji Station and another 15 minutes walking in a freezing cold weather to Hotel Wing International Himeji. The hotel costs me almost RM300/night. That's the cheapest I have found. Japan got strict rules for their dorm and capsule hotel. No kids are allowed. So I have no choice but to book a normal hotel. The room in Hotel Wing International Hotel is very small but the facilities in the room is complete and clean. On the first night, he did asked for his mom but once I have explained that his mom was not on the plane with us and it is impossible he will see her. He finally understood after I have to repeat this for a few times. After that, he no longer mentioning it. Sometimes, you just have to treat your kid like an adult even they are just 3 years old. You would be surprised by how sensible they can be.

He fall asleep once he got in the plane with his seat belt fastened by himself. It is easy for me to have him sleep as long as he can on the flight. In order to do that, just make sure he doesn't have enough sleep before the flight.

I really love the Japanese culture and their people so much. They are really friendly and helpful. It makes me wanted to live in this country even more. The only problem in this country is their natural disaster such as earthquake, volcano, typhoon and tsunami.

Day 2: Himeji Castle - Koko en Garden - Kyoto - Fushimi Inari Shrine

10.00am: Too tired to wake up early as we slept so late on the day before but we have to go to Kyoto after our visit at Himeji Castle. It costs 1040 yen including Koko-en Garden. It is just a short 10 minutes walk from our hotel. We left our luggage in the hotel.
12.30pm: Had our lunch inside Koko-en Garden and take an hour walk around the garden.
2.00pm: Went back to our hotel for our luggage and walked to Himeji Station to use our JR West Rail Pass 1 day using JR Tokaido-Sanyo Line to Kyoto Station.
4.00pm: 1 hour 33 minutes to reach Kyoto Station without any interchange but there are 11 stops. After that take JR Nara Line to Inari Station. Inari Station is just in front of Fushimi Inari Shrine. There are 2 stops and it is just 5 minutes away from the Kyoto Station. If without the JR West Rail Pass 1 day, the costs for this travel already cost me 2,270 yen. So I have saved about 1,100 yen by using the pass.
6.00pm: I didn't complete the whole tour inside the Fushimi Inari Shrine because the sky was getting dark and there is no street lights in the shrine. Another reason is my son was already at this limit. He was tired and so do I. I was unable to carry him to the top.
7.00pm: We had Yakitori as our dinner and he loves it so much and checked in at an Airbnb near Gion. The Airbnb I booked cost me about RM353/night and we stayed for 2 nights. We took Keihan Main Line from Fushimi Inari Station to Gion-Shijo Station. No special pass for this since it is just cost me 210 yen for 8 minutes with 5 stops. (Note: Japan government has very tight laws against Airbnb now. Do check with the local laws before you book from an Airbnb).

10.00am sun seems like 12.00pm. It was so hot but the wind is still very chilling. Japan is really a good place to start as their walking path is big and it is quite alright for your kids to run around freely with not much worries.

My son doesn't mind walking all the way by himself to the Himeji Castle. Sometimes he did fell down, don't have to give him a hand. Just let him stand up by himself. That's how to let your kids to grow up. What you need to do is just make sure your kids are wearing long pants to avoid scratches on their knees.

He doesn't know what is this place is about but he enjoys climbing up and down the stairs, playing with the binoculars and excited with the origami that he received from the staff.

While at Koko-en Garden, he enjoys the Koi fishes, cat and running around the garden. There are certain danger as you can see from the picture above. My advice to you is to tell them first the consequences of standing too close. Treat them like an adult. They really will understand even how stubborn they are sometimes. Over protective will never help them to understand things.

Our first proper meal at Japan, a set meal with rice and cold soba. My son had the tonkatsu, tempura and chawanmushi while I had all the others. My son has no problems with the food in Japan as long as it is not sushi or sashimi.

The weather is too hot and we had to take off our winter jacket and had our life saver ice cream to cool us down. My luck was really bad. The date I went is the time when they change of season from spring to summer. All our jackets and thick clothes are basically useless.

When you are walking with kids, you know you need to add fun in their journey so that they willing to walk longer and further. So add additional 10 to 15 minutes to all your estimated journey time. So you won't be rushing.

The entrance fee is free at Fushimi Inari Shrine so be ready for the crowd especially in the evening. It is hard not to take any picture without any crowd in it. My son has given me his best cooperation to me by climbing as high as we could. It is because the sky was getting dark and I felt pity at him for walking all by himself despite so tired and sleepy. I did piggy back him at some point but I had my heavy backpack with me which I do not want to spend more for another locker space at Inari Station. I only put my luggage in the locker but not my backpack.

We had Yakitori for our dinner this time and it was really good especially you drink together with their Kyoto Premium Malt draft beer. Yakitori is always a kid and adults favorite. They can eat as many as they could. You would be surprised.

Day 3: Higashiyama District

10.00am: Took my son to a Kimono Rental shop which is just right behind my Airbnb. This is not part of my initial plan but due to sudden change of weather which has made all our clothes seems useless. Since we do not have any other clothes, so I decided to rent the Kimono to walk for a day and buy some souvenir T-shirts along the way. The cost of the Kimono really high at 4,000 yen (adult) and 3,000 yen (kids). I have no time to make advance reservation or do more survey so I have to settle with what I have now.
11.30am: Waited 30 minutes because we didn't make any reservation and another 30 minutes for changing to the Kimono we have chosen. I took a local cab to somewhere near the Sanneizaka which costs us 1,100 yen. The cab is so expensive!!! One time experience so it is alright.
12.00pm: Started our journey all the way to Gion Shirakawa. It is really comfortable to walk in Kimono with the wooden shoes.
5.00pm: Had our haircut at a hair dresser along the Shijo Dori road. It is not cheap at all. It is almost RM400 for both of us.
6.30pm: Return our Kimono and start looking for Ramen since we didn't had our lunch.

The Kimono Rental shop is not very recommended because everything is chargeable there. So I suggest you to do a good survey first and do an early reservation so that you can get the best offer. Do take note that, the cheaper it is, the lesser choice you can select from.

By looking at the Google map, you will find it impossible for a kid to walk all by himself in Kimono. Well, he really did without me carrying him from 12.00pm till 8.30pm. However, he did request me to take a sit to let him rest. For me, it is really a remarkable achievement for a 3 years old kid.

Whenever he saw a public phone, he wanted to call his mom. Just let him play with the phone for a while. Once he satisfied, he will leave. Don't let him experience that he could make a call to reach his mom, he would ask for it every time he sees it. You will have to waste a lot of money for the phone call for sure. I did not even let him use video call to call back home because I do not want him to cry for his mother whenever he misses him. It would be even hard to handle. Just remind him that how much fun had today and just few more days and we will fly back to see her. He will understand but just need to keep repeating it.

He had the ramen all by himself without the beer of course. I had beer for almost in my every meal when I traveled to Japan. Their beer is really delicious. You may find troublesome to make sure your kids are well fed. So you would tend to feed them as much as they can. My style is if you do not want to eat, I am not going to force you. You will tell me when you are hungry. That's the time when you will find it so easy to have your meal because your kids can eat it all by themselves.

8.30pm, after our meal. Does he looks tired to you? No. He is really my great travel partner.

Day 4: Nishiki Market - Kyoto Railway Museum - Ryokan Hanaikada

8.00am: I woke up early in the morning because I want to pack my useless thick clothes and jacket into a box and send to Kansai International Airport. This is a special service which is available in Japan whereby you can send your extra things to the airport ahead to keep yourself travelling light. I got an empty box from a market nearby and packed and send to the nearest Family Mart. Any Family Mart or 7-Eleven will able to provide such service. You are not just able to send to the airport but to a hotel too. The price is just 300 yen for less than 5 kg. It takes 24 hours to reach if sending out within the same prefecture. There is service which allows you to send within the same day but the price can be thrice more than normal.
10.00am: Started our journey to Karasuma Station by passing by the Nishiki Market. Had a lot of kinds of food along the way which has becomes our lunch.
11.30am: Took the Hankyu Kyoto Line from Karasuma Station to Kyoto Station. I used my 3 Days Kansai Thru Pass which can be used in any 3 days except the JR Line. The cost is just 5,200 yen.
12.00pm: Walk 20 minutes to Kyoto Railway Museum which costs at 1,200 yen.
4.00pm: Took a cab to Sai Station which is the Keifuku Dentetsu - Arashiyama Line. The cab costs us 1,200 yen because we are no longer able to walk or wait for any bus from Kyoto Railway Museum due to fatigue. Using my Kansai Thru Pass for this line. This line is very special as the railway track is on the road so you get to see the cars moving beside you and there is no ticketing counter. You pay before you exit the train.
6.00pm: 11 stops for 21 minutes and walk about 5 minutes crossing the Togetsukyo Bridge to get to Ryokan Hanaikada. We stayed 2 nights here and it costs us 21,600 yen/night.

Nishiki Market is an amazing one straight road where you will see all kinds of delicious local food and souvenirs on your left and right. It is hard for you to move on quickly because they are just too attractive and captivating for you to stop your steps. Well, do take note too that this is a tourist spot so the price is rather high than any other place.

When you are here, you just cannot miss their fresh seafood. Uni, oysters, abalone, sashimi and many more. These are for the adults but do not worry as there are not lack of food for the kids too.

Kyoto Railway Museum is a big playground for a train lover like my son but unfortunately they failed to have English language on their description board. That's upsetting. Getting here and leaving is not easy at all. It is very inconvenient.

I chose a cab which cost me a bomb to reach to Sai Station. It was a bad decision because my son no longer able to wake up. He was too tired and totally shut down. He missed all the fun on the train and I had to carry him all the way to the Ryokan Hanaikada.

Ryokan Hanaikada was an amazing experience for us. It was comfortable, the food is delicious and very unique which you don't see them in Malaysia and their onsen is the best remedy for your fatigue. You have to be amazed with their service. Very attentive and friendly.

Day 5: Arashiyama - Sagano Romantic Train - Hozugawa River Cruise

9.00am: We wanted to have a longer sleep today because we walked too much continuously for 4 days already but we had an awesome Japanese breakfast which is included in our room which we just couldn't miss it. The last call for the breakfast is at 9.30am and we had to finish the meal by 10.00am no matter what.
11.30am: After our breakfast, we no longer able to sleep so we take a short walk around the Togetsukyo Bridge.
1.00pm: We went back to our hotel to take a land transfer to the Sagano Romantic Train. This transfer is complimentary.
2.00pm: Reached Sagano Romantic Train station which cost 620 yen (adult) and 300 yen (kids). If your kid can sit on your lap, you can save that money.
4.00pm: It just took about 25 minutes ride per way but we have wasted so much time in looking for the bus that can take us to the Hozugawa-kudari starting base. There is no visible indication to show us the way to the bus station. Actually we just have to walk through a tunnel which is next to the Kameoka Station to get to the bus station. The bus schedule is every 30 minutes and they will depart on time.
4.30pm: Started our Hozugawa River Cruise tour which cost 4,100 yen (adult) and 2,700 yen (child). This time my boy can't sit on my lap due to safety issue so I had to purchase a child ticket for him.
6.30pm: Back to Togetsukyo Bridge and start walking back to our hotel for our highly anticipated dinner and onsen.

Take a stroll in the late morning. We didn't take the Arashiyama Rickshaw tour because it was really hot like any other day. We just want to stay away from the sun. Anyway, it is suitable for couples. Not for father and kid.

Got my son into a Shinobi costume which attract a lot of attention from the local to mimic by flying a shuriken towards him. He played along pretty well. He is really enjoying with his role as a ninja.

The costume is just nice for him since the weather is so hot. It was not so bad at all for making a mistake by bringing the wrong clothes over here.

This is a Sagano Romantic Train which you can enjoy an amazing view from the train. It is definitely a great activity for the kids.

Hozugawa River Cruise is the alternative way to send you back to Arashiyama. This is the most expensive way among all but it would be unforgettable experience for your kids.

Day 6: Arashiyama Bamboo Groove - Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

5.00am: Woke up early just to avoid the crowd at Arashiyama Bamboo Groove. It is just 20 minutes away from our hotel.
6.00am: We enjoyed our own sweet time without many people at Arashiyama Bamboo Groove for 30 minutes before we walked back to our hotel for our last breakfast at the lovely hotel.
10.00am: Checking out and we have a complimentary free transfer to Hankyu-Arashiyama Line at Arashiyama Station. I used the second day of my Kansai Thru Pass to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.
12.00pm: We are supposed to change line at Awaji Station but we were both too sleepy and dozed off. We missed the stop and we ended up at Umeda Station. We were woke up by a kind young lady trying to explain to us in English that this is already the last station. My son cannot wake up at all so I had to carry him, backpack, his small backpack and dragging a luggage. Yes, it was a mess. I tried to calm myself down and start to figure out the alternative way to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. Luckily with the help of Google Map, I was able to find a way which will took me extra 30 minutes from original duration. Since I am using the Kansai Thru Pass so it won't cost me extra money for the mishap.
1.30pm: Finally reach at Osakako Station but I still need to walk about 15 minutes to reach Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan which costs at 2,300 yen.
5.00pm: Leaving Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan and heading to our hotel Hotel Kanade Osaka Namba which costs RM409.00/night. The room is also small but has all the facilities we needed. With such a price, I can stay in a Hilton Hotel in Malaysia. Seriously wasted too much money on the accommodation.
8.00pm: Take a quick tour at Dotonburi. Too crowded with people queuing up for food and shopping for cosmetic and facial products. They really shop a lot as if it is super cheap. As I could see it is just less than 10% cheaper than the price I can buy in Malaysia. So not really worth the trouble for me.

It was very excited to capture the pictures we wanted at Arashiyama Bamboo Groove but we had fully utilized all our spirit on this day which has somehow ruined the rest of our trip. We missed the station and wasted more time in travelling instead of sleeping.

How did I able to take pictures and at the same time I need to take care of my son? Many will ask me this question. Below is my priceless tips.

Tips about Photography while traveling with a child

Primary camera is your mirrorless camera which is very light and can easily to carry around. I am using Sony a6300 which is a crop lens camera. You don't need a full frame camera. You are not going to process the image for advertisement purpose. It is just for travelling. Full frame camera will always heavier than a crop lens camera.
Secondary camera is a good phone camera which you can pull out and take a picture within seconds when your primary camera is well kept inside a bag. The picture above was taken by my Samsung Galaxy S9+.
The lens recommended to use with your mirrorless camera must be wide angle and fast. Sigma 30mm f1.4 or Sony Zeiss 55mm f1.8 are great lens but it doesn't fit my purpose as sometimes I would want to crop the picture that I took. I used Sigma 16mm f1.4 which is a little bit bulky and heavy but I can take the widest angle that I want and it can even handle low light situation. Sigma 16mm f1.4 focus really fast on the face so that you will not miss your child in the photo.
Take as many pictures as you can. From all my pictures that you see in the post, I took at least more than 10 shots before selecting the finest. It is impossible to get a good picture that you want with just one shot. If you did, that's lucky. Your child will tend to move around and not cooperating. So switch to burst shot to ensure you didn't miss the cutest moment.
Don't need a tripod but you can bring a gorillapod. A gorillapod is small, easy to carry and very fast to setup.
Make your child happy. Do not have to tell them to smile which sometimes make it looks awkward. Just make them happy and you will get the purest smile that you could get from them
Take more candid shots. You would be amazed that candid shots is much easier to take compare to normal shot. Their naive, natural look and cuteness are captured which are more memorable than a normal shot. The only thing you have to do is to switch to burst mode.

There is Legoland which is next to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan but I prefer this which is more educational than the Legoland which is available in Malaysia too. Anyway, my son had lost his patience and got irritated at Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan because he was too tired.

He just ran around the place and start harassing other people. I got no choice but to give my mobile phone for him to take pictures. This method only can discipline him for about an hour and after that I have to use the arm band which I have prepared in case of emergency like this. The arm band is the blue color which you can see in the picture above. I only had to use it at Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. He didn't fancy that thing and started to cry and throwing tantrum. I had to promise him an ice cream if he behave himself which eventually he did gave in.

We had a sleep at the hotel for a few hours before we looking for food at Dotonbori. My son once again unable to control his emotion and getting very irritated once again. I had to cut short my walk and just take away any food I can along the way. My son was satisfied once I told him that I decided to go back to our hotel. I did not use the arm band at Dotonburi.

Day 7: Mount Yoshino - Kansai International Airport

10.00am: Meet a Japanese friend of mine, Ms. Ayaka Sanui whom I met in Brunei during my backpacking trip at Borneo in 6 years ago. We planned to have a trip together to Mount Yoshino to see the sakura flower. Mount Yoshino is famous with their Sakura flower which grow all around the mountain.
2.00pm: I used my 3rd day of Kansai Thru Pass to travel from Namba Station to Yoshino Station using Midosuji Line and Kintetsu Limited Express. A total of 1 hour 30 minutes with 15 stops per way was required. Unfortunately once we reached there, the Sakura flower season has ended. The Sakura flower is really has a short life. From blooming to falling just take about the maximum of 14 days.
4.00pm: We went back to Namba Station and had one of our best sushi in our life in a humble Japanese restaurant. However, the price is not humble at all but I am satisfied with it. My son had his Udon though. I didn't let him try the sushi because I know he will wasted it.
6.00pm: Rushing back to Kansai International Airport for the flight back to Malaysia. Took the Nankai Line from Namba Station straight to Kansai-Airport Station.
8.00pm: It took about 1 hour to reach to the airport from Namba Station and there is enough time for me to buy some souvenir back to Malaysia. And not to forget to retrieve my box which I have sent from Kyoto earlier at the airport. Once again, I have to say this is an amazing service.
10.00pm: Flight back to Malaysia. My son sleep throughout the journey without waking up. We were really exhausted. However, it was an unforgettable journey.

We did not see any Sakura at Mount Yoshino but it was a great catch up with her. I hope I can attend her wedding next year. It would be first time in my life to attend a Japanese wedding. I always wanted to witness one. Congratulations, Ayaka-chan!

Not much activity has done on the last day but it is better since there are not much walking to do. My son was enjoying his train ride while I was sharpening my Japanese language skill and culture with Ayaka-chan.

I didn't managed to experience the Kaiten Sushi during this trip. Kaiten Sushi means Conveyor Belt Sushi restaurant. It is rather a cheaper sushi restaurant but the queue is always very long. As for the food experience, I am pretty satisfied with all of them in this trip. Anything I ate was never a disappointed one. I had Soba, Sashimi, Donkatsu, Ramen, Udon, Okonomiyaki, Yakitori and Sushi which are basically all my favorite. Not to forget, the unique local Kyoto cuisine at Ryokan Hanaikada. It was an unforgettable experience for me.

This is the trophy that I had bought in the Kansai International Airport. Actually, the green tea flavor is the best while others are just fancy but not tasty. I will buy more green tea flavor next time as the taste is different from what I taste in Malaysia.

Overall, the experience with my son was amazing. We were both tired nonetheless but we never forget the experience that we had. The things that I have learned throughout the journey are:

I love my son more than ever because I know more about my son than I thought I knew.
He took care of me during the trip such as carry water for me to drink, take my shoes and socks and many other small things which are really heart warming. He is very obedient and cooperative throughout the trip except Day 6 and Day 7.
I shouldn't have plan too much and too long. 6 days 5 nights is more than enough. He doesn't have the strength and stamina to go through the whole week.
Last but not least, it is really not that hard to have a father and son trip.