Jeff,

The AlbabyFamily is likely to head off to Japan for a first-time trip sometime next summer, and Wendy suggested that I solicit suggestions from you here. We know to hit the highlights of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka - and will obviously hit the internet and guide books for the most common "must-see" things there. But nothing beats advice from real people who have been there, so Wendy thought I should cross post over to here. My kids are 17 and 12, so it's a bit of an exercise to find things they'll both enjoy (or we divide and conquer).

I think my kids will be very interested in the most modern aspects of Japan. Both are fascinated by the bits of Japanese youth culture that find their way here, are interested in tech, and my daughter is deeply into fashion. Her favorite thing to do is hit thrift stores abroad. Don’t know if you ran across those sorts of things anywhere.

I’ve heard DisneySea is not to be missed if you’re into theme parks, which my son definitely is - so we might do that. The guided tour is a great suggestion - we did that in Rome on our first day and it was a wonderful start.

Since we’re first timers, the “obvious” choices are Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka. Is there a fourth place that you experienced that you really loved?

Albaby