Finally, ten and a half months after booking the flights we’re on our way to Japan!

My preparation for this trip has been extensive. Not just on the gluten free front, but also the amount of preparation needed to take 2 year old twins on a 12 hour flight to a holiday in Tokyo. Fortunately, there’s nothing I like more than a challenge, particularly when it’s travel related!

This blog is gluten free focused, rather than about travel with kids. However the lines are becoming increasingly blurred since most of our dining and accommodation choices are now based around places suitable for both children and with gluten free options.

During our stay in Japan we’ve rented a house in Tokyo via Airbnb. This makes more sense for us than having two inter connecting hotel rooms since it a) gives everyone more space and b) cooking facilities for all of us. There is a limit to the number of times I can face eating the “safe” meal of steak and green salad ordered on room service. There aren’t many green spaces in Tokyo (compared with London) but we’ll be staying near Yoyogi Park / Shinjuku which will mean plenty of opportunity to view the cherry blossom.

Our plan for this trip is to base ourselves in Tokyo to really explore the city, taking take day trips out of Tokyo from there. The sakura is just starting to blossom (did you know in Japan a cherry blossom forecast is published?) and i’m looking forward to hanami. I’ve found a great looking railway museum (for the inner train geek in me, not just the kids), a very random noodle museum and there may be trip to Tokyo Disney. Not somewhere I’ve ever been before, or probably would go to the US/Eurodisney for but the Japanese Disney could be fun!

I’ve been to Japan before and, beautiful as Kyoto is, I don’t feel I need to return. I’d also like to explore some of the off the beaten track places in the Tokyo area which tourists don’t normally visit when they plan a trip to Japan. I’m looking forward to not racing around the country trying to tick off the major cities stopping for only a couple of days in Tokyo / Kyoto / Osaka / Hiroshima etc (….by the way, I was that person last trip).

If you want to follow my travels in and around Tokyo (and can handle a sakura overload…), I’ll be posting photos on my Instagram account. I’ll still be posting some on Twitter, but will try and keep those to the gluten free finds I will (hopefully!) find.