Kawaii Culture

We spent a lot of time during this trip talking about cultural differences with M. Some she picked up on her own, like noticing how much quieter public spaces were or the use of chopsticks instead of forks. Some she was excited to learn about like being able to drink her soup from the bowl and Kawaii culture!

Kawaii is the obsession with anything cute and girly and fun. M and I both enjoyed seeing all the cutesy stuffies and plushies and squishies (though we tried very hard to just look not buy due to limited suitcase space).

Most of our time in Tokyo was spent seeking out random cutesy things like Sylvanian Family (calico critters) stores, Pokémon centers and all things Hello Kitty.

We enjoyed a meal and a super cute dessert at the Sesame Street Market and had adorable snacks from a Moomin Food Truck.

Though we minimized our temple and shrine visiting (as Josh and I did lots of that during our last visit to Tokyo in 2015), we did spend a morning exploring the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. The cherry blossoms were incredible here and we got some iconic photos (despite the insane crowds).

M’s favorite foray into Kawaii culture (and - perhaps, sadly - her favorite thing on the trip) was the Unko Museum. The poop museum. A whole (but thank goodness, small) children’s museum about toilets and poop.

The place was insanely crowded and filled with other poop-loving children her age. There were games and a cutesy, colorful poops.

I’m not a prude, but it was a bit much for me. Especially the entry where everyone was required to sit on a colorful toilet and wait for your entry ticket - a take home plastic poop - to plop into the toilet. Josh and I attempted to skip this activity but were called out and made to sit down. M asked “why does your face look unhappy?”

So many reasons, girl. So many reasons.

But the unhappiness was brief. This trip was one of the best we’ve taken. Even with the long flights (and delays on the way home) and small hotel rooms, we had a great time. I’m so glad M got to experience this and am looking forward to the next big trip already!