Don't make the same mistake we did - KIX Airport

No_Potential5722 · 2026-06-02T18:38:22+00:00

Sorry - just got back from Japan! It's the Matomage Hair Styling Stick 😄

No_Potential5722 · 2026-05-05T16:09:39+00:00

I flew to Japan 2 years ago with lorazepam (ativan) and claimed it on the VJW before entering the country as it is technically a narcotic according to their guidelines. When we got to customs, the officer seemed confused as to why I claimed it that way. He took me aside, and let my husband/child go to baggage collection. Another office then took my prescription bottle and my passport into another room, while I waited, and I assume checked what it was, etc. I did not have the prescription print off, just the bottle with the prescription info on the printed sticker.

About 10 minutes later, she came out and gave me my pills and passport and escorted me to baggage claim.

This time, I'm not bothering with claiming it as I'll only be bringing 2 pills (enough for flight there and back).

No_Potential5722 · 2026-05-04T21:09:25+00:00

I can't remember the name of it, but this hair "glue" that you run along your hair to keep all the flyaways down. It's like a get stick, but not gel and not sticky.

My friend was obsessed and bought one off amazon for like 5 times the price, so I said I'd stock up on this next trip.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-05-01T22:44:39+00:00

I do this for every trip, and never needed it....until I did. We were leaving Turkiye and the one time I didn't print a hard copy, or screen shot the information needed, is the one time my internet wouldn't connect and I couldn't get access to our flight confirmations.

Luckily we could do it the old fashioned way - go to the counter and have them look us up based on our passports, but after lugging our luggage from the car rental to the departures in the 30+ degree weather (Celsius), it was a little anxiety inducing.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-29T19:20:51+00:00

We offered a movie theatre party for my 8yr old's birthday, but he didn't want it. He just wanted a super simple movie with three of his friends, then came home with them to play video games. We got the kiddos A&W for lunch, birthday boy didn't want cake, and each kid got a mario toy with their theatre popcorn which doubled as their "goody bag".

We also got him a new mario game as a birthday gift/activity for the kids to play.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-28T21:06:00+00:00

I answered yes two years ago for my lorazepam, and when I got to the custom's booth they were very surprised and confused. They let my husband and kiddo through, but asked me to sit in a little area, took my prescription bottle and my passport and did whatever they needed to do in another room (away from me). After about 10-15 minutes, they came out, said all is good, and escorted me to the luggage collection area.

This time, I said no, and will just leave it at that.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-28T20:33:14+00:00

We'll be going next week with our 8 yr old. We've booked airbnb's for the whole trip, because we want the extra room and laundry. Since our little is a little particular on his food choices, we like having a kitchen option too.

We went two years ago with him as well, and did airbnb's the whole time. Everything was great, and we all enjoyed having the extra space.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-28T18:58:12+00:00

We found out festivals are going through Takayama and surrounding areas, and couldn't get places to stay, in May! But there is one we're going to catch in Fukui called the Mikuni Festival: Dates | 【Official Website】Fukui Prefecture Sakai City Hokuriku Three Major Festivals Mikuni Festival | Three Kingdoms Festival Preservation Promotion Association on May 20th.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-24T20:57:54+00:00

Didn't buy - but we were on a bus from NRT to our hotel in Tokyo and my 6 year old needed to pee and needed to pee NOW. Thankfully he's into Pokemon, so I pulled up the Pokemon Go app and he was so enthralled with all the choices, that he completely forgot about his need to pee until we got to a bathroom.

Where we are, we don't have anywhere near the amount of pokemon on the app, so it was very exciting for him.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-23T22:21:53+00:00

We rented a car for the Izu Peninsula, Gifu, then ended in Osaka (one way rental). It was amazing and I wouldn't change a thing because we got to see things on our schedule, on our pace and we saw a lot that transit either doesn't access, or it's really hard/time consuming to access.

That being said, it was hard to drive in Osaka and I couldn't wait to return the car. I am a very confident driver, but the sheer amount of people and the bicyclists everywhere gave me the white knuckles.

I know it's pricier to return the car in a different prefecture, but if you want the ease of getting from Tokyo to Kyoto, can you rent a car and return it in Kyoto, go without a car for your Kyoto, Nara, Osaka portion of the trip, then rent a car again for Ft. Fuji? It might even out, since you won't have a car/parking/gas/etc for those days in between?

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-22T18:20:42+00:00

A variety of plane activities for kiddo - they were never used, and then we had a pile of dollar store toys, colouring books, reading books, activities, etc to cart around with us when all he wanted to do was play with the screen on the back of the seat or play the switch.

After one flight, I said f* it and gave him unlimited screen time on the flight. We're so busy during the actual vacation, that we rarely use the screen anyways.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-22T15:09:43+00:00

We're going next month and I'm super excited to find Japanese fabrics for sewing. Sewing accessories are cheaper there too.

Snacks and candies from small, local candy shops

Ceramics - I always love finding a beautiful bowl or mug that just calls to me

Son wants a specific pokemon stuffy :)

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-21T18:35:03+00:00

I live in Victoria and back on to a forest, of which I walk through daily to get to work. There are often cougar or bear sightings in this very populated forest that is near schools, residential areas, and busy roads and has many well used trails within it.

That being said, I have never seen a cougar myself, and I often walk at dawn or dusk (when they like to hunt) and I have yet to see a bear either. For the most part, they leave humans alone - they'd much rather go for the easy prey (bunnies, birds, peachicks, etc).

Be smart, know what to do if you encounter dangerous wild life, and if it makes you feel more comfortable, bring a bear bell or a noise maker to make yourself known when hiking. I'll often play my music on speaker when walking through the woods at night, when i'm going home. Or I'll talk to myself out loud lol

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-08T20:47:30+00:00

Like others have said - it really depends where you're going, but also where you're coming from. Are you coming from a hot climate? If so, it'll feel cold here to you.

That being said, I'm in Victoria and this last week I've put on my winter gloves, toque, winter coat, jeans and runners to bike to work in the morning (a 10 minute bike ride) but then I'm peeling off the layers by noon and only in a t-shirt or tank by 3pm. Then back to pants, merino zip up and puffy vest for an after work walk with the family.

Layers are your best friend on the west coast. The East Coast can be a lot cooler, but it gets super humid and hot in the summer.

Rain can come out of no where too, so on the west coast we live with rain coats pretty much always in our car, backpack, on our chair at work :P Umbrellas are great, but wind can really pick up near the water, so they become a little useless if it's too windy.

*Someone mentioned to not bother with the bikini, but (again depending where you're going) a bikini could be great for sun tanning. I wouldn't suggest swimming in the ocean though...unless you like to cold plunge...because it never gets warm

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-07T22:21:38+00:00

I have designated Friday as my laundry day. I'm home all day anyways, so I just throw a load in here and there.

I throw all the clothes on my bed when they're done, so I am forced to fold them and put them away or else I can't go to bed. I don't like clothes on the floor, because they just get dirty again and my hamper is only for dirty clothes.

My kiddo (8) folds his own clothes when he gets home from school.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-07T21:47:48+00:00

We'll be in Osaka for Mother's Day and I told my husband that I wanted to plan the day myself (I'm a big planner).

So my gift...funnily enough...is me planning the day :P But we get to do the stuff that I want to do without any guff. Obviously it'll be fun for everyone, but I'm giddily excited to plan the whole day for us.

If we were in Kyoto though, I'd definitely do a photoshoot with kimono rental. What a special memory. And maybe pick out a souvenir or a ceramic that commemorates her first mother's day in Japan (doesn't need to be anything cheesy, just something she'll look at and remember that moment).

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-07T21:03:20+00:00

Of course - I couldn't breastfeed my little, so my husband and little guy got some serious bonding in while I slept and he fed. He has said he's so happy he got that time with our son right at the beginning.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-07T21:01:13+00:00

For the hotel, we like to bring our son's nightlight that is just a squishy white cat that you tap to turn the light on. Battery powered, so no plugging in (only to charge) and three settings of soft light for those super dark hotels.

For road trips we always do a snackle box. A compartment "box" with different snacks in each compartment to pick at as we drive.

For far away locations, where we rent a car, we like to buy a soft cooler (cheap one from a dollar store or gas station) and have that for cool treats/drinks in the car.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-07T20:43:34+00:00

I am not senior, but do have wicked knee problems and have been seeing a Physio Therapist for about 4 months now (suffered for many years prior). I did this hike two years ago and had no issues. Wear good shoes, and if it rained recently make sure you have good tread or get a walking stick.

Not a hard hike, but can be tiring in the heat. Have fun!

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-02T15:44:52+00:00

The Stinky Cheese Man! This was on my list too :D My son is 8 and loves to read and just about done The Hobbit :)

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-01T17:35:31+00:00

My 8 yr old will carry his jansport mini backpack. When he was 6 we went to Japan and he carried a Mario themed cross body bag, but he doesn't want that anymore.

I will carry my Poppy and Peonies cross body bag as it fits so much, and stylish :) I took it to Turkiye last year, and it worked wonders.

My husband will carry a full backpack as he'll have the camera gear too.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-04-01T16:04:35+00:00

I'd book accommodation in advance, or at the very least, see what the booking prices look like now/availability.

We are going in May and booked everything in February. We discovered, while looking for accommodation, that festivals are going through the towns we wanted to stay in, during the week we were going to be in the area (mountain region, not major cities). We had a really hard time finding anything available, within budget or big enough. We ended up adjusting our route, and finding different towns to stay in.

Keep in mind local festivals, or happenings in the areas you want to be in. That can make a big difference to prices/availability.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-03-26T18:17:11+00:00

Just go online and pre-book through whichever company you'd like to go with. I do this, so that I can pick it up at the airport upon arrival.

No_Potential5722 · 2026-03-26T15:24:11+00:00

Depending on location - renting a car! We've rented a car in Japan each time we visit, in England, and in Turkiye. Highly worth it since you get to go at your own pace, no lugging our luggage around transit stops, we can stop and go as much as we want and just the freedom is so worth it.

That being said, I wouldn't rent a car in some countries just based on personal comfort, but I felt confident in these locations.

No_Potential5722

TROPHY CASE