Play Time

Costa Rica is covered in volcanoes, so naturally one of the things we couldn’t miss on our trip to Costa Rica was a visit to at least one of these volcanoes. We narrowed it down to the most popular Arenal Volcano, the most active Poás Volcano, and the tallest Irazu Volcano. Ultimately we chose the Poás Volcano because it...

The grounds of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park include the Atomic Bomb Dome, the flame of peace, cenotaph, children’s monument and peace bell. We were fortunate enough to spend two days at this site surveying the grounds and appreciating the monuments and the significance of why they are here. ► Ranking: #cleandiaper As we walked around the grounds here we...

We spent two days amongst the areas that were ravaged by the Atomic Bomb in Hiroshima, centered around the Atomic Bomb Dome. We learned about the past and present of nuclear weapons and Japan’s view of world history and World War II as the people there experienced it in real time. As we’ve come to learn through life experience,...

There is no shortage of things to do on Miyajima. You can play with deer, visit the Itsukushima Shrine and Grand Otorri gate, eat fresh oysters, go hiking, play on the beach, visit the aquarium, explore the neighborhoods and streets, take a gondola ride high into the mountains, and hike up Mt. Misen. It is a children's playground! ► Ranking:...

Miyajima is home to the famous Itsukushima Shrine, the iconic famous shrine that floats on water. This location is considered one of three of the most beautiful sites in the whole of Japan. In addition to the shrine and temple, there are deer covering the island that walk with you and steal all your food, and a gondola ride...

The truth is you can get by in Japan knowing virtually none of the Japanese language, but there are a few words that will make things a little easier. Words like okay in Japanese, and toilet of course.  For more advanced conversations, you can simply use Google Translate! Type what you want to say into your phone and a free...

Grocery shopping in Japan is like stepping into an alternate universe. The staples are there, bread, meat, fruit, candy, drinks, etc., but the availability of items on the island versus the mainland, and specific items that are exclusive to Japan is wholly different. Not to mention, the culture of Japan is totally ingrained into the grocery shopping rituals in...

The Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World is incredible, to say the least. One can only expect the same from any restaurant housed within the perimeter. The Kona Cafe is a simple restaurant, without much styling or motif, but the food is worthy enough to bring us back again and again. We’ve now dined at the Kona Cafe twice....

Shrouded within a forest, the Kiyomizu-dera Temple is balanced on the edge of Mt. Otowa. It is built into the rock wall facing the city of Kyoto overlooking the Higashiyama District to the west. Your journey to Kiyomizu-dera will provide you a glimpse of what you are about to experience along the way. The top most part of the...

Where organized religion is all but disappeared in the Japanese culture, our family didn't want to miss visiting the LDS temple in Japan. Wherever possible our family makes a point of visiting a LDS temple on our travels. We want to show and teach our children that principles transcend all cultures, fads and history. It's important to stand for...