Baseball umbrellas, quiet shrines, Shibuya’s crowds, and a promise to travel together once a year.

My son and I made a promise to each other: once a year, we would take a father and son trip somewhere in the world, and he would choose the destination. This was our third year. He chose Japan.

He wanted to explore the food, culture, and temples. He also had two priorities of his own: the Pokémon Center in Tokyo and Nintendo World in Osaka. I was happy to let those help shape our itinerary. The point of this tradition, after all, is to discover a place together.

Our first night: Baseball and dancing umbrella

We landed at Narita Airport in the early afternoon after a comfortable, on-time American Airlines flight from Dallas. Rather than sit in traffic, we took the Narita Express to Shinagawa and continued by train to Takanawa Gateway, a short walk from our hotel, the JW Marriott Tokyo.

We had little time to spare. The Tokyo Yakult Swallows were playing at Meiji Jingu Stadium at 6 p.m., so we dropped our luggage, showered, and headed straight back out.

The stadium was packed. Supporters on both sides cheered throughout a close game, and we stayed for all nine innings. The biggest surprise for me was seeing Swallows fans lift small umbrellas and dance as they sang “Tokyo Ondo.”

The colorful celebration turned a baseball game into something distinctly Tokyo. (jingu-stadium.com⁠)

Afterward, we found a traditional Japanese restaurant and settled in for seafood and cold sake. We had only been in Japan a few hours, but the trip already felt underway.

From quiet Takanawa to Shibuya’s crowds
The next morning, we met our local guide for a full day of exploring.

We began close to the hotel at Takanawa Shrine, where we caught a glimpse inside, then visited the Zen Buddhist temple Tōzen-ji.

Tōzen-ji holds an unexpected place in Japan’s diplomatic history. In 1859, it became the site of Britain’s first diplomatic mission in Edo, with Rutherford Alcock based there. Standing at the temple entrance, it was fascinating to imagine this quiet place at the center of encounters between Japan and the outside world. (gotokyo.org⁠)

On our guide’s advice, we bought a day pass for local trains. It made moving across Tokyo easy and gave us more time to experience each stop.

Our first destination was Shibuya. Before stepping into its famous crossing, we stopped outside the station to see Hachikō, the loyal Akita whose statue has become one of Tokyo’s best-known meeting places. Hachikō used to meet his owner, university professor Hidesaburō Ueno, at the station. After Ueno died in 1925, Hachikō continued returning for years. The statue standing there today was installed in 1948, after the original was lost during World War II. (gotokyo.org⁠, gotokyo.org⁠)