This was one of the last questions my wife, Laura, and I asked ourselves during a yearslong debate about whether to have children. Trivial as it might seem when stacked against the responsibilities of procreation, Japan was no casual consideration. We'd been carrying on a torrid threesome with the country for almost as long as we'd been together. We fell in love in Japan, honeymooned in Japan, and spent months traveling the country together when I was researching Rice, Noodle, Fish, a book I wrote with Anthony Bourdain back in 2015.
As innocent as we were in those pre-parenting days, we knew enough to understand that everything would be irrevocably changed by having kids. We feared that the magic of Japan―the tiny restaurants; the quiet, contemplative spaces-would be compromised by our new traveling companions. So, we resolved to shelve Japan until our children were at least old enough to spell omakase.
But by the time our oldest son, Diego, was four, and his little brother Dylan was around eight months, we could feel the itch spreading. We were anxious: not just to return to Japan, but to test our mettle as a family. Could we still wander the world for weeks, even months at a time-and would we want to? And how would these little humans affect our relationship with the places most sacred to us? So Laura and I decided to travel to Japan as if it were our first time: Tokyo and Kyoto, plus maybe a side adventure or two. Along the way, we planned to share as much of our collective passion for the country with our children as possible-the wonders of the convenience stores, the science of noodle slurping, the magic of a night in an ancient ryokan.
If the trip was a success, we told ourselves, maybe our two boys would come to love this country as much as we do. And maybe― maybe! Laura and I would learn to love Japan in a new way.
What could possibly go wrong?
DAY 1
SHIBUYA, TOKYO
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Oodles of Noodles
Slurping through a lantern-lit alley in Sapporo, Japan, where miso ramen was born
The Sweet Spot
Just an hour south of Miami, Nora Walsh finds a candyland of tropical fruits ripe for picking.
Freshly Brewed
In the Cederberg Mountains of South Africa, Kendall Hunter discovers the powerful effects of the humble rooibos plant.
SHORE LEAVE
Raw, wild, and mind-bendingly remote, yet peppered with world-class wineries and restaurants-Australia's South West Edge is a study in contrasts.
Of Land and Sea
Savoring French flavors on a gastronomic trail between Marseille and Dijon.
FAMILY-STYLE
Food writer MATT GOULDING couldn't wait to get back to the hushed omakase restaurants of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. But would his young kids love the country-and its cuisine as much as he does?
HAPPY MEAL
Many tascas, the no-frills dining spots in Lisbon, have vanished. But others, Austin Bush discovers, are being lovingly reinvented.
A City Abuzz
In underappreciated Trieste, Taras Grescoe finds some of Italy's most storied-and spectacular-coffee shops.
FJORD FOCUS
Norway in December? Crazy-and crazy beautiful. Indulging a family wish, Akash Kapur discovers a world of icy enchantment.
DESTINATION OF THE YEAR Thailand
Full disclosure: I didn't like Bangkok at first. I didn't get it—the chaos, the traffic, the fact that everything was hard to find. But like all good love affairs, my relationship with Thailand—which deepened when I moved from Vietnam 12 years ago to work at Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, where I'm now editor in chief—took time to blossom.
