From the Midwest to Tokyo: A Young Traveler’s Memorable Stay with Tokyo Family Stays

Hello! I am one of  Rose Tipka's  children and, as you may know, my Mom travels a lot for work. She has spoken in countless virtual conferences and in-person events in the USA, Australia, the UK, and, most recently, Japan.

I have had the privilege of accompanying her to almost all of the above. In our travels, I have scaled the 528 steps of St. Paul's Cathedral, seen the inconspicuous door in the English countryside behind which the D-Day invasion was planned, been disappointed by the Mona Lisa, and learned about the architectural mayhem that was the construction of the Sydney Opera House.

But nothing could have prepared me for Japan. I was dazzled by the living history of shrines and temples intertwined with the surprisingly clean and quiet modern subway. I loved the bright vending machines and ancient tranquility of the Meiji shrine. We enjoyed new food(being adventurous definitely paid off), getting our fortunes from shrines, and learning about Hello Kitty piloting a ‘turret’ at the fish markets.

If I had one piece of advice for someone visiting Tokyo, it would be to take tours. In our tours of shrines, historical sites, and my favorite, the fish markets, we learned and saw more than we ever would have on our own. Most of our tour guides were from Japan, but had lived in the US, UK, or Australia for a couple of years. They were friendly, easy to talk to, and very knowledgeable. Also, don’t pass by the capsule shops on Takeshta Street! It is my favorite location by far.

Tokyo is   surprisingly accessible to English-speaking tourists, with almost all official signage including English translations. With our good friend Google Maps, the city was surprisingly easy to traverse.

In my travels, I have seen countless things, but I have also stayed in countless places. With a mother who speaks across the world about hospitality and whose deep investment in giving that experience to her guests I see daily, it was odd to so often find ourselves in places that were less than hospitable.

That worry was magnified when traveling to a country whose appliances were in a different language, bathrooms were strange to me, and it was very different from my small midwestern American town.

Tracey's places dispelled all of these fears. Instructions for the washer and dryer in my own language made laundry quick and easy. The comfortable beds were heaven to my jet-lagged body, and it was actually clean. The Samurai House, which is where we stayed, was in a surprisingly quiet area, a five-minute walk from a convenience store, coffee shop, and subway station. It had all the modern amenities, while still maintaining the older architecture of sliding paper doors and painted bathroom tiling.

Tracey and Tokyo Family Stays, our host, introduced us to small restaurants and corners of Tokyo we would have missed, and accompanied us on a day-long excursion to Hakone, a beautiful area of the Japanese countryside. We shared some delicious meals, and her company was an absolute delight.

I had the time of my life. In fact, we loved it so much that we returned for my father's birthday!

Thank you for your hospitality, Tracey and Ashley and the Tokyo Family Stays team! We made so many memories with you, and thanks to you. Hopefully, we can extend the same favor and host you at our places this summer!