What’s up everyone!
I’ve recently been spending a lot of time in the older games since once Pokemon bank shuts down, there will be a ton of legendary and mythical Pokemon that are locked behind the paywall of Pokemon Go…
I saw a YouTuber named Trails Pokemon and they inspired me to set out on a journey to try and catch all the Shiny Mythical and legendary Pokémon in the older games, so I could have unique ribbons and markings on them! I really wanted to do all of this in hardware though so I decided to see what I could do to try and get my favorite mythical Mew, and Celebi shiny before they become incredibly hard to get if Game freak doesn't port these games to VC on the Switch / Switch 2 which I feel like if they were going to do they'd of done already.
https://preview.redd.it/slwixku8l51d1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=6581f56691739e071b6e5a055a8eea1065854194
The Set Up - Video Version https://youtu.be/CmawneiP9L8?si=HVBLQnLEOssLTUlC
I figured I’d start with the first two generations, Pokémon Red and Blue to get a shiny Mew, and Pokemon Gold and Silver to get a shiny Celebi. Both of these are awesome shinies, and I missed out on the Pokemon Go Masterwork research for them… so this was my only chance to get them. I was going to be working on doing the 8F Glitch, and the Coin case glitch to get them. I am pretty familiar with the Missingno glitch in gen 1 but that’s about the only glitch I’ve ever done until attempting this.
Thankfully I had already beat Pokemon Blue in a Hardcore Nuzlocke I had done earlier in the year. So I booted up my copy of Blue, and went to catch all of the legendary Pokémon, because if I’m making a transferable, good enough for Austin John Shiny Mew, I might as well make everything shiny right?
Once I caught the legendary birds, Mewtwo, and finally Mew, I then had to to some prep work:

• Catch evolve it into Parasect.
• Use the ditto glitch to catch Arbok using a Pokemon when I do the warp glitch than encounter ditto that has 108 special to get Ekans to spawn. (since it’s not in red natively) evolve it into Arbok. (https://www.reddit.com/pokemon/comments/532i5o/a\_mostly\_handdrawn\_guide\_to\_the\_mewditto\_glitch/)
• Catch a Pidgey that I’ll need a lot later but this will need to be at 233 Hp, total Hp does not matter, current Hp needs to be 233.
• Catch an Onix
• Catch a Tentacool

Now I set up my party

1. Mew
2. Pidgey with 233 hp
3. Parasect
4. Onix
5. Tentacool
6. Arbok

Now it’s time to obtain my items I need for the 8F glitch, this uses Missingno, if you don’t know how to do the Missingno Glitch there are lots of videos. But briefly, if you speak to the catch tutorial man in viridian city, watch him catch Weedle, fly to cinnabar island and surf along the coastline you will encounter a Missingno among other Pokemon. M and Missingno are the two new needs. Whenever you encounter them they increase the item value by 128, so if you have 1 it would make it 1+128 or 129 in your inventory.
Items for 8F Glitch
Now I needed to obtain a lot of items to get ready and prepped once we obtained 8F. Most of the items here can be purchased from Celadon city mart, PP UP can be obtained in celadon city in a block right outside of the city near the fake Pokemon center.

1. 8F (we will obtain it later)
2. Any item x89 (Missingno glitch, sell 40)
3. Dire Hit x58 (Missingno glitch, sell 71)
4. Iron x37 (Missingno glitch, sell 92)
5. X Accuracy x119 (1 + Missingno glitch, sell 10)
6. Water Stone x62 (Missingno glitch, sell 67)
7. Burn Heal x50 (Missingno glitch, sell 79)
8. Pokeball x43 (Missingno glitch, sell 86)
9. Antidote x43 (Missingno glitch, sell 86)
10. Protein x62 (Missingno glitch, sell 67)
11. PP Up x60 (Missingno glitch, sell 69 (nice))
12. Ice Heal x50 (Missingno glitch, sell 79)
13. Lemonade x133 (5 + Missingno glitch)
14. Great Ball x50 (Missingno glitch, sell 79)
15. Fresh Water x34 (Missingno glitch, sell 95)
16. TM01 any #

Once I have obtained all of these items, place them in your Pc. I make sure to clean my pc out of redundant items, because we need to make sure there is still room for one more item later to complete this. Now I put all of these items into my pc, along with my Masterball to keep it all safe.
Now I go buy an X special, and make sure I have 7 items in my inventory making sure to have a Masterball in slot 7. And my x accuracy in slot 6.

1. Any item
2. Any item
3. Any item
4. Any item
5. Any item
6. X special
7. Masterball

Making sure I have a Pokémon with fly and surf in my party. Perform the Missingno glitch, once I encounter Missingno use X Special twice, use the Masterball to catch Missingno, and you should now have 255 X Special in your inventory.
With this part complete, now I move my X special to slot 3 in my inventory, and toss my first two items, this duplicates my X special. Now I start tossing stacks of X Special until there is only two scrollable spots in my inventory. Then I toss 253 specials which does some crazy things with my inventory, then swap item one with item 2 in my box, then swap them back. Now I had activated item under flow which is what I need to be able to obtain 8F.
Now I fly to Celadon city and go to the right, 1 step before the route changes. Now I toss my entire stack of X specials in slot 1, press select and pick the x special left, and scroll down into the item under flow until I find a nugget. The. I press select there to swap the nugget for the x special.
Now I walk 5 steps right, 5 steps down, and 20 steps to the right, press select on the first item, and scroll down into the item under flow, until I find 8F, press select and swap them. (This part is super sketchy. I was so worried I was going to crash my game and lose my save file here but we freaking did it!)
Now not touching anything in the menu and NOT using 8F I fly back to Cinnabar island, and deposit 8F into the pc, making sure to ONLY deposit 8F. Close the pc save, and reset my game. Now I have the 8F item! Huzzah!!
This is the first step but it felt so good to get this, it looks like the game is breaking while you’re doing this because it pretty much is lol, but if you follow the steps it works easily.
Now I deposit my x special and withdraw all of the items we set up earlier.

1. 8F
2. Any item x89
3. Dire Hit x58
4. Iron x37
5. X Accuracy x119
6. Water Stone x62
7. Burn Heal x50
8. Pokeball x43
9. Antidote x43
10. Protein x62
11. PP Up x60
12. Ice Heal x50
13. Lemonade x133
14. Great Ball x50
15. Fresh Water x34
16. TM01 any #

And setup my Pokémon I had prepared earlier:

1. Mew
2. Pidgey with 233 hp
3. Parasect
4. Onix
5. Tentacool
6. Arbok

Now with my party set up, and my items in the appropriate order (I checked like 12 times lol) I made my Mew from GF with the OT ID 22796. But this was only part one, now I needed to make it Shiny!
To set this up I needed to change everything around. I deposit my Mew into my pc into box slot one, moving all of my other Pokemon from the box mew is in into box 2 so I only had Mew in my Box 1.
I then go to the safari zone and catch a Kangaskhan.
With Kangaskhan on my team it now looks like this

1. Pidgey with 233 current hp
2. Parasect
3. Onix
4. Tentacool
5. Kangaskan

With my party of avengers Pokemon assembled, now I needed to get my bag set up. This includes changing up lots of items. So I deposit unneeded items into my pc
Bag:

1. Any item (any #)
2. 8F
3. Lemonade x170 (42 + Missingno)
4. X Accuracy x178/177* (50 + Missingno)
5. Carbos x218 (90 + Missingno)
6. Pokeball x119
7. Fresh Water x201 (73 + Missingno)

• *you use 8F then toss 1 accuracy and use 8F again

Now with everything set up, I go to my PC, double checking all of my items and my Pokémon team is correct. Then use 8F with 178 X Accuracy, drop 1 X Accuracy, and then use 8F again with 177 X Accuracy again. Now I check my Mew and all its stats have changed. And my HP stat goes beyond the hp bar but I fix this issue by going to nurse Joy and healing my Pokémon in the Pokémon center.
With this power in my hands, I then made my Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, and Mewtwo Shiny. I also decided to make my Blastoise Johnathan shiny as well, which was my ace in my Nuzlocke run that died in the very last battle against Gary. I felt like it had earned its spot as a shiny that I could transfer to generation 9’s Scarlet and Violet.
Phewwwwwwwwwe generation 1 done… Now I need to do generation 2.. so I start out on a fresh copy of Pokemon silver and pick my boy Totodile (it's my fave starter so I of course have to pick it) name him Lyle and then proceed through the rest of the game to beat the Elite 4. During my journey from Littleroot town, I had a couple goals in this game.

1. I need to get Shiny Celebi, and the 1/8192 encounter rate wasn’t the ticket, with an unknown end date to bank I needed to get it much sooner.
2. Catch all of the legendary beasts shiny
3. Get the legendary duo Ho-Oh and Lugia Shiny
4. Make Lyle the Feraligatr shiny

Getting the Coin Case Glitch
Now I have actually never done any glitches in Pokemon Silver or gold ever so this will be my first attempt… I wipe the floor with Lance and my super OP Feraligatr. Then start setting up to get everything I need.
The first thing I snag is the namesake, the coin case. I go down into the underground in Goldenrod city and find the Coin Case that will allow us to actually perform this glitch. With Coin Case in hand, I head off to get TM27 Return from the Market top floor, this TM can only be gotten on Sunday though and if you have high friendship with the lead Pokemon, it's possible to change your date and time and it was a Thursday when I started to initiate this, so I changed my in game time and day so you don’t have to wait (https://legendarypkmn.net/pass/) Then I went off to Then off to Ilex forest to get TM02 Headbutt.
With this done, it’s now time to set up my avengers team, so I catch a Wooper, and Evolve it into Quagsire. I teach it Surf so it knows 4 moves, then teach it TM 27 Return as its first move. Once complete I hand it TM02 headbutt to hold (Do not teach it Headbutt it should be a held item). Catch a flying Pokemon, which I ended up snagging one of my favorite regional birds HootHoot. And finally a slide pokemon. So I learned that a slide Pokemon is one with Low DV’s, low friendship and is low level. Through doing this glitch three times, the best Pokemon I found was catching a Bellsprout outside of Violet city, then trade it to someone in the city for an Onix named Rocky, this Onix works every time you run this glitch (for me it has anyways) and makes this harder part of doing the glitch easy.
Now it was time to get my change pokemon so I caught 6 pokemon on Victory road to use as my pokemon I’ll be changing. Multiple Golbats, Donphan etc.
Once complete this is what my party looks like

1. Pokemon we are changing
2. Flying Pokemon
3. My Slide Pokemon in my case Rocky the Onix
4. Quagsire with Return as its first move, and holding TM02 Headbutt

Using this guide on Bulbapedia I select the box layout that I need to have set up to run these codes to get my desired outcome. I figured I’d try with Celebi first. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Coin_Case_glitches
I change my box to match for Celebi, fly to cherry Grove city and enter the Mart. Save the game, walk out of the mart taking 4 steps to the right, opening my pokedex on Bellsprout to hear its cry, then use the coin case after switching pockets in my inventory. It glitches out my game, but after I save it the issue is fixed.
Now my Pokemon in Slot 1 is extremely broken. If I encounter anything it looks like a Celebi, but on the menu it still looks like a Golbat.
With my broken Golbat I head over to the Daycare in Goldenrod and deposit my Pokemon, here you either pay a ton of money to get your Pokemon out, or 100 pokedollars. I found if you take one step down, then walk straight out, turn right back around and enter, he only charges you 100 Poke dollars, it worked several times when I did this so hopefully if you do this it does for you as well. Once I get my Golbat back it is now a Celebi! But its not legal to transfer to home… yet anyways.
I head to Blackthorn to delete all of my Celebi’s moves that it doesn’t know legitimately, and use TMs to teach it moves it does, if you didn’t nickname your Pokemon is actual name too I would use the name rater to change the name to whatever Pokemon you changed it too.
I then proceeded to do this Glitch multiple times to obtain:
Entei
Suicune
Raikou
Ho-Oh
Lugia
Celebi (Tink)
With all of the Pokemon I was looking for obtained now it was time to turn them shiny! So I use the Bulbapedia guide again change my box names to match those of changing the shiny pokemon, https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Coin\_Case\_glitches. And keep my part composition the same.

1. Pokemon we are changing
2. Flying Pokemon
3. My Slide Pokemon in my case Rocky the Onix
4. Quagsire with Return as its first move, and holding TM02 Headbutt

Then run the coin case glitch again doing the same as above, this changes the Pokemon in slot 1 to its shiny variant! I do this multiple times, for all 6 legendaries, then to Feraligatr, and Nidoking as well. I love Nidoking shiny, it looks so freaking cool imo.
Now the last thing I needed to do was to get the Pokemon to the correct levels as a lot of these Pokemon are under the level cap that will flag as a legitimate Pokemon… so I run about 8 hrs of Elite 4 runs, and eventually get the Pokemon to the required level they need to be.
Celebi - Lvl 30
Entei - Lvl 40
Suicune - Lvl 40
Raikou - Lvl 40
Lugia - Lvl 40
Ho-Oh - Lvl 40
The fastest way to do this if I had to to do it over again, would be to change Pokemon I caught in Mount Silver, vs Pokemon on Victory Road, as Pokemon in Mt Silver are over 40, so all you would have to do is change the Pokemon itself, delete its moves, and then it would be ready to go.
Lyle the Feraligatr will live forever with me now in the current games, and so will all of these awesome legendary Pokemon.
With all of this work done, It was finally time to transfer these pokemon up to Generation 9, this was pretty time consuming. It took about 70-75 hrs to beat both games and perform the glitches / learn what I needed to do. But it was super rewarding to get them into Pokemon scarlet and Violet. The Coin case glitch is leagues easier than the 8F glitch as you can see, and way less stressful. I wasn’t worried about my game blowing up to smithereens lol. Especially with this being the first time I had ever manipulated a Pokemon game to get more out of it then just extra rare candies to level up my Pokemon
As far as the future holds, Gen 3 and Gen 4 have some opportunities as well so I will be looking at those games next! Cannot wait to get going on them!

https://preview.redd.it/hhbqrh27m51d1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=7061ac211368addf5111709234765150811d5a4b

Is there any way I can get it to force the mobile view? Pokemon Showdown uses the desktop layout on the larger screen, and I'm having some issues with that. This happens with some other sites as well. I assume it's a developer choice, but if there's some way to override it that would be nice

Hey I was looking to trade most of my Nintendo switch games for MTG cards and a copy of pikmin 4 I'm open to all offers and happy to look at binders. Thanks a bunch for you time
I also have a copy of Fire emblem path of radiance and fire emblem radiant dawn that i might consider trading for the right cards (will send pics of these with timestamp if you have cards im interested in)
Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/UaeBVv4 MTG wants list: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/fgSo7Lw150qeHIfi3yxL3A open to ALL MTG cards not just wants list 3DS Pokemon Sun CIB Fire Emblem Echoes CIB
Legend of Zelda Tri Force Heroes loose
DS Kingdom hearts 358/2 days
CIB Kingdom hearts Re:coded CIB Legend of Zelda Link Between Worlds loose Animal Crossing Wild World loose
Neopets Puzzle Adventure loose
Wii Kirby's epic yarn CIB
Super paper mario (replacement case) Zack & Wiki quest for barbaros' Treasure CIB
Okami (replacement case)
Wii U Super Smash bros WiiU CIB Mario Kart 8 CIB
Nintendo Land CIB Hyrule
Warriors CIB
Nintendo Switch Xenoblade Chronicles 2 CIB Xenoblade Chronicles 3 CIB Hades CIB Fire Emblem Engage CIB Shinning Resonance Refrain CIB Catherine: Full body CIB Hot Wheels Unleashed CIB Bravely default 2 CIB Akriba's trip: hellbound & Debriefed CIB The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening CIB Sayonara Wild Hearts CIB Rune Factory 4 Special CIB Triangle Strategy CIB Pokemon Brilliant Diamond CIB Pokemon Shield CIB Pokken Tournament DX (Replacement case) Plants VS. Zombies: batlle for neighorvillie (sealed) super mario party CIB Mario + Rabbids kingdom battle CIB New Super Mario bros. U Deluxe CIB Monster hunter stories 2: wings of ruin CIB Tokyo mirage session (replacement case)

With the Delta Emulator on iOS I recently started replaying pokemon games on my iPhone.
it's really cool and fun but my biggest "issues" with it are:
1.Playing on the iPhone 14 Pro feels not so much easy on my hands. buttons are not positioned well and I miss click alot even with bigger button skins. and also my hand cramp alot if I just lay on bed and try to play for long periods. So how does the MM+ compare to the iPhone in this area? is it much more convenient and easy to hold/play?

1. Cheats and OS. I saw a video on the MM+ and pokemon that show's that this device is most "plug and play" available. you will have all games and cheats available in few clicks while on the iPhone I have to add cheats manually by typing codes and this can be super annoying. is it True that the MM+ comes pre installed with everything related to Pokemon? games and cheats and so on?

Other than that. I feel like iPhone does 3ds games much better because you can actually have touch and 2 screens properly but I saw the 3ds games being played with a layout on the right side and it seems "Ok" and not something that can ruin the 3ds games exprience.
so bottom line I want a device to play gen 3>6 at least. and my iPHONE is perfect for that but have some issues I'm having trouble with ( also the loss of battery and forcing my self to switch screens all the time for messages and such)
I'm placing a big order on Aliexpress so that's why I'm asking now on the MM+
to make sure if it's the right device for me.
Also I believe i need to make sure it's v2 with RTC? and get a seperate card readesd card instead of the ones the store offer on Ali?

v1.3.0 changes - Overhauled Seafoam Island - New layout, strong trainers, strong encounters, new music, and most importantly, it's blue now - You can now fight Green at the bottom (recommended for postgame). This rewards you with an infinite rare candy! - Added Bellossom, Blissey, Lickilicky, Magnezone, Sirfetch'd, Tangrowth (which means all evos are now in game!) - Added new sprites for Kingdra, Politoed, Hitmontop, Glaceon, and Leafeon - The "gained exp" text no longer appears when you are at level cap - Fury Attack no longer displays Rage on following turns - Hitmontop is now available in the fighting dojo - Buffed many trainers throughout midgame (and some later on) - Various learnset adjustments - Some spawn locations have been changed - Fixed a bug where certain Pokemon's cries were incorrect - Fixed a couple TM distribution oversights - Golbat now evolves at level 38 - Added something cool to the (former) Good Rod house in Fuchsia - Swapped the Name Rater house in Lavender with the Old Rod house in Vermilion - Cerulean Cave has a new color palette!
Also! We now have complete documentation for pretty much everything you would need to know about the game: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WkZOZfB7YhhXy8DwCTF4zU7Y7C5n_AzpvBwosMYhBLM/edit?usp=sharing
....as well as a handy roadmap for those who have lost their way or simply feel they might miss something: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cfr5I8wRl0reD4vf5VKW2wPue9lfXH5W4z2fcFd00EU/edit?usp=sharing
The project is almost nearing completion, however, two major projects are still in the works including a fully functional Battle Tower as well as an Online Battle Simulator for everyone to try out the changes we've made in a PvP setting!
We are currently running a nuzlocke competition in our Discord, feel free to check us out for more information: https://discord.gg/8BS5MhpdQh
Credits are listed in the documentation, however, I would like to give a special thanks to both Pokémon Prism and the Kanto Expansion Project for supplying us with most of the new sprites that we've added this patch ❤️ Please check them out when you can.
With all of that being said, here is the patch for v1.3.0, please enjoy!
https://mega.nz/file/vwEnXTra#-SKBQ6JrRLLA3cblE9Q2TUWCAykpAtCp9LEwFV3geYI

Hi everyone, I've been looking into retro handhelds and found out about Anbernics which seems to be one of the best retro handhelds, I'm mainly a Pokemon player so any model with all older Pokemon games would be fine, here's a few question
1: Can I play old Pokemon games with the Analog stick? I know Gameboys don't have sticks so that's what I was wondering
2: Is there a RG35XX H but the left stick and D-pad switches places so it's like the Joycon layout?
3: Which model comes preinstalled with almost all Pokemon games?
Thanks in advance!

So I kinda got back into pokemon because apple allowed Delta Emulator on the appstore.
Playing from your phone is real nice but there are many cons I hate, the buttons layout feels off and I miss press alot, battery drain, having to "disable" my phone and ignore messages and such because "im playing" and it just feels off. but still plays great.
I was growing up playing Red, Yellow, Gold. and I really want to replay the games I missed like emerald>platinum>x/y>hearth gold and so on.
So I'm looking for a handheld device that will allow me to relive those games but also offer things like Fast Forward/Cheats/Save states/Rom hacks and so on
I found this amazing video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgKToZlwyos and this device looks good but I'm not sure it's a "all in 1" device because hearth gold is a 3ds game which needs dual screen? right?
Also I want a device smiliar to the one in the video which offers easy access to all emulation stuff like fw/cheats/adding rom hacks and even they have achievements :o
Please advice fellow pokemon/handheld fans

Restock, Restock, Restock!! Sealed, Singles, graded, promos, shikishi, clear files, post cards, stickers, battrio, tretta, and MORE!
Name and username are in the first photo, name in subsequent pictures after, same timestamp, same layout.
https://imgur.com/a/F0L4AhQ
Prices for a portion will be posted below here, anything without a price feel free to just ask!
Bundles and discounts available depending on items, I try and be flexible where I can.
Sealed 10th movie binder promos - $200 Opened $150 *bundles available for multiple, all NM and extremely gradeable.
Advent Arceus Movie Theater Exclusive Blister - $1200 OBO
Sealed 2008 Movie Promo binder - $100
Sealed Japanese Armored Mewtwo - $22
Sealed Korean Armored Mewtwo Pack - $25
Sealed Japanese Hoopa Promo $45
Sealed Japanese 003 Rayquaza 2 pack - $15
Sealed Piplup Project - $4
Sealed Japanese SV Pikachu 001 - $10
Sealed Nobunga Shiny Rayquaza- $70 *first order comes with free japanese pokemon conquest game
Sealed Japanese Sealed Detective Pikachu - $28
Sealed Cracked Ice Holo Greninja 209 Promo - $15
Sealed Japanese Jungle Boy - $5
Sealed Mischievous Pichu - $10
Unpeeled 2003 Pokemon Advance Promo - $30
Sealed Darkrai Movie Promo - $15

Finally got around sharing our wonderful experience in Kansai (1 Apr 2024 - 10 Apr 2024). We are a family of 4 from Perth, Australia (1 x Toddler turning 4 end of this month and 1 x Infant about 18 months old) joined by my MIL from Malaysia. It was our first time trip to Japan but the second time flying 6 hours long with 2 kids. We chose to travel during this period as it was during Easter holidays and also the most favourable weather for our kids. As we have 4 separate accommodations booked over 9 days, we try to travel as light as possible: 2 x large suitcase, 1 x medium suitcase, 2 x medium bags, 1 x bag pack, 1 x dedicated bag for infant carrier and kids' jumpers + 1 stroller. Our kids still take nap(s) during the day and our plan was having the toddler sleep on the stroller and the infant in the carrier or the stroller if toddler is not using.
After extensive research (mostly from this sub) we still found the first few days to be quite hectic and wish we know some of the things beforehand (listed below the itinerary). I hope this post can help young families who are considering travelling to Japan with kids or those who have travelled to Japan before kids came to the picture to do it again with confidence.

9 Day Itinerary (1 Apr 2024 - 10 Apr 2024)

Day 1 Osaka: Namba (Monday)
Our flight from KUL arrived KIX around 10am and boarded the Nankai Rapid (bought 1 month prior online) to Shin-Imamiya station after getting our luggage. We originally planned to take a taxi from there but failed to find any taxi for 20 mins so we end up walking to our accommodation as the kids were tired of waiting. After offloading our luggage we manage to hail a taxi and head to Namba Parks to rest and unwind. Had a refreshing lunch at Yasaiya Mei (mains + all you can eat side dishes including veg tempura) and went to explore the rooftop parks garden before putting the kids to nap. After the kids woke up we took a taxi back to check in officially. Everyone was quite tired thus we opted to stay in and get dinner from Life supermarket nearby. This was probably the most enjoyable part of the day for the kids wandering around a foreign supermarket as we bought dinner and some light snacks. After putting the kids to bed, we did some laundry and packed our 1st luggage to send away.
Day 2 Osaka: Tennoji (Tuesday)
While everyone was getting ready, I went to the nearby 7-Eleven to forward our 1st luggage to the 4th accommodation via Yamato transport. The shop attendant was helpful and guided me through the process as we communicated via deepL. We walked to the Lawson's at JR Imamiya to get brekkky before taking the Osaka loop Line to JR tennoji. We took quite a while to navigate towards Tennoji Zoo from JR Tennoji but eventually got there after a 15 min detour. It was quite crowded for a Tuesday morning but the kids get to roam around the Tenshiba garden while I queue up for tickets (500 yen per adult). One of the kids fell asleep in the zoo so we decided to just grab food to go at the supermarket outside the zoo for lunch. We then head towards Abeno Q's mall to shop and put the other kid to sleep. There was quite a lot of hot food along the way and we manage to grab some for the kids to snack on after their nap (butaman from Horai 555, mochi donut from Mister Donut, taiyaki etc). There's a fantastic area for kids to play (kid, play, study) at the ground floor with different sensory setup and soft blocks for stacking/ balancing. I spent close to 2 hours there with 2 kids while my wife and MIL went shopping. After that we had dinner at Grand Capital Toyoutei at the Kintetsu mall dining floor before heading to our final activity of the day: Abeno Harukas 300. Tickets were a bit steep (2000 yen per adult) but we end up staying there for quite a bit and the experience was pretty unique even though we missed the sunset timing. The elevator ride to the top though short left quite an impression. The kids enjoyed running around at the sky garden 2 floors below as we rest and enjoy the night view of the city from about 300m above ground. The journey back to our accommodation was pretty straightforward and the kids got knocked out when we got home. All in all Tennoji was a pleasantly great experience and we have a better understanding about JR station layout and navigating underground.
Day 3 Osaka - Kyoto (Wednesday)
This was a rather hectic day as it rained quite a bit and we struggled to get a taxi after checking out, getting turned down by several taxis with "空车". We eventually found one to bring us to JR Osaka station. Navigating at the station wasn't too difficult after yesterday but there were long queues when we arrived at 10am and I made the fatal mistake of leaving my physical credit card back in Perth and spent 45mins trying to redeem limited express tickets I reserved online. The JR staff were friendly and tried their best to help but they can only recommend me cancelling my initial reservation and buying new tickets (cancellation fee was about 2300 yen for 3 adults). As soon as we got our tickets we sprinted to the underground gate about 15 mins walk away. I even carried the stroller and kids through an escalator as we didn't want to waste time finding a lift and risk missing the train. We managed to board the limited express train on time and arrived at JR Kyoto which was even more crowded and larger than most international airports. The kids were quite cranky by now as it has been all rush and long waits since they woke up. I split up with my family with 2 luggage that we initially planned to forward to our Arashiyama accommodation via Sagawa. However I was told same day delivery service is only applicable to limited hotels so I stored the luggage at 2 coin lockers and then head to the Kintetsu line ticket counter to redeem the Kyoto-Nara and Nara-Osaka limited express tickets which fortunately doesn't require my credit card details (just reservation number). By the time I reunite with my family it was still raining and both kids fell asleep so we ditched the plan for Kyoto railway museum and instead went browsing for lunch at Porta and Isetan dining floor. We eventually queued to eat at Ejuan for about 25 minutes while one of the kid was still asleep. The wait was worthwhile as the grilled miso black cod was exceptional as was the kids' grilled chicken. Next we went to the skywalk at level 9 briefly before my family went to the toy section at Isetan while I retrieve our luggage from the coin lockers. We board the Saga line bound for Saga-Arashiyama and rested awhile at the accommodation before heading out for dinner after the rain stopped. We walked to Kijurou and fortunately they have space for us provided we order a main meal per adult. The yakiniku and Wagyu rib loin bowls were pretty good but we find the Hitsumabushi set a bit gimmicky. After dinner we stopped by Kimono Forest on our way back and this was probably the highlight of the kids day.
Day 4 Kyoto: Arashiyama (Thursday)
Had Lawson's for brekky before heading out to Kimono Rental Amuya to hired kimonos for my wife and toddler including hairstyling. The shop was actually a house with the living area turned into a studio and only the owner working by herself so we waited for about half an hour before walking towards the Bamboo Forest and Tenryu-ji gardens (500 yen entry from the north gate but well worth it for the blooming sakura and picturesque lake). It was crowded as expected and everyone was moving slowly so it took us about an hour to complete the loop back to the main tourist strip. We then had Udon for lunch at Ozuru, the chewy noodles were complemented by the broth which was a lot more flavourful than the kitsune Udon we are accustomed to back in Perth. After lunch we head home to put the kids to nap before venturing out in the evening towards Togetsukyo Bridge overlooking the pristine Katsura river flowing gracefully from Mt Arashi in the backdrop. The view was breathtaking and we crossed over to Arashiyama park where the kids had a great time running around free range. As the sun was setting, we head back to the town centre, took a novelty Randen ride and grab some food (Naruse's Unagi, Upit's Burger) en route to our accommodation to eat in before calling it a day.
Day 5 Kyoto (Friday)
After checking out we took the Saga line to JR Kyoto station and forwarded the medium sized luggage to the 4th accommodation in Osaka using Crosta. We then did some light shopping at Yodabashi Camera Kyoto as my MIL shoes had kick the bucket and we needed a replacement. Manage to sneak in the only ramen meal of the trip at Ramen Chabuton located upstairs. It was a fairly small shop but we were lucky to get a table just before the Friday lunch rush hour and our ramen cravings were thoroughly satiated. We put the kids down for a quick nap as we make our way back to JR Kyoto to take the Saga line towards Kyoto railway museum. This is an underrated attraction with so much to do and we could have spent the whole day here if I knew they had coin lockers. There were many interactive and educational displays relating to train components in addition to multiple play areas upstairs as well as an outdoor playground! There's also a mockup ticket gate for kids to learn how to purchase a ticket and pass through the gate. Our kids loved the ball pit, toy train area and large train simulator. We couldn't squeeze enough time to explore the 3rd floor or watch the diorama presentation or board the Steam Locomotive as it was getting late. We took a taxi to check-in at Kamoya Ryokan before taking the bus to Nishiki Market for dinner. It's about 6pm and most of the shops were shutting and the remaining ones that are open had queues building up quickly. We ended up waiting 30 mins to eat sushi at Sushi Say. There's a limited range of cooked food including skewers which we got for our kids while we share a nigiri platter and sashimi. After dinner we went to the basement of Daimaru Kyoto across the road to get some baked goods for brekky before taking the taxi home to crash.
Day 6 Kyoto (Saturday)
My MIL wanted to take it easy and explore the area at her own pace so we had a more spontaneous day. After brekky, we took the bus to Yasaka Shrine and started our trek towards Heian Jingu, stopping along the way to enjoy the blossoming park and munching on food from street vendors. We paid to enter the shrine garden (600 yen per adult) which was very worth it for a 30 minute stroll and escape from the bustling crowd outside. We grab some food to eat from the street vendors as one of the kid slept and then head to the playground across the road (Wagener Square) and spent a good 30 minutes there even though it was a bit basic (Perth is blessed with many great playgrounds). Once both kids are feeling refreshed we felt adventurous and took the bus to attempt the hike up Kiyomizu-dera. Since its a Saturday, the Sannenzaka path was packed with phenomenal crowds with the occasional car coming through and splitting the crowd apart. I carried the infant to sleep while my wife push our toddler on the stroller as we slowly make our way up, stopping by for a nice matcha latte and softserve at Here cafe to recharge. We eventually reached the base of the temple after 30 minutes and decided against entering due to the massive crowds (& stairs!). On the way down we reached the fork that branches into Ninenzaka and thought we try giving it a go. There were a lot more stairs over this side and we had to carry the stroller through the steps while waiting for the crowd to advance before us. As physically draining as it was, we felt a sense of achievement as we manage to snap a photo with the iconic Hokanji temple. We took the bus home after that and had an enjoyable dinner at Okonomiyaki Yoshino next door before an early night to recover.
Day 7 Kyoto - Nara - Osaka (Sunday)
We had some leftover food for brekky before checking out and heading to JR Kyoto via taxi. We head to the Kintetsu line and boarded the Vistacar limited express train to Nara. I've booked for the private room down stairs which was pretty spacious for the 5 of us and our luggage. After arriving at Kintetsu-Nara station, we took the 100 yen tourist bus to the famous Nara Deer Park and started exploring the area. There were plenty of deer roaming throughout/ resting on the ground and several vendors at the entrance selling deer crackers. After the kids were done feeding 2 sets of crackers, we head to Mizuya Chaya for lunch. There were limited seating so we sat by the side and ate with the bowl in our hands while feeding the kids. Probably the best Udon we had in our lives (level above Ozuru in Arashiyama and Hifumiya in Perth). Time for a nap so we put the kids down while making our way to have a closer look at Todaiji temple as there were too many stairs to Kasuga-taisha and we have yet to recover. We had our first Cremia here and it was amazing. After the kids woke up we took the bus back to Kintetsu-Nara station and explored the nearby street while waiting for our train. We then boarded the HINOTORI limited express bound for Osaka. While walking towards the hotel to check in, we were passing by Dotombori and opted to have a quick dinner and call it a day rather than coming out again after checking in and offloading our luggage. We ended up having curry at Hariju Dotombori Curry shop which taste d like a homely nourishing meal. After dinner we took the taxi to the hotel and fortunately our 2 other luggage that we forwarded days before are waiting for us to collect. Did some repacking and also laundry at a nearby laundromat before sleep.
Day 8 Osaka: Osaka Bay Area (Monday)
Started the day with brekky at MOS Burger just outside our hotel before taking the metro train to Osaka Bay Area. There were plenty to see as we approach the Kaiyukan, large LEGO animal displays, the large ferris wheel and Disney characters. The ticketing and entry time is staggered which is a good idea to control the amount of crowds going in and out. I started queueing at 1035am and got entry for 11am which was fair (opted not to book timeslot online as it can be unpredictable with kids and public transit) but we didn't felt like its a long wait as the kids were running around and enjoying the ocean view. The entry also have a photographer stationed to take a family polaroid with a whale shark replica for FREE. We were impressed with the aquarium's efficient layout where some prominent displays (Whale Shark, Seals etc) span across multiple floors so you can still enjoy them later on if you missed it earlier due to the crowds. Apart from sea creatures there are also Arctic mammals and birds (Puffins) from all over the world. The kids were over stimulated by lunch time so we head to the food court at Tempozan Market Place to refuel. After lunch we took the kids for a ferris wheel ride before putting both to sleep while we make our way to Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street via metro line. As the kids were still asleep, I rested at Daimaru with my MIL while my wife went shopping. This turn out to be a fantastic place with a floor dedicated for kids (Pokemon centre, Pokemon cafe, BorneLund mini play area with many display toys available for sampling). The kids spent the rest of the day here after they woke up and we had dinner at the dining floor. There were queues everywhere and we chose to wait at Aozora Blue as they offer udon made with a higher wheat ratio here. Regrettably the kids didn't enjoy as much and prefer regular ones that we are used to. After dinner we took away cheescake from Rikuro for dessert back at our hotel. I made sure to online check in our flights before I go to bed.
Day 9 Osaka: Dotombori (Tuesday)
Our final day in Japan and we chose to do some shopping and take it easy. Tried Doutor Coffee for brekky (took a while to find as it was underground) before walking to Don Quijote at Dotombori. There's 6 floors crammed with various items: snacks, electronics, clothing, non prescription medication, toys, collectibles as well as a functional ferris wheel (operates after 2pm). That being said the kids got bored after awhile and didn't really enjoy much as there wasn't much space to move around. I brought them out to stroll around the Ebisu-bashi Bridge while my wife and MIL continue their haul. It was certainly a sight to behold: countless amount of large LCD screens with surround sound on full blast from every high rise building, street buskers vying for attention from crowds that were constantly on the move, tourists taking selfies in front of the iconic Glicoman. Sadly it started to drizzle so I quickly entered the Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street undercover area and look for a place to have lunch. I stumbled across a Yoshinoya & Hanamaru joint food hall which was bustling with both locals and foreigners. You have to order and get your food from the counter before you can occupy a table so I waited for my wife and MIL to arrive before we start queueing up. We had the gyudon and beef Udon with onsen egg along with chicken karaage and tempura. There's also a condiment station with toppings to complement your udon as well as free tea and water. Everything was very affordable and best of all we didn't had to wait long. After lunch my wife continuing shopping while we head to Daimaru for the kids to have a nap and play afterwards. I noticed there's a bridge that connects each floor to the Parco next door and discovered a unique floor full of pop culture themed stores including a studio Ghibli store featuring Totoro and No-Face displays, a 2 ft tall Godzilla, Ultraman, Capcom superstore, Sanrio (Hello Kitty), Snoopy, Rilakkuma and also a LEGO store. The kids had a great time browsing and also playing with LEGO before my wife reunites with us. As it's nearing dinner time, I thought we try our luck getting a table at Ganko Dotombori and make our way towards Ebisu-bashi Bridge. The view here is even more spectacular at night with the contrasting lights as well as numerous LCD displays illuminating the area. Unfortunately there's a lengthy wait at Ganko and our party voted for street food instead which turn out surprising well. Kids devoured a dozen gyozas while we had takoyaki, kobe beef nigiri, yakitori and yakiniku skewers as we strolled along the street. It was still early so we made a detour towards Hozenji before walking back the hotel. Then we stumbled upon an arcade (Amuse Factory AXE) which naturally drawn the kids in, we got popcorn from a vending machine there and it was enough to keep the kids happy on our trek back. Before taking our last sleep in Japan, we organized our luggage and get them ready for check out the next day.
Day 10 Osaka: Sayonara (Wednesday)
Checked out of the hotel and took a private airport taxi to KIX. Had brekky at McD and Lawsons and surprised to find that the food here costs the same as outside (e.g. McD/ Hungry Jacks at Malaysian/ Australian airports cost more than the metro/ suburban outlets). Boarded the flight and bid Japan farewell for now while soaking in the surreal time we had.
List of accommodations for 3 adults and 1 child + 1 infant/ toddler
1. Orange House 701 (22,500 yen for 2 nights) 10/10
Location is not bad in a quiet area South of the bustling Dotombori area with Konbinis and JR Imamiya within walking distance. Washing machine, shower and stove took some time to figure out and my kid accidentally turned on the stove but luckily there's a safety button. Overall a brilliant accommodation at an affordable price and will consider returning if we come back to Osaka with kids.
2. Arashiyama bamboo guest house (55,650 yen for 2 nights + 1200 yen tax) 8/10
Prime location 1 min away from JR station, Lawson and walking distances to the local tourist strip, Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji and Togetsukyo Bridge. However the room is located on the 3rd floor with no lift so it can be a challenge for kids and older folk. The owner was kind enough to carry our 2 X 20kg luggage up and speaks a little English. The stay was rather comfortable even with futons to sleep on while my MIL slept on one of the single beds. We are unlikely returning to Arashiyama but would recommend this place if it suits your budget.
3. Kamoya Ryokan (35,400 yen for 2 nights + 2000 yen tax) 7.5/10
Not as central as the other accommodations but still within 10 mins walking distance to JR and bus lines. This is a shared accommodation so fridge, microwave and hot/ cold water is in the common area but we have a private bathroom to use. There are no beds so we all slept side by side on futons in the same room. For some reason kids are also taxed to stay a night here (200 yen) but the host was super friendly, spoke a bit of basic English and helped us with ordering a taxi when we checked out. For the price this is not a bad place for short term stay if cosleeping on futons together as a family is acceptable. Bonus: the okonomiyaki place next door is quite good albeit requiring a bit more effort to communicate but is worth it as plenty of locals seem to frequent there and our kids love the yakisoba.
4. Best Western Hotel Fino Osaka Shinsaibashi (40,450 yen for 3 nights) 8/10
Functional hotel relatively close to Shinsaibashi shopping street and Dotombori. 1 min walk away from Osaka metro station and 7 Eleven. There's also a 24 hour laundromat 5 mins walk away. Facilities are bare minimal but gets the job done as we only needed the place to crash and freshen up since there's a lot of shopping and remaining sightseeing to be done. All reception staff spoke English well and check in/ out was rather smooth. I would consider staying again if the rooms were larger but can't complain at this price point and location.
List of eateries we consider returning

• Yasaiya Mei
• Ejuan
• Kijurou
• Ozuru
• Upit's Burger
• Ramen Chabuton
• Okonomiyaki Yoshino
• Mizuya Chaya
• Yoshinoya & Hanamaru

Highlight of each day for the kids

1. Wandering around Life supermarket and exploring a new accommodation
2. Running around 300m above ground at the Abeno Harukas sky garden while having fruits/ snacks in between
3. Visiting Kimono Forest after dinner, watching the randen pass by at the crossing
4. Running around at Arashiyama park and watching the majestic Katsura river flowing rapidly
5. The outdoor playground at Kyoto railway museum among many other fun things there
6. The playground at Wagener Square across Heian Jingu
7. Interacting with deer and eating udon outdoors
8. Seeing different sea animals up close and ferris wheel ride after
9. Making friends at BorneLund and having imaginary play together despite the language barrier

Lessons learned (not in chronological order)

General tips

• We prepared about 160,000 yen cash before arriving at Japan but also have money via 1 x transfer wise debit card (digital), 1 x Westpac credit card (digital), 1 x ING debit card (physical). We ended up withdrawing a further 200,000 yen worth of cash. We opted not to bring any AUD as the rate is quite poor in Japan since most would prefer foreign exchangers would prefer USD.
• We didn't get to use our digital cards as most places in Kansai (Kanto might be different) that offer card payments still requires a physical card to read the chip.
• Please remember to bring the physical card of the credit card used for any online booking to avoid the stress I endured on day 3.
• We booked all the transit tickets online about a month prior and find it worthwhile rather than spending 15 - 30 mins in queue at the ticket counters. The limited express tickets go crazy fast and I recommend booking them the hour they become available (1 month prior your transit date and as soon as it is open in Japan time).
• We booked all 4 accommodations via booking.com and find the messenger via the app very handy in liaising with the owne receptionist on whether we can offload our luggage earlier or forward our luggage a few days in advance. One of them even told me that I can check in few hours earlier as the room was ready. Regardless of what platform you use, try to communicate with the accommodation prior your arrival if you are considering forwarding luggage or dropping them off before your official check in time.
• Booking multiple accommodations over a short span of time is very tiring as we are needing to worry about getting our luggage from A to B every second day but only able to check in the next place 5 - 6 hours after checking out the previous place (Most checkin starts from 3pm and checkout from 10am). Our transition days are always stressful as we don't get to do much due to the timing while handling multiple baggage so the kids are crankier.
• Rubbish/ garbage cans are mainly found on major train stations or shopping malls as well as konbinis. Most vending machines only have a recycle bin but we have plenty of disposable nappy bags which we use as rubbish bags if needed.
• We had 3 data Sims about 5GB each which was sufficient for the 9 days (navigation, Google translate, WhatsApp voice call). Free wifi is available at most places which we use whenever we need to photo dump on WhatsApp group chats or play YouTube for the kids.
• My eSim stopped working when we arrived at Kyoto from Osaka but luckily I tried rebooting my phone and it connected to the local network after. Another down side of data only Sim is there is no Japanese mobile number which can be handy (make reservations at restaurants or signing up for taxi apps to get taxi).
• We use Google Maps and Japan Travel by NAVITIME App to plan our overall route each day, public transit details is quite clear via Google Maps with several options for different J metro/ bus lines. While Japan Travel App is able to approximate cost of taxi which was useful for comparison.
• For translation, we used DeepL app when we wanted to converse with someone in Japanese and Google Translate for written Japanese translation via the camera.
• In Osaka, getting around via JR and Metro is optimal in terms of time and cost; In Kyoto, buses are more readily available but be prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder as the buses are not big and averages around 30 - 50 people. We recommend a taxi if travelling a short distance (<10 minutes) for a family that can fit into a single car.
• You can forward luggage at your hotel or local 7 eleven via Yamato transport within Osaka.
• The Jikan refreshing legs patch worked well for me but my wife got woken up few times as her feet felt cold due to the cooling effect. We got some heat patches the next day and it worked better for her.
• A few Japanese phrases go along way and perhaps it's why we mostly get friendly responses (arigato gozaimas, ohaiyo, konnichiwa, kore onegaishimas, doitashi mashite, hitotsu onegaishimas, daijorbudes, kodomo).
• The basement level of most department stores/ shopping malls sells a variety of package deserts and often a bakery opened till 8pm where we sometimes go to after dinner to get brekky for the next morning.
• Some malls have an express lift (stops only at 1F and 10F) and it may be quicker to use those in combination with escalators to get to the level you like quickly.
• Coin lockers are found is almost every major attraction and JR station but finding a large one that is available can be challenging so allow extra time. Most coin lockers only take 100 yen coins with the exception of newer ones which also takes IC cards as payment.
• Some food courts have drinkable water for you to refill your bottles but otherwise vending machines and konbinis will quench your hydration needs (the peach drink is pretty addictive).
• Other than Booking.com, Google maps, Google Translate, DeepL and Japan Travel by NAVITIME, we didn't really used the other apps we downloaded before hand but you might find a use for them: Mamamap, NERV, Ecbo cloak, Klook.

Child related tips

• Younger kids take awhile to acclimatize to a foreign environment and our kids were more lethargic than they normally are during the day, sometimes needing 2 naps instead of 1 so be prepared to adjust your plans and skip over some places that were catered specifically for them if needed.
• Google maps only tells you the distance to get you from Point A to Point B horizontally. Unfortunately it doesn't consider the routes involving travelling multiple floors to avoid heavy traffic even with wheelchair access enabled. For instance you can go across Tenshiba Garden from JR Tennoji via the overhead bridge (not ideal as the route is longer with a stroller) or underground (best with a stroller but unfortunately Google Maps doesn't show this route and we stumble across it by chance).
• Google maps navigation over multiple floors is also not very accurate but the local directory maps are very informative so take extra time to study it and find the nearest access (parents room, lift or exit to above ground/ underground).
• The lift (singular as most train station platforms only share one lift unless it's a major one like Osaka/ Kyoto etc), are often located at one end of the platform so allow additional 15 - 20 minutes when travelling with strollers or luggage.
• Most department stores/ shopping malls (Daimaru etc) have a floor suitable for kids with toy samples for playing and sometimes even a free play area (Bornelund).
• Our kids love the Butaman from Horai and we probably purchased from 5 different stores throughout the trip (they are located at almost every major station and department store). Find something that works for your kids that can be found readily (7-11, family mart, Lawson's, daily Yamazaki etc) as back up when they didn't want to eat where you were dining at or if they fell asleep and skipped a meal.
• 100 yen stores (Daiso, 3 coins, Seria, Can*Do, Watts) have plenty of cheap kid activities (e.g. sticker books, puzzles, bubble wand etc) that can entertain them throughout the day/ in restaurants/ in the showe in the accommodation before bed etc.
• Paid Attractions in Kansai that are worthwhile if your kids are under 5 (6 and above may be charged separately): Tennoji Zoo, Abeno Harukas 300, Kyoto Railway Museum, Osaka Kaiyukan, Tempozan Ferris Wheel.
• Other brekky alternatives that we liked apart from konbinis/ bakeries were MOS burgers and Doutor coffee. Gyudons (sukiya, matsuya, yoshinoya) morning menu was a bit too heavy for our kids and other options we would have tried were too far from where we stayed (Tully's, McDonalds, KoHiKan).
• Some places require you order a main meal per adult but we are small eaters so we make sure what we ordered was something our kids might eat (not spicy etc).
• Tabelog is useful to tell you the size of the restaurant and we avoided anywhere that seats less than 20 people to save time.
• We tried to eat at a restaurant for lunch and dinner the first few days but actually realize the kids enjoy munching on small eats from konbinis/ street vendors more than a casual sit down meal so we were a bit more spontaneous the second half of the trip.
• Watch out for deer poo at Nara especially when pushing your stroller! Most of the deer are quite friendly and let you pet them but don't touch their tail area as they can get defensive. If your kids are feeding away the crackers too quickly, break them in half so you have more 'ammunition'.
• Metro and JR Trains (including limited express ones) stop for less than 10 seconds. Please remember to unlock your stroller when you are approaching your next stop and prepare to jump out.

Finally got around sharing our wonderful experience in Kansai (1 Apr 2024 - 10 Apr 2024). We are a family of 4 from Perth, Australia (1 x Toddler turning 4 end of this month and 1 x Infant about 18 months old) joined by my MIL from Malaysia. It was our first time trip to Japan but the second time flying 6 hours long with 2 kids. We chose to travel during this period as it was during Easter holidays and also the most favourable weather for our kids. As we have 4 separate accommodations booked over 9 days, we try to travel as light as possible: 2 x large suitcase, 1 x medium suitcase, 2 x medium bags, 1 x bag pack, 1 x dedicated bag for infant carrier and kids' jumpers + 1 stroller. Our kids still take nap(s) during the day and our plan was having the toddler sleep on the stroller and the infant in the carrier or the stroller if toddler is not using.
After extensive research (mostly from this sub) we still found the first few days to be quite hectic and wish we know some of the things beforehand (listed below the itinerary). I hope this post can help young families who are considering travelling to Japan with kids or those who have travelled to Japan before kids came to the picture to do it again with confidence.

9 Day Itinerary (1 Apr 2024 - 10 Apr 2024)

Day 1 Osaka: Namba (Monday)
Our flight from KUL arrived KIX around 10am and boarded the Nankai Rapid (bought 1 month prior online) to Shin-Imamiya station after getting our luggage. We originally planned to take a taxi from there but failed to find any taxi for 20 mins so we end up walking to our accommodation as the kids were tired of waiting. After offloading our luggage we manage to hail a taxi and head to Namba Parks to rest and unwind. Had a refreshing lunch at Yasaiya Mei (mains + all you can eat side dishes including veg tempura) and went to explore the rooftop parks garden before putting the kids to nap. After the kids woke up we took a taxi back to check in officially. Everyone was quite tired thus we opted to stay in and get dinner from Life supermarket nearby. This was probably the most enjoyable part of the day for the kids wandering around a foreign supermarket as we bought dinner and some light snacks. After putting the kids to bed, we did some laundry and packed our 1st luggage to send away.
Day 2 Osaka: Tennoji (Tuesday)
While everyone was getting ready, I went to the nearby 7-Eleven to forward our 1st luggage to the 4th accommodation via Yamato transport. The shop attendant was helpful and guided me through the process as we communicated via deepL. We walked to the Lawson's at JR Imamiya to get brekkky before taking the Osaka loop Line to JR tennoji. We took quite a while to navigate towards Tennoji Zoo from JR Tennoji but eventually got there after a 15 min detour. It was quite crowded for a Tuesday morning but the kids get to roam around the Tenshiba garden while I queue up for tickets (500 yen per adult). One of the kids fell asleep in the zoo so we decided to just grab food to go at the supermarket outside the zoo for lunch. We then head towards Abeno Q's mall to shop and put the other kid to sleep. There was quite a lot of hot food along the way and we manage to grab some for the kids to snack on after their nap (butaman from Horai 555, mochi donut from Mister Donut, taiyaki etc). There's a fantastic area for kids to play (kid, play, study) at the ground floor with different sensory setup and soft blocks for stacking/ balancing. I spent close to 2 hours there with 2 kids while my wife and MIL went shopping. After that we had dinner at Grand Capital Toyoutei at the Kintetsu mall dining floor before heading to our final activity of the day: Abeno Harukas 300. Tickets were a bit steep (2000 yen per adult) but we end up staying there for quite a bit and the experience was pretty unique even though we missed the sunset timing. The elevator ride to the top though short left quite an impression. The kids enjoyed running around at the sky garden 2 floors below as we rest and enjoy the night view of the city from about 300m above ground. The journey back to our accommodation was pretty straightforward and the kids got knocked out when we got home. All in all Tennoji was a pleasantly great experience and we have a better understanding about JR station layout and navigating underground.
Day 3 Osaka - Kyoto (Wednesday)
This was a rather hectic day as it rained quite a bit and we struggled to get a taxi after checking out, getting turned down by several taxis with "空车". We eventually found one to bring us to JR Osaka station. Navigating at the station wasn't too difficult after yesterday but there were long queues when we arrived at 10am and I made the fatal mistake of leaving my physical credit card back in Perth and spent 45mins trying to redeem limited express tickets I reserved online. The JR staff were friendly and tried their best to help but they can only recommend me cancelling my initial reservation and buying new tickets (cancellation fee was about 2300 yen for 3 adults). As soon as we got our tickets we sprinted to the underground gate about 15 mins walk away. I even carried the stroller and kids through an escalator as we didn't want to waste time finding a lift and risk missing the train. We managed to board the limited express train on time and arrived at JR Kyoto which was even more crowded and larger than most international airports. The kids were quite cranky by now as it has been all rush and long waits since they woke up. I split up with my family with 2 luggage that we initially planned to forward to our Arashiyama accommodation via Sagawa. However I was told same day delivery service is only applicable to limited hotels so I stored the luggage at 2 coin lockers and then head to the Kintetsu line ticket counter to redeem the Kyoto-Nara and Nara-Osaka limited express tickets which fortunately doesn't require my credit card details (just reservation number). By the time I reunite with my family it was still raining and both kids fell asleep so we ditched the plan for Kyoto railway museum and instead went browsing for lunch at Porta and Isetan dining floor. We eventually queued to eat at Ejuan for about 25 minutes while one of the kid was still asleep. The wait was worthwhile as the grilled miso black cod was exceptional as was the kids' grilled chicken. Next we went to the skywalk at level 9 briefly before my family went to the toy section at Isetan while I retrieve our luggage from the coin lockers. We board the Saga line bound for Saga-Arashiyama and rested awhile at the accommodation before heading out for dinner after the rain stopped. We walked to Kijurou and fortunately they have space for us provided we order a main meal per adult. The yakiniku and Wagyu rib loin bowls were pretty good but we find the Hitsumabushi set a bit gimmicky. After dinner we stopped by Kimono Forest on our way back and this was probably the highlight of the kids day.
Day 4 Kyoto: Arashiyama (Thursday)
Had Lawson's for brekky before heading out to Kimono Rental Amuya to hired kimonos for my wife and toddler including hairstyling. The shop was actually a house with the living area turned into a studio and only the owner working by herself so we waited for about half an hour before walking towards the Bamboo Forest and Tenryu-ji gardens (500 yen entry from the north gate but well worth it for the blooming sakura and picturesque lake). It was crowded as expected and everyone was moving slowly so it took us about an hour to complete the loop back to the main tourist strip. We then had Udon for lunch at Ozuru, the chewy noodles were complemented by the broth which was a lot more flavourful than the kitsune Udon we are accustomed to back in Perth. After lunch we head home to put the kids to nap before venturing out in the evening towards Togetsukyo Bridge overlooking the pristine Katsura river flowing gracefully from Mt Arashi in the backdrop. The view was breathtaking and we crossed over to Arashiyama park where the kids had a great time running around free range. As the sun was setting, we head back to the town centre, took a novelty Randen ride and grab some food (Naruse's Unagi, Upit's Burger) en route to our accommodation to eat in before calling it a day.
Day 5 Kyoto (Friday)
After checking out we took the Saga line to JR Kyoto station and forwarded the medium sized luggage to the 4th accommodation in Osaka using Crosta. We then did some light shopping at Yodabashi Camera Kyoto as my MIL shoes had kick the bucket and we needed a replacement. Manage to sneak in the only ramen meal of the trip at Ramen Chabuton located upstairs. It was a fairly small shop but we were lucky to get a table just before the Friday lunch rush hour and our ramen cravings were thoroughly satiated. We put the kids down for a quick nap as we make our way back to JR Kyoto to take the Saga line towards Kyoto railway museum. This is an underrated attraction with so much to do and we could have spent the whole day here if I knew they had coin lockers. There were many interactive and educational displays relating to train components in addition to multiple play areas upstairs as well as an outdoor playground! There's also a mockup ticket gate for kids to learn how to purchase a ticket and pass through the gate. Our kids loved the ball pit, toy train area and large train simulator. We couldn't squeeze enough time to explore the 3rd floor or watch the diorama presentation or board the Steam Locomotive as it was getting late. We took a taxi to check-in at Kamoya Ryokan before taking the bus to Nishiki Market for dinner. It's about 6pm and most of the shops were shutting and the remaining ones that are open had queues building up quickly. We ended up waiting 30 mins to eat sushi at Sushi Say. There's a limited range of cooked food including skewers which we got for our kids while we share a nigiri platter and sashimi. After dinner we went to the basement of Daimaru Kyoto across the road to get some baked goods for brekky before taking the taxi home to crash.
Day 6 Kyoto (Saturday)
My MIL wanted to take it easy and explore the area at her own pace so we had a more spontaneous day. After brekky, we took the bus to Yasaka Shrine and started our trek towards Heian Jingu, stopping along the way to enjoy the blossoming park and munching on food from street vendors. We paid to enter the shrine garden (600 yen per adult) which was very worth it for a 30 minute stroll and escape from the bustling crowd outside. We grab some food to eat from the street vendors as one of the kid slept and then head to the playground across the road (Wagener Square) and spent a good 30 minutes there even though it was a bit basic (Perth is blessed with many great playgrounds). Once both kids are feeling refreshed we felt adventurous and took the bus to attempt the hike up Kiyomizu-dera. Since its a Saturday, the Sannenzaka path was packed with phenomenal crowds with the occasional car coming through and splitting the crowd apart. I carried the infant to sleep while my wife push our toddler on the stroller as we slowly make our way up, stopping by for a nice matcha latte and softserve at Here cafe to recharge. We eventually reached the base of the temple after 30 minutes and decided against entering due to the massive crowds (& stairs!). On the way down we reached the fork that branches into Ninenzaka and thought we try giving it a go. There were a lot more stairs over this side and we had to carry the stroller through the steps while waiting for the crowd to advance before us. As physically draining as it was, we felt a sense of achievement as we manage to snap a photo with the iconic Hokanji temple. We took the bus home after that and had an enjoyable dinner at Okonomiyaki Yoshino next door before an early night to recover.
Day 7 Kyoto - Nara - Osaka (Sunday)
We had some leftover food for brekky before checking out and heading to JR Kyoto via taxi. We head to the Kintetsu line and boarded the Vistacar limited express train to Nara. I've booked for the private room down stairs which was pretty spacious for the 5 of us and our luggage. After arriving at Kintetsu-Nara station, we took the 100 yen tourist bus to the famous Nara Deer Park and started exploring the area. There were plenty of deer roaming throughout/ resting on the ground and several vendors at the entrance selling deer crackers. After the kids were done feeding 2 sets of crackers, we head to Mizuya Chaya for lunch. There were limited seating so we sat by the side and ate with the bowl in our hands while feeding the kids. Probably the best Udon we had in our lives (level above Ozuru in Arashiyama and Hifumiya in Perth). Time for a nap so we put the kids down while making our way to have a closer look at Todaiji temple as there were too many stairs to Kasuga-taisha and we have yet to recover. We had our first Cremia here and it was amazing. After the kids woke up we took the bus back to Kintetsu-Nara station and explored the nearby street while waiting for our train. We then boarded the HINOTORI limited express bound for Osaka. While walking towards the hotel to check in, we were passing by Dotombori and opted to have a quick dinner and call it a day rather than coming out again after checking in and offloading our luggage. We ended up having curry at Hariju Dotombori Curry shop which taste d like a homely nourishing meal. After dinner we took the taxi to the hotel and fortunately our 2 other luggage that we forwarded days before are waiting for us to collect. Did some repacking and also laundry at a nearby laundromat before sleep.
Day 8 Osaka: Osaka Bay Area (Monday)
Started the day with brekky at MOS Burger just outside our hotel before taking the metro train to Osaka Bay Area. There were plenty to see as we approach the Kaiyukan, large LEGO animal displays, the large ferris wheel and Disney characters. The ticketing and entry time is staggered which is a good idea to control the amount of crowds going in and out. I started queueing at 1035am and got entry for 11am which was fair (opted not to book timeslot online as it can be unpredictable with kids and public transit) but we didn't felt like its a long wait as the kids were running around and enjoying the ocean view. The entry also have a photographer stationed to take a family polaroid with a whale shark replica for FREE. We were impressed with the aquarium's efficient layout where some prominent displays (Whale Shark, Seals etc) span across multiple floors so you can still enjoy them later on if you missed it earlier due to the crowds. Apart from sea creatures there are also Arctic mammals and birds (Puffins) from all over the world. The kids were over stimulated by lunch time so we head to the food court at Tempozan Market Place to refuel. After lunch we took the kids for a ferris wheel ride before putting both to sleep while we make our way to Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street via metro line. As the kids were still asleep, I rested at Daimaru with my MIL while my wife went shopping. This turn out to be a fantastic place with a floor dedicated for kids (Pokemon centre, Pokemon cafe, BorneLund mini play area with many display toys available for sampling). The kids spent the rest of the day here after they woke up and we had dinner at the dining floor. There were queues everywhere and we chose to wait at Aozora Blue as they offer udon made with a higher wheat ratio here. Regrettably the kids didn't enjoy as much and prefer regular ones that we are used to. After dinner we took away cheescake from Rikuro for dessert back at our hotel. I made sure to online check in our flights before I go to bed.
Day 9 Osaka: Dotombori (Tuesday)
Our final day in Japan and we chose to do some shopping and take it easy. Tried Doutor Coffee for brekky (took a while to find as it was underground) before walking to Don Quijote at Dotombori. There's 6 floors crammed with various items: snacks, electronics, clothing, non prescription medication, toys, collectibles as well as a functional ferris wheel (operates after 2pm). That being said the kids got bored after awhile and didn't really enjoy much as there wasn't much space to move around. I brought them out to stroll around the Ebisu-bashi Bridge while my wife and MIL continue their haul. It was certainly a sight to behold: countless amount of large LCD screens with surround sound on full blast from every high rise building, street buskers vying for attention from crowds that were constantly on the move, tourists taking selfies in front of the iconic Glicoman. Sadly it started to drizzle so I quickly entered the Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street undercover area and look for a place to have lunch. I stumbled across a Yoshinoya & Hanamaru joint food hall which was bustling with both locals and foreigners. You have to order and get your food from the counter before you can occupy a table so I waited for my wife and MIL to arrive before we start queueing up. We had the gyudon and beef Udon with onsen egg along with chicken karaage and tempura. There's also a condiment station with toppings to complement your udon as well as free tea and water. Everything was very affordable and best of all we didn't had to wait long. After lunch my wife continuing shopping while we head to Daimaru for the kids to have a nap and play afterwards. I noticed there's a bridge that connects each floor to the Parco next door and discovered a unique floor full of pop culture themed stores including a studio Ghibli store featuring Totoro and No-Face displays, a 2 ft tall Godzilla, Ultraman, Capcom superstore, Sanrio (Hello Kitty), Snoopy, Rilakkuma and also a LEGO store. The kids had a great time browsing and also playing with LEGO before my wife reunites with us. As it's nearing dinner time, I thought we try our luck getting a table at Ganko Dotombori and make our way towards Ebisu-bashi Bridge. The view here is even more spectacular at night with the contrasting lights as well as numerous LCD displays illuminating the area. Unfortunately there's a lengthy wait at Ganko and our party voted for street food instead which turn out surprising well. Kids devoured a dozen gyozas while we had takoyaki, kobe beef nigiri, yakitori and yakiniku skewers as we strolled along the street. It was still early so we made a detour towards Hozenji before walking back the hotel. Then we stumbled upon an arcade (Amuse Factory AXE) which naturally drawn the kids in, we got popcorn from a vending machine there and it was enough to keep the kids happy on our trek back. Before taking our last sleep in Japan, we organized our luggage and get them ready for check out the next day.
Day 10 Osaka: Sayonara (Wednesday)
Checked out of the hotel and took a private airport taxi to KIX. Had brekky at McD and Lawsons and surprised to find that the food here costs the same as outside (e.g. McD/ Hungry Jacks at Malaysian/ Australian airports cost more than the metro/ suburban outlets). Boarded the flight and bid Japan farewell for now while soaking in the surreal time we had.
List of accommodations for 3 adults and 1 child + 1 infant/ toddler
1. Orange House 701 (22,500 yen for 2 nights) 10/10
Location is not bad in a quiet area South of the bustling Dotombori area with Konbinis and JR Imamiya within walking distance. Washing machine, shower and stove took some time to figure out and my kid accidentally turned on the stove but luckily there's a safety button. Overall a brilliant accommodation at an affordable price and will consider returning if we come back to Osaka with kids.
2. Arashiyama bamboo guest house (55,650 yen for 2 nights + 1200 yen tax) 8/10
Prime location 1 min away from JR station, Lawson and walking distances to the local tourist strip, Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji and Togetsukyo Bridge. However the room is located on the 3rd floor with no lift so it can be a challenge for kids and older folk. The owner was kind enough to carry our 2 X 20kg luggage up and speaks a little English. The stay was rather comfortable even with futons to sleep on while my MIL slept on one of the single beds. We are unlikely returning to Arashiyama but would recommend this place if it suits your budget.
3. Kamoya Ryokan (35,400 yen for 2 nights + 2000 yen tax) 7.5/10
Not as central as the other accommodations but still within 10 mins walking distance to JR and bus lines. This is a shared accommodation so fridge, microwave and hot/ cold water is in the common area but we have a private bathroom to use. There are no beds so we all slept side by side on futons in the same room. For some reason kids are also taxed to stay a night here (200 yen) but the host was super friendly, spoke a bit of basic English and helped us with ordering a taxi when we checked out. For the price this is not a bad place for short term stay if cosleeping on futons together as a family is acceptable. Bonus: the okonomiyaki place next door is quite good albeit requiring a bit more effort to communicate but is worth it as plenty of locals seem to frequent there and our kids love the yakisoba.
4. Best Western Hotel Fino Osaka Shinsaibashi (40,450 yen for 3 nights) 8/10
Functional hotel relatively close to Shinsaibashi shopping street and Dotombori. 1 min walk away from Osaka metro station and 7 Eleven. There's also a 24 hour laundromat 5 mins walk away. Facilities are bare minimal but gets the job done as we only needed the place to crash and freshen up since there's a lot of shopping and remaining sightseeing to be done. All reception staff spoke English well and check in/ out was rather smooth. I would consider staying again if the rooms were larger but can't complain at this price point and location.
List of eateries we consider returning

• Yasaiya Mei
• Ejuan
• Kijurou
• Ozuru
• Upit's Burger
• Ramen Chabuton
• Okonomiyaki Yoshino
• Mizuya Chaya
• Yoshinoya & Hanamaru

Highlight of each day for the kids

1. Wandering around Life supermarket and exploring a new accommodation
2. Running around 300m above ground at the Abeno Harukas sky garden while having fruits/ snacks in between
3. Visiting Kimono Forest after dinner, watching the randen pass by at the crossing
4. Running around at Arashiyama park and watching the majestic Katsura river flowing rapidly
5. The outdoor playground at Kyoto railway museum among many other fun things there
6. The playground at Wagener Square across Heian Jingu
7. Interacting with deer and eating udon outdoors
8. Seeing different sea animals up close and ferris wheel ride after
9. Making friends at BorneLund and having imaginary play together despite the language barrier

Lessons learned (not in chronological order)

General tips

• We prepared about 160,000 yen cash before arriving at Japan but also have money via 1 x transfer wise debit card (digital), 1 x Westpac credit card (digital), 1 x ING debit card (physical). We ended up withdrawing a further 200,000 yen worth of cash. We opted not to bring any AUD as the rate is quite poor in Japan since most would prefer foreign exchangers would prefer USD.
• We didn't get to use our digital cards as most places in Kansai (Kanto might be different) that offer card payments still requires a physical card to read the chip.
• Please remember to bring the physical card of the credit card used for any online booking to avoid the stress I endured on day 3.
• We booked all the transit tickets online about a month prior and find it worthwhile rather than spending 15 - 30 mins in queue at the ticket counters. The limited express tickets go crazy fast and I recommend booking them the hour they become available (1 month prior your transit date and as soon as it is open in Japan time).
• We booked all 4 accommodations via booking.com and find the messenger via the app very handy in liaising with the owne receptionist on whether we can offload our luggage earlier or forward our luggage a few days in advance. One of them even told me that I can check in few hours earlier as the room was ready. Regardless of what platform you use, try to communicate with the accommodation prior your arrival if you are considering forwarding luggage or dropping them off before your official check in time.
• Booking multiple accommodations over a short span of time is very tiring as we are needing to worry about getting our luggage from A to B every second day but only able to check in the next place 5 - 6 hours after checking out the previous place (Most checkin starts from 3pm and checkout from 10am). Our transition days are always stressful as we don't get to do much due to the timing while handling multiple baggage so the kids are crankier.
• Rubbish/ garbage cans are mainly found on major train stations or shopping malls as well as konbinis. Most vending machines only have a recycle bin but we have plenty of disposable nappy bags which we use as rubbish bags if needed.
• We had 3 data Sims about 5GB each which was sufficient for the 9 days (navigation, Google translate, WhatsApp voice call). Free wifi is available at most places which we use whenever we need to photo dump on WhatsApp group chats or play YouTube for the kids.
• My eSim stopped working when we arrived at Kyoto from Osaka but luckily I tried rebooting my phone and it connected to the local network after. Another down side of data only Sim is there is no Japanese mobile number which can be handy (make reservations at restaurants or signing up for taxi apps to get taxi).
• We use Google Maps and Japan Travel by NAVITIME App to plan our overall route each day, public transit details is quite clear via Google Maps with several options for different J metro/ bus lines. While Japan Travel App is able to approximate cost of taxi which was useful for comparison.
• For translation, we used DeepL app when we wanted to converse with someone in Japanese and Google Translate for written Japanese translation via the camera.
• In Osaka, getting around via JR and Metro is optimal in terms of time and cost; In Kyoto, buses are more readily available but be prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder as the buses are not big and averages around 30 - 50 people. We recommend a taxi if travelling a short distance (<10 minutes) for a family that can fit into a single car.
• You can forward luggage at your hotel or local 7 eleven via Yamato transport within Osaka.
• The Jikan refreshing legs patch worked well for me but my wife got woken up few times as her feet felt cold due to the cooling effect. We got some heat patches the next day and it worked better for her.
• A few Japanese phrases go along way and perhaps it's why we mostly get friendly responses (arigato gozaimas, ohaiyo, konnichiwa, kore onegaishimas, doitashi mashite, hitotsu onegaishimas, daijorbudes, kodomo).
• The basement level of most department stores/ shopping malls sells a variety of package deserts and often a bakery opened till 8pm where we sometimes go to after dinner to get brekky for the next morning.
• Some malls have an express lift (stops only at 1F and 10F) and it may be quicker to use those in combination with escalators to get to the level you like quickly.
• Coin lockers are found is almost every major attraction and JR station but finding a large one that is available can be challenging so allow extra time. Most coin lockers only take 100 yen coins with the exception of newer ones which also takes IC cards as payment.
• Some food courts have drinkable water for you to refill your bottles but otherwise vending machines and konbinis will quench your hydration needs (the peach drink is pretty addictive).
• Other than Booking.com, Google maps, Google Translate, DeepL and Japan Travel by NAVITIME, we didn't really used the other apps we downloaded before hand but you might find a use for them: Mamamap, NERV, Ecbo cloak, Klook.

Child related tips

• Younger kids take awhile to acclimatize to a foreign environment and our kids were more lethargic than they normally are during the day, sometimes needing 2 naps instead of 1 so be prepared to adjust your plans and skip over some places that were catered specifically for them if needed.
• Google maps only tells you the distance to get you from Point A to Point B horizontally. Unfortunately it doesn't consider the routes involving travelling multiple floors to avoid heavy traffic even with wheelchair access enabled. For instance you can go across Tenshiba Garden from JR Tennoji via the overhead bridge (not ideal as the route is longer with a stroller) or underground (best with a stroller but unfortunately Google Maps doesn't show this route and we stumble across it by chance).
• Google maps navigation over multiple floors is also not very accurate but the local directory maps are very informative so take extra time to study it and find the nearest access (parents room, lift or exit to above ground/ underground).
• The lift (singular as most train station platforms only share one lift unless it's a major one like Osaka/ Kyoto etc), are often located at one end of the platform so allow additional 15 - 20 minutes when travelling with strollers or luggage.
• Most department stores/ shopping malls (Daimaru etc) have a floor suitable for kids with toy samples for playing and sometimes even a free play area (Bornelund).
• Our kids love the Butaman from Horai and we probably purchased from 5 different stores throughout the trip (they are located at almost every major station and department store). Find something that works for your kids that can be found readily (7-11, family mart, Lawson's, daily Yamazaki etc) as back up when they didn't want to eat where you were dining at or if they fell asleep and skipped a meal.
• 100 yen stores (Daiso, 3 coins, Seria, Can*Do, Watts) have plenty of cheap kid activities (e.g. sticker books, puzzles, bubble wand etc) that can entertain them throughout the day/ in restaurants/ in the showe in the accommodation before bed etc.
• Paid Attractions in Kansai that are worthwhile if your kids are under 5 (6 and above may be charged separately): Tennoji Zoo, Abeno Harukas 300, Kyoto Railway Museum, Osaka Kaiyukan, Tempozan Ferris Wheel.
• Other brekky alternatives that we liked apart from konbinis/ bakeries were MOS burgers and Doutor coffee. Gyudons (sukiya, matsuya, yoshinoya) morning menu was a bit too heavy for our kids and other options we would have tried were too far from where we stayed (Tully's, McDonalds, KoHiKan).
• Some places require you order a main meal per adult but we are small eaters so we make sure what we ordered was something our kids might eat (not spicy etc).
• Tabelog is useful to tell you the size of the restaurant and we avoided anywhere that seats less than 20 people to save time.
• We tried to eat at a restaurant for lunch and dinner the first few days but actually realize the kids enjoy munching on small eats from konbinis/ street vendors more than a casual sit down meal so we were a bit more spontaneous the second half of the trip.
• Watch out for deer poo at Nara especially when pushing your stroller! Most of the deer are quite friendly and let you pet them but don't touch their tail area as they can get defensive. If your kids are feeding away the crackers too quickly, break them in half so you have more 'ammunition'.
• Metro and JR Trains (including limited express ones) stop for less than 10 seconds. Please remember to unlock your stroller when you are approaching your next stop and prepare to jump out.

hey! just looking for some more friends to game with. i have a sporadic schedule, get pretty busy randomly, and travel a lot which makes it difficult to coordinate with my current online friends but would love to play with more people that may also have odd schedules! primarily for the aforementioned games, but may be open to other games.
just for some context since every game has a wide variety of niches, i'll list out what i enjoy doing specifically down below:
pokemon: i'm big on everything related to the endgame, but i'm primarily looking for friends i can spam tera raids with. i can always do those alone, but it would be nice to have semi-consistent friends to join me since this is one of the few games i can play on the go
overwatch: i play maybe 3-4 times a week very casually when i'm home, but it's fun to spam QP in my free time. i'm flex role but primarily tank/healer. no ranked experience worth noting
wow: i primarily do pvp, specifically arenas. open to m+ as well but can't really raid due to my schedule. used to be pretty high rated in both departments, but just looking to casually play as i'm getting older
neopets: yeah i still play this everyday, there's not much to do together with friends on there but would love to share my excitement with friends that understand and vice versa ^^
yugioh: hadn't played in a very long time, but i've been getting back into it via master duel and some irl friends. pretty newbie but i'm on the come up
feel free to shoot me a message if you're interested! i don't discriminate, but would like to stay within my age bracket if possible.

Can anyone share the Heartgold or soulsilver pokemon nds screen layout on their rg35xx plus? Trying to understand how will it look while playing?

Just like any games with collectibles (like Pokemon TCG) there's always an item to strive to get. What is the Base Set Charizard equivalent in neopets? An item you can preferably still get.

Someone posted about dragon fruit fitting more for hell trees than pearl trees and I wanted to comment but I kinda overdid it and now it's more of it's own idea so I thought it might deserve it's own post (and because reddit crashed on me and I was too lazy to search up the post lol)
There should be special sky island trees, dragonfruit would fit there because dragons usually are found roaming the skies. I just notice that star fruit would fit sky trees way more too lol.. good replacers for the now missing pearl tree fruit would be stuff like nashi (very sweet Japanese pear) or honey dew melon Sky island trees could also look like they have clouds for leaves Additional idea: a really rare sky island layout that, instead of containing a regular house, contains a kind of altar or nest where you can find a dragon egg that you need to hatch for a cool unique dragon summon (could work like the desert tiger) Maybe it would be hatched like in pokemon where the egg itself is a pet that you carry around until it hatches Alternatively it would be a fun idea if they hatched by bringing the egg to hell (warmest place on the map) So basically bringing it from top to bottom of the map Also please give us the ability to make fruit trees that visually carry the fruit, that would be such an awesome decoration
Tl;dr : Sky island trees would make a cool addition to the game

Mine is Mt. Coronet specifically from Pokemon Platinum. I love the layout, the defog cave with the underground lake, the idea that Wayward cave is what lies beneath it, the Spear Pillar, the snowy peak. It has this eerie yet soothing aura, the color pallete is beautiful, and in my opinion it has the coolest and most "same vibe" selection of available Pokemon; Cleffa & Clefairy, Meditite, Feebas, Dratini, Bagon at the basin by Celestic Town, Dratini & Dragonair, Absol, Regice as an event.

Im planning to play shmups, beat em ups, run and guns, arcade racing games, platformers and a whole lotta pokemon. Which should I get?
To note: - will mainly play ps1 and under games - i value ergonomics alot. No need pocketable - will use cfw for these (ArkOS & Retro Arena respectively) - I grew up with the ps1 layout. Never held an actual snes or genesis controller.
P.S. I'm sorry if this will spark another sega vs nintendo war but thank you for your insights.

Anyone think neopets would do well if it was like Pokemon Go?

Hi there! I am a pretty big noob when it comes to coding, Ive been learning through code academy.
I wanted to create a website that is a simulation rpg like neopets x pokemon
Ive been using code academy... and .. chatgpt lol... to help.
The thing is I'm getting pretty nervous about security.
I wanted it to be fully set up like flightrising / lioden / wolvden / xanje Where the users can register and login
Ive been coming along slowly and really like what I have so far. I wanted the first "beta" to have a register and login, the ability to explore and collect currency and tame creatures.
Everything ive been doing is super simple using random generation and such.
Should I go set up a kickstarter or a go fund me so I can get someone who has actual knowledge and skills to check through everything?
Im also tiny bit worried about trusting someone to go through everything lol.
I have been running everything through chat gpt in hopes to tighten security but its a crazy robot who knows how much of what it says is true! Lol.

Hi there! I am a pretty big noob when it comes to coding, Ive been learning through code academy.
I wanted to create a website that is a simulation rpg like neopets x pokemon
Ive been using code academy... and .. chatgpt lol... to help.
The thing is I'm getting pretty nervous about security.
I wanted it to be fully set up like flightrising / lioden / wolvden / xanje Where the users can register and login
Ive been coming along slowly and really like what I have so far. I wanted the first "beta" to have a register and login, the ability to explore and collect currency and tame creatures.
Everything ive been doing is super simple using random generation and such.
Should I go set up a kickstarter or a go fund me so I can get someone who has actual knowledge and skills to check through everything?
Im also tiny bit worried about trusting someone to go through everything lol.
I have been running everything through chat gpt in hopes to tighten security but its a crazy robot who knows how much of what it says is true! Lol.

As we all know Lemuroid is currently hailed as the best Android Emulator because its All in One, simple and ease to use, but unfortunately no matter what you say it doesn't compare to Delta, RetroaArch (Yup!), DraStic and other emulators who are dominating current android emulation.
Even so many of us wish Lemuroid to be THE ONE...and it is possible, it just needs some additions and improvements. With my limited knowledge of emulation, I've dared to make a list of things Lemuroid needs, please feel free to correct and add points to this list.

1. Performance: Lemuroid seriously needs performance improvement. As of now it can only run GB/GBC/GBA(max) games PROPERLY. Many of the issues being Lag, Stuttering, audio problems, etc.
   
2. More Cores/Core Improvement: Although Lemuroid uses the same cores as some of the popular emulators (e.g. RetroalArch, PPSSPP, etc.), many of them are not optimised or are outdated which I think is the main cause of problem 1.
   
3. Cheats: Not everyone will agree on this but majority will. A lot of people like enjoy their games without grinding for the same thing for hours with like 1-4% drop or spawn rate. Doing the same thing over and over again leads to loss of interest in games and many just drop the games and move on with new one...that's why we need cheats to just cut out the boring parts and enjoy the rest of the game. Now the problem with cheats is that it can also ruin the experience and sense of achievement in games, but if done in limited amount it will also double it.
   
4. Shaders: A lot of gamers don't mind playing with default graphics, but if you experience some games with shaders support you will not be able to go back. It's awesome.
   
5. Settings/Customisation Options: Basic Lemuroid and it's controls are nice, but it has a very few (second to none) customisations and setting options. You should be able to customise the gamepad to your choice and according to the games.
   
6. Wifi/Sharing Feature: I don't know what it's specifically called but NDS games has some wifi sharing features to play or trade with your friends. I don't know if Lemuroid has it but if it doesn't it needs to.
   
7. Second Cartridge Slot: This is most demanding feature for Pokemon players. It allows to have 2 games at the same time with their saves (it is used to trade and copy Pokemons from one generation to another), It's one of the best features Pokemon players could ask for.
   
8. Other basic Features: Specific Folder for Saves/Savestates and other, Fast Forward Speed, .7z support, Custom Renaming and Box Art selection, Different Layouts for Portrait & Landscape modes, Custom Settings for external controllers, etc.
   

Some these problems and feature-needs have been raised and discussed in this sub and on GitHub, but they haven't been implemented or resolved yet (even when directly mentioning them to Swordfish).
I say just straight out copy the features for the best in specific departments (e.g. Cores= RetroArch, Performance/Customisation/Cheats= DraStic, etc.)
I know it's very hard and costly to implement these in Lemuroid and it takes some manpower too, but if they are added it will certainly make Lemuroid the BEST.
I hope Swordfish sees and considers this, I would also like to request that if you are a developer please help us all by joining the Lemuroid team to add these features if you can.
I hope everyone will agree with my opinion and also extend some support to Lemuroid to make our gaming experience better.
Thankyou Swordfish, Thankyou Lemuroid.

I got an homebrew old 3ds xl. I know the new models are a great upgrade for normal users but I still struggle to understand the differences in every day use.
In my case, the console is only for playing pokemon hack roms, so basically GBC,GBA,DS, and maybe a bit of Omega ruby as well.
Apart from the button layout changes, what else would influence my gameplay with this console upgrade?
Edit: there is also the fact that it is awkward to play these games on a xl screen, would prefer a smaller one since stretching had a bad rep (never tried)