These things occurred on Thursday April 24, 2025 to Friday April 25, 2025 moving from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Kobe, Japan
Traveling from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Osaka, Japan takes about twenty-four hours. Our journey included a layover in Vietnam at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport. Gleefully, I realized that I had fifty thousand dong left. Enough to buy two large bottles of water and finish up my dong. Walking back from the vendor, I used the water bottles as weights to get a small arm workout in, because why not!
A tall and larger man, definitely American, saw me and was excited about what I was doing. Without thinking, he reached out and took my water bottles while saying, “What you’re doing is awesome! But let me show you a better form.” Before I could even react, airport police flanked him, quietly moving their bodies between him and me. One officer took the water bottles and handed them back to me. It was clear that I was no longer required at the “scene” as they escorted the man to his gate, peppering him with questions.
I have no doubt this gregarious man just wanted to show me better weight lifting form and was not going to run off with my water bottles or do anything untoward. But wow. I was impressed and taken aback by how quickly the situation was noticed and addressed.
The flight to Osaka was anything but comfortable. Chaim and I barely slept because we were serving as our children’s beds. Eitan ended up sleeping on my lap. He is a very light sleeper, and any attempt to reposition myself would wake him. Since he desperately needed sleep, I stayed as still as possible the entire flight. At some point, I could no longer feel my legs and began wondering if I was forming a blood clot. Obviously, that did not happen, but oh, the sacrifices we parents make for our children.
When we landed in Japan, we went straight to the restroom. Woah. I knew Japanese toilets were advanced, but I do not think I had fully internalized what that meant. The toilets played music, the bidet offered a massage feature, and the individualized sinks had their own built in air dryers.
But the greatest innovation in the stall, which also happened to be the most low tech option, was a highchair for a mother to put her baby or toddler so she could pee in peace. Why does not every stall have this? I could not help but think about all the times I sat on a toilet with one of my children strapped to me in a baby carrier so that I could pee without worrying about them. A highchair in a toilet stall is one of the most brilliant ideas. I hope it catches on and is introduced in other countries.
After customs, we got our bags and then sat in the airport for a while to get our bearings, and because we landed at 7:00 AM and our Airbnb in Kobe was not available until 4:00 PM. We got moving just before 10:00 AM and caught a shuttle bus from Osaka Kansai Airport to Kobe. The ride took about seventy five minutes and was smooth and straightforward. I had wanted to watch the world go by during the drive and take it all in. Instead, I went to sleep.
When we arrived in Kobe, the boys were hungry. I began handing out snacks before Chaim reminded me that eating snacks on the street in Japan is frowned upon. We quickly finished our food and put it away. This small moment was a great reminder of how important it is to be cognizant of other people’s cultures, expectations, and norms.
From the bus station, we walked around searching for a luggage storage spot. It took a while to find since it was located inside a luggage store that was not where Google Maps said it would be. But as getting lost tends to do, we chanced upon some neat back alley spaces that were hustling and bustling with pedestrian activity.
Along the way, we passed a parklet, which was adorable. A space to sit and talk next to a tiny grassy area for dogs. This small designated area captured what I later felt was the essence of Japan. Every space and object has a clear and intended purpose and is used for that exact purpose. Oh, and small pet dogs are royalty.
After storing our bags, we made our way to Kobe Meriken Park. There, we learned about the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 that killed at least 5,000 people, 4,600 of whom were from Kobe. The memorial is a brilliant, interactive, and emotionally moving installation that commemorates the destruction and lives lost, while highlighting rebuilding efforts that speak to the resilience of Kobe’s citizens.
From the memorial, we walked across the park to visit the Maritime Museum and the Kawasaki Exhibit. However, we needed cash to enter, and we did not yet have enough yen. The boys and I hung out while Chaim searched for an ATM. Twenty minutes later, we entered the museum.
I am sure some people visit the Maritime Museum for its content, but it pales in comparison to the Kawasaki exhibit next door. The boys ran through the museum, oohing and aahing at certain ship models. About fifteen minutes later, they were done and ran to the Kawasaki exhibit.
The Kawasaki exhibit is completely interactive, with cool motorcycles, water jet skis, a model bullet train, and other items on display. The boys were able to try out robotic arms, pretend to be bullet train drivers, play a water jet ski game, sit on a motorcycle and a speedboat, and learn about the evolution of the Kawasaki motorcycle. They also learned how a company like Kawasaki might design and manufacture parts for other industries. For example, we learned that much of Kawasaki’s machinery is used in the air and space industries. The boys marveled at this, and I think it expanded their idea of how items can be used across industries.
After close to two hours, I was starting to drag. We still needed to get to our Airbnb, and Shabbat was scheduled to start around 4:30 PM. But first, we needed food. After coaxing the boys out of the exhibit, we walked to a top rated vegan restaurant I had found online.
The food was mouthwateringly good, but poor Matanel and Eitan were so hungry and tired that they could not help themselves and melted down. Matanel fell asleep with his head on the table while waiting for his food, and Eitan was not eager to try something new. I guess it is a good thing Matanel fell asleep, because his food never came. That saved us the trouble of paying for something that was not going to be eaten.
After an hour, we picked up our bags from the storage space and set off to find our Airbnb. The walk was supposed to take twenty minutes. Unfortunately, we could not understand the numbering system, and the address in Google Maps kept taking us to a spot that we could tell was close to the Airbnb, but not the Airbnb. Shabbat was closing in, and I was getting anxious.
Chaim, Eitan, Shai, and Matanel decided to walk around the block to see if they could find the correct address, while Amichai and I stayed with our belongings. I finally stopped a passing taxi driver to ask for help. We communicated through Google Translate, but it was clear things were getting lost in translation.
After five minutes, he asked me, “Do you want to take care of your child?” At first, I thought Google had mistranslated, so I said no. When he asked again, I thought he must be genuinely concerned about Amichai being alone and said no again. The third time he asked, I realized this was his way of saying, “Lady, leave me alone.” I thanked him and walked away. The expanse between Japanese and American sensibilities loomed over me. I needed to do more thorough homework if I was going to understand the flow of this place.
Eventually, Chaim and the other boys found our place tucked behind an apartment complex just around the corner. The whole ordeal took thirty minutes, which meant we had thirty minutes to get settled, shop for food for Shabbat, and walk to the Jewish Center in Kobe for davening and dinner. I ran to a corner market, which I learned did not carry any fruit or vegetables. I should have expected this, since it is similar to other areas of Southeast Asia. I picked up what I could and looked for treats whose ingredients indicated they were vegan friendly. I ran back to our house with just enough time to put everything away before Shabbat started.
Then Chaim and I collapsed. After a fifteen minute power nap, we helped the boys get ready for Shabbat.
On our walk to the Jewish Center, we quickly realized that in April and May, Japan is about forty degrees cooler than Southeast Asia. The climate shift from Cambodia to Japan did a number on us. Luckily, I was prepared with multiple layers of clothing and, of course, my long underwear and sweater, which I had not used since New Zealand.
Friday night dinner at the center included a small group with several young people in their twenties and thirties who were exploring Japan. We sat by ourselves, which disappointed the boys. They had become used to sitting with new families in Thailand and were eager to meet someone new after hanging out with just each other in Cambodia for several days.
The Rabbi and Rebbetzin of the Jewish Center are very friendly and have a young boy and girl about the same age as our twins. The four children hit it off and were already asking for sleepover dates before the night was over. The best part was that the space included a “secret hideout,” trees to climb, and plenty of great food like Israeli pickles and chips. It was a kids’ dream.
Although the walk home took us through some darker back alleys, we felt safe the entire way. Like we would soon discover in other cities, Kobe was clean, organized, civilized, and orderly.
When we arrived home, I fed Matanel and Eitan, who had refused to try any of the food during dinner and were now famished. Then the traveling, exhaustion, and jet lag hit us. We all passed out.
