In summary, this was a good two week trip. We went for the so called Japan preschool exchange (misleading as there is no exchange, it is one way only ie Singapore kids go to Japan and not vice versa). You pay them a fee which includes both the accommodation and the preschool fees for your kids. Everything else is not included. The type of accomodation and preschool (and the pricing) varies depending on the city you are going to.

While tiring (I was still nursing a cold first week and Z also had a bit of runny nose and couhh), we got to explore a mid-sized city and its surroundings. As the kids went to the preschool there, we could do our own stuff during the daytime on weekdays. I would say that's the closest we can get to traveling without kids without additional support given their young age.

Two weeks is slightly long I feel, because after a while, I just wanted the familiarity of a place where you can speak the language. Google translate is good but doesn't get you all the way all the time.

Some nice things about Japan include toilets that are generally very clean and available in most places even the 7-11s, and which come with bidets. The toilet paper and tissues though are made of this very thin material which is difficult to soak up anything. But because it is so thin, the toilet paper length is very long (100m) and it still lasts longer than our Singapore one even though you use more of it.

Experiencing some of the original restaurant brands in Japan like Daiso, Sushiro, or even Saizeriya, was great because they are generally better than the Singapore franchises - you kind of understand why they wanted to bring them into Singapore but it's also frustrating that the Singapore versions can't capture the essence of what makes them special. To elaborate:

Daiso, Don Don Donki (known as Don Quixote in Japan): They generally have a much better variety of stuff at cheaper prices (100yen or approx slightly less than $1). I bought a box of 30 lens wipes for $1.

Sushiro: the sushi is fresher and cheaper, but they are also more efficient (after taking a queue number from the machine the screen tells you which table to go to). The sushi you order arrives on the conveyor belt without stopping so you have to be alert to take it before it leaves!

Saizeriya: similar story with efficiency - even payment is self service. And yes you get the cheap prices here too.

Maybe one aspect they can't bring over is the Japanese work culture of perfectionism and dedication. Not to say it's all good, just an example of a missing element.

With that I set out an account of our journey, which is mainly for my own memories, so pardon the length.

**Day 0 - Saturday**
Tiring start to the journey. We went to the airport earlier so that we could eat a leisurely dinner and have enough time. This kinda worked, in that the kids ate OK. Z then took a short nap between 9pm to 10pm (our flight was redeye flight). On the flight itself however, Z started crying a lot and took a total of maybe 2-3 hours before he finally fell asleep. H slept though. The SQ stewardess came to tell us of "feedback" about Z's noise as "it was a full flight". But what could we have done, right? We reached Haneda early morning on Sunday where we met E and his parents.

**Day 1 - Sunday**
Got the car from the rental company. Long travel ordeal ended with us finally checking in at the "Locomotion" apartment. Went for ramen lunch, then went to the nearby Panda bakery and then to Valor Oswano supermarket nearby. Bought takeaway dinners for the kids to eat. Settled into the place. It's well worn, but cozy place. Cheap fittings but fairly large floor area with 2 bedrooms - one master bedroom with bed and one bedroom with tatami mats. One study area, one combined kitchen/dining/living area.

**Day 2 - Monday**
First day of school for the kids! Apparently H was initially hesitant but luckily E was enthusiastic and she followed him in. Z cried when put down, unsurprisingly. Lunch was at this place called "Happy", had Omu Rice curry. M had hair salon appointment, I went for nearby coffee at Cafe Ri Ri, very nice, but tired. There were sakura on both sides of river near the cafe. My coffee was served in a beaker by the barista who went to great pains to explain to me in English which beans were good. Went to Family Mart with M after hair appointment, had nice walk, nice weather. Dinner was supposed to be at Chinese place, which was open, but the guy said they only served ramen that day. Pretty salty and average. Z had to be carried by Uncle B so we could eat as he was creating a ruckus.

**Day 3 - Tuesday**
Went for Kansui Park Canal Cruise. It was raining at the beginning, windy and wet day. Then the weather cleared up and we could see sakura on both sides of the river. Both sides of the river were basically industrialized factories and the like. The main attraction was this "Nakajima Lock", which bridges two different parts of the river that have different water levels. Weather became very nice and sunny until after lunch. Lunch was at this Western-ish place but I had the botan ebi don (raw prawns), M had a beef don.

Had a nice tram ride back to the Toyama railway city centre, and weather started getting rainy again. Did some grocery shopping there, taiyaki, fruit, bread. Then had a very terrible rainy/cold/windy walk back to our car, I think about 15 mins. Freezing cold and we were sharing one small umbrella, feet got soaking wet too. Didn't have time to go to the nice Starbucks as just wanted to drive home. Very very tired. Went to Daiso - I stayed with H in car because she was sleeping. But then, she woke up and melted down. Dinner at Taiwanese place, H continued meltdowns in the car and partially at restaurant. Couldn't walk Z outside because it was raining. Z was like throwing stuff off the table, H recovered somewhat and ate. The food was spicy, even the non-spicy looking dishes. But quite large portions so ate lots of fried rice.

**Day 4 - Wednesday**
Day trip to Kanazawa to try out hot dogs. It was a 1 hour drive one way (2 hours both ways). Hot dogs place was in this historical part of the town. Lots more tourists in Kanazawa. I was still really quite tired, so we parted ways with D & B after the hot dogs.

Then, we went for lunch at Banrai (https://g.co/kgs/u18kvRw), had a teishoku lunch with some sashimi, chawanmushi, cooked fish, oden, miso soup, at a reasonable price of 1,200 yen. It was one of the highest google review ratings as M wanted some raw fish (but I suspect the really good places are not even on google).

Bought a small bottle of no sugar cafe latte from the vending machine for the drive home. Then went back to Toyama, stopped at a 7-11 to get a berries yoghurt smoothie (there was a machine that makes it for you), among other things. Spent quite a lot of time at the 7-11. Then went back and dropped M off at Valorant supermarket to get fruits etc. and I went back to deposit some of the 7-11 stuff (smoothie and strawberry sandwhich) and find out how to use humidifier. Went back to supermarket to get M, went back home to deposit stuff, then went to the pharmacy near the kids' school to get moisturizer for them and to find my steroid eyedrops. Then went to get kids. Z's nose was runny and he was crying a bit (tired) but BOTH kids had naps today so they were much better behaved.

Dinner was at Sazeriya, total bill was 2,500 yen for two pastas, one big plate of escargot, and some veggies. Pretty value for money and even cheaper than in Singapore. However, still had to walk Zach outside because he started swiping stuff off the table and luckily it was not raining. Went back after dinner and H peed on the floor. So lots of washing up etc. But both kids slept uneventfully. Turning on humidifier in Z's room to help with the cough, also gave him Promethazine.

**Day 5 - Thursday**
Today was errand day / supposed to be more relaxed. After dropping off the kids we spent a pretty long time at the big drugstore near the school which is more like a supermarket. I went to buy my eye drops thinking they were steroids as my eye was acting up, but they turned out to be antihistamines and NSAIDs. Still supposed to be anti inflammatory but not as potent as steroids. We also finally bought a small bottle of laundry detergent.

After the drugstore we went home to drop off stuff and do the laundry and hang the clothes. Tried to rest a bit but not much. Then it was lunch at Standing Up Eating Jinjin (opened by the owner of Sushi Jin, that has since been closed). Wanted to have their omakase, but had to settle for the 10 sushi set (about 5000 yen), because, as explained by the staff, they don't do omakase when it is too crowded as it takes 2 hours to finish the course. It was not bad as the chefs were friendly and explained the dishes to us. Had an interesting chawanmushi with plum sauce so it looked red. Quality of fish was good.

But as it was not extremely filling we went to the Starbucks at Kansui Park since the weather was much sunnier and nicer today (it was even hot at some points, like 23 degrees or something). Had the special Ichigo frappe with strawberry cake and a matcha latte which was very light and nice, not at all like the very gao type in Singapore. Then did some inconclusive research there on whether to stay a night in Kanazawa. Actually it would be possible to do some Hanami (Sakura viewing) but there were only around 2-3 trees.

After Starbucks we went home, stopped by a big supermarket on the way back to get bread, water, some Jap kit Kat and I got my facial foam finally (Gatsby, seems cheaper here $2.80). Then rested 15 mins before time to go fetch kids again. The laundry dried quite fast under the air con heating and the powerful heater in the bathroom.

Dinner was at Yoshinoya, accidentally ordered beef bowl without rice (with salad base) but luckily kids meal had rice so the rice was divided between Z and H who both ate well. Actually a pleasant meal relatively speaking, although as usual had to walk Z outside in stroller but it was a very nice suburbs area.

**Day 6 - Friday**
Break from school today. Today's weather was very warm I would say 25 degrees or even more in the day.

In the morning went for Matsukawa river Cherry Blossoms boat ride. It was situated in downtown Toyama actually which meant parking was harder to find and all chargeable. Parked at some city hall building. The whole parking situation was stressful because it caused us to be late and miss the boat ride so we had to catch the next boat. And later on when we got back to the carpark it was also stressful because I couldn't find the payment machine and had to carry H around in the basement looking for it and then she suddenly wanted to pee again even though she went recently. Finally went to first floor information counter and after some miscommunication was told to pay at entrance and fortunately we had enough change cos they can't even take 5000 yen.

For the boat ride itself, it was average. It seems the Cherry Blossoms already blossomed earlier so we were seeing the remnants. Z was in ergobaby and crying for most of the ride (because he felt restrained and maybe because of hunger).

After the boat ride we went to the strawberry farm but again we were late no thanks to the earlier parking situation so we had to wait another 2 hours for the 1pm session. Went for lunch nearby, didn't join E family because they wanted to go to this very small ramen place that was so small you had to wait out side. We went for this soba tempura place instead which had large portions of soba. Kids were sleeping initially and H occupied the stroller so I had to sling Z and go for a walk outside to the 7-11 where he whacked my head. Came back and finished up.

The strawberry farm was good for kids as they could walk around and pluck and eat the strawberries eat as much as you can. I think it was 3000 yen or something per adult and 750 yen for H, Z was free. There were 4 different types of strawberries. It was like in this greenhouse or something though so it was quite hot. The farm was also near our place so that was good. Went back for kids nap.

Woke up and went to dinner at this westernized Jap place called Joie. Has crab meat pasta and carbonara and a crab bisque and a seafood salad. There was a small seat for Z which occupied him for a while until he started walking around the tatami style tables to the other tables which were unoccupied which caused the restaurant (owner?) to tell us to stop him ("other guests"). So brought him out in stroller for a while again. There was cake and pastries shop next door and H got a small Madeline thingy.

I think the whole language barrier thing today is starting to be annoying. First it was the car park issue at the river boat ride, then it was strawberry farm (he asked whether we had reservation but who cares right cos there were more than enough spaces) and then lastly with the dinner place guy where he miscalculated the bill which was non itemized (he undercharged us actually). So this google translate only goes so far because it translates for YOU but they reply in Japanese.

On a positive note, encountered good service at the petrol station the best so far. Even though they are supposed to be self service the shop attendant came out to tell me to position the car so the fuel pump was at the correct side of the car. He also helped me to open the fuel compartment and with the payment. Thumbs up!

**Day 7 - Saturday**
Moved Z to living study area because curtains there are thicker in hopes that he would not wake up as early, but he still woke shortly before 6. Will try again tonight.

First stop today was at Toyama science museum, saw some exhibits which were fun for kids like water cutting machine, a volleyball suspended by blowing air (Z quite fascinated), electric turbines, wind simulator, avalanche display, taxidermy animals like a bear, and finished with a planatatium 360 degree show. The first part was more informative as they overlaid the night sky with pictures of the constellations. The second part was not so good because it was some anime completely in Japanese, some space travelers going around the different planets in the solar system, couldn't understand it and H wanted to leave (Z fell asleep), so we left. Cool thing was there were free tickets for couples and the kids were free.

Lunch - went to ramen restaurant called itosho motu but there was a queue so we left. Then went to Sushiro which was ask crowded and required queueing so we also left. Ended up back at the same dependable Saizeriya we ate at before, staff were efficient in serving (ordering via QR code and self service payment at kiosk thereafter - what a high trust culture!), we ordered something wrongly and they promptly canceled it. H had a pizza and M and I shared a pasta and soup and some escargots, which were really buttery and yummy. I took Z for a walk to the nearby Lawson's to get his 200ml of Meiji fresh milk (they don't have UHT here, only fresh) which he downed in a jiffy.

Then after that we went to this Blue Train cafe which was this train themed cafe with model JR trains running round a track round the place. The seats and even the toilet were modelled after those found in real trains. Had ice coffee and some desserts, coffee pudding and some bread with marmalade which we fed Z who is always up for some food. H was napping in the stroller.

So the cafe was when we realized that one of Z's shoes were missing (probably dropped off the shoe holder clasp we got)! This was the second or third time we had a "missing shoe" incident, so that was initially stressful but somehow a peaceful calm descended on me (the Shoe of God) while we were driving to find it - I had earlier asked VC (very useful, they also helped us make reservations at restaurants like Standing Man sushi jinjin) to make calls to Saizeriya, Sushiya, and the Lawson's which eventually returned a negative but concurrently we drove to the carparks of the various restaurants and found it by the grace of God at the Saizeriya parking lot!

So yup, very grateful really for all the times we thought it was lost and yet turned back up - it's a grey native shoes which we only got last year.

While luxuriating in the moment we went on to the nearby Uniqlo to do some shopping - vat refund was on the spot so that was great. Everyone got some stuff, and I got my white shirt finally. Spent quite a bit of time there! I went to the nearby Lawson's to check out mineral water and along the way an auntie in a car asked me to help press the pedestrian button to stop the traffic so she could drive on, since I needed to cross I did it.

Went to supermarket to stock up on water and bought our dinner, sweet potatoes, udon rice tempura, inari sushi, potato salad, tuna salad, and some ajitama eggs. Early night them for kids as they did not do their full naps. Another long day with the usual challenges of kids throwing tantrums or fighting but I think overall, it's not any much worse than being at home and at least the weather here is better and it's nice to have a break from routine by being somewhere else. Grateful for that.

**Day 8 - Sunday**
Morning - went to Toyama Family Park. It is like a zoo of sorts. There was horse riding for 800 yen, H did not want to do it. Large open spaces and playground. Black bear. Feeding of sheep. H took her first small roller coaster ride in the park there was a small amusement park area. There was also a kiddy train and a go kart thing.

Lunch within the park - omurice and curry udon. Then went to this Taikoyama Land which is this big amusement park, Z and M took a kiddy train ride. H and I waited at the shelter train stop and I dozed off. Then it started raining so we left, visited Mr Donut so kids could munch in car. Went for Sukiya beef bowl drive through cos it was raining and didn't want to go out. Got my arm drenched but it was really cool that almost all the eateries here had drive through.

**Day 9 Monday**
Went back to Kanazawa. Had mochi red bean, gold leaf ice cream, then went to a sweets shop to have a small jelly. Omicho seafood market had - scallops, salmon sushi, A5 beef skewers. Lunch at Amiya - beef bowl and Oden with non alcoholic beer. Then went to this small pancake place - tofu cheese. Then sat at cafe for some more desserts and decaf coffee. Went to pick kids - went to playground near the science museum, there was daiso nearby. Dinner at Chinese restaurant nearby - greasy and food had burnt marks due to wok hei.

**Day 10 - Wednesday**
Originally supposed to bring kids to Tonami Tulip Park but E wanted to go to school so we sent all the kids to school. Then finally had MOS burger breakfast yay, on the way to the tulip park. Unfortunately there was a Don Quixote (ie the original Don Don Donki) next door so that soaked up a lot of time browsing and shopping. When we finally made it to the tulip park it was 11 plus. Just as well kids didn't go because weather was very sunny and hot, the park was quite big, seems like it was modelled after Keukemhof, there was windmill there too, sister city Lisse. Had yuzu ice cream, sat in hammock, saw lots of tulips.

Then went to Sushiro which was impressive to me because you could seat yourself and the sushi does not stop on the conveyor belt when you order it, so it's more efficient? Sushi was of course cheaper more variety and better than in Singapore, could get snow crab gunkan for just 180 yen and the snow crab maki was less than $5. After Sushiro we went to the Kaiwomaru Park (at Tonami Bay), not enough time to do coastal drive to Himi, but for the part we went, actually the roads are slightly inland and kinda blocked by houses so not much sea view. But got to drive on the big Shinminato suspension bridge so that was cool.

Stopped by the same place with the Mr Donut to get this custard cake with strawberry at Lis Blanc the whole place is actually a huge supermarket and department store.

Since H didn't nap we decided to tabao again from Valor Oswano. Had salmon bento (salmon had bones) and yakisoba and strawberries. Early night for kids.

**Day 11 - Wed**
Today was shopping day.

Went to bakery had katsu sandwich, Sports Depo, this big shopping centre with a Macs, ate Macs breakfast, went to GU, then Ito Moshu ended up eating noodles with innards, then Uniqlo, Bambi, kids clothing shop, supermarket. Tabao food from Albis dinner at home as H didn't sleep.

**Day 12 - Thurs**
Initially planned to do the Kurobe Alpine route today but after considering that we wouldn't be able to do the whole route comfortably, plus the fact that online reservations were full (although walk in possible but not guaranteed), we decided not to go.

Went for coastal drive to Himi instead with stops at Amharashi Bayside cafe (so so expensive food but nice views), a viewing point/cafe/souvenir shop. On the way we also stopped at a Daiso.

At Himi we ate at a restaurant in the fish market (which is not the touristy type with lots of shops like Omicho, it's like a bare port, the restaurant is the only place you can eat there). Had a seafood don with seafood soup and the famed firefly squid (hotaru ika), which was frankly so so - not much taste and they had some bone or shell in the middle which had to be removed.

By the time we were done with the viewing point it was actually quite late. Did a quick stop at Valor Oswano supermarket before picking up kids. Went back home first as dinner restaurant was not open yet. Ate at this pretty good Italian place called Il Gotti, had carbonara pasta and some beef (we thought it was pasta dish but wasn't) and salad. Kids ate very well. But had to walk Z a bit in light drizzle outside cos he was making some noise.

After that went to 7-11 cos kids ate a lot of our good and H had mini meltdown because she wanted biscuits. Finally found the elusive egg mayo (egg salad) sandwich at the 7-11 and also bought a bao (manju).

**Day 13 - Friday**
Today was our last full day in Toyama, so we decided to keep it light so we could do some packing. Went to Daiso to do last min shopping (got 30 lens wet wipes for 100 yen). I also separately got 100 yen insoles and a 300 yen belt (that's like S$3). 

Then went to a cafe near our place with an area for dogs for cheesecake (so so) and coffee. Then went to Suwamachi street to have lunch, some pretty good soba with meat, then went to a sweets shop. It's old streets and quiet, I think can be almost on par with Takayama. After that was back home for the afternoon where I took a much needed and restful nap (sleep really makes a difference) while M did packing as laundry. Before picking the kids up we went to supermarket again to get their milk and some biscuits for the teachers. 

Dinner was at this cool secluded place called basscafe (with nice greenery) with E's family. We were the only ones there and the restaurant was run by two guys. Quite kid friendly there were Stokke high chairs and even a ball to kick around on the grass outside. There were also some small jap snacks for kids and a 300 yen kids meal. We ordered a curry rice set and pasta set (comes with some appetisers, firefly squid which I think was cooked and seasoned much better than the raw one I had at Himi). Everyone ate well. Then E parents asked if could play fire sparklers outside which would have been quite nice because there was a large grassy field with some lighting but the guys said we could only do it at the beach or park. So we drove to this nearby park which was almost pitch black and played in carpark lot. Kids had lots of fun. So with that was the end of our holiday, and see you E in Singapore!

**Day 14 Sat**
Left house at 9 plus. Stopped by Family Mart to buy snacks to unload coins. Then to airport it was, the Toyota guy actually greeted us at the car and took our keys. Quite seamless as everything paid for. Then had quick brunch or lunch before our 11.55am flight (5 mins delayed) at small cafe at Toyama airport, a small and quaint airport, where there is so little traffic the security screening counter only opens slightly before the flight.

Made it to Haneda without too much drama as kids slept on plane. Immediately went to L1 to buy the "limousine bus" (it was a normal bus) tickets to Narita airport (direct bus no stops in between). We got a bus which arrived a few mins after we bought our tickets (reserved seats) - Z didn't need a seat. Z made a bit of a ruckus singing and shouting so was glad when the 1hr journey ended. Still, very grateful for the seamless transfer to the bus as we found the ticketing kiosk relatively quickly (there were many many different bus companies) - platform 7.

At Narita it was super crowded in comparison with Toyama airport. We had to queue a short while before the counters opened for check in (there was queue too for the automated bag drol so decided to wait for the manual check in counters, which was good because we managed to change our seats so we could seat together).

After that was straight to the lounge (United lounge), which was huge and had decent selection of foods (burgers, noodles, sushi). We had a window seat next to parked aircraft so Z was quite occupied just staring out of the window for a while - but after that he did the usual running / walking around the ENTIRE lounge so had to follow him around. Kids ate relatively well, I had a ginger ale and decaf cappuccino (decaf FTW since we were having a night flight - 7pm to 1am).

After that, Sayonara Japan! Very very thankfully, Z fell asleep before we even took off so it was great compared to the journey there where he was making a ruckus. H also slept soon after take off and having her satay. So seems like it's better for the kids to sleep near to their bedtime rather than later at night (flight to Japan was redeye 10.50pm flight), with the "benefit" that when they reach home they are rested but still tired enough to sleep more. In comparison the redye flight meant that everyone woke up tired except Z who was full of energy and ready to start the day.

Managed to even eat my dinner and watch a HK movie called "Crisis Negotiators" which was fun to watch (Francis Ng) but so-so otherwise. Had Yuzu sorbet which was good, and Biryani. Ended off with fruits.

So with that was the end of the two week adventure in Japan! In terms of recuperation, Z had a longish nap on Sunday, H had a shorter one and went for Berries makeup class (which led to some sort of meltdown at night), we had Saizeriya dinner (reminds me of Japan) and for once we were not the noisiest table! Then early night for all.

**Thoughts on the preschool experience**
I've not mentioned the preschool much so far since it was the kids and not us who spent the time there, but here are my observations.

First, it seems that they are a lot more tolerant of kids showing cold symptoms (Z had runny nose, probably same cold as I had, I was hacking up yellow green mucus first week), both kids went in for all the days save one day where we took them out for an outing.

Second, it appears kids are supposed to be more independent there with them supposed to bring their own lunchbox and scooping their own food.

Third, the kids had good outdoors activities like planting, and generally roaming in the fields. The school compound itself was huge for the older kids like H. The nursery for Z was smaller but he could move over to the big building in the afternoon. There were a lot of toys and play areas that could occupy them for two weeks.

Fourth, as Toyama is a relatively small city, English is not widely spoken. So all communications with the teachers were done over LINE. Google translate is aso not perfect as you have to frame the sentences properly. So there were a few communication issues. For example the teachers told us that our kids water bottles would NOT be topped up unless we provided our own mineral water bottles, which sounded a bit strange. In other words, the kids would only be provided with tea (supposedly non caffeinated) after they ran out of water. Yet, E told his parents that his water bottle was topped up. It's a mystery that we still don't know the answer to after multiple messages and emails.

Fifth, the timing of the school was 9am - 4pm (extendable to 5pm). Early drop off with breakfast was not available to us but available to local children. As the drive from the accommodation to the preschool was 20 mins, that places some limits on where you can go within that time. 

So, I would say that the kids seemed to have fun from the photos, in the sense that they are doing things they can't do in Singapore, like play in a large room and outdoors. As to whether they actually learn from an educational perspective, I'm not so sure, but I suppose that is not the point. I'm also not sure that our kids "gained exposure" to a foreign culture because they didn't really play much with the local kids.