Winter Family Outing 2025
If you love to see our winter Family Outing 2025, here is the full recap.
For the winter vacation, we chose a place very close by. Since we had gone on a big trip during autumn, this time we wanted a quieter break—staying closer to home and taking things slowly. We had decided on one destination to go on Monday, but after coming to the station, we changed our plans. So our route shifted.
So instead, we went for a small round trip around Tokyo. We boarded the Tsukuba Express line. This is Nagareyama-Otakanomori Station.
From there, we went to Kitasenju. We stopped by FamilyMart and picked up a few things to eat.
There was something I noticed in Kitasenju that I don’t usually see at the Family Marts near where we live—an English newspaper. It felt like something precious. The moment I saw the price, 300 yen, I bought it without hesitation. The Japan Times.
There are relatively more foreigners in Kitasenju, so I wondered if that was the reason they stocked English newspapers—or if there was another reason altogether.
From Kitasenju, we went on to Otemachi Station.
An underground railway line—inside, it felt almost like the corridor of a hotel. We just kept walking through it.
Along the way, there were commercial advertisements.
Some more
The Palace Hotel Tokyo. The decoration you see at the front door of the hotel is for New Year.
Although it was cold, the sunlight was golden and beautiful that day. We continued walking forward until we reached the ruins of palaces from the Edo period.
Like a fortress, with moats surrounding it to protect the palace from enemy invasions—it reminded me of Sigiriya back in Sri Lanka.
How much history those massive wooden gates must be holding within them.
The Imperial Palace, or Edo Castle, belongs to the period from around 1603 to the 1860s in Japanese history. In Sri Lankan terms, that would roughly correspond to the Dutch period and the early years of British rule, wouldn’t it?
After walking around and taking in the surroundings, we were tired and hungry. We ate sandwiches, pancakes, and onigiri. Our little son, as always during trips, was completely quiet.
A cup of ginger tea.
On the way back—wasn’t this a place meant for sunbathing? Rows of smooth, flat, rounded stones stretched out before us.
Since father and son were walking ahead without troubling me, I started a little game of my own along the way. Let’s look at winter wear. I quietly observed and captured the winter coat styles worn by young women during the season—carefully, in a way that never compromised anyone’s identity. If you love to see my captures of winterwear click here.
Before our son was born, during a Golden Week long ago, the two of us had bought a one-day metro pass and travelled all around Tokyo. Seeing these places again brought back those sweet memories.
This is Tokyo Station. On the day we arrived here back then, it was raining heavily. It was our Golden Week vacation 2023. Even though it was May, the day was quite cold. Unable to bear the cold mixed with rain, I remember how he ran into a nearby building, pulling me along. Remembering those moments together now, both of us smiling, felt truly special.
As we talked, our little son stared in wonder at the tall buildings and the spinning wheels. He was taking the maximum fun.
Decorations welcoming the New Year.
Back again at Nagareyama-Otakanomori Station. No matter how many different places there are, if there’s a café—or at least a warm cup coffee with milk—we’re both happy. So even though evening was falling, we stopped for coffee. It was really refreshing.
A beautiful day came to an end.
We went the day before the last day of the year on 30th December 2025
A day that gathered new memories, gently refreshed old ones, and wrapped them all in quiet affection—a truly beautiful day.
