It was time to go home. Our daughter was in a very good mood that morning.

After checking out, we finally visited Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa, one of the main reasons Shinagawa Prince Hotel tops family-trip recommendation lists. Hotel guests received a discount, but I have forgotten how much it was.

Right after entering, there was a commemorative photo service. Our daughter kept refusing to look forward, and for the first time I saw a Japanese staff member visibly lose patience. Not very professional.

Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa even has a pirate ship and a carousel. Who goes into an aquarium and pays extra to ride a carousel?

The answer is my daughter, who had the carousel all to herself.

The dolphin performance at Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa was impressive, but our daughter was afraid to watch it and would not let us watch either, so I could only take photos from a distance.

She said, “Daddy, do you like watching performances? Yumi doesn’t like performances. Yumi only watches penguins and seals.”

The otters and penguins were both very cute too.

The jellyfish were her favorite. She even named the moon jellyfish in particular.

After leaving Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa, we took the train from Shinagawa Station to Haneda Airport and prepared to go home.

After checking in and buying souvenirs, we went to get lunch before immigration.

As usual, our picky daughter just drank apple juice.

We finished departure procedures early, only for the flight to be delayed. China Airlines handed out meal vouchers as compensation, but every dining area had long lines. Trying to use the voucher almost made us miss the flight.

Because of the delay, the boarding gate changed too. Instead of boarding through a jet bridge, we took a shuttle bus and climbed the stairs onto the plane. That made it just like Penguin Brothers: A Trip Through the Sky (ペンギンきょうだい そらのたび).

In the airport transfer taxi, our daughter said, “Daddy is driving in front.” I told her, “Daddy isn’t driving,” and she gasped, looking genuinely shocked.

Closing Thoughts

Our week in Tokyo was over. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began at the end of 2019, this was our first trip abroad in nearly four years, and this time there was a small child with us. Before the trip, we were full of both excitement and worry, afraid she might throw tantrums or refuse to eat. The trip itself was exhausting, but it also gave us many happy memories. I am really glad we got to travel together.

Note: This article is translated from Traditional Chinese.