I just returned from a trip to Tokyo and Osaka in Japan 🇯🇵 with Ben, my 14 year old son. It was a once in a lifetime experience, also thanks to Gemini who not just organised the trip, but acted as a travel guide throughout the entire trip. There was almost nothing that I did not prompt Gemini for. This article is not just a report of our trip, but a review of all the collected prompts, and how we prompted our way through Japan.

We both had 25GB in mobile data volume in Japan, which was more than sufficient to constantly prompt Gemini, use Google Maps, and instantly send photos back home. After I was initially quite careful with Gemini, I started to prompt even the dumbest and wildest questions while we were travelling through Japan. Although I use all sorts of AI tools for years now and have 20 years of experience in the travel industry, some of Gemini's results were really mindblowing and significantly improved our experience while travelling. But let's review our trip step by step, prompt by prompt.

Creating a plan for Tokyo and Osaka

Our flights were all booked on February 5th, and honestly, there was not much Gemini could help with. I picked Lufthansa Economy class from Cologne (CGN) with a connecting flight to Tokyo in Munich (MUC). Given that my wife was fairly nervous about me taking our youngest one half way across the world, anything other than laying our safety in the hands of Lufthansa wasn't an option. Gemini decided that we'd be doing 3 days in Tokyo and 4 days in Osaka. Two of which would be in the Universal Studio Japan that contains Super Nintendo World. The Universal Studio was the prime attraction of our trip, and I prompted Gemini around that.

Ben wanted the Hotel Gracery in Shinjuku 新宿区 (famously known as "the Godzilla hotel") to be part of our trip, so a stay there was mandatory. And not just the hotel was, he wanted to stay in a Godzilla themed room in the 30th floor, the Godzilla floor. I reconfirmed with Gemini that it's the correct floor we have to book, and then booked the hotel room directly on the website of Hotel Gracery. The "Standard Twin on the Top Floor Godzilla Floor" room name was pretty obvious. Considering the TikTok-fame of the hotel and that it was peak season, we paid a rate of ¥34,933 per night (equivalent of €188, or $219).

We didn't have any specific needs for a hotel in Osaka, other than it being very close to the Universal Park entrance. The Hotel Kintetsu Universal City is directly located just 100 meters off the entrance, right in the middle of Universal City. It charged us ¥32,678 per night (equivalent of €176, or $205), so it was equally as expensive as the Godzilla hotel in Tokyo.

Hotel and flight booking was straightforward, and it was the first thing I did. Gemini had defined the priority of what to book first, so I followed that. Flights with Lufthansa first, then the hotels, then Universal Studio tickets and Express Passes, and lastly the Shinkansen ticket from Tokyo to Osaka. Tickets to the Universal Studios Japan are only available two months before arrival. Gemini was very vocal about booking Express Passes early.

All the necessary flight and hotel bookings were completed in April already, and it was just time for me to wait until I could book the tickets and Express Passes to Universal Studios Japan. Gemini was extremely vocal, and whenever I prompted, it highlighted the importance of booking early to be able to get the necessary Express Passes which allow to skip the lines. We didn't want risk missing an attraction when flying 16 hours half way across the globe, just to save some money on an already expensive trip.

How Gemini got the Universal Express Passes right

Gemini explained how the Express Passes work, and I went back and forth with it to identify the right ones. When I booked on June 8th, exactly 8 weeks before we'd arrive, some of the passes were already sold out hours after the booking window opened.

Since we would spend a full two days in the park, I decided to go with a "Universal Express Pass 4~Minecart & Jurassic Park～" for the first day, which included Super Nintendo World, Yoshi's Adventure and Mine Cart Madness. Besides Super Nintendo World, Ben wanted to see "Jujutsu Kaisen: The Real 4-D", which was included in the "Universal Express Pass 4: 4-D & Backdrop" for the second day. Although neither of us are Harry Potter fans, Gemini highly recommended including "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey", citing that this is one of the main attractions. I was reluctant, but at the end of the day followed Gemini's advice, which proved right later on.

We were now all set, holding the important tickets and express passes in our hands. I booked the Shinkansen from Shinagawa 品川区 to Shin-Osaka 新大阪駅 a couple of weeks later and we were all set. Smooth planning, thanks to Gemini, but with the uncertainty of whether there was anything missing or not. Gemini had informed us of digital immigration, but that was hard to ignore since Lufthansa was also sending numerous reminders about doing the immigration forms electronically.

Departing from Cologne to Tokyo, via Munich

Then, August 4th came. My father picked us up at home and drove us to Cologne/Bonn airport, which is just a 20 min drive. On the way to the airport, I just prompted if there's anything left that I'd need to do or pay for the immigration in Japan and whether headphones are provided for free in Lufthansa's economy class, which they are. When we arrived at CGN less than two hours before departure, the check-in was still not open. I checked with Gemini, and it confirmed that check-in should be open already. It seemed that Lufthansa had some issues getting the systems booted up, check-in agents and airport support staff were working to get them fixed. After a short 5 minute wait, Lufthansa started check-in.

Once checked-in, we moved to the airport lounge to wait for the aircraft that would take us to Munich. The family wanted to know our exact travel plan, so I prompted Gemini to summarize it for the WhatsApp group that was demanded we regularly send pictures to. Whenever I wait at the airport, I use the FlightRadar24 app to check which specific aircraft, with which specific registration, is operating the flight. That way, I can see where it currently is before it arrives to pick us up.

The aircraft from Cologne to Munich was a Lufthansa Airbus A320 with the registration D-AIUH (AI! 😮). We arrived in Munich 20 minutes early, headed off to the Gate area "K", and passed German immigration where a nice Bavarian border control officer just wanted to know if my wife is fine with the trip and when Ben has got to be back in school 😊R Ididn't really know, but he was fine with Ben knowing. It was pleasant, and the officer was very nice. He just wanted to make sure everything is fine, and he did it in the kindest way only Bavarians can.

It was pretty much autopilot from here, and I didn't prompt much. It was the Lufthansa app that guided us through the airport, and we went straight to the Lufthansa lounge right next to the Gate, which I had booked the day before. Our aircraft, with the registration D-AIVE (AI, again!), arrived from New York almost the same time that we arrived in Munich.

We boarded D-AIVE and got into our seats. I booked the first row of Economy Class, because it has extreme extra leg room with the screens of the Premium Economy Class right in front. This was also the first time when Gemini got things wrong. Ben wanted to connect his Bluetooth headphones to the Inflight Entertainment, and Gemini was absolutely certain that was possible. It turned out, it wasn't and we were bound to either our iPhones or using Lufthansa's own in-ear headphones.

We both used Lufthansa FlyNet, their onboard Internet service, and through that I prompted Gemini about the dinner thatwas served. I simply didn't know what to do with that soup package provided. Is that for the rice or is it for the cold noodles? I didn't know, so I asked Gemini and it clarified that I should just drop the soup across the noodles.

This was the first time that I used Gemini to not just translate Japanese for me, but to also explain how things work. Something that would intensify over the coming days, and lead me to not just use Google Translate, but Gemini for translation, explanation and guidance.

We landed in Haneda, deboarded, and waited to collect our bags. The total flight time was a little over 12 hours, and I was just desperate for a quick smoke. I wasn't going crazy, but there was a desperation in me. When you're travelling with your kid all alone, having a smoke isn't your first priority. But I hastily prompted Gemini on the way to the baggage carousel.

When we passed immigration and got out of the Terminal, we quickly moved towards the Express Bus station from where the Airport Limousine Express Bus would take us directly to Shinjuku. I paid the tickets with the Suica card that Gemini instructed me to install a few days ago. If you're travelling to Japan, install that card (Apple Support page with the guide)! It was one of the most helpful things in my Apple Wallet during the entire trip. I used it at 7eleven, at vending machines, basically everyhwere! You can instantly top it up right within Apple Wallet using Apple Pay.

There was a smoking room next to the bus stop, so I used that. A couple of minutes later the bus arrived and it took around 30 minutes to get us to Shinjuku. It was only a very short walk from Shinjuku station to the hotel.

Arriving in Shinjuku, Tokyo

When we arrived at the Hotel Gracery, we dropped our bags since we were very early and the rooms weren't ready, yet. It was the morning of the 5th of August now. I wasn't fully aware of how strict the smoking ban in Japan really is, but luckily Gemini explained to me that there's a smoking room in the 8th floor of the hotel. Something I could live with. If you want to stop smoking, then Japan is probably a good place to start. We walked around and explored Shinjuku a bit, which was all new an exciting.

Once the room was ready, we took a break as we did not really sleep much during the flight. Although Gemini had provided some good restaurant recommendations in the Shinjuku area, we were so tired that we went to McDonald's around the corner, opposite to the train station. McDonald's Japan was on our bucket list anyway, as we wanted to have a try of the famous Pokémon menus.

We returned to the hotel afterwards and dropped dead almost immediately. Ben wanted to go to Nintendo Tokyo in Shibuya the next day, so it was a little more relaxed start into the next morning.

I was very happy that we went to bed early, because not just is neighbouring Kabukichō a red light district, but "the girls" are standing outside the hotel tower as late as 6am in the morning. Nothing that you would want to spend time at, and something that I would not have excpected in Japan at that scale.

Nintendo Tokyo in Shibuya

Because the European Union has forced Apple to set an age limit of 16 years (12 years in the U.S.) for Apple Pay, Ben couldn't get himself a Suica card and I just bought paper tickets at the ticket machines. I prompted Gemini for the best ATMs with the lowest fees, where I could also just withdraw a few thousand Yen. Many ATMs had farily high minimums of 10–20,000 Yen withdrawals (€50–100). I prompted Gemini a lot to check if a store would accept cash only or card. Most shops in Japan accepted every credit card and payment method in existence, while others would only accept cash payment. Gemini wiped off a lot of uncertaintities.

It was just a short hop from Shinjuku to Shibuya where we crossed the famous Shibuya crossing which is really just a road crossing. Japan was exciting, don't get me wrong, but some things were just highly exaggerated. Shibuya crossing is one of these things. Maybe it's because I've seen Place Charles de Gaulle in Paris, Trafalgar Square in London, and grew up with Unter den Linden in Berlin. Shibuya crossing is pretty much Japan's counterpart to that. A giant road crossing next to Shibuya station, that is Instagram and TikTok-famous for really only being a giant road crossing.

We spent a good amount of time in all the stores. Given the weak yen rate, it was understandable that Ben wanted to shop some things we don't have in Europe. While my credit card didn't give up, my feet slowly started to. The remaining jet lag and the exhaustion that I get from shopping centres started to take a toll on me. Ben also started to become hungry for lunch as he only had a couple of sandwiches from 7eleven for breakfast. I had nothing, and I also started to become desperate for a smoke.

Exhausted and tired, we called Gemini for help. It directed us outside the shopping centre into a two story café that served Pasta and had a smoking room on the 2nd floor. Gemini knows, from my previous prompts, what Ben and I generally eat. The desperate call made it immediately play the safe card. We probably had an hour lunch break. We revisited a couple of other Anime stores, who's names I don't even recall, and then went back to Shinjuku to get some rest at the hotel. Meanwhile, Ben prompted Gemini and it came back with a local Takoyaki shop around the corner where we had quite an early dinner.

While Ben fell asleep, I prompted Gemini for the plan of the next day. We planned to visit Radio City in Akihabara before we leave Tokyo for Osaka. We wanted to see all the vintage computing and gaming shops, so the plan was to get up early. Since Akihabara meant a lot of walking again, I also prompted Gemini about the hotel breakfast, which was quite pricey and served in a basement restaurant, separate to the Hotel Gracery. Gemini recommended it, and also provided an overview of what's offered.

Akihabara and Radio City

When we got up, we had breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and Gemini was right about it. It was really good, and fairly western. Exactly what I needed for a third day of walking around Tokyo. We took the Chūō-Sōbu Line from Shinjuku to Akihabara, and arrived quite early. Most of the shops were still closed and would only open in an hour. I prompted Gemini about what to do, but given that it was 35°C (95°F), we decided to waste some time at the local Starbucks in Akihabara with some cold drinks.

When the shops opened, we went through a 5 story Anime figure shop, and we visited a ton of vintage gaming stores. Some of them were hidden in alleyways with tiny entrances. Without Gemini instructing us exactly where to go, and how to find the entrance, we would've missed most of the shops. Akihabara was really where we used Gemini the most and where it was the most helpful. It also prevented me from buying a used Dreamcast and Ben from buying a used Nintendo 3DS, simply because both of them would only be able to operate in Japanese, and be heavily taxed when we return.

Because we had amassed quite some goodies already, I used Gemini to provide me some details on the customs free import limits in Germany. It informed me that I could import goods of up to €430 while Ben could only bring around €175 tax free. We decided to keep it at some Godzilla figures which were fairly inexpensive, because they were used. Thanks to Gemini, I think we visited every electronics store Akihabara had to offer.

While walking through the narrow paths of Radio City, we came across an old picture that didn't have any notes or explanations, so I asked Gemini. The image shows the birth of Radio City under U.S. occupation after WW2. It perfectly resembles the transition from the old world into the new Japan, at least that's what Gemini said about it.

We returned from Akihabara to Shinjuku, passing through a book store that contained a lot of Claude Code books. Funny that these are right next to a book titled "Careless People". This book store knows what it's doing, it seems. For dinner, Ben had prompted Gemini for some ideas, and we ended up going to Ikebukuro for a nice small Japanese restaurant. It was all Japanese, so Gemini basically had to read the entire menu, and explain how to operate the Japense-only ordering system on the iPad.

Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka

After three exciting and equally exhausting days in Tokyo, we got up early, checked out of the hotel, had Breakfast at Starbucks in Shinjuku and headed towards the Shinagawa station where our Shinkansen departs. I had booked the departure for 11am, but we were very early and arrived in Shinagawa around 8.30am, already. I tried to rebook the seats to an earlier train, which is what the online booking site offered, but found no availability. Gemini couldn't tell what to do to take an earlier train. It kept recommending to rebook the tickets online, which didn't work.

Long story short, the a guide at the Shinagawa station instructed us to just board any Shinkansen train to Shin-Osaka. We just wouldn't have seats. It was quite confusing, both for us and for Gemini. The awkward and dated reservation systems of the Japan Rail conglomerate deserve a story of their own. While everything was on time and very clean, the train addentant had the schedule hand-written on paper, there were no information screens with the current route, no charging sockets on the seats, and the WiFi remained unused by passengers as it didn't work at all. Shinkansen seemed be more of a myth than a modern marvel. It didn't feel anymore advanced than German or French high speed rail, in fact it felt like it was somewhat lost in time. I wandered around, photographed and found an empty "Business Suite" or "Meeting Room", called "S Work".

That "S Work" meeting room required a reservation. I quickly got Ben to come over to that meeting room and had Gemini do the reservation, which was of course Japanese-language only as usual. Unlike the regular seats, this Business Suite had its own Wifi which actually worked and had several charging sockets. When Gemini completed the reservation, the occupancy light of the "Suite" turned red and we stayed until we arrived in Osaka.

Arrival in Universal City Osaka

Because we had our large bags with us, and sat in the Shinkansen for 3 hours, we decided that it was enough train riding for the day. Neither of us was in the mood for anymore of that, so an Uber ride from Shin-Osaka to Universal City it was. Immediately, Osaka felt much more relaxed, cleaner, quieter, and more comfortable than Tokyo. It felt like it was the Japan we wanted to see. Universal City also brought a lot of America with it.

We arrived in Universal City at 11am, almost 4 hours before we could check in to our hotel room. After we dropped the bags at the hotel and had lunch at Shake Shack, we asked Gemini what else to do while we waited for our room to be ready at 3pm. Besides a walk and some relaxation, Gemini recommended taking the ferry to the ferris wheel and aquarium on the other side of Universal City's bay. So we had a walk over to the bay.

What Gemini did not know were the departure times of that ferry. As it was 1.30pm by now, we would have to wait 40 minutes for the ferry as it only departed every hour. We had other plans for the afternoon in Osaka as well, so waiting hours for a ferry wouldn't work for us. We headed back to Universal City, walked around and waited until we could check-in.

Check-in was really weird as the hotel demanded we use the Japanese-language only check-in queueing system, and take a ticket with a number. It would've meant that we had to wait an additional hour before our number would've been called. I convinced the receptionist of our intercultural inability to operate this device. English, even in international hotels, is not common in Japan, so I used the language barrier to our advantage by playing dumb. Being a stupid tourist sometimes works wonders, although you need to make sure you stay respectful and aware of the cultural boundaries. The receptionist, as well as the duty manager checked us in swiftly to avoid having confused Westerners in their lobby.

The room was spacious and nice, it had all the amenities. Although Ben was excited with the Godzilla hotel, I found the room in Tokyo quite small. The Sesame Street hotel was much more spacious and comfortable. It even had an air cleaner in the room. The A/C and air cleaner controls lacked any icons or pictograms, so if you couldn't speak Japanese you couldn't operate them. It worked like a charm using Gemini-video to have it instruct me on how to setup and tune the A/C and air cleaner.

Ben wanted to spend some coins at a Capsule Toy Store, something incredibly famous in Japan, Gemini told us. The toys in these capsules aren't just cheap crap like in Europe, but really carefully crafted and of quite high quality. Ben wanted to revisit a smaller Capsule Toy Store in Tokyo, but Gemini and I were able to convince him to do that in Osaka where there's a five story Capsule Toy Store. So we took the "JR Yumesaki Line" directly from Universal City to Osaka central.

Honestly, I wouldn't have found this shop without Gemini's help. It was one of the hidden secrets we would've never gotten to, would we not have had Gemini and its tight integration with Google Maps. Gemini didn't just recommend and explain the places, it also created the routes to get us there. Navigating around with Gemini really felt like having our own concierge with us all the time. The Capsule Toy Store didn't disappoint and we were happy to have followed Gemini's advice to come here instead of trying the numerous smaller ones we discovered ourselves in Tokyo.

Ben picked the ramen restaurant right next to the hotel for dinner. We went back to our room afterwards. Before we fell asleep, we had Gemini provide us some final information about Universal Studios. Im prompted it for the availability of an ATM inside of it, when the hotel breakfast would open, and if we could just book the hotel breakfast at the entrance of the restaurant. Gemini answered all of the information correctly.

We also discovered a "One Piece Premiere Show" event in the afternoon of the next day, which was Sunday, August 9th. Gemini provided all the instructions on where to get the tickets from, something Universal's official app didn't provide at all. Although it turned out later that Gemini got the location of the ticket office wrong, a minor inconvenience.

Universal Studios Japan, Osaka

I got up very early the next day, at 5am already. Ben was still asleep, so I quickly went out to get myself a coffee at the local Lawson convenience store around the corner. It operates around the clock with sandwiches and fresh coffee, which is one of the things I loved most about Japan. There are many things that just work around the clock seamlessly.

I said on a bench and enjoyed the coffee alongside a fresh morning breeze in quiet Universal City. A welcomed relief from all the stress of the previous days, which were exciting, but stressful. Around 7am, I noticed larger groups of people already moving towards the entrance, although the park was set to only open at 9am. Gemini, what's going here?

When I got back to the hotel room, I woke up Ben, and we went to the hotel breakfast buffet. The hotel's breakfast buffet was entirely tailored towards Japanese guests, with some limited Chinese options, and it was awesome.

We went directly to the entrance of the Park after breakfast. The way from the hotel to the entrance was less than a minute as it was just 100–200 meters (300–600ft) away from the hotel. There was a lengthy security check, and we had to wait until the park actually opened. It took us around 90 minutes until we were finally let in.

When we were let in, the park was anything but crowded. It felt fairly empty. Gemini explained that's likely due to the earthquake the week prior and a Taifun currently blocking tourists from Shanghai and Beijing. There were hardly any Chinese tourists around in the park. Wait times for some attractions are usually up to 100 minutes, but that day we got through many in under 5 minutes. It was our lucky day. The Flying Dinosaur, Jurassic Park The Ride, and JAWS didn't really take any wait time at all in the early morning. We couldn't believe it, and we still had our Express Passes.

Super Nintendo World was also less frequented, but fairly crowded considering the small size of it within Universal Park. Since we had a timed entry, we wandered through Super Nintendo World before our entry time. The announced wait time for Yoshi's Adventure was way beyond 100 minutes already, so it was good we had the Express Pass for it. It allowed us to use the Express queue which only took 10 minutes wait.

It was fun riding Yoshi's Adventure for the roughly 5–6 minutes it took. But in all fairness, it's a social media hype, mainly pushed through TikTok and Instagram. It was fun, but if it wouldn't have been Yoshi, it would just have been yet another easy going ride. The Minecart Madness rollercoaster was far more exciting, both as a ride as well as from a technical perspective.

Minecart Madness gives you the impression that your car is jumping over tracks and flying around as the car itself is mounted to a monorail with an L-shaped bar. But the rider's impression is that it's going on the tracks below it, which are purely for the show. Very interesting rollercoaster. After Minecart Madness, we had a "One Piece" lunch in the Feast Restaurant. It's in the Jurassic Park area, which became somewhat of my favorite.

Afterwards, we went to the ticket office at the entrance to buy the tickets for the One Piece Premiere Show in the evening. Since English isn't common in Japan, hands and fingers in combination with Google Translate solved the communication issues, and we got our entry tickets.

Gemini helped explain what the ticket says, when we should be there at the entry, and it explained to me what that One Piece and fan culture actually is. The entire show was in Japanese, and it was strictly prohibited to take any photos of the show. Many attractions, such as Minecart Madness, also strictly prohibited taking photos or videos, and we respected that.

When the show ended, a lot of female fans cried. And by a lot, I mean almost all of them cried. Gemini explained that this is pure joy and emotional overwhelm. Although the Japanese appear to be very composed people, there are nonetheless moments of total emotional outbursts. With that, our first day at Universal Studios Japan ended 8.30pm.

Neither I, nor Gemini or Google Maps recall what we had for dinner that evening. Probably just sandwiches. After spending around 12 hours in the park, we were tired, but not exhausted. We didn't feel like we missed anything, and the Universal app was super helpful, one of the best amusement park apps I've ever used. But also, we had another day at the park in front of us, with another set of Express Passes.

Harry Potter and the Second Day in the Park

We decided to take it easy on day two, and got up quite late around 9am, after which the park was already open. The queue at security didn't take that long and it only took us around 20 minutes to get in. It was much more crowded that day, and there were way more Chinese tourists now. We headed to the French bakery for breakfast to slowly start the day.

You can't expect Haute Cuisine from an American theme park in Japan, but the croissant and salad were a good start into the day. It was Gemini's recommendation and it was absolutely perfect to slowly start the day. The "Beverly Hills Boulangerie" (it's actual official name) was also directly opposite of the 4-D cinema to which we had timed entry Express Passes to see JUJUTSU KAISEN. It was the second "must see" that Ben put on the list way back in December 2025, when we first discussed a possible trip.

Honestly, neither did I know what JUJUTSU KAISEN actually is, nor did I know what this 4-D event was or required us to do. Since it was one of the main attractions Ben wanted to see, I showed Gemini our Express Passes and asked it to be very specific about when we should be at the entrance of the 4-D cinema. Missing the show was not an option.

The 4-D show was awesome with 3D glasses, air, and water splashes. Some people waited over an hour to get in, our Express Passes got us in with no wait time, other than the show before the show in the entrance hall. The show itself was about 20 minutes in a cinema environment. When the show finished, we left through the main stage and returned our 3D glasses.

We wandered around the park afterwards, and checked out the Snoopy area before heading to the Harry Potter section. The Snoopy and Peanuts area felt like it was for younger children, so we just walked around to not have missed anything there. Pretty much just to tick the boxes.

Although neither of us has any interest in Harry Potter, I followed Gemini's advice back in June and had Express Passes that also covered it. Our category 4 Express Passes for day two had either the Flying Dinosaur, which we were able to get on without one the day prior, or Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. I entirely forgot about it, but Gemini reminded me that this was one of the main attractions in the park. And rightfully so.

When we arrived, the attraction was "Out of service" due to an incident. This was the second time we had already experienced a service outage. We were just asked to come back later, and Gemini explained that this is a regular occurence which we shouldn't be worried about.

Our Express Pass also covered the Flight of the Hippogriff rollercoaster in the Harry Potter village. It's not just a small rollercoaster, it's also a rollercoaster for small people only. The entrance contains several warning signs that you have to be removed from the coaster if you're too tall, but at the same time stated that the limit was between 120cm (3.9ft) and 2m (6.5ft) in size. Since we're both 185cm (6ft), we should've fit, but we didn't. Our legs were too long for the security bars to attach properly, so they threw us out. After I waved around with our Express Passes, we were given a set of two additional ones for select attractions of our choice.

We wanted to buy the official pictures taken of us at The Flying Dinosaur the day prior, but forgot. The Flying Dinosaur was also one of the best experiences we had so far, so off for a second round we were! It turned out that being kicked off the Hippogriff was the best that ever happend. We went back to Harry Potter after another round of The Flying Dinosaur, and The Forbidden Journey was reopened. Any photographs were strictly forbidden, so I can only show you the outside. But it was awesome.

We took longer breaks afterwards, as our timed entry to the final and last missing rollercoaster, Hollywood The Backdrop, was scheduled for 6pm. It was also boiling hot, but luckily Universal Studios had a cooled relaxation area where many people took a break from the heat outside. The park did a great job at keeping everyone cool, and the vending machines were stocked up regularly to sell cold water bottles at 240 Yen (€1.30 or $1.50). They also accepted our Japanese Suica card, amongst many others.

We had already taken the regular Hollywood Ride, but Backdrop was backward facing and it was dawn already. What a great rollercoaster to end two days of absolute excitement at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. Although our Express Passes allowed us to jump the queue, there was an incident with the Backdrop rollercoaster moments before we could board. Nothing serious, although the park treated it very professionally, but likely just someone throwing up after riding the rollercoaster backwards.

Ben was tirend and not in the mood for any restaurants, and I was craving for some quick Sushi. The larger crowd also filled the restaurants in Universal City, many of which had long wait times and queues. I dropped Ben off in the hotel room and headed out to get him some ready made ramen that he wanted.

Gemini, prepare the dinner!

The hotel had a room with vending machines, ice, drinking water and microwaves, so getting an instant meal wasn't a problem at all. I regularly got drinks there during our stay. It worked fine with the Suica card.

I went to the small Lawson market opposite of the park's main entrance to get something for Ben. The market was jam packed with people who just left the park, so I queued up there. I spotted an instant meal and Gemini confirmed to me that I can just put that in the microwave, nothing else needed to prepare it. The counter at Lawson also asked me if I wanted them to prepare it for me, but I refused as I just wanted out.

At that time, I had already stopped using Google Translate and almost entirely relied on Gemini to not just translate the information, but make sense of them for me. Google Translate worked great translating all the stuff I gave it, but I very often still couldn't make any sense of it. That's why I switched to almost entirely using Gemini for absolutely everything.

There were two microwaves in the hotel, and for whatever reason Gemini told me to pick the bottom one. Not just was the microwave entirely in Japanese with no icons or pictograms, but not even the order and layout of the buttons made any sense to me. I switched Gemini to video mode and asked it to tell me step by step, exactly what to do. It worked like a charm, and it didn't feel like I was using Gemini, but Gemini was using me, or rather my hands and fingers to operate that Japanese microwave.

I brought Ben his ramen noodles, but I was still craving for some Sushi. So I went out to Universal City again, to the local Sushiro branch. Sushiro is one of the largest Sushi chains in Japan. I had to try it, but when I arrived at the branch it was jam packed with people queueing up, waiting, sitting around. No way was I going in there. Gemini, report here immediately!

Order Sushi for me, Gemini!

Gemini informed me that I could order the Sushi online and then just pick it up from a locker without any wait or any human interaction. It sounded like a plan, so I headed to the Sushiro website with Gemini holding hands.

Of course, the Sushiro online ordering app is entirely in Japanese, but hey the Sushi looked nice on the pictures so I picked based on that and what Gemini said it was. At the end, I got a QR code and the 2,530 Yen for the order were charged from my card. Gemini said we're good to go with that.

As instructed by Gemini, I headed to the Sushiro branch downstairs. It confirmed that this correct and I should wait until my number shows up in the blue section of the screen on the left hand side. I waited a little, and finally my number "2033" showed up. But when I scanned my QR code, a Japanese error showed up on the screen of the locker. I had to repeat the process together with Gemini, so it could make sense of the situation.

Gemini explained that the message means some items are still stored in the kitchen and that I should contact a member of staff. So, I went to the cashier desk and just showed my QR code with the number to a member of staff. She immediately checked with the kitchen and handed me the bag with the Sushi that I ordered.

The Sushi was amazing, something you only get in the highest quality Sushi restaurants in Germany. At 2,530 Yen (equivalent of €14 or $16) it was also one of the lowest prices I ever paid for Sushi. It was fresh and delicious. Not just did Gemini guide me through the whole process, it also translated my name into "Hiragana", so it could be inserted into the mandatory "Sei" and "Mei" fields in the online ordering web app, whatever they were for.

Nara Park on our last day in Japan

Ben had seen the deers in Nara Park online, and wanted to go there to feed them. We also wanted to do some cultural experiences, so off to Nara Park on the second day. The train ride from Universal City to Nara Park only required changing trains once, into an express train to Nara. We had breakfast in a Doutour coffee shop on the way, recommended by Gemini.

It was good that I asked Gemini to redirect us to visit the Doutour coffee shop, because that meant we were heading towards the park through some really nice traditional Japanese streets. It wasn't crowded at all and the short walk itself was quite some experience before we entered the park.

When we arrived at the park, there weren't just a few deers, there were hundreds of them and they clearly knew what they wanted: cookies. Small shops on the side of the road all solds these "official" cookies. We fed the various deers almost 30 cookies into total.

Luckily, neither of them attacked us, for which they are quite popular. We headed through the park towards the Kasuga Taisha. Gemini had clearly warned me of the fact that Nara Park is mostly Cash-only, so I had enough Yen on me for cookies, entrance to the temple and lunch.

After the temple, we went to the Wakakusayama Rest Area at which there were various souvenir shops and Gemini said these also serve hot meals. There were still deers everywhere, and many of them tried to access the shops as well, so you always had to make sure they stay out.

We entered the Shiroganeya Gift Shop, which is operated by an elderly couple, only has 3 tables, and only accepts cash. We had a wonderful traditional lunch there alongside some drinks. Maybe I should mention it; You need to be able to eat with chopsticks. We regularly use chopsticks at home in Germany, so it was just normal for us, but if it isn't for you, you should train a little before you go to Japan. The Shiroganeya Gift Shop only had chopsticks, like many other restaurants that we visited. It's Japan 🤷‍♂️

Afterwards, we walked back to Nara Station. We stopped at the Doutour coffee shop again, because it was cooled and also had a separate smoking room. It was still boiling hot outside, so we had a break regularly. I used the opportunity to try an actual Japanese Macha Latte. I'm not a fan of Macha Latte in Europe, but this original Japanese one was absolutely delicious.

We headed back to Nara Station and took the train back to Osaka, with a quick change of trains in Nishikujō Station 西九条駅. Because the ticket machines in Nara were fully occupied, I bought Bens ticket by quickly tapping my Visa card while I used my Suica. I then remembered that Universal City station does not offer "tap and ride". Gemini quickly clarified that we have to check out in Nishikujō anyway, so it doesn't matter, I can just buy another ticket there. Gemini was really helpful to quickly fix many of these small everyday confusions and inconveniences.

Our last dinner in Japan, at Bens request, was at Shake Shack in Universal City again, the same place we had lunch at when we arrived in Universal City. At our first dinner, I couldn't find Ketchup, but then I spotted the dispenser in a corner. Also at McDonald's in Tokyo, we weren't given Ketchup. I wondered if Ketchup was a thing in Japan or not, but Gemini was quick to let me know that in Japan Ketchup is also a big thing, a regular household item, and that it was just me not spotting it.

We had to be at Kansai airport (KIX) the next morning around 7am, a time at which trains don't yet operate that frequently, and Gemini recommended considering a taxi. I ordered a driver for 6.15am through the Uber app, which works perfectly fine all throughout Japan. Although trains are really a better option during the day. The majority of them perfectly on time.

Goodbye Japan, and back to Germany

August 12th, 2026 was not just the day we left, but also a day to leave. It was raining cats and dogs early in the morning. I got up shortly before 5am again, grabbed a coffee from Lawson for the last time, and woke up Ben.

We checked out of the hotel, and at 6.13am sharp our Taxi arrived at the parking lot of the hotel downstairs. Although it was constantly raining, we grasped some final views of Osaka and the bay area.

A solar eclipse was scheduled for August 12th, and we wondered if we would be able to see it from the air, but Gemini quickly informed us that this would be entirely impossible.

At Kansai, an 8 year old Lufthansa Airbus A350–900 already waited for us. It holds the registration D-AIXL (AI, but XL!!!), and the aircraft came with the 100th Anniversary Livery. The trip to Japan was a joint birth day and christmas present for Ben (an expensive one of course), and so Lufthansa and Ben celebrated their respective birthdays together. Before boarding, we grabbed some sandwiches from the store opposite of the gate.

As I had bought some more smaller presents for all the family members that demanded them, my Gemini prompts were mainly about customs restrictions. I had to calculate hard not to exceed the free import limits.

The older A350 didn't have a screen in the seat in front of me, and Ben's screen could only provide static inflight information. Our entertainment systems, just like the tables, were stored in the armrest. This time we didn't even try the Bluetooth as the cabin crew informed another guest nearby that this aircraft doesn't have it. Still, I binged numerous German TV series and movies throughout the 14 hour flight. Lufthansa served lunch about an hour or so after we left Kansai, and provided some snacks and drinks.

Shortly after we passed the Turkish black sea cost and entered European airpsace through Bulgaria, Lufthansa served dinner. Our last Japanese meal before we would set foot in Munich again. Although I fly a lot, I never order the popular tomato juice, but this time I felt like it had to be part of it.

We arrived in Munich ahead of schedule, and waited for our connecting flight. Although departure of LH1984 was delayed by 20 minutes, we still made it to Cologne/Bonn (CGN) in time. The connection time was just a little over an hour, so we didn't really wait that long.

The flight from Munich to Cologne was anything but full, and our bags were through checked by Lufthansa in Munich. The connection was as seamless, easy and comfortable as it was on our flight out. We were travelling for 16 hours straight now, out of the total 17 hours planned. Happy to be getting home, we were also tired, but at the same time totally overwhelmed by the last 9 days. Ben fell asleep again on the short hop.

The small Lufthansa Airbus A320 (D-AIBD, AI 😌) brought us safely back to Cologne, and on time. We quickly collected our bags and didn't have to pass any customs inspections. Since it was a short hop from Munich, and Cologne is a small efficient airport, we didn't really have to wait for our bags. My father, Bens grandpa, waited outside and drove us back home 🏡

Recap: A once in a lifetime trip

It was a once in a lifetime trip. A trip that I had envisioned when I saw the opening of Super Nintendo World back in 2016, when Ben was just 4 years old. 10 years later, there we were. When Ben asked my wife and me in December 2025, and told us that he wanted to go to Japan, I knew the time had come. My wife and his older brother Tom left behind, we made the trip. A trip that Ben and I will remember for our entire life.

Usually, when travelling, I feel like I may have missed some things. But with Geminis planning and guidance, it was more than overwhelming. We ticked every box on the bucket list of dreams. Gemini wiped away every minor confusion, even the slightest inconveniences. Japanese efficiency just added to that picture perfect trip.

Even over a week after we returned, I am still baffled while I go through all the pictures and write this trip report for you. While it was fun to try things with Gemini at first, in hindsight, it opened doors we wouldn't have even found without it. It navigated us through Japan, Tokyo, Osaka, and Nara as if we lived there for years. It was a trip into a not so distant future in which agents like Gemini wipe away all the annoyances of our everyday life.

We didn't have to compromise anything, just because we didn't understand the language or the customs. Gemini figured everything out for us. It planned the trip, it planned our routes, it planned the airport transfers, it ordered food, it cooked the food, it prevented us from getting lost. We never had to figure the train schedules out, Gemini had them figured out already. Ben didn't just follow me around while I followed Gemini around. He prompted his own way through Japan as well, and Gemini opened every door we wanted through. Found every spot we heard of.

This wasn't just a picture perfect once in a lifetime trip, it was a revelation of what AI is actually capable of in the real world. A glimpse into a future in which the machines make sure everything just works.

Thank you for reading, and through that joining us.

Jan and Ben.

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I'm a software business owner from Germany, worked in various CTO roles, an active programmer in C++, Go, Swift and passionate technology enthusiast. My programming career started at a young age and I later acquired a professional institutional education in software engineering. My journey on Medium started out as note taking and documenting my projects. Over time, it became more and more popular with you, my beloved readers. Not because I am someone special, but because people crave for thoroughly researched technical articles. Following me, clapping and subscribing is one step forward in keeping technical writing and its community alive.