Two weeks in Japan, one carry-on each — here's exactly what our family of three packed, what we're glad we brought, and what we'd leave at home next time.

Buying tickets, choosing a seat, traveling with kids, and what it's actually like onboard — everything we learned riding Japan's bullet train for the first time.

Trains, Suica cards, Google Maps, taxis, and luggage forwarding — everything we learned navigating Japan's transportation system as a first-time family, so you can skip the parts that intimidated us.

We spent months planning our Japan trip before we ever boarded the plane — here are the 10 lessons that actually made the difference, from how we mapped our route to what we'd do differently next time.

Is Japan actually kid-friendly? After 14 days traveling with our five-year-old, here's what surprised us, what we wish we'd known, and what we'd do differently — from the walking to the quiet trains to the small hotel rooms.