Michelle Duggar's Snapshot of Japan

FAMILY TRAVEL on 03.22.13

Michelle Duggar19 Kids and CountingBIO

 

Photos: DCL

Travel question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: What were some of your favorite moments from your trip to Japan?

Asia is such an amazing place. The best part was really the joy of visiting another country and getting to experience it with the whole family together. That was just an opportunity of a lifetime for our family. We were just thrilled to be there!

We went to Japan first and visited Tokyo and Kyoto, which are two of the largest cities in Japan. And they’re absolutely beautiful cities. We were so amazed at the architecture; the buildings are huge and immaculate. My boys kept noticing how many unique styles of architecture they use, too. The shapes of the buildings are incredible.

For the boys, one of their favorite experiences in Japan was the samurai training. They were taught by one of the best teachers in in Japan. Even Jim Bob learned a few skills. As a matter of fact, a few days after the boys did the training, we saw their teacher on television! The kids just loved that.

For the girls, the opportunity to dress up in traditional Japanese clothing was especially memorable. The outfits were absolutely beautiful. There are layers and layers and layers of clothing involved in traditional dress! You are so heavy by the time you get all the pieces on that you can hardly walk or breathe. It’s impossible to bend over; you don’t do much while you’re in that clothing! But it’s only for very special occasions like a wedding. We really enjoyed the beauty of that experience.

Overall, it was the type of trip that we won’t forget quickly. We had so many wonderful experiences as a family in Asia!

See the boys practice their samurai skills and the girls wearing traditional Japanese dress in theDuggars Do Asia Photo Gallery! 

Travel along with Michelle and the Duggars as they take their first trip to Japan and China. Tune in Tuesdays 9|8c, for 19 Kids and Counting: Duggars Do Asia.

Duggars do Asia part 2 trivia questions!

1. What show did the family appear on?
2. What does Jim Bob try?
3. What did the duggar girls get to try on?
4. What did the duggar boys get to do?
5. What did the family do at the hotel?
6. What did Anna do without the family?

Duggars do Asia part 1: Recap

 Jessa and Jinger start off with packing. They have been packers for the past 6 years. On their list for this trip, they need to pack 250 pairs of clothes, 50 shoes, 170 diapers and a lot of snacks to last them a month. They needed to get a box truck to fit the luggage to their airport. The family checked in twenty-nine suitcases and ten carry ons for the plane. The family flew over 7,000 miles in 48 hours with a stop in Chicago. The family noticed many differences between Japan and America when it came to the toilets.
The family settled in for the night and woke up the next morning ready for new experiences. During breakfast, Jordyn was found to be a adventurous eater while her mother enjoyed the seaweed. At the end of the meal,  Michelle was surprise with a birthday cake which was made with green tea. On the first day, Jim Bob and Michelle exchanged 300 US dollars for 22,000 Japanese yen, within the day the family spent about 33 dollars (USA) on a dollar store.
The second day of their trip, the older girls go to find kimonos for the youngest daughters. Jim Bob felt comfortable allowing the girls venture in Tokyo alone. Josh and Anna are going for a date and so Jim Bob and Michelle take care of their grandkids. Josh and Anna decided that they want to get their picture drawn but their date gets cut short thanks to the family getting theirs done too.
The family decides to get Rickshaws for a ride thou the city. They get into teams and buy some fish for sushi. Jim Bob picks girls for his team because he knows that they love to shop however he ends up losing and has to eat Josie's sushi creation. The family heads to a Sushi academy to learn how to make it.  Jana did not know if Josie was making or playing with her food. Jim Bob decides to eat his daughter's sushi but not before offering to share. He doesn't think that sushi will become a Duggar favorite.

Trivia will be coming soon! 

Duggar returns tonight

19 kids and counting is returning tonight with brand new episodes

How the family pack for a trip?!

Ask Michelle: How the Duggars Pack for a Trip

FAMILY TRAVEL on 03.08.13

Michelle Duggar19 Kids and CountingBIO

 

Photo: DCL

Travel question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: What’s it like to pack for such a large family?

Packing begins quite a bit earlier for us so that we can get all of the details down. We start weeks in advance. Usually, we try to make sure that we've got enough socks and underclothes for everybody for seven days. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you have to have seven pairs of socks for everyone, you multiply that. At home, we wash every day because we just have enough for a few days. Three of my boys are in the same size right now, so that means I’ve got to have 21 pairs of the same size sock to make it through a trip. For starters, we had to get more socks and undershirts to make sure that everybody had enough of the basics.

And then it’s time to start packing! The kids will go down and pick out the clothes that everyone needs for our trip. Sometimes, we’ll find out that someone’s leggings have holes in them, and someone else’s shoes have a big hole in them. We have to do some last minute thrift shopping to find just the right size shoes and clothes for everyone.

My daughters have figured out this amazing system for packing. They’ll get a day's worth of clothes laid out. They stack the largest size at the bottom and they just work their way up, making a stack with all of the boys' shirts in it for each day. And then they just roll each bundle up and slide it inside of a plastic bag with a label on it for that day. At the end of the day, they can use the plastic bag as the dirty clothes bag for all of that day’s items.

If we're in a hotel room, all of the dirty clothes and socks go under the sink in the bathroom so that when it's time to gather all the laundry, we just go from room to room putting everything in the bag. The bag is already labeled, and we’ll just mark "dirty" over the top of the label. It helps us to keep track of everyone’s clothing and see what we have left for the week!

Travel along with Michelle and the Duggars as they take their first trip to Japan and China. Starting March 12, tune in Tuesdays 9|8c, for 19 Kids and Counting: Duggars Do Asia. See a sneak peek of the trip in the family's photo slideshow and preview video. Don't forget to check out on Monday, March 11, on the Today show! 

Duggar returns!

19 kids and counting are heading to Asia and Japan and invited the crew to take part in this trip. Join us on March 12 for this three part special and in April 2013 there will be new season. Duggar returns in three weeks.