Unagi Travel Mystery Tour in Japan for Stuffed Animals

Travel Agency for Stuffed Animals

“Brooke, how would you like to send one of your stuffed animals to Japan for a vacation?”

That was how a very funny and interesting conversation took place right before we sent Zombie Monkey to Minato-ku, Tokyo in Japan.

Say what?

Nope, I didn’t lose the last bit of sanity I have managed to hold on to for all these years – there really is a travel agency for stuffed animals! How does that work? Great question.

How it Works

1. Unagi Travel offers very exclusive tours for your Teddy all around Japan. Does your train want to tour Tokyo? How about a nice Hot Spring soak for your babydoll? Tell Unagi where your pet toy wants to get pampered when you place your order and they are ready to go!

2. Mail your stuffed animal to the Unagi Travel location provided on the website and include your order information. Safe travels!

3. Unagi Travel sends you a confirmation e-mail when they receive your toy and the fun really begins! Each day your toy is in Japan, you will find photos posted on Facebok so you know it is doing great. Your toy has an actual ‘tour day’ set where they go to their tour attraction and photos will be posted of the trip for you to view and save.

4. Your toy gets shipped back to you within a week of their tour.

How much is it to ship a toy to Japan? Shipping from the United States to Japan will vary depending on size and how fast you want to send it. We paid approximately $ 20.00 to ship a small stuffed animal from Austin, TX in the ‘cheapest way possible’.

How long will my toy be gone? With shipping and the tour, the toy could be in Japan for two to three weeks. I suggest letting the child choose a toy that they would be comfortable with not seeing for an extended period.

How can I turn this fun event into an even more rewarding experience for my child? The Unagi Travel tours is a great way to talk about travel and learn about the country of Japan. It is also a great way to discuss vacations and missing a friend who is far away. We had a going away and welcome party for Brooke’s toy as well as talking about what he was doing on his trip from pictures through the Unagi Travel Facebook page. We dined on items like miso soup and sushi during his tour and drank green tea. I put together some fun materials to talk about Japan and some interesting facts about daily life in Tokyo. This was a great opportunity to learn about the relations between the U.S. and Japan and we learned about the tsunami relief efforts in Tohoku. What great discussions Brooke and I have had about this experience and will continue to have in the future!

Bonus! Want to see how our Zombie Monkey enjoyed his trip? Check it out! Total success!

Going Away Party!

Tour Pictures! Zombie Monkey made it to Tokyo! Follow his Mystery Tour travels on the Unagi Travel Facebook page here.

Celebrating Zombie Monkey’s arrival with the U.S. and Japan flags at Unagi Travel.

Yummy! Z.M. sharing puffed rice cakes or “okoshi” with his new friends, Kapt’n Flauschi from Austria/Germany and Kamo san from Chiba.

Yoake Ichiba street in Iwaki. Restaurants that were destroyed by the tsunami gathered here to re-open their business. Read more about the TOMODACHI project in Tohoku here.

Tokyo Skytree has been the tallest tower in the world since March 2011!

Keeping up with his travels. Brooke in Texas and Zombie Monkey in Tokyo!

Unagi Travel was kind enough to let me know the wording of this sign is off. Thanks online translation website! This is what the sign should say:

ゾンビーモンキー、おかえり。

Zombie Monkey, Okaeri.

Welcome Home, Zombie Monkey! Unagi Travel has been a wonderful and rewarding experience for our family. It is amazing to be able to understand and learn about the country and culture of Japan. We felt welcome in Tokyo through the online pictures and our Zombie Monkey had a great time. It was as if we were there in Japan with him. Unagi Travel was so accommodating, even taking Zombie Monkey to an arcade from Brooke’s request! I highly recommend doing a similar tour with your family and incorporating lots of fun and educational experiences with the kiddos in real time in the comfort of your home. I hope the next time we can join Zombie Monkey in person on a trip to Japan. In the meantime, this was as close as you can get to experiencing a tour in person.

Unagi Travel included a fun CD in the return package filled with pictures of Zombie Monkey on his trip – even pictures they didn’t post on their Facebook page. Pictures were neatly organized in location folders.