Mariska Hargitay shares snaps from bittersweet family vacation ahead of son August’s departure

The Law & Order: SVU star is a mom-of-three with husband Peter Hermann

Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann are spending their summer in Japan with their three children, August, Amaya, and Andrew, before the oldest of the kids leaves home.

This fall, August will depart the nest for college, the first of the siblings to do so, and the family-of-five are getting in some well-deserved together time before that happens.

Mariska, 60, took to social media to share a few glimpses of the trip, including a variety of snaps of the group exploring Japan’s architectural and artistic beauty.

She shared some photos of the famous Benesse House Hotel and Museum in Naoshima Island, including some breathtaking reflected images of the night sky, their Tadao Ando-influenced surroundings, and a reflected photo of presumably her younger kids, Amaya, 13, and Andrew, 12.

Mariska also included a few loved-up selfies cozying up to her husband Peter, 56, calling it “a happy day!” which fans quickly began gushing over with heart emojis galore.

It was during a recent appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark with fellow parents Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos that she revealed that her son got into college and would leave soon. Kelly joked in response: “One down, two to go!” The daytime couple also have three kids, two of whom are college graduates and one just finished his junior year at the University of Michigan.

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While feigning a fainting spell upon telling the audience the news, the Law & Order star admitted that it took being part of this process to realize how “stressful” it was for the kids themselves.

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“It’s a happy day!” Mariska captioned a selfie with her husband Peter

“I thought that it wouldn’t be, because I’m very much like, ‘You will end up where you’re supposed to be’, and he did. But you can say that all you want until you go through it. It’s so hard, and it’s so stressful for these kids,” she explained.

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Mother and son share a close bond, however, often making courtside appearances together at NBA games or the annual US Open, to the point that she joked in the interview that “wherever he goes to college, I am buying an apartment. That’s the joke!”

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August leaves for college this fall, and turned 18 earlier this week

“I say to him every time, if he goes on a date, ‘So what time shall I meet you guys?'” she quipped