Some will find it more enchanting at night than through the day. Open 7 days a week, year round. Full and half-day tours in english are a little hurries but are a fast way to see the highlights over a short visit. The one-hour open air bus that leaves from Shinjuku subway exit 8a is recommended for kids. That said kids will enjoy the well designed interactive exhibits. The museum has many demonstrations led by museum staff. Closed Wednesday — If Wednesday is a national holiday, the Museum is open Wednesday and closed the following day.
This is a pretty awesome place and highly recommended for kids 4 to Kids can play-act their favorite careers with full uniforms and lots of real-world accessories. From dentist to cook, engineer to fireman there are about 40 different careers in all. Book tickets at least a month in advance. Wednesdays are devoted to english-speaking events but any day will do. An indoor amusement park in Odaiba. Lots of games electronic and otherwise and even a couple small scale rides.
Kids love this place parents will find some of it pretty lame. One of the best museums in Tokyo will replicas of Tokyo street life and home life. Free tours conducted in English enquire inside after you arrive. Good aquarium on the top floor of Sunshine City Mall in Ikebukuro. Downstairs is J-World , an amusement park devoted to manga and anime. Both the aquarium and J-World are not huge but can comfortably fill 2 hours each. Good fun in central Tokyo without making the trek to Disneyland. Rides, games, and food in a lively kid-friendly atmosphere.
This is a lot of fun. Buy tickets through JapanBall. The palace is open only 2 days a year, January 2 and December The gardens are closed most Mondays and Fridays with many exceptions: Combine the boat trip with a few hours looking around Asakusa which has the Sensoji temple, the Nakamise Shopping Street, and the observation decks at Tokyo Skytree across the river from Asakusa.
Disappear through this door and enter a dark labyrinth of caves, hidden bridges, and old world Japanese style. Book a table at least a week in advance. Fast Track tickets are recommended to skip the long lines. Typical over-the-top Japanese wackiness and super fun for kids. Make your own noodles and ramen. There are kids classes and a large indoor playground. Tokyo has so many indoor attractions and relatively few outdoor ones that Tokyo makes an attractive destination for kids and families almost any month of the year. Of course July and August will be very hot and humid and December, January and February will require an extra layer of clothing.
The best months for a visit are probably April and May in the spring and September and October in the fall. Tokyo is loaded with great hotels although many target business travelers and put little effort into pleasing kids. Triples and quadruple rooms large enough to fit a family are rare. They also offer free cancelations. Hotel demand in Tokyo is predicated on a complex holiday, business, and student exam calendar that is almost unknowable to foreigners.
I strongly suggest booking early and confirming your hotel stay a few days before arriving in Japan. So you can often wait a day or two for a response to a simple question regarding your accommodations. This, once again, leads me to suggest getting a hotel booked early. While Tokyo has a ton to offer and should be the focus of any trip to Japan there are several nearby destinations that are perfect for 1 to 3 days of exploration. Hi, and thanks for the info. I m going to Tokyo With my year-old son his first trip to Japan in a couple of months.
We booked a hotel in Asakusa 4 Nights. Is it a good area to stay or do you recommend another area my main consern is Access to different parts of Tokyo that we can manage to visit these 4 days? It has a more low-key traditional feel and there are wonderful restaurants and things to do right in the area. Ueno zoo and a few museums is just a few stops away. Hi, this page has really good information, we are planning a trip October two kids 13 and 5 years old, will be staying on base Yokota , planning on going to DisneySea, Legoland discovery center, Panasonic center, zoo, Toyota mega web.
Is it easier to rent a car ride the train? Will be staying for a week. Certainly, traveling by car to any destination within Tokyo is asking for a lot of hassle and expense. I was planning on taking just my eldest daughter age 10 in but now the whole family wants to go. Would it be crazy to take the whole family mom, dad, three girls ages 10, 8 and 5?
I speak a little Japanese but my family does not yet!
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Where should we stay Near the National Stadium? We were thinking VRBO but open to hotels if we can find one that works for 5. How insane do you think the crowds will be during the Olympics? Because the last time Tokyo hosted the Olympics was , you are asking a lot of unknowns.
The Best Things To Do in Tokyo with Kids
Tokyo is only now working to address some of the concerns you mention. There is such a severe shortage of accommodations, not only in Tokyo but all over Japan, that there barely seems to be enough right now — international visitors in were more than 28 million, already exceeding the goal set at 20 million by The government has now raised the desired number of visitors to 40 million by Given the number of people in your family, you really should book a hotel as soon as you can.
As for VRBO, there are quite a few, but keep in mind that apartments in Tokyo are fairly small; it may be difficult finding one with more than 2 bedrooms, so if you find one, you should jump at it. In other words, the crowds probably will be insane. Disney will be crowded. Subways will be crowded. Japanese are usually pretty good at crowd control, so they may be able to work out subway issues such as extending service through the night and they are also opening up temples around the country for overnight stays to alleviate room shortage problems.
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If you go knowing there will be crowds, perhaps that can be part of the experience! Thanks for all the great information. Was planning to spend all my time in Tokyo but would love to get out of the city for a day trip, any recommendations for Mid-November? In other words, enough for your 4-year-old to enjoy.
For a day trip, Kyoto would be exhausting 5 hours roundtrip and expensive. Or, closer in, Tokyo Sea Life Park with its aquarium. Do you have any recommendations for classes for teens like advanced origami, techie, science, or making sweets? If your son is interested in science, he may be able to join a workshop at Miraikan the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. In Odaiba, where Miraikan is located, you might also want to see the Panasonic Center, which has an exhibit on the upcoming Olympic games and the role technology will play, the Trick Art Museum and a huge Gundam statue outside DiverCity and a huge Gundam store inside, where you can buy a Gundam, select colors and paint it right then and there.
While there are several places where your son can make his own candy, they are conducted only in Japanese. Finally, there are many guided tours geared toward foreign visitors, where language is not a barrier. Tours by Locals, for example, can take you and your son on a four-hour pop culture walking tour, as well as private tours of your choosing. Thanks so much for this!!!
Do you have a recommendation for a more traditional hotel to stay in for 1 adult traveling with 2 children. I would like something with more culture. Ryokan Shigetsu in Asakusa is small, friendly and has a traditional feel. They serve a traditional Japanese breakfast which is fun to experience. Also, besides the above suggestions for kid activities, what else is feasible for that time frame?
In terms of must eats, do they accommodate young toddlers? I would therefore advise Disneyland over Disney Sea. On the other hand, your son will probably be just as happy with Hanayashiki, a small amusement park in Asakusa not far from Sensoji Temple. I also recommend Ueno Park, which has Ueno Zoo with pandas and the excellent National Museum of Nature and Science Museum, with dinosaurs, a great hallway filled with some animals from around the world and a section devoted just to Japan.
In addition to the foods you mention, you should also try bento — lots of small dishes that are tied to the season — as well as tempura and shabu-shabu or sukiyaki. And in case you are desperate there are a lot of fast food restaurants as well. I thought of 4 nights in Tokyo, 4 nights in Kyoto, 3 nights in Shirahama-Cho, 2 nights Osaka, 2 nights around hiroshima, 2 nights Nara and one last night in Tokyo. I imagine that a two week JR pass would be convenient as we would only activate when leaving Tokyo? Thanks for your input, your posts are really helpful. Looks like a great itinerary.
Yes, with all that moving about the two-week JR pass is recommended and activate when you leave Tokyo. Hi Dave, I wanted to know your recommendations for things to do with kids in Winter. Is Disneyland an option with 3 kids varying from 2yrs, 5yrs and 7yrs. We are arriving in late February for a week of skiing and then a week in Tokyo. I was keen on the fish markets, Pokemon Centre, Lego Centre, ninja dining, Sony Explorascience, Shinagwa aquarium, and was tossing up with going to Hanayashiki or Disneyland or the rollercoaster rides place.
Would love to hear your advice. The weather, of course, will play a role on your sightseeing plans, as Tokyo has seen much more snow and colder weather this year than usual. By March, however, Tokyo may have started warming up. I would caution against going into Tsukiji Market with such young children, as this is a busy, working market with forklifts rushing about and in any case visiting hours have been restricted because of the increasing number of tourists. The Outer Market just outside Tsukiji Market, however, is where much of the seafood sold in Tsukiji ends up and is therefore just as interesting to young ones and is open much later until about 2pm.
While Tokyo Disneyland is a class act, it requires a full day. For other suggestions, I recommend a visit to Ueno Park, which has Ueno Zoo with pandas and the excellent National Museum of Nature and Science Museum, with dinosaurs, a great hallway filled with some animals from around the world and a section devoted just to Japan. Yoyogi Park near Harajuku—the teenager hangout is the best park for families.
Hi Dave, your blog is great!! So glad I stumbled on it. What would you advise? When do you suggest we activate the JR pass if at all? Any good guides or day tours or is it easy to navigate ourselves? As you can probably guess, predicting the exact dates for flower viewing is tricky business. There are several websites that make predictions, however, including this one put out by JR.
As you can see, Tokyo goes into bloom first, and if the past few years are any indication, full bloom is at the end of March, though there may still be cherry blossoms at the beginning of April. Furthermore, if the highway has traffic, it often takes longer to drive between Tokyo and Kyoto than to take the Shinkansen bullet train. On the plus side, with four adults it is cheaper to rent a car than to go by rail though there is that pesky parking charge.
You will probably find traveling by train more relaxing. Your 2-year-old can travel for free and your 6-year-old travels for half fare. Your itinerary sounds fine. Note that for Hakone, you would take JR to Odawara and from there travel on private railway line Odakyu, which offers 2-day passes for that loop journey. As for tour companies, there are many different companies that all offer basically the same day tours.
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Stop by tourist offices in Tokyo and Kyoto for brochures of the many companies. Alternately, you should also be able to navigate on your own, as transportation in Japan is efficient and widely marked in English. Airbnbs can be inconsistent anywhere but for some reason they are particularly unpredictable in Japan. So glad to stumble upon your post! We are travelling to Japan this coming April with our 3 year old son. My hubby and I have been to Japan twice 7 years ago and we made good use of our JR pass back then going to many cities.
I am getting confused as to what train tickets we should buy since we are in Tokyo for 8 days. Should we purchase the 7 day JR pass and activate it on day 2 so we could use it to travel to Kyoto? I have looked at Hyperdia and it looks like we can also travel from Narita to Sasazuka Stn on the Keisei Skyliner and doing a couple of transfers. Lastly, what day do you suggest is the quietest to go to Disneyland to avoid the horrible long queues?!
Thank you so much in advance for all your help! It does not make economical sense to purchase the Japan Railpass. Coming from Narita, the JR Narita Express is much more convenient, because it goes all the way to Shinjuku Station, where you can then catch the train for Sasazuka the Keisei Skyline requires more transfers. But be sure to check the timetable, as trains to Shinjuku are less frequent. Your 3-year-old son travels for free. As for Disneyland, because your stay is so close to Golden Week, most Japanese planning to visit will probably do so then, after you have left Japan.
Otherwise, a weekday like Monday-Wednesday might be your best bet. Glad I came across your blog. We are travelling to Tokyo on December we will spend the 18thnd at Disney and will stay at the Disney Celebration Hotel. We will have a full day to explore on the 23rd. My family consists of my husband, myself, our children ages a 19, 15 and Would appreciate any insights on areas and places to visit that we can easily get to and from the Disney Celebration Hotel.
The area around Tokyo Disney is a mix of residential and commercial and there are several things to do that are good for families. Otherwise, top on the list—and closest and easiest to get to—is the Kasai Rinkai Park from your hotel, take the free shuttle to Maihama Station and then take the Keiyo Line one station to Kasai Rinkai Koen Station. The seaside park has a Ferris wheel, bird sanctuary, sandy beach, small Japanese garden and hiking trails, but the main reason for coming here is its Tokyo Sea Life Park, a great aquarium that will take about two hours to see.
Other suggestions include the local Urayasu Fish Market, which provides an eye-opening education on all the things from the sea that Japanese consume, and KidZania. Otherwise, Tokyo Station is only a minute ride from Maihama Station, giving access to many things to do in the city. For a full day of sightseeing, I suggest heading first to Akihabara, two stations north of Tokyo Station on the Yamanote Line. Nearby is Tokyo SkyTree, with two observatories providing eye-popping views of the city. Duration of stay is about 7 days, 6 nights and was thinking of Mount Fuji for 2 nights and then explore Tokyo after that.
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Do you think too short or too long? Hope to hear from you soon. That would leave you 3 full days to explore Tokyo which is definitely not too long but still should give you time to hit the highlights. We are staying over near Disneyland Resort. It will not be cheap, but getting to your hotel via public transportation will probably be more than you will want to handle after a long flight, regular taxis will not be big enough, and dedicated airport buses do not operate so late. First of all, thank you for all the great information and replies to date, a great resource for us new visitors.
I was considering a day trip to Lake Kawaguchiko to see Mt Fuji and was wondering if this was something we could spend the day doing while we were there? Any other places good to hire bikes to get around?? The other option I thought might be fun was Kamakura, we surf at home in Sydney a lot so this sounded like it might be a bit of a novelty and a place to cool off if it was getting too warm. Cycling is a common way to get around in Japan.
There are bike rental companies virtually everywhere in Kyoto, for example, rental bikes are very popular with tourists because the city is fairly flat. Local tourist offices, usually located in or near the main train station, have information on where to rent bikes. As for Lake Kawaguchiko, there are several places where you you can rent bikes. The tourist office at the station has maps and information, including cycling routes to other destinations besides just going around the lake.
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Another good cycling destination is Lake Yamanakako, which has a dedicated cycling lane and also good views of Mt. Hi everyone, I am travelling to Tokyo in August with my 10 yr old daughter. We are staying in a hotel in Taito. We are there for 12 days, how should I travel from Tokyo to Osaka? What else should I fit in and definitely visit? Take the bullet train Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka. You can book a day in advance while in Japan. We are a family of 4 kids aged 8 and 12 and visiting Japan in July. Trying to figure out if the JR Rail Pass is worth the money.
We have not settled on a plan yet but it will most likely include several days in Tokyo, a few days in both Osaka and Kyoto, and likely one or two more stops somewhere in that corridor. Do you have any simple rules for figuring out whether to buy the pass or stick with individual tickets? For us, ease and convenience is more important than saving every last dollar. The tricky part comes when adding other cities. Note, however, that some destinations are better using private rail lines, such as Odakyu when traveling to Hakone, Tobu for Nikko and Nankai Railway if going to Mt.
There are other passes for those lines, so you might consider a combination of rail passes depending on where you want to go. We have 8 full days in Japan. We fly into Tokyo then depart from Osaka to Singapore 9 days later. We are considering 2 days each in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka. Do you consider this a good division of time?
We are a family of 4, traveling with two children, ages 7 and Tokyo can easily fill a week of interesting kid-friendly things to do. Kyoto and Osaka are each good for 2 or 3 days of quality sightseeing. With that in mind, I would do 3 days in Tokyo, 3 days in Kyoto with a day trip to Nara , and 2 days in Osaka. Other options between Tokyo and Osaka include the Hakone Loop with a stay at a Ryokan in one of the small towns in the area and Kamakura which is an enchanting area with some cool sights and walks. The Odaiba option is near the Ariake train station and a minute walk from 2 other stations.
Ginza looks very busy and the accommodations are smaller. We have an 11 year old who was there when he was 4 and loved riding the trains. This trip we will concentrate on all things Tokyo. In terms of convenience, Shibuya and Ginza have many more subway and JR connections, which means you may be able to travel directly to destinations without having to change trains for example, the Ginza Line travels from Shibuya through Ginza all the way to Ueno and Asakusa , which can save time. There are buses, but they tend to be slow. I would therefore recommend staying closer to the center of Tokyo.
Your son will have plenty of chances to ride the train and it will save you both time and money. Large parts of Tokyo were destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of and in the air raids of Today, Tokyo offers a seemingly unlimited choice of shopping , entertainment, culture and dining to its visitors. The city's history can be appreciated in districts such as Asakusa and in many excellent museums , historic temples and gardens.
Contrary to common perception, Tokyo also offers a number of attractive green spaces in the city center and within relatively short train rides at its outskirts. Top Attractions in Tokyo. See All Attractions in Tokyo. By District All Tokyo. Sort by japan-guide rating Sort by user rating Sort by most visited. Side Trips from Tokyo. Chichibu Rural city know for its festival and shrines. Minakami Popular hot spring and outdoor resort.
Kawagoe Former castle town known as the Little Edo. Tomioka Site of a Japan's first modern silk factory. Ikaho Onsen Hot spring resort famous for its stone stairs. Kawasaki Sandwiched between Tokyo and Yokohama. Opportunities at Walk Japan. Walk Japan in the Press. Facebook Our last Izu Geo Trail tour finished with a blaze of autumnal hues, splendid sunrises and sunsets, feasts of delicious seafood, an array of onsen baths, and views of Mt Fuji topped with amazing lenticular clouds. What a way to end a wonderful ! Newsletter Please sign up here if you wish to receive our newsletter.
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