"As an American travel writer living with my family in Bali, Indonesia, all of Asia essentially acts as our backyard. We explore it eagerly and often. For our first trip as a newly minted family of four, we ventured to Japan with our kids, ages 3 years and then 4 months old. The adventure coincided with Mother’s Day, which felt like kismet as I first visited the country with my own mom over the same holiday five years ago. Back then, I experienced Japan as an exquisite place where even the most mundane task was elevated to an art form, and I discovered extraordinary joy and beauty in slowing down—something having kids has further emphasized.
I assumed that Japan would be a friendly destination for little ones, and even when proven right, I was surprised at just how universally sweet and lovely everyone was to them. Kawaii was probably the word we heard most from Japanese folks everywhere—taxi drivers, servers, school kids, elderly passersby—in reference to my girls. It means “cute,” and it’s not only commentary, it’s essentially a Japanese movement. There are even food tours based around cute food—something many youngsters would love. Here are my tips on how to get the most fun, cuteness, and deliciousness out of traveling to Japan with your kids.
Take your time.
When traveling to Japan with kids from the U.S., it’s best to spend at least a week there—ideally 9-10 days in order to see two to three destinations without feeling rushed. We spent six nights in Tokyo, a quick overnight in Nara (which I’d have happily extended to two), and four in Kyoto and found there were still tons we didn’t have time to do and see.
As for when to travel to Japan with your kids? It might be a good idea to avoid the peak season—namely the cherry blossom bloom in April—unless you’re a glutton for crowds and love planning far in advance. That particularly busy period and Golden Week (typically late April to early May when there are multiple national holidays back to back and domestic travel is at an all-time high) notwithstanding, springtime is a gorgeous season, as is fall (especially for the brilliant ruby red Japanese maples), while summer can be fairly hot, humid and rainy. Winter, of course, is a fabulous season for snow lovers because of Japan’s famous powder, and properties, such as Club Med Tomamu – Hokkaido, are super kid-oriented.
Plan to be jet-lagged.
Understand that there will be jet lag and plan—or rather don’t plan—accordingly. I would not advise booking anything for your first day on the ground. We only had a single-hour time difference coming from Bali, but because we took a seven-hour red-eye flight that landed at 8 a.m., Tokyo time, we were incredibly sleep-deprived. It took a toll, both physical and emotional, and I was super grateful we didn’t have to be anywhere at a certain time, and we could just spend the first part of our trip wandering, eating, and napping as we felt up for it.
HOSHINOYA Tokyo was our first stop, and we loved the fact it had an onsen—a traditional geothermal Japanese hot spring—on its rooftop with water drawn from nearly 5,000 feet below ground where we could soak and recuperate. The ryokan-styled hotel also has an ochanoma lounge on each floor with 24-hour access to teas, soft beverages, ice cream, and Japanese snacks and treats that we had a blast sampling whenever hunger randomly struck. We’d do this in the soft pajamas provided for us to wear while staying, a delightful and common amenity at hotels in Japan.
Stick to one major activity a day.
When kids are involved, I’ve learned that my previous way of experiencing a place as a travel journalist—squeezing as much into each day as humanly possible—doesn’t cut it. With little ones, slowly is a great pace at which to see Japan.
Regardless of where you’re walking or riding, there will absolutely be places that spark curiosity and the desire to stop or pause, and being able to do so and enjoy those little discoveries only enhances the magic. So don’t overcommit. Whether it’s an entire day at Tokyo DisneySea, which is probably a non-negotiable when visiting with kids ages toddler and up, or several hours at teamLab Borderless—a wondrous and immersive digital art museum that even my infant seemed fascinated by—at Azabudai Hills (save time for lunch at Azabudai Hills Market, where dozens of specialty food stalls have something for everyone), or exploring a temple or shopping district, I advise taking a Japanese minimal approach to planning.
In certain destinations, you don’t even really need to schedule anything—simply let the day unfold. Take Nara, an ancient capital of Japan that is known for its sacred free-roaming deer population, where we spent a laid-back night and day at Shisui, a Luxury Collection Hotel, just steps from the massive Nara Park. The abundant animals will bow for “deer cookies,” which my daughter was thrilled at doling out to the cute and also brazen stags, does, and youngsters. She also got away with playfully bopping on the nose—they’re so accustomed to people—as we navigated the stunning Todai-ji temple. The hotel offers a daily free-flow Champagne hour that was a lovely surprise way to spend the pre-dinner time in a beautiful setting while our daughter sipped juice and ate all the provided nibbles.
Embrace your adventurous side—or your inner child.
Go-kart racing dressed as a banana? Sumo wrestling? Hanging with hedgehogs or micropigs at an animal cafe? The aforementioned cute food tour (see Arigato Travel)? Visiting a robot park? Exploring a shrine crawling with little cats? There is so much pure fun to be had in Japan, it’s worth letting your hair down and embracing as a family the kinds of activities your kids will remember forever, silly or not.
As serene and serious as one side of Japanese culture seems, play is also prominent, as evidenced by the prolific places to do just that. A few I was recommended but didn’t have the time to visit include the giant indoor playground ASOBono, Ueno Park, which includes Japan’s oldest zoo, and KidZania Tokyo, where youngsters can dress up and use real equipment to role-play a variety of jobs, from pilot to Shiseido makeup consultant. Some hotels, such as Six Senses Kyoto, have fantastic kids clubs where the child-adoring staff happily play with them and lead crafts such as origami (our daughter particularly adored making origami butterflies).
Speaking of adventurous, keep an open mind when it comes to food.
It would be a mistake to assume one has to love sushi—which, let’s be honest, can be a stretch for people of all ages—to have a great experience, culinary or not, in Japan with your kids. There are so many different dishes native to the country that don’t involve raw fish, though I can attest that a sushi train restaurant (we loved Sushi-Go-Round below Tokyo Station) should be a must when you have littles along as the sheer novelty of ordering food on a tablet and then seeing it zoom magically around a conveyor belt to your booth is fantastic for everyone.
Our 3-year-old figured out how to order it herself and kept re-upping on her shrimp nigiri. (It was also great that ordering on a tablet allowed us to choose no wasabi and different size rice portions to help adapt for different palates.) Basically, a meal in Japan can be an activity in and of itself.
Believe it or not, Japanese cuisine has a lot that even the pickiest eater would find appealing. Take karaage, delectably crispy fried chicken, or ramen, which undoubtedly tastes much better than Cup-o-Noodles but is just as approachable. There’s a lot of great chicken to be had—on skewers, roasted, and more—and also katsu, panko-coated cutlets of poultry, pork, or even high-grade beef that are super yummy, plus udon and other noodles to slurp loudly (encouraged in Japan to show appreciation for the chef), which every kid will get a kick out of. Western food is everywhere, too (pizza! burgers! pasta!), and we found that our meals generally cost significantly less than they would have in an American city.
Definitely opt for kid-friendly hotels.
You might not think it, but the splurge-worthy Bulgari Hotel Tokyo, in all its splendid glamour, turned out to be one of the most child-friendly hotels we experienced. There were little Bulgari puzzles, coloring books, and colored pencils for our toddler upon arrival, special cutlery and dishes for her at breakfast, and very sweet staff who held her hand as they led us personally to the Tokyo Station platform for our outbound train, handling our luggage, too. With so many different hotels at a variety of price points and styles, it’s wise to select one that cares for its littlest guests equally.
Location can also help or hurt the case. I always find proximity to a park or garden appealing when there are kids involved. At TRUNK(HOTEL) YOYOGI PARK, a chic, sustainable, and ultra-friendly Tokyo boutique hotel where the front desk staff taught our daughter to hold her fingers in the signature Japanese V-sign for photos, we were delighted by the easy across-the-street access to a huge green park. She was thrilled to have wide open space to safely run around, pick up leaves, and smell flowers, and it provided a beautiful view during swims in the infinity-edge rooftop pool and hot tub, which a branded TRUNK inner tube made even more fun. Their super-soft toddler-sized PJs and slippers were a hit, too, acceptable even at breakfast.
A heads up as well, I found quite a few hotels had strict policies for their swimming pools that meant either kids under 4 years old could not go in them or that they could only visit during certain hours of the day. For us parents, that could be either a good or bad thing. I very much enjoyed a 45-minute escape during naptime to Bulgari’s gorgeous gleaming sky-high indoor pool where little ones are never allowed, but also wished that my daughter was just a bit older to savor ROKU KYOTO, LXR Hotels & Resorts’ bucolic outdoor thermal pool with me. Regardless, she had a blast running around and picking dandelions on the verdant lawn beside it.
Don’t stress about bringing your baby to Japan, too!
Of all the places I’ve traveled with a baby, Japan was one of the most seamless and easeful—and not only because the resounding reaction to our infant was overjoyed and welcoming. It’s a modest country with plenty of well-equipped public changing and nursing rooms (think in train stations, shopping malls, and department stores), which I found super helpful so I could sit in a comfy chair to feed baby while my husband and toddler had fun outside.
Most every restaurant has a high chair, though many eateries are quite small without space for a stroller inside. We were happy to have brought our Uppababy combo that allowed us to fold up and stash the Cruz stroller at the front of the restaurant while putting baby in the Mesa car seat on a banquette or chair. Many of our hotels provided a diaper pail without us asking and, of course, a crib with nice bedding.
After exploring Tokyo, Nara, and Kyoto with my own family for nearly two weeks, I am fully in support of families making a bucket-list journey there. Right now, the Japanese Yen is at its weakest in more than three decades, so there’s quite literally no better time for traveling to Japan with your kids.
Kathryn Romeyn, Contributing Writer
Kathryn is a freelance travel, design, and wellness journalist whose work has been featured in Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, The Hollywood Reporter, Brides, Parents, and AFAR, among others. She is additionally a co-host of the Conscious Traveler Podcast and a mom of two.