Tokyo Itinerary with Kids
If you can get past the the exceptionally long flight from the U.S., Japan is an incredibly family-friendly travel destination that should be top of the list for any travelers looking to adventure with kids of any age. We braved the 14 hour flight from New York City with our two daughters – age 3 (almost 4) and age 1 and a half.
We’ve heard many times that 1 and a half is the worst age to travel with kids – they are mobile, yet not ready to fully communicate; becoming independent but don’t know their own limitations; they are napping less and getting more squirmy. For these reasons I was terrified of flying across the world with a very energetic lap infant (on a daytime flight no less – our only option). However, despite the frustrations of traveling with a youngster at peak fussiness, I still have to say I would do it again and would recommend it to anyone with toddlers. Japan is one of our favorite trips to date and delivered on being one of the top family-friendly destinations we have ever visited.
We flew into Tokyo and spent four nights, then traveled to Kyoto by bullet train. Our travel style now that we have two kids has slowed down a bit, but we very much try to build itineraries of things that WE want to do as adults, and bring our kids along. We did not plan any theme parks, although that may be on the wishlist for some. Here is a breakdown of our itinerary with our almost-four year old and one and a half year old, starting with Tokyo!
Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo
We flew into Narita (one of two main Tokyo airports, the other being Haneda), arriving around 2:30 pm local time. Knowing we would have extreme jetlag and two extra tired kids, we had pre-arranged an arrival transfer to get us to our hotel. (In our pre-kid days we likely would have opted for the adventure on the train, but given the size of Tokyo and number of transfers, this was not something I’d recommend with kids.)
We arrived at our hotel, the Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo. After decompressing and unpacking in the room for a bit, we headed to the nearby 7-11 to try some of the famous convenience store foods that are a must in Japan. We also stocked up on snacks and milk for the kids.
It was an early bedtime in an attempt to get everyone adjusted to the new time zone. Unfortunately the kids had us wide awake at 1 am, so it was a lot of TV and iPad time in the middle of the night once we realized going back to bed was not an option. Luckily I packed some Cheerios so was able to give the kids a super early breakfast.
Day 2: Shinjuku & Shibuya
After a delightful breakfast in the hotel (as soon as it opened at 6:30 am) we were ahead of schedule so took a leisurely stroll with the stroller to nearby Meji Jingu,. Here we were able to see our first beautiful shinto shrine, and also put our wishes for the future in an envelope along with some yen.
From here we wandered through the adjacent Yoyogi Park, a gorgeous place to walk with the stroller and view the cherry blossoms (we arrived mid-April, about two weeks past their prime but still very much in bloom).
We arrived early for our first appointment of the day at 10 am: mipig cafe. Tokyo (and other cities in Japan) have a number of animal cafes where you can play with cats, dogs, hedgehogs, or in our case – micro pigs. This is a really fun activity for both kids and adults. mipig has a few different locations, and we visited the one in Harajuku as it was walking distance from our hotel. It’s highly recommended to make an appointment online ahead of time – it books up way in advance.
My one year old wasn’t thrilled with the pigs, but my four year old had fun. I loved the experience, but was glad I only booked the 25 minute session for the sake of the kids who felt that was more than enough time.
We left and walked along Takeshita Street, a fun street in Harajuku that had a lot of great food stall options and placed to shop. Since it was still early, we continued on to Shibuya.
We had intended to stop for lunch at d47 SHOKUDO, a family-friendly restaurant in Shibuya, but there was a wait, so we headed down to the bottom floor of the same building to a market where we were able to grab some sushi, fried chicken, and a number of small bites.
We walked over to Shibuya Sky, but tickets were sold out of the day. (If this is on your must-see list, definitely book in advance!) We instead took a quick stroll to Shibuya Scramble Crossing to witness the busiest intersection in the world. (It was a weekend, so filled mostly with tourists.) We then grabbed the metro back to the hotel .
On the way we stopped at Chuo Park so the kids could enjoy the playground. It was convenient this park was next to our hotel, as it was one of the best playgrounds we found in all of Japan. Being the weekend, it was very crowded, but the kids had a lot of fun until the jetlag took over and we headed back to the hotel to nap before dinner.
Dinner was at Momo Paradise and was our only dinner reservation of the trip. It’s a family-friendly Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu spot that offers unlimited rice and ice cream. The Shinjuku location was walking distance from our hotel, and had room to store a stroller. I unfortunately underestimated how cranky my toddler would be on day 1, so in hindsight I wish I booked this for later in the trip. But the wagyu was fantastic and I would recommend this spot – with or without kids! (Several locations.)
Day 2: Azabudai + Ginza
We took the subway to our first stop of the day, TeamLab Borderless. This is often listed as one of the must-see museums in Tokyo, and was great to bring kids to as well. (Definitely book tickets way ahead of time, as they do sell out.) The digital exhibit was a very cool experience, with a number of rooms for the kids to explore.
Afterwards we headed next door (in the same complex) to the Azabudai Hills Market for lunch. It’s essentially a fancy grocery store in the mall with a number of food stalls. Seating was limited but we enjoyed a delicious sampling of Japanese foods. We intended to go to the Imperial Palace gardens, but it was raining so we instead took the metro to Ginza for some shopping.
In Ginza we grabbed some souvenirs at the flagship Muji store, including a mini notebook that my daughter could use to collect her Eki stamps. (The train stations, and some other tourist spots in Japan, offer stamps that you can collect during your travels!) We also stopped at HAKUHINKAN Toy Park, the large toy store, so the kids could get some souvenirs as well.
With jet lag still hitting us, and the rain limiting our options, we ended up with room service for dinner and an early bed time.
Day 3: Sumida City + Asakusa
After breakfast we hopped on the metro to start our day at Sumida Park, a promenade along the Sumida River that is perfect for viewing the cherry blossoms. We started at the south end and worked our way up to the playground, where our kids enjoyed swinging with the most incredible backdrop of the Tokyo Tower behind them.
We had originally intended to book a food tour of Asakusa, but it sold out even when I tried to book weeks in advance. (There are a few family-friendly tours like Arigoto Travel, City Unscripted, or The Washoku Club). Instead, we decided to do a DIY version which gave us some flexibility. From Sumida Park, we walked along Kaminarimondori Shopping Street (the oldest longest souvenir street), passing by Sensō-ji shrine. We headed to Nakamise street for snacks. This included stops at Asakusa Kagetsudō for famous melon bread filled with ice cream, Imo Pippi for the bruleed sweet potato, and then walked along Hoppy Street. We also made a pitstop at the McDonald’s to get a lunch for the kids that we knew they would eat, as they weren’t very interested in our food crawl snacks.
We stopped at Masukou Sake Store, an adorable sake spot that was recommended by a manager at our hotel. The store was a bit small (and fragile) for the stroller so my husband did a sake tasting while I took the kids across the street to the little playground.
We then walked to Kappabashi Kitchen Street where we bought a sake cup souvenir, and walked south to Dengama, an adorable home store great for souvenirs.
After a stop back at the hotel, dinner was then at Kosyu Ichiba, a ramen-Chinese fusion recommended by our hotel concierge. It wasn’t exactly the authentic ramen I was looking for (it’s ramen topped with wontons), but it was crazy cheap and had table seating that we needed for kids (many ramen spots are counter only).
Day 5: Depart for Kyoto
The next day we took the metro to Tokyo station to catch the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto. We booked the train tickets ahead of time to save time figuring it out at the station. However, we did NOT allow enough time to navigate through the station when we arrived and had only minutes to spare by the time we got through to our train seats. I’d advise trying to arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled train departure!
A note on luggage forwarding
We did wisely choose to do luggage forwarding, which is a MUST when traveling with kids. Large luggage needs to be booked ahead of time on the Shinkansen trains which have limited luggage racks, and many people choose to use a luggage forwarding service that will transport your luggage door to door between your hotels. Not only does this make it incredibly easy to travel without your luggage, but it’s also incredibly affordable – about $25 for our two suitcases and was charged to our room.
Our hotel used Yamato, one of the most common services, and you only need to schedule it one day in advance of pickup. If your hotel doesn’t offer to arrange this, you can also book with Yamato yourself. It can take up to two days to arrive to the hotel so they will collect it the day before your departure and you just pack an extra day of clothes in your carry on bag. Our luggage actually arrived to our Kyoto hotel before we did. (We also had air tags and were able to track it.)
And then we were off to Kyoto ….
