Japan is a magical treasure trove of cultural wonders and natural beauty, making it an ideal destination for family exploration. From the vibrant streets of Tokyo to the serene temples of Kyoto, here are my tips and recommendations for 10 days in Japan with kids in tow.
- Arrive in Tokyo (you’ll most likely be landing at Narita Airport).
- Go to the lower level of the airport, where the train station is located. Find the Japan Railways office and validate your JR Pass (this took us longer than we had anticipated – about an hour).
- Take the Narita Express into downtown Tokyo (1 hour 20 minutes).
- Grab a taxi from the train station to your hotel. Taxis are plentiful in Tokyo, and almost all accept credit cards (double-check with your driver before climbing in, though).
- You’ll probably be exhausted once you finally check in to your hotel. For that reason, make dinner simple. Go ahead and grab a sandwich at a nearby konbini.
- Walk or train to Meiji Shrine (exit Harajuku Station). You’ll want about an hour and a half to explore the gardens and the shrine.
- Stroll back over to Harajuku. While you’re there, grab a boba tea or lemonade and cruise the famous Takeshita Street.
- Head over to pet the micro pigs at mipig cafe Harajuku. You’ll need to book reservations ahead of time here. My kids loved this, while I, on the other hand, was not a fan. In any case, the thirty-minute slot was plenty of time to get our micro pig fix.
- Send one adult to wait in line for a table at Gyukatsu Motomura Harajuku. They open at 11am, so try to get there as close to 11 as possible. While one person waits for a table, the other runs with the kids across the street to explore the Togo Shrine.
- Make your way to Tokyo Dome City. If it is baseball season then I 100% recommend getting tickets to watch a Tokyo Giants game. Otherwise, Tokyo Dome City offers all sorts of rides, activities, and restaurants to try.
- Take the train to Nakamise-dori and walk the old streets. While you’re there, stop to try all the different food vendors and stalls. Remember to bring cash and coins for these.
- Nakamise-dori ends at Senso-ji Temple. Plan on spending about an hour here.
- Grab a ramen lunch in one of the many spots surrounding Asakusa. Most ramen spots will have you order from a machine outside, which will then give you a ticket. Once you have this ticket, you’ll hand it to the waitstaff inside who will seat you at a table. Generally, most ramen menus will be in Japanese – you can scan them with the camera function within Google Translate. The translations can be rough, so we did a lot of ordering and hoping for the best. But, truly, I don’t think you can go wrong. Everything we ate in Japan was absolutely delish.
- Walk to Mikura and have everyone in the family pick out their own pair of chopsticks. There are walls and walls of options; each one is a little work of art. Mikura offers engraving services, and we each had our name engraved on our set. I’m not big on souvenir buying while we travel – but this was an exception. We use these at home at least once a week!
- Train to Shibuya Crossing to partake in the absolute madness of the pedestrian scramble.
- teamLab Planets – buy tickets ahead of time here. This place is wild; the whole family loved it. You’ll want to purchase tickets at least a month in advance. I suggest getting the first entry of the day as the exhibit will feel fresh and less crowded. Arrive at least half an hour before your scheduled entry time. If you are there in summer, consider bringing an umbrella as there isn’t any shade while waiting outside in line.
- If you have a kiddo obsessed with Pokémon- definitely try to get tickets for lunch at the Pokémon Cafe. We couldn’t get reservations, but they have a line for last-minute availability that’s worth trying. If you can’t score these, the cafe is connected to a vast Pokémon store that our boys wandered around for at least an hour.
- Ramen dinner at Kiraku.
- Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo Station to Kyoto (2 hours and 15 minutes).
- Don’t forget to grab bento boxes from the train station to eat on the train.
- We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto. Drop your bags and then walk along the river that’s right outside the hotel.
- Dinner at Korean BBQ spot Hoshizora.
- Start the day at Fushimi-Inari Shrine. Explore the shrine for about an hour and then walk to the train station near the shrine’s entrance. Here, you’ll catch the train to Nara (1 hour).
- If your kids are old enough to ride a bike – rent bikes at Yamato Cycle near the Nara train station. They have kid bikes as well as adult. If you prefer to walk, you can walk from the train station up into the park.
- Buy deer crackers (shika senbei) from a vendor to feed the deer. You will bow at the deer, and they will bow back. Then feed them a cracker. They can be a little pushy, so give all of the crackers to an adult to hold.
- Bike around all of the Temples. Don’t miss the huge bronze Buddha inside Todaiji Temple, or the huge pagoda of Kofukuji temple.
- Grab lunch at Mizuya Chaya.
- Return bikes and head back to Kyoto.
- Shinkansen bullet train to Osaka (15 minutes).
- Snack your way through Dotonbori District. There are a ton of food vendors and stalls here, each specializing in a different dish. Be sure to try at least one okonomiyaki; a pancake-ish frittata-type dish, and an Osaka specialty.
- There’s a lot for kids to check out here – claw machines galore (spoiler alert: they’re rigged), tons of people, and bright lights.
- Visit Osaka Castle.
- Stock up on snacks at a konbini for the train ride back to Kyoto.
- Kobe beef dinner at Mouriya Gion – this is a splurge but, it’s really good, and the chef prepares your entire meal right in front of you. It’s like dinner and a show!
- After dinner, walk over to the Yasaka Shrine. It’s beautiful lit up at night.
- Head to the Kiyomizu-Dera temple. There is a bus that will take you here; we opted for a taxi. Plan to spend about two hours exploring the grounds. Remember to drink out of the waterfall for good luck!
- Walk the charming streets surrounding the temple. Grab an ice cream cone and check out all of the cute shops – spices, ceramics, honey – lots to see!
- Visit the Silver Pavilion and wander the zen gardens.
- Walk along the Philosopher’s Path.
- If you are lucky enough to get a reservation – Monk is a must-visit. This dinner was one of the highlights of our time in Kyoto. The restaurant is small, and the menu is set daily, focusing on woodfired pizza and fresh local vegetables. If you need more convincing, watch episode 5 of “Chef’s Table: Pizza” about Monk head chef Yoshihiro Imai.
- Make your way to Monkey Park – plan to spend a couple of hours here.
- From Monkey Park, head to The Golden Pavilion. Walking these grounds and exploring the temple will take about an hour.
- Stop for Ramen lunch at Menmenkaku. Order at the computer at the door and give your ticket to the hostess when she seats you (cash only!).
- Squeeze in any last-minute Kyoto sights.
- Shinkansen bullet train back to Tokyo, where you will jump on the Narita Express and head to the airport.
- Begin daydreaming about your next trip to Japan.
