The Best Hotels in Tokyo for Kids and Families
We really enjoyed everywhere we stayed in Tokyo – even the Tokyo Hostel in Iidabashi was good, clean, and friendly, and featured a wonderful Japanese bath that was hardly used by the other guests. (And great value of course.)
If you don’t speak Japanese dealing directly with hotels in Japan can sometimes be difficult – be patient.
If price is important for you then HotelsCombined.com/Tokyo will likely have the best deals.
Grand Hyatt Tokyo (luxury)
Luxury, style, and great service make the Hyatt a 5 star choice in the trendy Roppongi Hills. The wonderful robot playground is a 2 minute walk away and the neighborhood teems with expat kids and kid friendly restaurants. A 20 metre pool should keep the whole family happy. The Park Hyatt Tokyo might have a slightly more family-friendly vibe but the Grand Hyatt has a better location for shopping, eating, playing, and jumping on a subway.
Imperial Hotel Tokyo (luxury)
The standard bearer for high end accommodation in Tokyo. Its great location (30 yards from the Hibiya line), fantastic service, and superb facilities will please the pickiest guest. The unlimited attractions of Ginza are right at your door.
Shiba Park Hotel (moderate)
Slightly off the beaten path, but only a short walk from the Onarimon and Daimon subway stops. The Shiba Park is a great choice if you want the comforts of a western style chain, but the warmth of a more traditional Japanese hotel. It’s also a good choice if you’re planning a trip to Disneyland on the Keiyo line from Tokyo station or need to take the monorail to Haneda airport. Drawbacks: The Shiba Park does attract a lot of tour groups and serves some incredibly weak coffee at its otherwise great breakfast buffet.
Dai Ichi Inn Hotel (moderate)
Litterally steps from the Ikebukoro station and its NEX train service to and from Narita airport make the Dai Ichi a good choice if you’re arriving or departing from Tokyo. A typical but friendly Japanese business hotel it offers great value and good size rooms. Drawbacks: the lower floors get some of the noise from the nearby train station.
Kimi Ryokan (budget)
This is an absolutely wonderful little ryokan in the Ikebukuro neighborhood. A short 5 minute walk from the subway, JR, and NEX Train stations. It has only shared bathrooms which might be a problem for some, but the wonderful Japanese bath more than makes up for it. The rooms are small but kids will love the tatami mats and sleeping on the floor (typical ryokan style). Staff will recommend a number of local restaurants that are both tasty and cheap. Unless you’re considering a capsule hotel, hotel rates don’t get much cheaper than this in Tokyo.
Hotels in Tokyo with a Swimming Pool
These are the hotels with the most family-friendly style of swimming pool.
All of these hotels (except the Keio) will have a fee for using their swimming pool. It’s usually described as “free when you join our hotel club”.
- ANA InterContinental Tokyo (outdoor pool – seasonal)
- Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo (outdoor pool – seasonal)
- Prince Hotel Shinagawa Tokyo (both indoor and outdoor pool)
- New Otani Hotel Tokyo (outdoor pool – seasonal)
- Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Chinzan-so (indoor pool)
More Hotels for Families in Tokyo
These hotels offer triple, quad, or family rooms.
- Kadoya Hotel
Triple rooms available.- Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro Tokyo
Triple rooms (ryokan style) or quad rooms (bunk beds).- Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyo
Triple rooms available.- Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo
Superior rooms fit 3 people comfortably.- Sun Members Tokyo Shinjuku
Triple and quads available.- Hundred Stay Tokyo Shinjuku
1 and 2 bedroom suites fit 3 people – maybe more.- Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel Tokyo
Triple rooms available.- New Otani Hotel Tokyo
Triple rooms with separate living and bedroom areas.- Hilton Tokyo Bay
Triple and quad rooms available. Some with kid-friendly “Happy Magic” theme.- Hilton Hotel Tokyo
Triple rooms available.- Shiba Park Hotel Tokyo
Triple rooms available.- Conrad Hotel Tokyo
Triple rooms available.- Hotel Nikko Tokyo
Triple rooms available.
Further Reading
- The best family hotels in Tokyo
- Tokyo City Guide (confusing layout but good info buried in there)
- Discounted Hotels In Tokyo
Hello. Great information here. I am traveling to Tokyo for 2 weeks and my young family is joining me for most of that time. What hotels could you recommend with a swimming pool? A location near a subway stop would also be a high priority.
Thank you for your time. I’ve just sent your website to 2 co-workers that will be traveling there often over the next several years.
It’s hard to beat the pool and amenities at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Simply stunning. There’s a very nice playground just a few minutes walk away from the hotel.
The only downside is its distance from a subway stop – but the hotel runs free shuttle buses to and from Shinjuku station (which also has the express train to the airport which is handy).
We just got back from two weeks in Japan, mainly Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kamakura. I can’t tell you where to stay as we stayed at the Mandarin Oriental (as in Lost in Translation) and it was simply fabulous (and fabulously expensive). But I can echo a few other commenters.1. It is hot. It will be hotter than Florida or Southern California. It will be humid. You will sweat buckets. That is why the Japanese carry washclothes. They wipe the sweat off their faces at every opportunity. Japanese airconditioning will not be able to cope. Sometimes it is cooler, but never as cool as San Francisco is naturally.2. We spoke no Japanese. We could get around in the stores by pointing and in the train and subways by reading the Katakana (Roman) characters on the stations. You will not be able to read Kanji. It is very complex. The hardest thing for us was food. You might think you like Japanese food, but when you get to Japan you will eat food that you can only guess whether it is animal, vegetable or mineral. Some of it is very good (I loved the Tonkatsu), but breaded, fried things can contain anything. I got a Yakitori I thought was beef, but it was liver. I did love buying food in the department stores as sometimes I had samples and sometimes I could tell I what I was buying (eel!)3. YES! Get a Japan East Rail Pass. You should be able to buy one here before you go. It was well worth it for us, although we also rode a lot of subways. At Narita go to the JR (lower) level and get a Narita Express RESERVATION (they can get you one for the next train out). Be sure and get a JR East Rail Map (I printed one out from the JR website). Also get a Tokyo Metro Subway map (also printed from the web). But be aware THERE IS MORE THAN ONE SUBWAY SYSTEM IN TOKYO and your day/trip pass may not let you transfer from one to the other. We found this out the hard way. But even if you need to buy another ticket, it is not too expensive (170 yen, about $1.50). Going back to Narita you can also go to any main station (like Yokohama or Toyko) and make a reservation in advance on the NEX for your return trip.4. Yodabashi Camera in Akihabara is definitely a trip to visit, but I don’t recommend buying electronics there. I bought a tiny portable mouse for my MacBook Pro and IT DID NOT WORK. Luckily I got the concierge to call the company and tell me how to return it. She even wrote me a letter to take to them. No one in the store speaks English. What I did buy there that I love is tiny, tiny Japanese plastic food. It comes in sets of boxes like Cracker Jack toys. The box tells you which set this is for, but not which exact food items are in it. We bought three boxes and luckily for us, all of them were different. I guess it is like collecting game trading cards. The eighth floor there is full of restaurants. We went to the sushi boat one and it was good.4. For something completely different than Tokyo, I suggest Kamakura. It is a little less than an hour from Tokyo and full of temples. We got off the train at Kita-Kamakura and walked around two temples, then caught a taxi at the train station and took it to the large Buddha. I love cats and found a cat store (many of the stores in Japan are very small and very specialized) just a block or so from the Buddha and bought a bunch of fabric cats holding one paw up. We were going to take a taxi to the main Kamakura station, but the locals (speaking no English, us holding our JR Rail Passes out) told us to get a bus. Get a ticket when you get on the bus and pay when you get off. It was only 160 yen to take us down the hill over a mile. And they give change.5. Speaking of change. You might want to bring a change purse. The smallest yen bill is 1000 (less than $10). You will end up with a LOT of coins (500, 100, 50, 10, 5, and 1).6. We spent most of our time in museums Contempary Art, Modern Art, Crafts, and Photography and shopping. Brought back sake cups and chopsticks and handmade books. Lovely.Have a good time. It is clean, safe, and lots of fun.
Ohayo-gozaimasu,
So happy to find your website, we always recommend using the Dormy Inn chain around Japan as they have comfortable rooms, will offer kids sets of special sized slippers and a toy or robe as well as having a great bath for customers of the hotel to use- much better than any budget hotel small bathroom unit that usually comes en suite.
As a long term resident and traveler in Japan with kids, I hope you will continue to make it to places in Japan off the beaten track, and please visit Hiroshima too- there is a lot to offer traveling families in this area. You can see information on the area at http://www.gethiroshima.com as well as my Hiroshima parenting blog: http://hiroshimaoyako.blogspot.com/
Hope it helps to see how much besides Peace Park and Miyajima there is to do when visiting Hiroshima (although those are of course worth it too)
Another lodging in Japan possibility is home exchange, there are a few homes in Japan on different home exchange websites that would give you a less touristy, more resident perspective on staying for a while in Japan.
Happy Travels
-joy
Thanks for the tips Joy. I was impressed (and a bit surprised) by how reasonable hotel prices were in Tokyo and around the country. We got some really good deals on rooms – even in April, which is a busy time for tour groups to visit the country.
Thanks again.
So pleased to find your site as I plan our trip to Japan in January. We hope to go to Tokyo and then skiing with our 2 kids (9 and 6 yr olds) in January (which poses its own logistical challenges with the kids).
Our family is quite well-travelled and between us, we speak 7 languages. But we had a sudden “Oh shXX!” moment when we realised that we haven’t travelled anywhere recently where language was a potential barrier. So I’m glad to be able to read your tips here. Thanks for sharing.
Great. Thank you. We really loved Tokyo and I’m sure you will too. The museums are top notch and there’s so much to do. Not sure how much time you’ll have on your vacation but it would be easy to fill 2 weeks in Tokyo and still have to cut out some fun attractions.
Good luck.
We are travelling to Tokyo in January with 2 young kids. We have 4 days in Tokyo and plan to do Ghibli, Sony, National museum of nature and science, Tepco.
We then travel to Niseko for 4 days of skiing. We have 2 nights in Tokyo on return and are vaguely thinking of Disney – although we are not massive fans of this franchise… any thoughts????
Sounds pretty good. Be sure to reserve the Ghibli tickets ASAP (http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/ticket_information/). The Sony store/museum is good but it can also be a very quick visit if you’re kids aren’t into it. My kids liked it and we stayed about 90 minutes but you could walk through and out the door in 5 minutes literally. Disney can be very busy (even in January) and cold (especially in January). If it’s mid-week you’ll be better off. If it’s a weekend expect long lines. DisneySea is a good (less busy) alternative: http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/en/tds/index.html.
Lastly, because of the earthquake it looks like the TEPCO Electric Energy Museum has been closed permanently (http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/customer/amuseum/amuseum-e.html).
Good luck. Tokyo is lots of fun with kids.
We stayed at the Kimi years ago and loved it, but Ikebukuro is kind of out of the way. Last year we stayed at the Taito Ryokan in Asakusa. I’m pretty sure it’s the cheapest place to stay in Tokyo, with tons of character. It’s very small and only one room is big enough for four people, so book ahead. The guys who run the place are super laid back and friendly – they loved our kids and even gave them little presents when we left. The staircases are pretty scary though, unless your kids are either too small to crawl or big enough for the monkey bars.
We are traveling to Tokyo from October 4th till 11th 2013 in a group of 4. We would like to find out which budget hotel can offer a room where 4 of us can stay together.
As I mention above the Tokyo Youth Hostel is great and very family friendly. You get a room to yourself and kids love the bunk beds (if you have kids, of course).
Khaosan Tokyo or the Khaosan Tokyo Guesthouse are hostel style places as well, both with family rooms, and very cheap prices. If you need more of a hotel feel then Tokyo Green Palace and Suigetsu Ohgaiso Hotel are both good value. Good luck.
I loooove Tokyo its one of my favorite cities in the world. I mostly went there on business so I only stayed in very few places there. i did go up to the New York Bar in the Park Hyatt which was pretty amazing (especially the view) although I don’t think I could afford a room. it’s nice to see low-cost options when I do end up going back in the future for non-work related travel.
We are a family of 5 and 2 years ago spent a full week in Tokyo. We were amazed on how much there was to do and how much the kids enjoyed themselves. We had planned to get to the countryside but changed our minds after the first 2 days and remained in the city (before setting off to Kobe to visit friends). We are heading back this year and wanted to book a nicer place so these mini-reviews are very helpful. I feel like we’ve seen everything already but I’m sure we’ll be surprised by something new and wonderful. Thanks again.
The ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu is a sublime experience. We stayed with our 2 kids and they were treated like royalty. The other great kid things we did were a futuristic ferry ride from asakusa to Odaiba, the museum of innovation and technology in odaiba (great robots) and the Ghibli museum (prebook your tickets before getting to Japan). A quirky evening was spent at a cat cafe where you could adopt a cat for an hour or so ( the five year old thought this was brilliant). I would agree that there is a huge amount to do in Tokyo. We spent 2 days at Disney (this was a lowlight; soul-less and too crowded and the literary value of any of the books Disney has bought is wiped out in one loud bang).
We’ll be staying in Ikebukuro and plan to get around Tokyo by subway. But is this too hard with kids ages 8 and 12. I’m nervous that I’ll be able to figure out the routes. I’ve looked at the subway maps but they look very complicated. Should I just stay in Ginza and then not worry about taking the subway at all?
The subways are intimidating but they’re also fun. The kids will love them. At that age they’ll need their own tickets which I’m sure they’ll get a kick out of using. Make your first subway trip a trip in itself so you can get used to it with out the pressure of “getting somewhere”. I doubt Ginza will save you much trouble as though Ginza is more central you’ll still need to take the subway a lot to see the best stuff. In fact, Ikebukoro has more lines running through it so that will save you some subway changes. You’ll do fine and the locals are very forgiving with travelers that are trying to learn the ropes. It’s busy but not in-your-face like New York would be to someone who was figuring things out. Good luck.
Hi Gwen
We had a week in Tokyo with our 3 and 5 year olds. We travelled exclusively by subway. It is a real buzz. Buy a PASMO stored value card when you get to Narita airport. You can top up the value on it when it runs out and also use it to buy groceries and some other tickets. It saves you buying a ticket for every trip. We did a circuit on the JR Yamanote line to do a tour of Tokyo and get our bearings. We got off at the same station that we got on at and we couldn’t exit the gates as the computer was reading that we had not travelled anywhere. We just explained (in sign language) to the attendent what had happened and he let us through. It is incredibly safe and clean and amazingly efficient. The lonely planet is good to have in your pocket too as it will tell you which exit to take frome the subway stations to get to your desired destination.
How long does it take to get to Narita airport from Tokyo Station?
The JR Narita Express will get you there in about an hour. Info here: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/narita.html
There are other means (The JR Sobu Line or the Keisei Skyliner) but they’re slower.
My husband and I want to go to Japan with our 3 year old in May. Neither of us are very confident in Japanese and we’re vegetarians. I am hoping to find a hotel with english speaking staff that would be able to assist us with directions and questions also one that serves western foods in their restaurant or cafe so we would have a back up in case we cant locate any vegetarian food elsewhere.
The Shiba Park Hotel definitely has english speaking staff and a restaurant that serves western food. There’s a very good restaurant one block directly south from the front door that I know serves vegetarian food – and tasty.
Hope that helps.
My husband and I are traveling to Japan over the Christmas holiday with our son who is 12. He is loves the Ninja Warrior series with the obstacle courses. Are there any parks like that in Japan for kids? Do you have any suggestions on how do get tickets for a Japanese game/comedy show? Also any other suggestions for fun things to do with our son?
Lastly any tips we should know about for New Years in Tokyo?
Hi Natalie. Sorry I can’t think of anything directly related to Ninja Warriors. Maybe he’d like the Ghibli Musuem (book tickets early).
For some ideas about the holiday season in Tokyo read this post: TripAdvisor forum on Christmas and New Years in Tokyo.
Good luck.
I will be travelling to Tokyo in Feb. with my 4 year old. Did anyone travel with a stroller?
For a 4 year old I would say a stroller would not be worth the effort.
We travelled with a 3 and 5 year old and did not take a stroller and travelled by subway. They coped well with the walking.I would not bother having the extra luggage to carry around but I guess it depends how much your 4 year old likes walking.
Great posts here, and thank you David so much for making this wonderful site!
Question: My family (wife, daughter [6], daughter [3], and myself) will be in Tokyo in August for several days. As a rule, we only stay in Japanese style rooms/hotels–though this is sometimes tough since many ryokan do not welcome children.
Does anyone have any recommendations for children-friendly ryokan around Asakusa besides the other two great ryokan listed above (Taito Ryokan and Asakusa Shigetsu Ryokan)?
We are very familiar with travel in Japan, and I speak Japanese at a functional level; but, this is our first trip to Tokyo, since we have always preferred the more quiet Kansai and southern regions. Looking at all the information on Tokyo, it is so easy to feel overwhelmed; so tips like all of those above here are so helpful.
Thanks again!!!!