Tokyo with Kids

Updated: April, 2013

I get a lot of questions about finding family hotels.

HotelsCombined.com/Tokyo is the best website for finding hotels in Tokyo. It’s truly fantastic at finding the best discounts.

For my recommendations on hotels in Tokyo:

Good luck.

Visiting Tokyo with Kids

Tokyo is a fantastic city to take kids. It has an incredible array of attractions and kid-friendly destinations (beyond Disneyland) that could easily keep a family very busy for a week or more.

And if your kids are anything like mine they’ll love getting around the region by subway and train.

Here are some ideas for planning your trip and some highlights of great places for families to visit.

When to go to Tokyo

Anytime. 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.

Cherry blossom trees in Ueno park in Tokyo.

Tips and Tricks

  • If you’re on a tight schedule be aware many of the attractions are closed on Monday (unless the Monday falls on a national holiday then they wlll close on the following Tuesday). If you’re enjoying an extended stay in Tokyo, this isn’t much of a problem, but if you only have a day or two and one of them is a Monday you’ll have a difficult time visiting all the attractions on your itinerary.
  • Almost all tourist attractions have good, reliable (and usually free) lockers for rent. They’re often of a pretty good size that will fit a medium sized back pack. Ask at the Information desk to see where they’re located.
  • A maddening aspect of getting around Tokyo is the fact that many maps found on pamphlets or on city streets are turned about (seemingly randomly) to place north sometimes at the top, sometimes at the bottom, and even occasionally off to the right or left. This can make finding your destination particularly difficult, as you’ll have an idea in your head of where it is only to check a different map as you exit a subway station to see that it’s off in the opposite direction. Get used to checking where north is on any map and then reorienting it in your mind’s eye to best suit the coordinates in your head.
  • Most department stores have a play area for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Usually located on the upper floors or roof.
  • Have a plan. Tokyo is a challenging city to get around. It’s busy, many subway stations have few english signs and finding streets and addresses is rarely easy, so it’s best to have a plan. A detailed plan – on what you’re doing for the day. If there are multiple attractions in one neighborhood then hit those before moving on to another area of the city.
  • Eggs n Things. If you or your kids are craving pancakes and breakfasts from back home, this is the place to get them. Often very busy but worth the wait. (Nearby Golden Browns serve the purported best hamburger in Tokyo if you’re in a day long western food craving.)

 

Subway and JR map of stations in Tokyo.

Where to stay

I usually suggest families stay as flexible as possible but Tokyo is such a challenging city for accommodations, with hotel demand predicated on a holiday and business calendar almost unknowable to foreigners that I strongly suggest booking early and confirming your hotel stay before arriving in Japan.

Another factor is that email (at least with english speaking customers) doesn’t seem to have a very high priority from many hotels – even top rated hotels. So you can often wait a day or two for a response regarding a simple question regarding your accommodations. This, once again, leads me to strongly suggest to get hotel bookings out of the way early.

Things to Do

Science Museum (in Kitanomaru-koen)

Located in Kitanomaru Park just north of the Imperial Gardens, this is one of Tokyo’s three science museums and needn’t be on a busy schedule. That said kids will enjoy the well designed interactive exhibits. The museum has many demonstrations led by museum staff. When you first arrive try to do a quick walk through the museum to see what shows are being done so you can choose appropriately for your child’s interests.

Imperial Palace

Children may or may not be intrigued by the palace and the details of the royal family’s lives, but regardless, the grounds make a good open air destination to wander with the kids and let them run about while you enjoy the stunning views of the palace. (A short walk from Tokyo Station)

Sony Showroom

A good rainy day destination as it can be accessed from the subway line without going outdoors. It would be easy to breeze through the 4 floors of Sony electronics and wonder what the attraction was. But kids will find hours of fun here. Especially toddlers and young kids who’ll have free reign over a collection of electronic gear that is usually off limits to little hands. (Directly above Ginza Station)

Kids games and fun in Tokyo.

National Museum of Nature and Science

A dizzying array of hands on fun can be found at this attraction, maybe Tokyo’s best science museum. Almost every floor of the museum has kid friendly exhibits that are as much about fun as learning. (A short 5 minute walk from Ueno Subway and JR Station)

Ueno Zoo

Kids will love this well spaced and relaxing area featuring a surprisingly wide array of animals (elephants, pandas and tigers being the highlights). Gets very busy on weekends. (A 10 minute walk from Ueno Subway and JR Station)

Tepco Electric Energy Museum

Update: Sadly, due to the earthquake Tepco has been permanently closed.
Lots of hands on fun for kids. See inside a nuclear reactor, see how much energy you can burn running and riding a bike, see different features of the world though a large interactive globe. (Short walk from Shibuya station)

Fire Museum

Dress up as a fireman and play in fire trucks and helicopters. The fun and games here are worth a good two hours of amusement for ages up to 9 or 10. Free admission is another plus. (Accessed directly from the Yotsuya-Sanchome station)

Great attraction for kids at museum in Tokyo.

National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan)

There’s so much here – all with excellent English explanations – families should probably plan on a 3 or 4 hour visit. The exhibits target a range of ages with many of the them clearly intended for adults too. Lots of kid friendly fun. (Fune-no-Kagakukan station)

Museum of Maritime Science

Makes a good 2-stop visit with the nearby National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (above). Not specifically a child destination, there’s still lots to keep the kids intrigued. (Fune-no-Kagakukan station)

The Railway Museum (Saitama City)

Appealing to both train buffs and young kids that love trains, this is brand new museum located in the Tokyo suburb of Saitama. It takes a bit of effort and time to get to, but is well worth the trip. The emphasis here is on the trains (Locomotives, electric railcars, diesel railcars, passenger carriages, imperial carriages, freight vehicles) but kids will definitely like the train cab simulators and the mini train. See inside the trains, over the trains, even under the trains. (JR from Ueno to Omiya station, then New Shuttle to Tetsudo-Hakubutsukan station)

Playgrounds

Good quality playgrounds are not common in Tokyo. Perhaps the best we found was Robot Park in Roppongi Hills, a short walk from the Tokyo Grand Hyatt. It features about a half-dozen slides and other small play structures. Although it’s small its unique layout is such that kids up to age 8 or 9 should be happy here for a few hours of play.

Ueno Park has a good playground (just outside the zoo) with slides, play structure and swings. A nearby amusement park has a small collection of rides for kids aged 2 to 8.

Yoyogi-koen, north of Shibuya, doesn’t have a playground but does have wide open spaces and quiet paths for running and exploring. The Meiji Shrine is an interesting stop along the walk.

Further Reading:

Me and my son at a street parade in San Francisco.

Looking for Hotels?


This is the only site I use:

HotelsCombined.com

25 Comments

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  1. Mooncake

    hi! I just stumbled upon your website and have enjoyed reading through your posts. I find myself so inspired to travel with my kids (4 and 11 months). Thanks for this list of things to do with kids in Tokyo. We’ve lived in Tokyo for 1-1/2 years and haven’t done any of these… except Robot Park. Will definitely be checking these places out.

    Do you have any posts about your visit to Kyoto?

    Reply
    • David

      Great. Thanks. Tokyo was incredible. What a great city to live in? You’re very lucky! We really enjoyed our time there.

      I haven’t done any posts on Kyoto yet. I had a lot planned when we set out to visit Kyoto, walk through Higashiyama, visit the Ryoan, Kinkakuju and Kiyomizu temples, tour some shrines, maybe the Botanical Gardens, then the kids heard about the Steam Locomotive Museum and, well, there went that day. We did manage to see Nijo-jo (the castle of the shogun), some smaller temples, and have some really good food. The kids definitely liked Tokyo a lot better.

      Here’s a video of our time in Japan – http://vimeo.com/11408088 – with a few pictures of Robot Park – you might enjoy it, seeing as you live there.

      All the best,
      David

      Reply
  2. Peter H

    Great post,
    we’ve also found that some of the larger department stores in Shinjuku and Shibuya have reasonable children’s playgrounds on the roofs. I’m thinking Seibu or Parco but they all blur a bit, sorry :-) They are a bit exposed and not very ‘green’ but we founds a couple of good one that gave the kids something to do while one parent gets some serious shopping done. It was wonderful to see our kids playing with local boys and girls, and really communicating despite speaking different languages.
    thanks!
    PH

    Reply
    • David

      Thanks for the great information Peter. Agreed – the interaction between the kids is great, and a big reason on why we travel. Playgrounds can be a little difficult to find in Tokyo, so when we found a good park or play area it was something the kids really enjoyed.

      David

      Reply
  3. Going to China and Japan

    Taking the kids back to Japan this summer. They’ve never been but I taught English there about 10 years back. Thanks for the exciting list. We’ll have a week there a week in the Kyoto region and then a week in the Okinawa islands. We’ve booked our hotel for our time in Tokyo (it seems much cheaper than what I remember) and now trying to plan our days touring the city. Any suggestions for the best guide book for Tokyo?

    Thx again.

    Reply
    • David

      Sounds like a great trip you’ve got planned. I’d love to get down to the beaches of Okinawa some time. Next trip I hope. I’m a Lonely Planet man, and that’s the guide book I’d recommend for Tokyo. They have a city guide which is slim and compact as you walk around the city. They also sell a Japan guide for the entire country which you might like since you’ll be in a couple different regions. It still has the Tokyo section, of course, but some of the material and information has been cut from the larger guide. The maps are the big draw with the Lonely Planet series. Frommer’s has a good guide as well but the layout and maps are really wanting in comparison to LP.

      Good luck.

      Reply
  4. Hannah

    Hi David,

    I’m hoping you could help us. We are a family of four with two girls and planning to travel to Japan December/January this year. We are hoping to do 4days Tokyo, 3days Osaka. Do you have any tips on what to day to make the most of the limited stay, where to go, where to eat that is cheap, places to shop etc.. etc ?
    I’m lost with the transport rail details. Is this the best transport?

    Your help is most appreciated.

    thanks
    Hannah

    Reply
    • David

      Hi Hannah,

      I was surprised by how much my kids loved the museums – especially the science museums – in Tokyo. They’re really great. The train museum in Tokyo is very good as well, but it’s a fair distance outside the city so if you only visit one, maybe do the train museum in Osaka. It’s right in the city and just as good. The restaurant I mention in the article “Eggs N Things” is really great. Check it out if you’re craving some western style breakfast food. As for Japanese food, we just wandered around until we saw something that looked good, and most of it was delicious. The aquarium in Osaka is very good and the ferris wheel just beside it is worth a spin. Kyoto is less than an hours train ride from Osaka so makes a good day trip. (Kyoto also has a good train museum.)

      The train is definitely the way to go. Just show up at Tokyo Station and buy your tickets the day of travel – no need to book in advance. Don’t worry about buying a Japan rail pass as it’s not worth it if you’re just going to Osaka and back.

      Oh, and there is obviously Tokyo Disneyland, though it will probably be pretty cold and chilly in December or January so be sure to take some warm clothes. And even in the tourist low season there will still be plenty of lines.

      Good luck,
      David

      Reply
  5. Paul from Oakland

    Hi David,

    Thanks for this wonderful site. I loved everything, especially the video you posted of your kids exploring Tokyo. I am coming to work for the summer and the family will join when their vacation starts.

    I am in particular looking for “beat the heat” activities. Certainly the indoor activities will have some kind of AC. But wondering about the outside. Do you know anything about swimming? Looking for clean fun places to go to get wet. Does Disney Sea have that kind of thing as well?

    A colleague also offered this

    http://www.kidzania.jp/tokyo/about/e_index.html

    Seemed like kind of a wacky odd place to go. Wondering if enough english would be spoken for the kids to have fun. I have a boy 7 and girl 10 and my wife would be with the kids most of the time.

    Thanks again!

    Paul

    Reply
  6. Rebeca

    Hi,
    I am going to Japan for Christmas and New Years with my husband and two kids (13 yr and 4 1/2 yrs old) . I already got apartments for 8 nights in Tokyo and 6 days in Kyoto. I am not sure if to buy the JR pass for 7 days and use it when we are going to Kyoto and the towns around or to buy 14 days JR Pass and have it for Tokyo too.
    We are planning to go to Disney, Sanrio and one day trip outside Tokyo to Hakone or Kamakura or both. I read about a card that you can reload (SUICA) and use it when we are in Tokyo.
    What is better in terms of money? thanks

    Reply
    • David

      Hi Rebecca. I would probably go with the one week JR pass. They don’t pay off if you’re just hanging around a city so you want to be sure to activate for the week when you’ll be doing the most traveling. If you only go Tokyo-Kyoto-Tokyo then it’s likely not worth it at all. But add a few more trips and it should be a good deal. The SUICA card is more for convenience on local transit than saving money. It’s like a refillable prepaid card that can be used for a variety of things. If you’re arriving from Narita airport then the SUICA + NEX card can be a good deal: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/ Good luck.

      Reply
  7. Erin

    Thanks for linking to our Japan accommodation options post. Great round up of things to do in Tokyo. As two adults we loved Disney Tokyo and especially Disney Sea (which is more adult and teenager friendly).

    Reply
    • Carmen

      Hi Erin,

      How do you like Disney Sea, we are planning to bring our kids (11 and 13) to Disney Sea in this Dec 2013, worry is the park is too young for them?

      Thanks

      Reply
  8. Rebeca

    Thanks for your answer and your page is very helpful to organize my trip towards the kids. We are planning to go to Hiroshima and Nara from Kyoto , then the JR will be good. Unfortunatelly, we arrive at Haneda airport and it is very late, I need to get a taxi that it is expensive. No other option.
    I read yesterday about Hakone, do you think we can do all the loop in one day with the kids. Looks like it is good to get the Free pass (that it is not free but good price). We can’t stay, I already arrange acommodations in Tokyo. Anything you recomend to do the weekend of Christmas in Tokyo, I don’t want to travel outside Tokyo because it may be crowded.

    Reply
  9. Trish

    Hi we are heading to Japan for our third time to ski. We normally just stop in Narita for the night and then head onto our final ski destination. This time we are planning to spend 3 days in Tokyo and one of them is Christmas Day. We are definitely thinking of visiting the fish markets & the palace and maybe Tokyo Dome? Do you have any suggestions for xmas day? We have already been to Disney at Tokyo on a previous trip. We would love to see a sumo match. Do you have information about how to find out about these? Our kids are big kids 11,12,13,14.

    Reply
    • David

      Hi Trish. I don’t have any specific recommendations for Christmas day in Tokyo. Christmas is an ordinary workday in Japan so everything should be open. (Things close early afternoon on Dec. 31st and are closed for New Years Day.) For sumo wrestling in Tokyo check this schedule: http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/index.html. Good luck.

      Reply
  10. Heba

    Hi David

    Your website is very interesting, I would like to thank you for sharing this information, need to ask your opinion,
    We are living in Dubai and thinking to visit Tokio for the summer vacation in July, me, my husband and 2 kids (10 and 2.5 years) looking into hotels which one you recommend? I can see most of the hotels donot have kids pool which is important for the small kid…is there any which u recommend that has kids facilities? Also which area /location will be suitable for kids? Would the language barrier be a big challenge? I heard almost all signs in streets in japanese… Do you have any suggestions? Also what places beside Disney land would be suiting the kids? Many thanks

    Reply
    • David

      Here are the best hotels with swimming pools for kids:

      All of these have outside pools and they are only open in the summer. The Prince has both an inside and an outside pool however.

      Most of these hotels will have a charge for using the pool. Sometimes this is described as “free if you join our hotel club” – which doesn’t sound very free to me. Last time I checked the Keio doesn’t have a charge for its swimming pool.

      As for location, just be sure you’re within walking distance of a subway station and you’ll be fine. None of the neighborhoods have a monopoly on fun family-friendly attractions so you’ll be taking the subway a lot, and your proximity to a station is more important than any specific district.

      The language barrier can be a challenge but it’s never something that prevents you from getting what you need or going where you want. You will need plenty of patience though.

      Good luck.

      Reply
  11. Victoria

    Hi David, thanks for a very helpful link. I’m traveling to Singapore in two weeks and have a stop over flight in Narita. So we’re thinking to look around the city for two nights. But we are bringing two young children 7 and 4. Is it too crowded there to walk around with stroller? Also we have 6 luggages, what’s the best and inexpensive way to get to hotel? I’m thinking a hotel in Shibuya or Shinjuku or Ginza. Thanks in advance for your help.

    Reply
    • David

      Hi Victoria, the easiest way into the city is on the N’EX train from Narita terminals 1 and 2. (It’s not quite the cheapest but it’s not a huge difference so I’d go with the NEX.) It takes about an hour into the city. Tickets can be purchased at the airport or in advance (more info here). It stops at Tokyo Station, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, and Shinagawa stations.

      What you want is a hotel close to a subway stop (preferably one of the stops for the NEX train). I’ll recommend two.

      The Dai Ichi Inn Hotel is steps from the Ikebukuro station and thus very convenient. It’s a mid-range hotel with nice rooms. Good value.

      More expensive but a wonderful hotel is the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi. The hotel offers a greeting service at Narita that will help you find your train, buy your tickets, and just make the transition to the Tokyo easy and effortless. (There is a fee for this service however.) There is a similar complementary service for arriving at Tokyo Station. So if you can get yourself on the N’EX train, get off at Tokyo Station and then find the Four Seasons staff they’ll direct you out of the station (which even at the smaller stations can be tricky to get right) and get you to the hotel. If you have a lot of bags they may direct you to a taxi to do the quick trip though it’s a short walk.

      Hope this helps. Good luck.

      Reply
  12. Jill

    Thank you for the wonderful site! Quick question for you as I don’t seem to know many families that have traveled to Tokyo. I would like to bring my 2 boys (9 and 11) –My husband has a meeting but to make it worth the trip I’d like to head there 5 days early. Would a single woman with 2 kids be comfortable traveling Tokyo. I do not speak the language (will try to learn as much as possible but only have 2 months!). I think we should be fine –am just concerned about potential emergency. I’m adventurous but try to be mindful of safety for the kids. Thanks for your feedback! Jill

    Reply
    • David

      Sounds like fun! You’ll be fine. The most stressful thing to negotiate is the subway system. (I mean this half-jokingly, half seriously. The first time or two you take it you’ll be a little stressed – but figuring things out is half the fun.) So much to do in Tokyo with kids. It’s close to London for having a ton of stuff that kids love to do. And it’s a very safe environment. Have fun.

      Reply
  13. Sharad

    Hi,

    A very informative smwebsite. I’m planning to stop over at Tokyo for 5 days in April 1st week, while transiting. This is going to be my first visit to Japan and I do not understand Japanese language. I’ll have my wife and 11 month old daughter with me. I was wondering what Tokyo has to offer for a family with such a little kid. We love site seeing plus shopping. Would love to take my daughter to a zoo one day. Any recommendations would be highly appreciated.
    Regards,
    Sharad

    Reply
    • David

      Ueno has a zoo, small amusement park, playground, nice walks, and places to eat – so I’d recommend a visit there. Lots of other small parks dot the city – ask your hotel for what’s nearby. Good luck.

      Reply

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