Japan with Kids: The Ultimate Family Travel Guide

Japan is one of my favourite countries in the world, and somewhere I know particularly well. I lived in Tokyo for six months and have returned several times since, most recently with my own children, who were nine and seven at the time.

And it was every bit as much fun seeing Japan through their eyes.

Japan has this incredible mix of ancient traditions, pop culture, amazing food, colour, sounds and energy. It feels completely exotic and different, yet it is also safe, clean and surprisingly easy to travel around.

Most importantly, it is just so much fun with children.

Where should you go on a first family trip to Japan?

For a first visit, I would stick fairly closely to Japan's classic Golden Route, combining Tokyo and Kyoto, but adding a couple of stops depending on how much time you have.

I particularly love Hakone for families. The Hakone Loop involves trains, cable cars, a ropeway and a pirate ship across Lake Ashi, with the possibility of incredible views of Mount Fuji along the way. The different forms of transport make getting around part of the adventure.

With older children, I would consider adding Hiroshima. Nikko is another favourite of mine, particularly in spring or autumn. Edo Wonderland is brilliant with kids and they can even dress up and immerse themselves in the experience.

And if you have enough time, Okinawa is a fantastic way to finish your Japanese adventure with a few days on the beach.

Tokyo with kids

Tokyo is enormous, so don't try to see everything.

teamLab Planets is one of my must-dos, and I would also visit teamLab Borderless if you have time. Ueno Park is lovely, particularly during cherry blossom season, and you can visit the pandas at Ueno Zoo.

But I would also deliberately spend some time away from Tokyo's biggest sights. Wander around a more local neighbourhood, pop into tiny restaurants and cafés and experience everyday Tokyo.

And then embrace the pop culture.

My boys loved the Nintendo stores, video games, kawaii culture and particularly the gachapon machines filled with collectible capsule toys. We somehow became completely invested in collecting a particular Kirby series. What started as a bit of fun turned into us searching gachapon shops across Tokyo for the right machine. We completed the collection eventually!

How do you make Kyoto interesting for children?

Kyoto is beautiful, but children can become "templed out" surprisingly quickly.

I would book a private guide for a day and see some of the major temples efficiently rather than spending several days walking between them.

Arashiyama is one of my favourite areas. Go early to experience the bamboo forest before it gets too busy, then allow time to explore the little shops and streets around it.

Mix cultural sightseeing with things that feel fun to children and don't be afraid to call it a day when everyone has had enough temples.

Eating in Japan with kids is much easier than you think

Parents often worry about food before travelling to Japan, but this was one of the things my children loved most.

Japanese restaurants often specialise in one type of food, so meals can actually be very simple: sushi, ramen, gyoza, yakitori or Japanese BBQ. There are also family restaurants serving Japanese versions of familiar Western dishes.

Conveyor-belt sushi became one of my son's favourite restaurants ever. At one restaurant, every five plates you put into the slot at your table triggered a little game, which obviously meant we needed to keep eating.

We also loved sitting together in a row at restaurant counters. My husband and I would have our little conversation while the boys sat beside us having theirs. Those simple meals are some of my favourite memories from the trip.

And never underestimate the konbini. Japanese convenience stores are brilliant for breakfasts, snacks, fruit, coffee and pastries. Trying new konbini snacks became an activity in itself.

A few things I wish every family knew before going

Get a Suica card for travelling around Tokyo and give yourself more time than you think you need at train stations. Japanese stations can be enormous and confusing. You will get lost occasionally.

Avoid staying around one of the huge stations such as Shinjuku if you are travelling with children. I prefer somewhere on the Yamanote Line where getting around is easy but arriving back at your hotel doesn't involve navigating a small underground city.

Use luggage forwarding too. It works brilliantly and makes travelling by train so much easier.

One thing we did with our boys was give them ¥1,000 (around £5) each in cash every day to spend however they wanted on snacks, games, gachapon or souvenirs. It stopped the constant requests to buy things and gave them some independence over their own little Japan budget.

And pack comfortable shoes. I wouldn't particularly recommend Japan with a pram. Once children are happy walking reasonable distances, however, you might be surprised by just how far they will walk when there is always something interesting around the next corner.

When should you visit Japan?

October is one of my favourite times. The weather is comfortable for sightseeing and you avoid the heat and humidity of summer.

Cherry blossom season is beautiful, but it is also incredibly busy and expensive, so I wouldn't automatically choose it for a family trip.

I would also check the dates for Golden Week and the major Japanese holiday period in August, when domestic travel becomes much busier.

Is Japan expensive for families?

Flights can be expensive. But once you arrive, Japan can be surprisingly good value.

Transport, everyday meals and casual activities can all be very reasonable, particularly compared with what families might expect before they travel.

And it is a destination where you don't necessarily need to spend a fortune entertaining the children. Wandering through an arcade, choosing a snack from a konbini, singing together in a karaoke box or hunting for a particular gachapon can end up being as memorable as the big-ticket attractions.

That is what I love most about Japan with children.

There are incredible temples, beautiful landscapes and thousands of years of culture, but there is also Nintendo, conveyor-belt sushi, bullet trains, karaoke, kawaii characters, gachapon and snacks you have never seen before.

It is exotic but easy, cultural but incredibly fun.

And your children may just love it even more than you do.

Planning a family trip to Japan? I can help you put together an itinerary that balances Japan's must-see sights with the experiences that make it genuinely exciting for children, from Tokyo and Kyoto to Hakone, Hiroshima, Nikko and even a few days on the beaches of Okinawa.