Japan Itinerary: Family Friendly

Since there was so many people asking for our Japan itinerary, and I’m still running high from the trip (hope we can go back one day), here it is.

Not only will I share our ten day Japan itinerary that’s family and kid friendly (we have a 9 year old and almost three year old), but also pro tips and my mistakes so you don’t have to make them too and hopefully have a smoother trip there with your family.

How I Researched and Prepped for my Japan Itinerary

Here are two main resources I looked into:

Japan Travel Planning with Kids: super helpful facebook group with experienced parents who have made multiple trips to Japan giving you advice and answering all your questions almost immediately.
Kensho Quest YouTube channel: their videos and tips were so helpful and practical for families. They answered all my questions and helped made our trip so much smoother

Things to Do Before you Arrive in Japan

Here’s what I did to make our trip much smoother.

Book your hotel as far in advance as possible to lower the cost. I booked most of ours through Booking.com 5 months before our trip.
Fill out your immigration form online and download the QR code so your entry takes less time
Reserve your pocket wifi so you can pick it up at the air port right when you land. We used Japan Wireless. This was all we needed since we were always together, we didn’t get a sim card. The return was so easy also. They give you a stamped envelope and all you need to do is put it in the mail box that’s right outside the security gate at the air port when you leave.
If you need to bring a stroller, get the lightest one possible. We loved our GB Pockit for our toddler (almost 3YO). It was so easy to take on planes, subway stations, elevators and fold up for our occasional taxi rides. You’ll be hauling this thing up and down stairs so the lighter the better.
Don’t overpack. Again you’ll be carrying your luggages up and down stairs in the subway stations if you can’t find an escalator or elevator. Plus trying to hold your child’s hand and stroller. We only brought a medium sized rolling suitcase, a carry-on suitcase, a travel duffle bag that slides over the luggage handle and our backpacks.

Download these apps: (Kensho Quest did a helpful video on this)

Shinkansen smartEx: I know there’s a bunch of negative reviews on the app but I had no issues ordering our tickets on the app.
GO (their uber): keep in mind taxis are more expensive in Japan (compared to Taiwan)
Currency exchange (so you can know the prices right away)

Mistakes I Made: So You Can Avoid Them

I wish I booked a flight to Haneda Airport so we didn’t have to take an hour traveling into Tokyo.

Also I wished I knew to book a flight out of Osaka instead of spending our last day traveling back to Narita from Kyoto.

Kyoto is about 3 hours from Narita air port. Be sure to keep that in mind when planning.

If you plan on heading out to Nara from Kyoto, there’s an express train you can buy tickets for (no need to pre-book). We didn’t ride the express which would only take 30 minutes. instead we suffered through an hour train ride where no one would give up their seats so I was holding our two year old standing up for half the ride.

Rookie mistakes I won’t be making again and I hope this will help you avoid them too.

Thoughts on Our Hotels & Airbnbs

Tokyo

Our hotel in Tokyo was a bit far from attractions other than Asakusa area (just two stops away from us). It took us about 25 minutes to get to other attractions like Ueno, Shibuya and Harajuku.

We stayed at HOTEL MYSTAYS Kiyosumi Shirakawa booked through our Chase points.

Typically, most parents will recommend booking by Asakusa or Ueno park which is more convenient but also more expensive. Plus Tokyo hotel rooms are known for how tiny they are.

But I actually enjoyed not having to take the JR everywhere or be in busier subway stations.

Our station had an elevator and was always really chill since it was where the locals lived.

Plus our room was quite spacious for Tokyo standards. We had two queen size, on twin size bed and we used the extra blanket the hotel provided to make a makeshift bed for our toddler to sleep on the ground.

There was still room to open our luggage!

Kawaguchiko/Mt. Fuji

The highlight of our trip was our airbnb in Kawaguchiko: Villa Fuji Bon Voyage Sora

It was so spacious and the view was stunning.

Waking up to Mount Fuji every morning during our stay was such a treat.

It was such a nice respite after the sensory overload of Tokyo.

Plus everyone had their own rooms for a change and we all slept so well here.

Be sure to plan rest days where you have a slow morning and some breakfast at home especially if you book an airbnb.

Some normal routines like these for kids and adults is so needed when you’re traveling to a new country.

This place also had a washer so I could catch up on laundry and was only a 7 minute walk from the main train station, ropeway and boat ride.

It was also really child friendly. They had a baby gate for their stairs which weren’t too steep and also a highchair.

I loved coming back to this airbnb after a day of venturing out in Kawaguchiko area. Such a peaceful place to rest and have a nice soak in the tub after the kids were in bed.

Kyoto

In Kyoto, I wished I just stuck with one hotel instead of doing two different ones.

I wanted to stay at a bigger one and nicer one first half of our stay so I booked a nicer airbnb. But it turned out to be not so kid friendly.

That’s one thing to keep in mind if you have toddlers. Some of the stairs in airbnbs in Japan are really steep.

It wasn’t a big deal but the stairs were pretty steep and some of the decor made me nervous. I could see our toddler pulling on it and breaking it.

I did love the tub at this airbnb and all the thoughtful amenities.

It was so nice to soak in the tub while looking into the Japanese garden after a long day of hauling kids around Kyoto.

I totally got into taking long baths during our time in Japan. Love that about the culture.

Our second hotel was Giappo Franca which I was pleasantly surprised by.

Not only was it budget friendly and centrally located, the staff were really nice and we got a pretty large room with a loft for the kids and a lounge area in between our bed and the kids loft.

It’s only a ten minute walk to a bustling part of Kyoto with lots of stores and beautiful tree lined creeks.

I would definitely stay here again!

Tips On Activities We Planned

Kimono Rental Info & Tips

Book this right when the shop opens so you get first pick.

There are lots of kimono rental places to choose from in Kyoto.

I booked ours with our Chase points at Kyoto Kimono Rei.

We had a great experience here. Most of the staff were able to speak Mandarin and English.

Rental starts at 5,500 yen per person ($36 based on the exchange rate at the time of this post).

Depending on the type of kimono you rent it can go up from there.

We stuck with the basic and since we booked an appointment at 9am we got first pick.

The varieties available at this store was ok. There wasn’t a lot of option for kids but we were still really happy with what we got.

Hair and makeup is an additional 1,000 yen for each. My daughter and I opted for just hair which they did really well and really quickly.

At first I was hesitant to book a kimono for our toddler thinking he would hate it and want to take it off right away but he wore it the whole entire time surprisingly.

You don’t have to return the kimono until the store closes which is 5:30PM.

We returned ours at around 2:30PM.

Be sure to stop by Tatsumi Bridge which is just a short walk from this shop for some amazing photos. This is the geisha Gion district and there are less tourists here in the morning.

After some photos there, we took a taxi to Sannenzaka area to stroll around the old streets and have some delicious treats like matcha tirimisu and ice cream at Maccha house.

Other Kid Friendly Activities

We booked the samurai and ninja experience during our time in Kyoto at the Samurai with and Ninja museum (through my Chase points) which we really enjoyed as a family.

It was really fun but harder for our toddler to get into other than the ninja star throwing.

I would say try not to book more than one activity per day and perhaps space out the days you book a scheduled activity.

Trying to get somewhere on time with kids while on vacation just felt stressful, at least for us.

We were planning on going to Team Labs Planet in Tokyo but in midst of all the overwhelm of traveling to Taiwan and then planning our Japan trip, my mom brain got the best of me and I forgot to book it.

We were all so bummed.

Be sure to take advantage of the beautiful parks in Japan and get a chance to hang out with local kids too.

We spent a morning at Ueno park, one of my favorite parks in Japan.

Taking kids to open spaces where they can run around is so needed when traveling to a metropolis like Tokyo.

We also enjoyed going to Meiji Jingu which had a lot of space for the kids to run around while adults take in the beautiful views.

I have all the activities we scheduled and actually got to in our itinerary you can download below.

Kid Approved Restaurants

Finding book everyone in the family likes is hard when you’re traveling.

My husband and kids do not like raw fish nor matcha (sob).

To make things easier we try to eat at food courts like Kyoto Tower B1 (which had an amazing variety to choose from including the wagyu burger pictured below), convenient stores and also Japanese “fast food” restaurants like Yoshinoya or Matsuya. (Here’s a great list of Japanese fast food restaurants).

We went to a okonomiyaki place in Shibuya everyone liked since they also had fries there and my husband liked the yaki soba (Japanese stir fried noodles). My toddler actually really enjoyed the okonomiyaki! Whoohoo win!

Everyone also enjoyed the street food offerings like rainbow grilled cheese (Harajuku), tang hulu (that was everywhre), yaki soba, soft serve ice cream and grilled sausages (Nara park).

For breakfast, I would usually pick up some bread and yogurt from the convenient store the night before or some fruits if I find any at the grocery store.

It’s easy for everyone to get constipated during trips like these (sorry TMI but it’s a serious struggle) so be sure to bring probiotics and try to get some fiber every once in awhile.