Family Travel in Japan

Japan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world – for good reason. The landscape and cityscapes are incredible. Japan is a beautiful culture, and the food….. oh my goodness, THE FOOD! If you find yourself reading this, you probably have a family trip booked or are in the early planning stages – lucky you!  Here are a few general tips for your trip that I hope you will find helpful. Note that things, of course, vary by region and individual circumstances. 

Prepare to Walk

There is a lot of walking! Most tourists average 20k++ steps a day. Pack supportive shoes, and if you are traveling during the rainy or potentially snowy seasons, pack waterproof shoes. 

One thing I didn’t realize until I was in Japan is that walking very often involves riding the metro—not just walking to the metro station from your hotel but also walking to catch connecting trains. To give an example, one day, we logged 6000 steps just from navigating the metro before reaching our first destination. 

Public Transport

Public transport in major metros is robust but can be complicated. In Tokyo for example, the metro is operated by multiple companies with separate tickets issued for each. Do not expect anyone to get up for you on the trains if you have a pram or are carrying a baby with you. The designated areas for that are largely ignored, especially when busy. Try to avoid commute hours altogether if it makes sense for your schedule to do so. 

If visiting Japan for a short period, you probably will not need a JR pass, but each family will need to calculate that out depending on your trip. JR passes do not include Shinkansen tickets. Shinkansen tickets do book out completely during busy seasons – so book ahead! The website also semi-freezes when too many people try to book at once. If you keep getting timeouts or other issues, try booking at an off hour, like midnight or 6 am. That was the only way we managed to book our tickets. We were lucky to have heard that tip from a friend beforehand.

Uber is available as well. They are nice but also quite expensive. We booked a half-day private car in Kyoto. I found it worth it; we saved hours of metro commuting time with small kids and managed to do more sites quickly. I would especially consider this if you visit during a peak season or mid-summer to avoid the heat. 

Bring a stroller to Japan

Due to the amount of walking involved, I recommend bringing a stroller if you use one at home. However, I would say bring a travel/compact pram or none. (I love mine; it fits into the overhead storage – find it here. If you need a double stroller, click here to see AWC-recommended ones) Pathways, streets, etc can be narrow and extremely crowded. In addition, you need to be able to quickly close or lift the stroller to walk up or down stairs from time to time. 

Not all metro stations, for example, had elevators. Be prepared to wait to enter the elevator during peak times, as they are usually small. Because of the wait times, we saw many prams on the escalators at stations without elevators and even when there was an elevator. 

If you don’t have a compact pram, pack a baby carrier. I like this one because it folds up and can be carried in a purse when not in use.

Advanced planning for family travel in Japan 

Trips to Japan (especially Tokyo) require more advanced planning than most other places. Tourist sites such as team labs sell out well in advance. If there is anything that you really want to do, like Disney, Universal, Shibuya Sky, etc., book it before your trip! Many places (Disney, for example) will not directly accept foreign credit or debit cards, so I recommend using Klook for all your bookings!

Even restaurants book out in advance. The Pokemon cafe, for example, needs to be booked. (By the way, there is a service that can book this for you. It is a Facebook group called “VIP Cafe.”) Even at walk-in restaurants, you will often still find the need to wait in a queue outside. The good news is that they often put a few chairs out to sit in while you wait. You can even order food in the queue when you are close to being seated. 

If you are too hungry to wait and all the restaurants near you have long waits, check out a 7-Eleven or other convenience or grocery store for a quick bite. 

Navigating Language Barriers

If you do not speak Japanese at all fret not! We found many places that had English speakers. As always, remember to slow and simplify your speech if the person you are speaking to isn’t entirely fluent. For the other, many times you will not find an English speaker, Google Translate is your friend! We used it very often to read menus, for example. Just open the app and touch the camera icon. You will now view your translated menu on your phone! It will come in handy at many points during your trip.

Get a SIM card for Japan

Most tourists need a data sim card in Japan to navigate the metro, use Google Translate, call an Uber, make bookings, etc. I would suggest buying one before your trip. I know, I know, more advanced planning is not fun. You can buy a physical SIM card buy a physical SIM card here. If your phone is esim compatible, you can buy one here and skip waiting for it to arrive in the mail. You could also reach out to your regular phone carrier and see what their rates are for Japan.

Well behaved children

The stereotype is that all children in Japan are always well-behaved. At the end of the day, children are children everywhere in the world. That is usually understood, especially when it comes to babies, toddlers, and young children.

Do speak to your older kids ahead of time though. Explain that they should not speak loudly on public transport, etc. Walking while eating is considered rude, so take a break when the kids are hungry. Even it that means standing to the side after buying street food. Give a special reminder to kids before entering temples and other sites that they should behave appropriately. In exciting places catering to kids, kids are seen as their full, excited selves.

Plan for possible sensory overload

Parts of Tokyo for example, are a sensory-rich environment. It can be loud and very crowded. Some children (or even adults) may find it overstimulating. Plan breaks in your day and bring sensory tools such as loop earplugs. (BTW, love these for flights, and they have them in kid sizes now!)  

Fly a child-friendly airline to Japan

I recommend ANA Airlines when flying to Japan with kids. I have always experienced better customer service and much better food on ANA than other airlines that operate there, such as JAL—which I do not recommend at all. ANA also provides cute gifts for kids and photos on some flights to document the kids’ journey. Other recommended airlines that may be an option for you, depending on where you are coming from, are: Qatar, Emirates, Singapore, American, and United. 

Enjoy Family Travel in Japan! 

Overall, Japan is very child-friendly. There are SO many kid-centric activities available. The toilets pretty much all have toddler toilets and low sinks. (Not to mention heated toilet seats and fancy bidets.) You can easily get quick, affordable, and delicious food. The food can even often be called cute – which kids, of course, love. 

After a long day of walking around, give the kids a bath at your hotel using the bath salts or liquid provided to ease sore muscles or feet. Then, check the drawers for the hotel-provided pajamas to cut down on your laundry. They will probably not be kids’ size, but they can wear just the top as a gown. This Disney hotel provided adorable kids’ pajamas as well! 

Wishing you the best adventure with children in Japan!!

 Quick Helpful Links: 

• The Best Gear for Family Travel to make your trip a bit less stressful.
• Savings on Family-Friendly Hotels and Resorts!
• Read up on the Benefits of Family Travel. 

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