We’re going to Japan for 10 days (ok, it’s really 9 with the travel day). We really wish we could travel longer, but this is what we can manage. So we’ll mostly be sticking to Tokyo and Kyoto. It’s our first trip to Japan, so everything will be new to us. We are a family of 4 with a 10 and 14 year old. We don’t want to over-plan or exhaust ourselves and have time to explore, so any input would be appreciated. Also, we’re all rather nerdy (video games, anime, tech), so any super cool shops, or small quirky stops along our route would be appreciated. We heard the Robot restaurant is closed and the Ghibli Museum seems impossible as well. I personally would love to visit an Onsen but suspect I would go on my own as my kids aren’t comfortable with it, something small on our route in Kyoto? Thank you so much for your input and kind suggestions!
November 20 – flying
November 21- Land in Tokyo early afternoon, get to hotel (Shinjuku), explore, eat, go to bed
November 22 – (jet lag will be real) explore Shibuya, Harajuku (Meiji Shrine), Shinjuku
November 23 – More exploring/shopping: Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
November 24 – Visit the Imperial Palace and Akihabara – Or go to Mt. Fuji?
November 25 – Shinkansen to Kyoto – Staying at a Ryokan – Explore Gion & Southern Higashiayma
November 26 – Kyoto (staying in a Machiya) – Fushimi Inari & Nishiki Market
November 27 – Kyoto – Day trip to Nara or Osaka? Is this practical? Or is our time best in Kyoto?
November 28 – Kyoto – Kinkakuji Temple or perhaps some quieter temples
November 29 – Back to Tokyo… I’d love to catch Tokyo National Museum but likely too much
November 30 – Fly home mid-day
6 comments
The jet lag will be real. I cannot speak for the first half of your travel because I have not been to Tokyo yet but for Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara I can.
The Fushimi Inari can take a good majority of your day it is a big temple. Great view of the city once you hiked to the top.
Between Nara and Osaka I choose Osaka. I’ve been to Nara twice and it’s very nice for scenery like the Todai-ji temple and the deers. There is a strip mall near the Nara Station good for mochis and other stuff. Osaka you can walk around Namba, visit Osaka Castle, visti the Shinsekai area (place with a 1950’s vibe) has a cool tower with interesting history in side. You have USJ if the kids want to go to Super Mario Land, but I don’t recommend going due to the short time you have. Next to the Namba station is where the Anime section is if your kids are into that. Osaka has more activities to do for tourist.
Kinkakuji should only take less than an hour to walk through I’ve done it twice. So you can explore kiyomizu dera after.
Nov 22nd is too much. Shibuya and Shinjuku deserve their own day. Maybe do Harajuku in the morning and then go to Shibuya the rest of the day and night. If you can’t make that work then just head to Shinjuku once night hits. But again, that’s a pretty crazy day unless you’re fine with just seeing Shinjuku at night.
Tokyo national museum is a half day on its own, but it is pretty comprehensive. Nara has its own national museum but it’s focus is more narrow (Buddhism).
If you want a random half day tourist trap/theme park in Kyoto, there’s the Toei Eigamura, which is both an active film set for period pieces and a theme park with shows about movie making tricks and the like. Probably good for kids that age!
Kiyomizu-dera is a must see IMO
I am not a Tokyo expert, but have been there a few times, and know how to get around the city. I am also taking a family of 4 (11&13 year olds) in December for 9 days as well, so I have been thinking through how to spend time most efficiently. I am sure you have, and you know your kids best, and for mine, I realized that one big temple is probably enough and others will look the same to them. The nighttime scene will blend in for them as well. Since there will be a lot of walking during the day, at least compared to what they’re used to, I had to factor in the rest time. So please take my suggestion as bias opinion of what I am doing with my family. I am also staying in Shinjuku and will be sticking to Tokyo for the whole trip.
Since you’re staying in Shinjuku like me, for the first full day, I plan on taking a leisurely walk through Gyoen National Garden, then to Meiji Jingu Gaiden. It will take a good hour or two, then I can walk to Harajuku. It will give them time to look around, go to a pet cafe, or just have lunch with massive sugar recharge. From there, have them see the Meiji Jingu entrance, then take them down to Shibuya to look around. Unless you have kids that really enjoy shopping, I couldn’t imagine staying with my kids for more than 3 hours. There are a lot of things you can do in Shibuya, but it will look just like Shinjuku to the kids at night. I think the Shibuya Sky is overrated for what it is so I wouldn’t waste money on it unless you’re not going to a high observation point in Tokyo somewhere. I will take the kids to a large arcade either in Shibuya or Shinjuku, eat dinner and call it a night.
For our second full day, I am taking the kids to Asakusa to get the tourist Temple experience then walk them to Tokyo Sky Tree. Depending on the times and kids complaints, lunch will be either at Asakusa or at the Sky Tree. Then since it’s the same subway line, you can quickly go to Akihabara. If you’re kids are both boys, then Akihabara will be a good place to hang out for anime, but if you have a girl you should try to fit in Ikebukuro (Akihabara for woman/girls). For our third day, I am planning to spend all day at Odaiba to see the Gundam, and go to the Tokyo labs, the Little World, and the Unko museum.
We are doing something very similar time wise. Our return flight is out of Osaka which saves the day of transfer and a night in Tokyo.
Are you able to fly out of Osaka?