Hello,
We are planning a family trip (2 adults, 1 child) to Japan in November this year. Wife and I have been to Japan before and promised each other we will come back with our child. Many years later, we are finally able to, so this is a very exciting trip for us to say the least.
We will be in Japan 19 days. Our child will be 2 by then.
Based on many trip reports and associated comments, we’ve come to understand that our daily travel locations/sits are limited to 2 with the baby. Also, depending on the proximity of said location to our accomodation, we also understand some days we may have to cut it to 1.
We have also tried to slot in ‘rest days’ to allow for physical and mental recharge.
Our goals for this trip are:
* Local cuisines
* Coffees/desserts (we purposely haven’t really looked into which cafe/desserts to hit because we really enjoyed randomly trying different spots on our way to or near the destination)
* Visiting the Kansai/Chugoku Region
As for gear, we will be taking a small travel stroller and a baby carrier.
*Our biggest question/concern is around restaurants. We don’t want to go to a small local diner and ruin the night for other customers, so we are looking around for some recommendations in the locations below that accomodate families. The restaurants we’ve managed to list below either were recommended in other posts or their website photos show booths/large tables.*
*Most days we will be resorting to conbini food for either brekky/lunch/dinner. We aren’t too fussy and tbh, Japanese combini food beats many restaurants from where we live…*
**Itinerary**
Day 1 – Landing
* Arrive in NRT @ 07:30
* Train it Ueno station and check-in (we paid for an extra night to check in anytime during the day)
* Grab coffee nearby
* Rest for the day. Eat combini
Day 2 – Exploring Tokyo
* Art Aquarium Museum
* Tokyo Skytree
* Anything worthwhile to eat around here?
Day 3 – Plants and sushi
* TeamLab Planets Tokyo
* Sushizanmai Takumi Ginza
Day 4 – Walk in the park
* Meiji Jingu
* Shibuya Haru-no-ogawa Play Park
* Shibuya109 food hall to eat stuff
Day 5 – Tokyo to Kyoto
* Travel to Kyoto via Shinkansen. Commence 14-day JR Pass
* Take a rest day with 7/11 Dinner
Day 6 – Osaka/Kyoto eating
* Cafe Mog Namba
* Dotonburi
* Tempurayasan / Namba Udon
* Tendon Makina Kyoto for dinner
Day 7 – Osaka fishies
* Osaka Aquarium
* Tempozan Harbour village for food
Day 8 – Hiroshima
* Hiroshima Castle / Atomic Bomb Dome
* Okonomiyaki (apparently Hiroshima’s one is different!)
Day 9 – Miyajima
* Ferry to Itsukushima to just check out the Island.
* Try our various local desserts/food
Day 10 – Explore historical Kyoto
* Tofukiji Temple
* Nijo Castle
* Ain Soph. Journey Kyoto (for pancakes)
* Ichiran Kyoto / Tendon Makino Kyoto
Day 11 – Nara and deers
* Feed Deer
* Former Residence of Shiga Naoya (was told this was an interest place to visit. Worth it?)
Day 12 – Don’t do anything day
* Maybe local bath house
* Kikyo sushi for dinner
Day 13 – Industrial powerhouse – Nagoya
* Toyota Museum
* Local shop that serves grilled eel? (Read that Nagoya is known for their eel and I happen to love eel)
Day 14 – Shopping in Kyoto
* Aeon mall
* Shabu-shabu Takimaya / Ikinari steak
Day 15 – Kanazawa
* Ninjabuki museum
* Local shop that serves either curry or a local conveyor-belt sushi?
Day 16 – Travel back to Tokyo
* Rest and Family Mart Dinner
Day 17 – Alleys of Tokyo
* Grab coffee and walk around Ebisu/Daikanyama/Naka-meguro
* Maybe some shopping
Day 18 – Akasuka
* Akasuka (it’s a Monday so hoping it will be less crowded)
* Tokyo Cruise Asakusa Pier
* Odaiba Seaside Park
Day 19 – Fly back home
1 comment
Just a small tip but as a break from conbini food, when near train stations, department stores, buy bentos/onigiris etc. Can be taken and eaten where suitable with baby but a big step up from a confine.