Trip Report: 13 days with 5 adults and 2 kids in Niigata, Shizuoka, Suzuka and Tokyo

Just got back from a 13 day trip to Japan with my family (husband, son (6), daughter (4), mother, father and grandmother). This was not our first trip to Japan; my son has now been 3 times and my parents have also both visited previously. My husband and I met in Japan and lived there for 4 years, so we speak/read Japanese pretty well. My grandmother is Japanese, so part of the trip was really to see family more than sight see. Also, given we were traveling with young children and an elderly person, we were slowed down a lot and didn’t accomplish as many things as I planned.

Day 1 – We arrived in Narita late Sunday afternoon and it was a mess. Despite having all the Visit Japan Web QR codes and vaccination status ready, we lined up at immigration for 2+ hours. Most people seemed to have also done QR codes, so that didn’t seem to be the issue. Part of it could have been the immigration agents clocking off at exactly 6, so there were less people to process the line. Thankfully we had decided to stay near the airport at the Narita Tobu Hotel and did not have to rush to catch any trains that evening. There is a convenient shuttle that takes you to the hotel from the airport. The hotel is dated, but it was fine for 1 night.

Day 2 – Went back to the airport to pick up our pocket Wifi that I forgot to pick up the night before. We used Sakura Mobile and picked up at the JAL ABC Counter. There was some confusion about the pick up since I should have picked it up on Sunday night, but it worked out in the end. We also used JAL ABC to send some luggage forward to a relative’s house. Be sure to know the phone number of the delivery address otherwise they will not forward your luggage. We picked up and activated our JR passes (7-day) at the airport station and took the NEX to Tokyo, then took the Joetsu Shinkansen towards Niigata City. We stopped at Echigo-Yuzawa station to have lunch, see the snow and dip our feet in the ashiyu (footbath) outside the station. We had my daughter’s first encounter with an Eastern style toilet and let’s just say that unlocked a new potty fear. There is a shopping and restaurant area right outside the station with lots of space for you to store your luggage while you eat. After lunch we hopped back on the shinkansen to Tsubame-Sanjou station and checked into a Toyoko Inn. It was a newer building and we were able to book 3 double bed rooms for all of us that were very spacious.

Day 3 – The boys and I taxied to the Tsubame City Industrial Materials Museum. On the way, the taxi driver started taking us the wrong way, so when my husband asked about it, we found out that he was mistakenly taking us to a (way cooler) knife making experience. Unfortunately, we did not have reservations for this, so we just turned around and headed back to the museum. I wanted to visit this museum because they have a workshop where you can hammer a copper/tin cup or dish and also color/oxidize a titanium spoon (thrilling, I know) but it was super fun and we have some unique souvenirs. Then off to Niigata station via shinkansen (thanks, JR pass!) to have lunch and then go to the Niigata City Aquarium. The museum specializes in aquatic creatures in the Sea of Japan and was really fun – we even got to see the dolphin show! After walking across the street to see the beach and see the Sea of Japan, we headed back towards the city center via the Niigata City Loop bus. It was teeny tiny and absolutely packed with people. We got off at Pier Bandai to go shopping and eat, but the restaurant buidling was closed on Tuesdays. We failed to wave down a taxi so my poor 90 year old grandmother had to walk back to the station. We had dinner at a family friendly izakaya, did sake tastings at the ponshukan in the station and then headed back to our hotel.

Day 4 – The taxi driver from the previous morning told us about a local store that sells cheap merchandise including local knives, so we split up into knife buyers and McDonald’s eaters. We learned from our taxi mistake and had the hotel call us a taxi then arranged with the taxi driver to have someone pick us up at the clearance shop to take us back to the station. The store, Stockbusters, was awesome and we were able to pick up 5 locally made knives for cheap because they were a previous year’s make. For reference, we used to buy 1 knife for around $300 and at Stockbusters, we bought 5 for around $250.

We met my husband and kids at Tokyo station to take the Tokkaido Shinkansen to Shizuoka city. Unfortunately we were on the wrong side of the train to see Mt. Fuji, but fortunately it wasn’t out anyway due to cloudy and rainy weather. We visited the family grave site and had dinner at a delicious tendon and unagi restaurant on Shichikencho. I cannot explain how much I love Shizuoka city. I am biased because we lived there and my family is from there, but it is a cute and mildly bustling little city that has a lot of character. We stayed at a newer hotel, Birupaku that we picked because we thought it was near my parents/grandmother’s hotel (Nakajimaya, very old and do not recommend but they always stay there) but that was actually the reception area and we ended up walking up Hontori about 5 minutes. The Birupaku hotel room was HUGE. It had a large open layout with a putting green and also 2 sleeping areas. The bathroom was amazing as it had a wetroom with bathtub, sink area, shower room and toilet room…4 separate rooms! My daughter unlocked potty fear #2 when the toilet lid automatically opened when she approached.

Day 5 – In the morning we walked around Sunpu Park and visited Momijiya Garden. The cherry blossoms were just starting to bloom. We split up again later as I wanted to meet a friend for a playdate, but my parents/grandmother and auntie went to Nihon Daira to see Mt. Fuji. My aunt had the genius idea to take the free Nihon Daira Hotel shuttle bus there and back, so they saved money on a taxi. We met a friend at West Coast Brewing Company, a local brewery that has 21+ beers to choose from, and I recommend it if you are in Shizuoka. Their food also looked good.

Day 6 – My husband, kids and I headed for Suzuka Circuit while my parents/gm went to visit family. My son is obsessed with race cars and plays Gran Turismo, so I made this a priority. Unfortunately, our planning of how to get there got mixed up, so instead of ending up at the station that has a bus or taxi to get to the circuit, we ended up at one that was closer, but no transportation and had to walk over a mile, up and downhill with our bags and complaining children to the hotel. 0/10, do not recommend. We were able to check into the hotel and leave our bags to be delivered to the room later, so we went to the amusement park, the main reason for the trip as there was no race on that day. We had great time and even saw some hobby drivers racing around the track. Suzuka Circuit Hotel looks very old fashioned from the outside, but they have renovated the inside very tastefully. We stayed in a two-story room with a loft area for the kids to sleep. They thought this was just the coolest, and honestly, it pretty much was.

Day 7 – Checked out of the hotel and taxied to the tiny station again to backtrack back to Tokyo via local trains and shinkansen. We stopped in Nagoya to have lunch and it was one of the busiest stations we experienced on the trip. Checked into Mimaru Apartment Hotel Tokyo Station East. We booked adjoining rooms with 2 rooms on each side. This made the last leg of the trip very relaxed because we could always have our privacy away from my parents/gm/kids. Mimaru also has kitchens with kettles and rice cooker so we did eat a few meals at “home”. With childcare taken care of, my husband and I set off for a night in Shibuya.

Day 8 – My dad is an avid horse race fan, so we made a trip to Nakayama Race Course in Funabashi. The venue is absolutely huge and there were so many people there even though it was only a G2 race. We were able to have English racing forms printed for us at the information desk and made a few bets, but we didn’t win much. There is a children’s play area, but you need reservations and I forgot about that unfortunately. We walked to the race course on the way in, but after exploring the venue, we realized we could have walked from the station via underground tunnel so that was how we returned. We spent the afternoon and evening with family.

Day 9 – Spent the day in:

\- Akihabara to buy Tomica cars for my son at TamTam)

\- Ueno for snacks, lunch and shopping at AmeYoko

\- Asakusa to shop for souvenirs, but there were way too many people so instead took temple and cherry blossom pictures

\- Sky Tree but the walk up line was 90 minute wait, so we just took more pictures. Definitely buy tickets in advance!

Day 10 – Went to Yokohama and planned to do the Cup Ramen Museum, but bad planning led us to miss out. Try to go in the morning because there may be no availability in the afternoon. We did walk around Aka Renga Soko (should have saved that for the afternoon) and rode the Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel. My parents/gm/kids had sushi for dinner in Tsukiji while my husband and I struggled to find anything to eat on our date night because everything on the Yaesu exit side of Tokyo station seemed to be closed (it was a holiday).

Day 11 – Went to Odaiba to keep the kids entertained. We visited the Unko Museum, which was a lot of fun for the kids. We also played at Little Planet Digital Park, an immersive play experience that my kids absolutely adored.

Day12 – This was a rainy day, so although we had high hopes of taking the kids to Shibuya for sightseeing, we ended up just taking a picture with Hachiko, eating kaitenzushi, playing at a game center and then heading back early. In the evening we went to TeamLab Planets which was also a fun experience for the kids, but I kind of thought that it was really getting worn out and sometimes felt kind of dirty.

Day 13 – Our departure day, so we just did hanami at the nearby park and then headed to the airport. Dropped off the Sakura Mobile pocket wifi in the provided envelope at an airport post box and said goodbye to Japan…for now!

Other info:

Mask wearing became optional on day 2 of our trip, and although 95% of Japanese people wore masks, most tourists did not. We also chose not to wear masks in the end and we did not face any negative reactions.

Definitely use the JR Pass online reservation system for the shinkansen! The unreserved cars on the way to Niigata were very packed and it would have been nice to have sat together. We utilized the reservation function for all other shinkansen trips.

After our JR Pass expired, we used Suica/Toica since were staying in the Tokyo Metro area. Our Suica/Toica cards from 10 years ago still worked, something we were initially unsure about. We bought tickets for our 6 year old because there weren’t many JR Offices that would issue children’s Suica and we got too lazy.

Google Maps was awesome for getting around, we had no problems using this instead of other Japanese transportation apps.