We are traveling as a family of three (including a child who will be 4.5 y/o by then) in mid-October. This is definitely not our first vacation or destination as a family, but it WILL be our first time in Japan!
Our first leg of the trip will be in the Kansai region. We are going for a slow-paced trip, focusing on only a handful of major sights/activity per day.
We would appreciate any advice and extra eyes on this rough draft. Each day is in no particular order unless specified. Any recommendations appreciated! We love ALL the things. 🙂
OSAKA
DAY 1 (Wednesday)
– Osaka castle boat tour
– Shinsaibashi
– Dotonburi
Day 2 (Thursday)
– Osaka Aquarium (AM)
– Bay Area shopping and eats
– Pokémon Center
– HEP Ferris wheel?
– Umeda Sky (PM)
Day 3: KOBE
– Rokkosan cable car (AM)
– Harbourland
Need some recs here. Thinking Nankinmachi or Kobe Motomachi?
Day 4 (Saturday)
Open to suggestions here.
– Option 1: Flex day in case we need jet-lag recovery on previous day.
– Option 2: Kuramon market, TeamLab botanical (PM), and maybe Tennoji area?
– Option 3: Nara day trip.
Day 5 (Sunday)
Kyoto travel day (probably would like to be in Kyoto by mid morning/noon?)
– Imperial palace
– Pokémon center
– Shopping at Kyoto station
Day 6 (Monday)
– Fushimi Imari Taisha (AM)
– Gion
– Kiyomizu (PM)
Day 7 (Tuesday)
Arashiyama area
– Monkey park
– Tenryuji
– General shopping
Shinkansen to Tokyo by 3pm
First question- I am really wanting to squeeze a visit to Nishiki Market during our time in Kyoto. Is there a day that is possible? I was thinking maybe when we first arrive depending on what time we actually get in the city.
Second question- Any specific family activities, like cool museums, you recommend? Really not wanting to go to USJ this trip.
Thanks in advance for reading to the end 🙂
9 comments
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Would pick option 3 – Day trip to Nara of day 4. Just keep a close eye on the dear around your child if they have food in their hand.
Kyoto has a railway museum that looks very child friendly – but have only seen it passing by on a train on the way to Arashiyama. They also have Toei Movie park – used (or previously used to make Samurai movies and TV dramas)
Kobe has a cool Chinatown. Good food especially the buns.
For day 3, do Nara. Your child will like the deer and the adults will really enjoy the giant Buddha.
Kyoto from Osaka is 15-30 minutes depending on the type of train you use. On day 5, you check out Nijo Castle. It’s close to the Imperial Palace. Also, I’m not sure you can actually enter the Imperial Palace. There used to be a bunch of hoops you had to jump through to visit. The garden/park is fun though.
On day 7 if you’re doing the monkey park, you need to go early in the morning. It’s kinda far from Kyoto station and if you’re leaving that day, you may want to give yourself a lot of time to get back to the station. Also, the monkey park is a lot of fun.
>Need some recs here. Thinking Nankaimachi or Kobe Motomachi?
It would be easier to go to Nankinmachi first then Harborland so you don’t have to go back the route.
>Fushimi Imari Taisha (AM)
Would you be happy to carry your child going up and down the stairs for a few hours?
>I am really wanting to squeeze a visit to Nishiki Market
You can if you skip Kyoto station shopping but it’s a long narrow market. Would you be happy to carry your child when they get tired?
I thought kobe animal kingdom was fun. Seeing some of the animals without a cage in front of them was more engaging. But feeding the capybaras was the highlight of my visit. We stayed there about 3 hours, but could’ve stayed longer.
Hi!
I just have 1 child, but I have taken her around Japan a lot.
If your children are into animals and you are OK with zoos (mine is not) I’ve had a bunch of people on Japan Guide recommend Animal Kingdom in Kobe:
[https://en.kobe-oukoku.com/](https://en.kobe-oukoku.com/)
I would put Nishiki Market when you are at the Pokemon Center in Kyoto. They’re not that far away. Nishiki Market is only so interesting and can be very crowded. I honestly didn’t know it was a tourist destination the first time I went until I started seeing it on everyone’s itinerary. It’s a short shopping street. There are many more shopping streets in the area. I tend to enjoy them more.
You could also possibly fit it in on your Fushimi Inari day when you are in Gion, because depending on the part of Gion you are in, it’s not so far away. Do get your kid(s) use to walking now if they are not. We were pretty lazy last trip but still did at least 3-5 miles every single day.
I would also do Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizudera and then Gion.
If your kids like Pokemon, there is a Shinsaibashi Pokemon Center as well (It’s near the Osaka Pokemon Cafe.) My tween liked the Umeda, Shinsaibashi and Kyoto branches of the Pokemon Center more than the branches we went to in Tokyo.
My tween liked Nara a lot. The deer can be aggressive, so just be warned. I would probably do that with my kids though. My tween loved climbing through the pillar of enlightenment at Todaiji.
I want to stress, it is super easy to commute from Osaka to Kyoto. But unless you are literally just going from either Shin-Osaka Station or maybe JR Osaka Station and you just want to visit Kyoto Station, it’s going to be more than 15-30 minutes between the two.
Depending on where in Osaka you are staying and where in Kyoto you are going it might take about an hour and it might make sense to use the Keihan or the Hankyu.
Good luck!
Just a note that team lab botanical garden opens 6:30pm so that’s probably the last thing you do for the day you’re going there. Imho, it’s only worth it if you like glowing eggs spread out in a garden.
Also, grab the 2-day Osaka amazing pass. It’s awesome. Would cover the fees of many attractions.
It is nice to go to Arima onsen, a spring area, after going up Rokkosan Mt. if you have time.
I also recommend Kobe animal kingdom in Port Island. Along there, you can visit Nankinmachi China town, Meriken Park, and Harborland.
Keep in mind places like Dotonbori and Nishiki Market may be extremely crowded with people which can be overwhelming for a small child. Explore some of the side shopping streets to get a feel for it without being in the mad crush of the crowds. Early morning for Nishiki is better and since kids wake up early that might be a good time to wander there before the worst of the crowds arrive.
Even though your child probably isn’t using a stroller now at home if consider bringing a lightweight umbrella stroller with. There’s a lot of walking in Japan and this gets super tiring for little legs. Unless you want to carry a tired/sleeping 4 year old – an umbrella stroller you can fold up in trains/subways and at restaurants can be super helpful. I think there’s even kinds you can fold up and carry as a backpack when not needed now.
Check out these websites for lots of toddler friendly travel tips and restaurant recommendations. If you search the first few links below for the city name or neighborhood/area name you’ll find some great ideas and tips. Best to get your #1 thing to see/do done early in the day so anything wise after that is just a bonus since it’s hard to know how the day will go with a 4 year old. While Tokyo focused, if you search these sites for the cities you’re visiting you’ll find some helpful posts.
– [Best Living Japan](https://bestlivingjapan.com/category/travel/)
– [The Tokyo Chapter (has info on other cities too)](https://www.thetokyochapter.com)
– [Passports and Playgrounds](https://passportsandplaygrounds.com/)
– [Best Living: Baby and Toddler Fun](https://bestlivingjapan.com/category/age/baby-toddler-fun/)
These sample itineraries might be helpful to look over too.
– [Kyoto Itineraries for Families with Children](https://www.insidekyoto.com/kyoto-itineraries-families-children)
– [Osaka with Children](https://insideosaka.com/osaka-with-children/)
– [JapanGuide: Traveling with Children in Japan](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2460.html)
Don’t forget to build in playground time and/or children’s museum time for toddlers/young kids. They need time to crawl/run. Bonus, if they get tired enough they may nap in the stroller so you can better enjoy your next stop.
– [Japan Playgrounds and Play Centers](https://bestlivingjapan.com/category/attractions-in-japan/playgrounds-and-play-centers/)
– [Osaka: Oiyzumi Ryokuchi Park](https://insideosaka.com/oizumi-ryokuchi-park/)
– [Osaka With Kids](https://insideosaka.com/osaka-with-children/)
– [Kyoto City Tourism: For Families With Children](https://kyoto.travel/en/info/families-kids.html)
– [Kodoma no Rakuen Playground in Kyoto](https://www.insidekyoto.com/kodomo-no-rakuen-playground)
Some other Kyoto ideas:
– [Kyoto Studio Theme Park](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3934.html)
– [Kennin-ji’s Dragon Ceiling](https://www.discoverkyoto.com/places-go/kennin-ji/)
– [Tenryuji Dragon Ceiling in Arashiyama](https://livejapan.com/en/in-kansai/in-pref-kyoto/in-arashiyama_uzumasa/article-a2000534/)
– [Yasaka Koshindo: Most Colorful Temple in Kyoto](https://jw-webmagazine.com/the-most-colourful-temple-in-kyoto-fdc601f69aed/)
– [Kodaiji has a bamboo forest too and it’s much less crowded. Easier to get the perfect Insta pic](https://maps.app.goo.gl/jqyCRjvWSLjwzGPZ7?g_st=ic)
– [Saiho-ji Miss Temple](https://digjapan.travel/en/blog/id=11016)
– [Monster (Yokai) Street in Kyoto](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/yokai-street)
– [Beautiful Starbucks in Kyoto](https://soranews24.com/2022/02/02/this-starbucks-in-kyoto-blends-into-its-traditional-landscape-in-more-ways-than-one/)
– [Kaleidescope Museum Kyoto](https://www.kyoto-museums.jp/en/museum/central/3799/)
– [Kyoto International Manga Museum](https://kyotomm.jp/en/)
– [Kyoto Railway Museum](https://www.kyotorailwaymuseum.jp/sp/en/)
– [Kyoto Ramen Kyoji Street](https://www.kyoto-ramen-koji.com/english/)
– [Kyoto: Daimaru Dept Store Restaurant Floor](https://www.insidekyoto.com/daimaru-resutoran-gai)
– [Kyoto Station: CUBE Food Court](https://www.insidekyoto.com/the-cube-food-court-kyoto)
– [Kyoto Tower Food Hall](https://www.kyoto-tower-sando.jp/s/en/shop/floor/top)
In Osaka:
– [Senkoji: Heaven and Hell Temple](https://soranews24.com/2021/12/16/senkoji-the-japanese-temple-thats-more-like-a-theme-park-to-heaven-and-hell/)
– [Save Cat Rescue Cafe (good for cold/rainy day)](https://maps.app.goo.gl/DCCLbRcT47JP2tcw9?g_st=ic)
– [Silver Ball Planet (Pinball Arcade)](https://maps.app.goo.gl/sbTkovgEMmhUi7mM9?g_st=ic)
– [Pink Kawaii Cafe in Osaka](https://htpps://maps.app.goo.gl/xFizmcJbGw1y7j8U9?g_st=ic)
– [Team Lab Botanical Garden Osaka](https://www.teamlab.art/e/botanicalgarden/)
– [Den Den Town](https://insideosaka.com/den-den-town-guide/)
– [8 Best Things to Do in Osaka at Night](https://jw-webmagazine.com/best-things-to-do-in-osaka-at-night/)
– [Don Quixote Ferris Wheel](https://travel.gaijinpot.com/don-quixote-ferris-wheel-ebisu-tower/)
Happy Planning!