Trip Report: 7 days in Tokyo w. 11 year old

Hi Everyone- I just got back from a 7 day trip to Tokyo with my 11 year old daughter.

**Big Picture:** Stayed in Tokyo for our trip (as opposed to splitting with a few days in Kyoto or Osaka). Appreciating that everyone has their own style of travel, we were happy with our decision to just stay in Tokyo. There is so much do in Tokyo and having 7 days allowed us a more relaxed approach.

**Hotels:** I had a ton of points saved up from work travel so we stayed at the Grand Hyatt Roppongi for first few nights. It was a wonderful hotel, great service etc. I think for my daughter having a western style hotel for the first few days helped ease into things. It’s obviously a splurge without points but well located and nice experience.

We moved to Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu ([Hotel Website](http://www.shigetsu.com/en/index.html)) for the last few nights which was fun to experience a Japanese style accommodation with tatami mats etc. There was also a traditional plunge bath on the top floor which was fun to try as well.

**Itinerary:**

**Day 1:** Arrived mid-afternoon to Narita Terminal 1. Pleasantly surprised with relatively short lines (<1 hr from landing to clearing customs). Booked the limo bus to hotel at the counter – would recommend a bit more than other options but simplicity of door-to-door service was great after a long flight.

**Day 2:** Started with Meji Shrine in Harajuku then cruised down Takeshita Street. My daughter loved the sweets / snacks that lined the street. As an FYI, we saw most of the same options or similar elsewhere later in the trip. My daughter was very interested pet cafes – I had some reservations from an animal welfare perspective but after some research we tried Mame-Shiba Cade on Takeshita Street ([Google Map Link](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Harajuku+Mame+Shiba+Cafe/@35.6709467,139.7055971,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x60188d42665a8813:0x3613a4d93ddc3123!8m2!3d35.6709467!4d139.7055971!16s%2Fg%2F11g2kptk92)). We arrived just before they opened and still waited for 15 minutes which then gives you a specific time to return – the line was huge by the time we left so I’d suggest going early. My daughter loved it and was a highlight for her. The dogs were super cute and it seemed well run and the animals well taken care of (they rotate the dogs so they can take breaks).

We then walked to Shibuya Crossing popping into stores and cafes along the way. Stopped for ice cream at Nanaya Aoyama ([Google Map Link](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nanaya+Aoyama/@35.6603014,139.704928,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x60188c71bbc2be69:0xe419747c185ec897!4m6!3m5!1s0x60188b5f20f9d365:0xfd79f7e97c7d2459!8m2!3d35.6603014!4d139.7075029!16s%2Fg%2F11c1tkw4dj)) – would recommend. Have great green tea ice cream with 7 levels of intensity!

**Day 3:** Day trip to Kamakura. About an hour trip via train – temples and more rural setting was a nice change of pace from Tokyo. We roughly followed this walking itinerary ([Kamakura Walking Tour Link](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3121_kamakura_full.html)) which worked well and was a nice mix of hiking and temples. We had lunch at Chayakado ([Google Map Link](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chayakado/@35.3276806,139.5547705,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x601845bce23b671d:0xf43bdb1f53582c47!8m2!3d35.3315669!4d139.5510369!16s%2Fg%2F1tr17jm7)) which services Nagashi somen – basically noodles served down a bamboo chute and you catch them with chop sticks. It was a unique and tasty meal.

**Day 4:** TeamLabs & Odaiba: Much has been written about TeamLabs – it was a highlight of the trip for my daughter and I thought very unique. We booked the first time slot which I would highly recommend. We were able to experience most of the rooms with only a few people. We actually looped through a second time and even by then (an hour later) started to feel very crowded. We then explored the Toyoso market down the street got some food at the cafes and explored the shops. Took the monorail to Odaiba after and my daughter explored a few rides at Joypolis. I thought this part was underwhelming and would skip next time. Odaiba was mostly just a big series of malls and Joypolis was a little tired and the rides just OK.

**Day 5:** Visited Nezu museum – smaller museum but gardens are wonderful hidden gem. Walked to Gonpachi Nishiazabu after – apparently the inspiration for the restaurant fight scene in Kill Bill! Nice atmosphere and pretty good food. Went to Tokyo Tower after. Nice view but not really higher than towers nearby include Roppongi so left wondering if deck there or Skytree might have been a better choice.

**Day 6:** DisneySea. Couldn’t book tickets directly so did so via Klook which worked fine. I’d recommend bringing the paper tickets as you need to scan them into the Disney app after you enter. If you can, try to find less busy days using the crowd tracker ([http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/disney/](http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/disney/)). We were there on a “light blue” day. Lines for the most part were pretty reasonable (20-40 minutes) with the exception of a couple of really popular rides. We did use the Premier Access to ride Soaring Fantastic Flight and Toy Story which had 90 and 75 minute waits all day – it was a splurge but freed up a lot of time to enjoy the rest of the park (and were our favorite rides!)

**Day 7:** Visted Tokyo National Museum. There was a oyster focused food festival set up in the park just outside which was a fun option for lunch. We then went to the pond and rented a paddle boat – I’d recommend getting either the non-swan boat or a row boat. The neck and body of the swan really limits the views.

**Day 8:** Visited East Gardens at the Imperial Palace – they really are wonderful. Then to Asakusa to visit Sensoji Shrine and shops neaby. We were there on a Saturday and it was super crowded FYI but loved the food / sweets from all the little shops. Took the Kesei Limited Express to Narita which worked well – was cheaper and didn’t have to make a connection to other train options.

If anyone is still reading, I hope the above was helpful! I was a long-time lurker here while planning my trip. I thought I would try to pay it forward with my own trip report. Happy to answer and questions.