Hi all, I’m super excited but also nervous, as I’m currently finalizing a 2 week Japan itinerary. I’ve been to Japan before with my wife, but that was many years ago without kids.
My 2 girls are 7 and 4 (turning 5 during the trip). Both of them, especially our older one, have been looking forward to a Japan trip for a while. Unfortunately, the only times we can go are July or August, so we have chosen mid July in the hopes of slightly better weather.
We plan to base ourselves in Tokyo (6 nights) and Osaka (6 nights) only, with a 1 night stay in Hakone somewhere in the middle. I want to make sure that we are absolutely not rushed and have plenty of down time due to the summer heat and possible rain. We plan to start most days late after rush hour, so around 9.30-10am. Here’s the current itinerary and I would greatly appreciate any critiques!
Day 1 – arrive Narita ~3pm. Purchase Pasmo or Suica at Narita. Head to Hotel in Shibuya > Dinner.
Day 2 – Meiji Shrine > Yogogi Park > Lunch > Kiddyland Harajuku > (optional) walk around Harajuku > Dinner > Back to hotel
Day 3 – Sanrio Puroland. Both my kids are huge Sanrio fans.
Day 4 – Akasuka/Sensoji > Lunch > Ferry to Toyosu > Teamlabs Planet > Dinner > Hang around Odaiba after sunset for a bit > Back to hotel. I’m a little worried about this day and am open to suggestions. Akasuka/Sensoji is not a must have as I don’t think the kids would appreciate it that much, and both my wife and I have experienced the area before. I’m also reading mixed reviews about Teamlabs Planet, so consider this day as a flexible day.
Day 5 – Disneyland
Day 6 – Disneysea
Day 7 – Hotel check out. Ship most of the luggage to Osaka hotel. Head to Hakone. Planning to reserve either 9.20 or 10am Romance Car. Hakone day 1 route will be: Lunch > Open Air Museum > Owakudani (short stop) > Boat ride to Motohakone > check into ryokan near Motohakone.
Day 8 – Ryokan check out. Hakone Shrine > Hakone Checkpoint > head to Odawara Station to catch afternoon Shinkansen to Osaka (either the 2 or 4pm direct fast trains). Check into Osaka hotel > Dinner. Our Osaka hotel is right next to Namba station.
Day 9 – Nara
Day 10 – Osaka Castle > Lunch > Kids Plaza Osaka > Dinner
Day 11 – USJ/Nintendo World.
Day 12 – TBD. Considering a day trip to 1 or 2 specific sites in Kyoto, but my wife and I have been to Kyoto before and I don’t think the kids would like it. Same as the Akasuka/Sensoji day in Tokyo, open to suggestions here!
Day 13 – Most likely no fixed plans/shopping day as this is our last day.
Day 14 – Fly back home.
Thanks in advance!
2 comments
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Hi!
I took my now tween, to USJ for her first time when she was 5 and her second time when she was 7.
I would make sure your 5 year old makes all the height lines and really wants to ride everything, cause otherwise it is going to be really boring for one of you hanging out in the kiddie ride area. It’s a nice kiddie area. my short and at the time, easily scared 5 year old loved it. But I also wasn’t there in July when all the kids in Japan have school break.
You will likely want Express Passes if you want to do anything popular or to get there REALLY early. You can read reviews of other people visiting the park on this subreddit. I personally find with kids 1+ hour lines are harder, but your kids are not my kid. I find Disney is a little easier, because they don’t sell Premier Passes until you enter the park day of your visit. So as long as you get to the park early (which if you’re coming from Shibuya is going to take you over an hour to get to Maihama.) You can look at crowds and decide what makes sense for you.
You couldn’t pay me to purposely start a Disney day at 10 when the park opens at 9.
I don’t know where you are coming into Japan from, we come from the US and I find my kid spends the first week up super early like 6 am early, so unless your hotel package includes breakfast and/or your room is decently sized, I think it could get boring sitting around in your room waiting until 9:30 or 10 to start going out. The good news, since I think you are traveling during school break, the trains should be less crowded during rush hour.
I use to try to find breakfast, but last trip I booked a lot of breakfast inclusive rates and it was 100% worth it, especially the first week of the trip. By the end of the trip, my tween wanted to sleep late like tweens tend to do, but I love being able to take her for breakfast at 7 am in the hotel when we are both up early. I generally prefer the larger buffets, because they tend to have the best selection. I found getting breakfast made the day go smoother.
My tween did not like Team Lab Planets. We went in December. We’re not going back.
If you want to visit temples or shrines, I found it helped to give my daughter a camera. I gave her my super old digital camera from when she was a baby and let her take pictures of whatever she found appealing. It makes temple visits a lot more enjoyable. I also tried getting her a Goshuin. That was OK but but didn’t work as well as the camera.
I’ve not taken mine to Asakusa, because I don’t think it’s as interesting a temple as the ones I’ve taken her to in Kyoto.
We usually looks for traditional craft activities we can try. One Summer she insisted we do ninja training. I was awful at ninja training but she loved it.
Mine loves Yunessun the cheezy bathing suit onsen in Hakone.
Good luck!