Itinerary Check with a 2 year old: Osaka – Kobe – Kyoto – Tokyo

10 comments

1. Way way way too ambitious. You have to remember that every stop / sight / attraction you’re seeing requires travel time to and from, time in line, unexpected delays like a busy restaurant, unexpected toddler issues, etc.

   I wouldn’t dream to attempt these days as a solo traveller who knows their way around a fair bit.

   Honestly you should pick like two things each day (hopefully close together) and then allow yourself the opportunity to see things as they come along. Some of these days are honestly not even feasible.

   I love this part.

   >Afternoon
   Free time to do what we want/missed

2. Just a note there is a bit of a hike up to the Arashiyama Monkey Park and with a 2 year old, that will take a bit of extra time (especially if little one wants to toddle up and look at every rock, stick, twig, leaf along the way). The monkey park itself is amazing and not to be rushed. We easily spent a few hours there.

   We planned to go to the bamboo forest after but it was so packed we didn’t bother. We ended up at a cat cafe instead and spent about an hour there.

3. This is far too much, you’ll never be able to do all of this. I’d guess you can get 1/3 of this done at the most. Your 2 year old is going to slow you down a lot. Have you done this kind of trip with him before? Do you know what to expect?

4. If you guys want to do all that, I’d suggest each day, one of you take your son back for a nap, and everyone else can do the activities. Japan is a very crowded and stimulating place; it’s easy to over do things and you will all regret it when your son can’t settle at night.

   That’s the unfortunate reality of travelling with a toddler; some sacrifices need to be made.

5. I’m 55 and just finished a week in Tokyo. Even with the trains, buses, etc it was a LOT of walking and just being on my feet. I think you will find your itinerary to be too much for your parents. Your busiest day is Day 6, and I think they’d be pretty tired by then.

   I have to ask why would you insist on taking your 2-year-old and parents to Golden Gai? The toddler would not be permitted in any bars, and if your parents aren’t that interested in drinking, the bar owners wouldn’t want to give up their limited space for them.

   You have yourself leaving for the airport at 3:30, with your flight at 6:40. I recommend arriving at the airport 3 hours early for international flights. We rented pocket wifi, and we needed time to find where to return the equipment and also do money exchange.

   I would make a choice between Ueno Park and Yoyogi Park.

6. That is a lot. Many of those places will be a challenge to navigate with a stroller. You will want to scout out eateries beforehand

7. I don’t have any advice, but we are also traveling with our toddler (then 18mo) in October, so I’m frankly quite amazed at your level of planning 😳

   If you could share your spreadsheet my organization-loving but currently swamped-at-work self would greatly appreciate it!

8. Overly ambitious, you didn’t put into account the travel time needed from place to place and not to mention the crowd at public transports especially buses, i have waited for at least 1 to 2 buses before i could get into one during peak season.

   You have a 2 year old and 2 seniors, they will need a break from time to time and your kid might get fussy if he is too tired since you are in another country.

   Japan is a country where you need to take your time and enjoy, there are many many things you may come across during your travel that will sidetrack you.

   Might i suggest only focus on Kansai region, which is Osaka side because you are only there for 7 days. Kansai is enough to keep you busy. It kept me busy for 14 days and it wasn’t enough.

9. Hi!!

   I live in Japan with my two year old and I think that most of this is doable, but agree with others about trying to take more time in the hotel for your toddler to get some good sleep and avoid being over stimulated.

   I think the Osaka castle and kids plaza is too much in your morning. The kids plaza is gigantic and I would spend the whole morning there and do Osaka castle another time, like maybe after lunch while your kid naps in the stroller or something.

   I also would reserve an entire afternoon or morning for Ueno instead of also doing Akihabara. The zoo there is worth visiting and there are a lot of places for your child to explore and play.

   Those are the main two things that I think are unrealistic. The rest really seems fine to me and is pretty similar to trip itineraries we’ve done with our daughter.

   Oh, and personally I would maybe not do Nishiki market AND Dotonbori, unless you’re just planning on breezing through. They do have different vibes, but the street food that they both sell are pretty much the same and kind of meh.

   One last thing, make sure one of you catches your kid if they go down the slide at the monkey park in arashiyama. 😂 My girl flew down that thing like a rocket!!

10. Hi OP! Omg I am travelling to Japan with my 2 year old and 1 60 year old mother in law too but in September! If you don’t mind, is it ok for you to share me your itinerary spreadsheet 🙂 the difference is we will be hiring a private car to go around as we are a group of 6 🙂