Hello All,
Me and my Wife along with a toddler is very excited to go on this trip. We are from Hawaii and this will be our first Japan trip. We are turning 30 this year and wanted to Experience Japan before 30. My Son will also spend his 5th birthday during this Trip. As much as we can we want to take our time as a family to enjoy Japan, absorb the culture and people. We Love Sushi and Ramen, we will be eating whatever we’ll see. We will be staying close to Train Stations. Any advice or things I can Add will be really helpful.
Some Questions:
1. How is the weather in Sept/Oct? (We don’t mind being hot and humid when we already live in Hawaii)
2. Any challenges traveling with a toddler?
3. Is the JR pass worth it?
4. Is the Train, Metro and Buses hard to navigate through?
5. Language Barriers, how difficult is it to communicate?
6. Foods to try?
7. Our Flights and Hotels will be already be paid. Our Budget will be $2000 for Food, Transportation, Entrance Fees, Souvenirs, Maybe clothes. Will this be Enough?
ITINERARY:Sept26-Oct9
PRE Flight
•Exchange some Money @ bank
•Install Suica Card on phones
•Install an eSIM
Sept 26-27 Flight Day
•Flying from Honolulu Sept. 26 8.5hr Flight
•Arrive at Haneda Airport @ 5pm
•Go Through Immigration, get luggage, go Through Customs
•Check in at Asakusa
•Check In
•Groceries 7-Eleven
Sept. 28 (Day 1) Shibuya, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku
•Shibuya Crossing, Hachiko Statue, Eat
•Shibuya Sky
•Spend the afternoon in Meiji Shrine
•Walk to Harajuku, Takeshita Street
•Back to Hotel
Sept. 29 (Day 2) Asakusa &Â Â Roppongi
•Rent Kimonos
•Explore Sensoji Temple and Namikase St.
•Lunch @ Namikase
•Roppongi Hills Mori Tower
•Eat @ Roppongi Hills
•Back to Hotel
Sept. 30(Day 3) Koto City
•Arrive @ Teamlabs Planet Tokyo
•Take train to Diaba Station
•Lunch
•Explore Gundam Base Tokyo,
•Akihabara if there’s time
•take Train back to Hotel
Oct. 1 (Day 4) (Sons Bday) Ueno or Tokyo Disney?
•Forward Luggage to Kyoto
•Ueno Boat Ride @ Shinobazuno Pond
•Ueno Park & Zoo
•Ameya Yokocho
•or Tokyo Disney?
Oct. 2 (Day 5)Tokyo 🚆 Kyoto
•Check Out
•Get some ekibens for the bullet train
•Nozomi Shinkansen Tokyo-Kyoto
•Arrive at Hotel RestÂ
•Kiyomizu-Dera sunset
•Yasaka Pagoda
Oct. 3 (Day 6) Kyoto Day 2
•Wake Up Early,Breakfast early
•Go Early and Explore Fushimi Inari TaishaÂ
•Rest @ Hotel
•Nishiki Market Lunch
Oct. 4 (Day 7) Kyoto Day 3
•Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
•Explore and Have Lunch @ Arashiyama
•Kinkaku-Ji Golden Hotel
•Get some rest @ Hotel
•Downtown Kyoto for dinner
Oct. 5 (Day 8) Osaka Day 1
•Check Out, take train from Kyoto-Osaka
•Harukas 300
•Shinsekai
Oct. 6 (Day 9) Osaka Day 2
•Explore Osaka Castle
•Namba Shrine
•Explore, Shop and Eat @ Dotonbori
Oct.7 (Day 10) Nara Day Trip
•Todaiji Temple
•Nara Park
Oct.8 (Day 11) Kobe Day Trip
•Shopping Day @ Kobe Motomachi Shotengai, Souvenirs
•Kobe Chinatown
•Eat some Kobe Steak
Oct.9 (Day 12) Home
Fly Home from KIX 8:45pm flight
1 comment
Hi there! Currently in Japan with our almost 4-year old. Travel stroller is a must for us since our kid tends to nap in the late afternoon, and there’s alot of walking in general. We usually walk around to the mall or streets while she is napping. If you are using google maps for direction, especially the train stations, just note that you may need to find another route if using a stroller to find paths with elevators. Wasn’t a huge issue for us but needed extra time to navigate.
A lot of restaurants are small so again, we folded up the stroller before dining and it was fine. Kyoto’s restaurants tend to close early or usually requires reservations. Osaka/Tokyo was easier looking for dining last minute. For places my hubby and I want to try, we looked for places with a private room so it was easier for my kid. She also liked sushi, udon, sandwiches from 7/11 so it wasn’t difficult getting food for her. I would stay bring some activities that they can do while waiting for food. For ramen with kids, I recommend Ginza Kagari in Tokyo. It’s a small place but they had no issues with kids sitting at the ramen bar. Gets very crowded with long lines to suggest to go around 5pm. I also find that dining halls in the mall works better for us since it’s very comfortable and not crowded with tourists. Food is equally amazing!!
Luggage forward is an awesome service! We used it initial at the airport and it arrived to our hotel room the next day. From there, our hotel helped us forward them to the next destination. I highly recommend using this while traveling with kids.
JR pass was worthwhile since we traveled from Tokyo to Osaka/Kyoto and the rabbit island. At some stations, the bullet trains may pass through the stations at a high speed, which was very interesting but can get loud. My kid just covered her ears but it was a very cool thing to watch!