Thanks for reading. Our family of four is making a first trip to Japan from October 12 to October 25. Our kids are aged 7 and 9. I’m on my own planning this, so I appreciate any help. The top items in my group are: Nikko (me), Fuji (partner), and Nintendo World (kids).
**Thu 12 Tokyo**
Arrive at Haneda mid afternoon. Simple goal of making it to the hotel in Asakusa, grab IC cards (including kid’s cards) and JR passes. Hope we can stay awake long enough to minimize jet lag the next day. Possibly buy tickets for Nikko daytrip the next day.
**Fri 13 Tokyo –> Nikko**
Day trip to Nikko. Hiking around Okunikko to start, with a drop-off at Yumoto Onsen, hike to Chuzenji Lake, and a boat across to Kegon Falls. Spend the second half of the day around Nikko National Park before returning to Tokyo.
**Sat 14 Tokyo**
Meiji Shrine, Shibuya, and Shinjuku. Don’t know much, other than these are popular areas. Worried this is more geared towards luxury shopping and adult fun that won’t be enjoyable for kids.
**Sun 15 Tokyo**
Explore Ueno and Asakusa. Considering the Tokyo National Museum. Feels like there’s more we can pack into this day. Other poster mentioned Akihabara, so maybe we check that out as well? I understand it’s pedestrian friendly on Sundays.
**Mon 16 Tokyo**
Day trip to Kamakura. Chose this over Hakone because of our family’s interest in history/culture over more “touristy” spots, although Hakone seems like a nice place to be with kids and possibly see Fuji.
**Tue 17 Kanazawa**
Early morning departure for Kanazawa. Hotel is near Omicho Market. Spend the day visiting the castle area and Kenrokuen. Possibly work in the market, but not sure how.
**Wed 18 Kanazawa –> Takayama**
Day trip to Takayama. Chance to enjoy an oldtown feel and maybe try some good beef. Including Shirakawa seems to much, so maybe Hida Folk Village is a good alternative. Return to hotel in Kanazawa.
**Thu 19 Hiroshima/Miyajima**
Depart Kanazawa early for Hiroshima. Stop in Hiroshima to visit the Peace Park, Peace Memorial Museum, and A-Bomb Dome. Take afternoon ferry to Miyajima to check into hotel/ryokan (TBD) and do some light exploring.
**Fri 20 Miyajima/Kyoto**
Finish up exploring Miyajima, then make our way to Kyoto hotel in Kawaramichi. On the way to Kyoto, it would be nice to stop at Himeji Castle. I’m not sure it makes sense given time constraints, as it feels like we’ve cut too much already around Kyoto.
**Sat 21 Kyoto**
Day trip to Nara. I honestly don’t expect Nara will fill a full day for us considering all that’s left to see in/around Kyoto, so I anticipate turning back for Kyoto mid afternoon. If so, it could be a good time to stop at Fushimi Inari on the way back. Depending on how long we’re at Fushimi, then check out parts of Gion/Higashiyama.
**Sun 22 Kyoto**
Arashyiama and monkey park in the morning. Back in Kyoto for Jidai Matsuri in the early afternoon. Finish off Higashiyama and possibly head to Northern Kyoto (Kinkauji and Ryoanji) afterwards. There’s a fire festival in Kurama in the evening, but I’m not sure it’s worth the crowds and effort.
**Mon 23 Kyoto –> Osaka**
Day trip to Osaka. Kids are very excited about Super Nintendo World, so we would start there. Feels like Monday is a good day for this. Don’t expect we’ll spend long in other areas of the park, so that leaves an afternoon/evening to explore Osaka, or else return to Kyoto. Kids aren’t interested in the aquarium.
**Tue 24 Hakone**
Considering a last overnight in Hakone, but I’m torn between that and just staying in Kyoto. I want to do a Ryokan with a private onsen and Kaiseki, and I like the idea of relaxing towards the end of the trip. I wonder if I’m cutting out better experiences in Kyoto for this.
**Wed 25 Tokyo**
Morning in Hakone (or Kyoto) before heading to Tokyo to depart Haneda late afternoon.
**SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:**
• Where to stay in Hiroshima/Miyajima? Leaning towards Miyajima to explore the island. If so, is it a given to stay in a Ryokan there?
• Whether to leave Kyoto for Hakone or just stay in Kyoto? If going to Hakone, then any recommendations on where to stay in Hakone? Need a private onsen, preferably attached to the room.
• General feedback about my concern that we have too many daytrips from cities, mainly Tokyo and Kyoto, instead of staying in the city and seeing the good attractions already there.
• I’d like to see Matsushima Bay in Sendai, but I’m just not seeing how it works for this trip.
• Luggage forwarding might make this hectic trip a little easier, especially for travel between stays in Tokyo and Kyoto. I’m looking at shipping luggage ahead to our Kyoto hotel, but I wonder if there’s too long of a time gap to make that doable. Also, if we add the last day in Hakone, would make sense to ship from Kyoto to Haneda?
Again, thanks for reading and for any and all feedback.
8 comments
I studied abroad in Tokyo for a few months and lived/worked in Osaka for 3 years after college. I go back every year or so. My thoughts:
Tokyo:
You can get your IC cards and JR Passes before you leave the airport. There is a JR office connected to to Haneda. If you have an iPhone I highly recommend that you just set up the Suica card in your Apple Wallet. You can reload with a credit card. (Make sure your card has $0 fee foreign transactions).
If you’re looking for things for your kids to do, definitely go to Akihabara. Also there is the Taito Game Center in Shinjuku. They may also enjoy Aqua City in Odaiba or the Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama.
Hiroshima:
I don’t think you need a second day of exploring Miyajima. It’s nice but you can get the idea in a few hours: see the deer, see the shrine, take a picture in front of the torii, eat lunch, get back on the boat. Be sure to find a place to have Hiroshima style okonomiyaki for dinner.
Kyoto:
Are you completely married to the idea of using Kyoto as your “home base” for that leg of your trip? Kyoto is great, but it can be VERY hard to maneuver around the city during certain times of day because they rely heavily on buses which get VERY crowded. Osaka, on the other hand, has a fully-integrated train system inside the city so it could be an easier daily jump off point. Just a thought.
While in Kyoto, eat at Katsukura. Also, buy some yatsuhashi (a very traditional sweet found only in Kyoto). You’ll be in Kyoto during the time when the leaves on the trees change color so the temples will look vey nice. If you have some time while in Kansai, check out Kobe. Nara doesn’t deserve an entire day if you’re pressed for time.
For luggage I usually pack a small suitcase and put it inside a large, empty suitcase. As I travel and buy things I end up with 2 full suitcases in the way back. The luggage transport is helpful, especially because you’re technically not supposed to take a bunch of large suitcases on the bullet train.
I think you’ll be there during baseball season so you may want to check out a Japanese baseball game. The experience is completely different.
I studied abroad in Tokyo for a few months and lived/worked in Osaka for 3 years after college. I go back every year or so. My thoughts:
Tokyo:
You can get your IC cards and JR Passes before you leave the airport. There is a JR office connected to to Haneda. If you have an iPhone I highly recommend that you just set up the Suica card in your Apple Wallet. You can reload with a credit card. (Make sure your card has $0 fee foreign transactions).
If you’re looking for things for your kids to do, definitely go to Akihabara. Also there is the Taito Game Center in Shinjuku. They may also enjoy Aqua City in Odaiba or the Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama.
Hiroshima:
I don’t think you need a second day of exploring Miyajima. It’s nice but you can get the idea in a few hours: see the deer, see the shrine, take a picture in front of the torii, eat lunch, get back on the boat. Be sure to find a place to have Hiroshima style okonomiyaki for dinner.
Kyoto:
Are you completely married to the idea of using Kyoto as your “home base” for that leg of your trip? Kyoto is great, but it can be VERY hard to maneuver around the city during certain times of day because they rely heavily on buses which get VERY crowded. Osaka, on the other hand, has a fully-integrated train system inside the city so it could be an easier daily jump off point. Just a thought.
While in Kyoto, eat at Katsukura. Also, buy some yatsuhashi (a very traditional sweet found only in Kyoto). You’ll be in Kyoto during the time when the leaves on the trees change color so the temples will look vey nice. If you have some time while in Kansai, check out Kobe. Nara doesn’t deserve an entire day if you’re pressed for time.
For luggage I usually pack a small suitcase and put it inside a large, empty suitcase. As I travel and buy things I end up with 2 full suitcases in the way back. The luggage transport is helpful, especially because you’re technically not supposed to take a bunch of large suitcases on the bullet train.
I think you’ll be there during baseball season so you may want to check out a Japanese baseball game. The experience is completely different.
Daytrip from Kanazawa to Takayama is 6 hours of transit in total, which may cause exhaustion with the trip: especially since you travel min. 3 hours day before, and 4 hours next day. That’s a lot on the move. Maybe a trip to the onsen and chill day instead?
I think taking a totally packed 4 hour round trip day trip, less than 24 hours after landing, and with 2 small children, is not a great idea.
Not sure if you already look into this. If you plan to be at Nintendo World and USJ just part of the day, definitely look into getting there super early (7am) since you need an area entry to get there within the park, if you don’t get there early enough in the morning. If budget allows, get the express pass through USJ directly and pick the entry time for Nintendo World plus skip the line for some rides.
For kids in Ueno the Natural History Museum is more fun than the Tokyo National one and nearby.
My biggest concern is one you’ve identified yourself – too many day trips. Arriving at a city and then immediately leaving it for a day trip to some other city…just seems like a way to stress yourself out. I would heavily reduce the number of destinations in your trip. You’ve got a limited number of days and personally I’d want to spend more time seeing and less time travelling. (Even though riding the trains is fun and relaxing).
On our trip in March we considered going to Kamakura and Takayama, but decided it was simply too much when added to Tokyo/Kyoto/Hiroshima (and you’re adding Nikko and Kanazawa?). Of course everyone has their own travel styles…
Questions I would pose back to you: do you need to see Miyajima *and* Nara? They both have deer and temples. The kids will like it. You don’t need to see both.
And if you choose Nara – do you still really really want to take the kids to Hiroshima? You could gain a few days elsewhere by cutting that leg out of the trip.
If you’re more interested in the quieter/older/outdoorsy parts of Japan, would you consider skipping Tokyo altogether? You could spend a night in Nikko, head to Hakone, and keep going west…
In case you haven’t seen it, I’ll link my post about our family trip this past March – it might give you some options of things to do with the kids (though mine are older).
https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/12iee5k/family_trip_report_two_weeks_in_sakura_season/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1
I would consider skipping Hakone as it’s just a rush. I could be wrong, but coming from Kyoto or osaka you’d have to get off at odawara, then take a train to Hakone yumoto which is like a gateway town into Hakone itself. From hakaone yumoto it’s another train ride (very scenic though) into gora which is a small town right in the center of the area.
Even if you stay in Hakone yumoto I reckon there’s not much time to spend exploring the area. If I were in your shoes I’d rather spend it in Kyoto.