We are finally re-booking our trip which was cancelled due to COVID restrictions in March 2020!
We are a family of four from New Zealand with two girls aged 8 and 10. We are looking at travelling in October, possibly November – hopefully keeping it simple and not travelling during busy periods means there’s enough time to book everything at this short notice.
**Day 1:** arrive 4:50pm after a daytime flight (equivalent to 8:50pm New Zealand time). The kids will be tired, so we’re considering staying at an airport hotel rather than taking the train straight to the city, although keeping them up late will help with jetlag!
**Day 2:** Free time in Tokyo (we have plenty of ideas but wouldn’t book anything in advance)
**Day 3:** TeamLab Planets Tokyo, plus free time
**Day 4:** Another free day in Tokyo
**Day 5**: Travel to Osaka; free time in afternoon
**Day 6:** Free time Osaka; possibly visit Sylvanian Park (Sylvanian Families aka Calico Critters themed – we know the park is aimed at younger kids, but my girls are still huge fans of the toys. Only negative is the 1.5hr train ride there!)
**Day 7:** Universal Studios. I’m trying to get the (very expensive) express pass sorted if they’ll accept my credit card as Super Mario World is a must!
**Day 8:** Day trip to Kyoto if we have the energy. I’d love to do an overnight in Kyoto but not sure how complicated this will be.
**Day 9:** Travel to Tokyo; check in to Disney hotel (probably Sheraton or Hilton Tokyo Bay; the official Disney resorts look too difficult to book? e.g. they will only let me book two consecutive nights)
**Day 10:** Tokyo DisneySea
**Day 11**: Tokyo DisneyLand
**Day 12:** Spend one last morning in Tokyo before checking in for 6:30pm flight
We have allowed two weeks for this trip, so we will probably add another day in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, or one more day at DisneySea. My husband and I spent a day at DisneySea before we had kids, and we know the kids will absolutely love it.
6 comments
**Just a reminder that our FAQ is being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4)
Thank you!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I can’t see why you would miss Nara – once in a lifetime to get those videos of the Deer bowing to your kids. Also Mochi place in Nara.
Just get to your Tokyo hotel on the first night. Unpacking/packing again for one night with kids is awful. Plus you’ll lose time on day 1 traveling to your hotel and you can’t even get in the room until the afternoon.
I just recently stayed at the Disney Sheraton. Much more affordable than the official hotels and only an extra stop on the monorail. The hotel is across the street from the station (2 min walk). They have a large bay view room with 2 full size beds and a bunk bed the kids would love.
I was able to get the USJ express tickets using Apple Pay with a master card (I’m based in the Us however ) on my mobile device – and it did take three times but it worked. I didn’t want to take a chance and buy one with random timed entries.
My kids (and I) loved the B-side Records sticker store in Tokyo. They have hundreds of really cool/cute stickers. Guaranteed hit with the kids.