In May and June 2026, my family of 4 (2 adults + 2 children, aged 4 and 1) spent a month travelling through Japan. We went to a mix of major cities and chill seaside towns, living in highly residential areas, trying to live as the locals do. The experience was, in a word, epic – the sort of trip that one would look back on fondly years from now as the starting point of something much bigger (more on that later).
We’d encountered so many kind, wonderful people, had so much good food and lovely impromptu conversations, enrolled our eldest at a local Japanese nursery for a week, and even navigated a nasty surprise involving our baby stroller. I don’t think I can do it justice by condensing it into a concise trip report, nor do I want to focus on our itinerary because there are a thousand ways to see Japan, so sharing my itinerary which is very specifically tailored to my family offers limited value. So instead, I’ve compiled a list of top travel tips for those travelling with young children to make your journey easier. These should be useful irrespective of where you choose to visit.
Jane’s Top Tips for Travelling in Japan with Young Children
Tip #1: Travel slowww.
The biggest mistake is packing so much into the itinerary that you end up seeing a lot without actually experiencing much at all.
With young kids in tow, plan for at most two things on your itinerary each day. This way, you leave room for spontaneous fun that wouldn’t have been possible if you were busy shuttling from one point to the next.
Our most beautiful memories on this trip were of discovering hidden gems when we had no agenda and just let our feet wander, turning into whichever street looked interesting to us.
Example: After lunch in Gion (Kyoto) one day, we left the busy thoroughfares and ended up on really quiet streets that were practically deserted. We explored the beautiful architecture and tiny details all around. Suddenly, we found an intriguing bar and we duck in.
Lo and behold, it turned out to be one of the coolest places we’d encounter all trip. Dimly lit, the classy decor, the chill vibes, the drinks, and the bartender were just delightful! The bar was small and intimate enough that you could easily chat with other patrons and the whole atmosphere was so warm. There were comfy low tables too, perfect for young families. It felt like we’d been spirited away from the oppressive heat to a different world. The bar even had a really beautiful, Japanese-styled coworking space upstairs! It almost made me regret not bringing a laptop with me to work there! There’s no question: in all future trips to Kyoto, we’d head right back to that bar.
Tip #2: Don’t stay at hotels.
Young children and adults have very different bedtimes. This becomes a problem if you’re in a regular hotel room – I’ve heard enough stories of parents having to sit in the bathroom to be on their phones after bedtime as the kids have taken the sleeping area to know that was not what we wanted for ourselves.
You’d also want much more space and flexibility when travelling with young kids. Lodging that offer multiple bedrooms, hang out areas, and a kitchen – think modern houses or machiyas (traditional Japanese houses) – are fantastic.
Because a lot of these rental options are in more residential areas, they often end up being comparable in price to a single hotel room in a touristy area (whilst offering double or even quadruple the amount of space).
Connectivity/access to sights wasn’t an issue despite living in more residential areas, as Japan has excellent transport infrastructure. We were often just 5 mins from a train station.
Residential areas are great for immersing yourself in a more authentic setting. You experience more of the real Japan this way. And because Japanese cities are just built to be convenient and efficient, you still have everything you need in the area: convenience stores, drug stores, supermarkets, restaurants, etc.
A good kitchen is absolutely indispensible. As we were travelling in Japan for so long, it was really nice to not have to eat out every single night/dealing with boisterous children in a public space, especially at the end of the day when everyone was tired and wanted something lowkey and familiar. If you have your own kitchen and dining space, meal times become far less stressful. Cooking at home was also gentler on our stomachs – important on a long trip like ours!
If you have very young children (say, under 3yo), be sure that the lodging has childproofed the kitchen space. Our experience was 50/50: although everything we’d booked was marketed as family-friendly, only half of the lodging was actually child-proofed. The worst offender was a flat in Tokyo, where big knives were placed at eye level of a toddler, in an unlocked cabinet beneath the kitchen sink.
Tip #3: Bring comfy walking shoes
I cannot emphasise this enough: when going to Japan, you will walk far more than you anticipate, so bring your most comfortable set of walking shoes. A lot of tourists who don’t come prepared develop blisters whilst holidaying here, which is a literal pain when you’re supposed to be having fun.
If you’re planning to be in Japan for several weeks and your child is very young/moves through shoes sizes quickly like my youngest (under 2yo), consider bringing an extra pair of shoes that’s the next size up. There’s a lot that you can buy in Japan if you’ve forgotten to pack something, but medicine (eg. Calpol/baby paracetamol) and shoes from a familar brand can be tricky so come prepared.
Strollers: a lot of people ask about the ease of getting around in Japan with bulky things like luggage and stroller. The short answer: bring them; you’ll be fine. The long answer: Every single subway and train station we were at in had a lift and they were all operating normally (ahem, London) so you won’t have issues getting around. Just note that public lifts in Japan are much smaller than those in many other countries and there’s sometimes a queue for them so budget for more time when you get around.
Tip #4: Move between cities using Yamato/Ta-Q-Bin
Unique to Japan, there is a courier service called Yamato/Ta-Q-Bin that can deliver your bulky luggage between cities for a very reasonable fee. You simply drop off your luggage at any of the major convenience stores and fill in some quick forms. This makes travel far more hassle-free, especially when travelling with kids.
Note that there is a size limit for each piece of luggage but majority of luggage pieces that people use when flying/consider checked baggage should just fit within this limit.
Even between major cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, luggage takes at least a day to reach. This is assuming you make the cut-off time, usually 10am, for luggage drop-off. This means the ideal approach is often to drop off your luggage the morning before you leave a city, packing just an overnight bag for everyone. As you arrive at the next city the next day, your bulky luggage should arrive around the same time (or within the timeframe you’ve stipulated).
The courier service is reputed to be very reliable, but sometimes things can go wrong. We used Ta-Q-Bin’s luggage forwarding service twice. The first time (between Tokyo and Kyoto) was very smooth. The second time (between Kyoto and Osaka) the luggage was supposed to be delivered in the morning but it only arrived mid-afternoon. If you’re in your own apartment (ie. no hotel reception to receive the luggage for you) that can throw your sightseeing/holiday plans off a little. I do think we got a bit unlucky there and overall it’s a great service that makes it much easier for families to travel between cities.
Tip #5: Don’t stress about dining
It was very easy to find family-friendly restaurants even outside of the touristy areas so do feel free to wander!
By “family-friendly”, I mean every single restaurant we visited offered children’s cups and cutlery; the menus also often had enough options that were more suited to young children (ie. less salty). Less common but still possible to find: places that offer high chairs. But booth seats are very common in restaurants, which makes it much easier to keep kids in one place when dining out.
And definitely try some of the conveyor belt sushi restaurants! They family-oriented ones can be a lot of fun for the kids as they gamify the plate return process and you get to win small prizes if you’re lucky (or, just pay more per plate you eat to get a guaranteed win for ever 3 attempts you make, which worked out great for us). We went to one of Kura Sushi’s Tokyo branches. Happy enough to recommend them!
Tip #6: Souvenirs: think outside the box.
Souvenirs are highly personal, but Japan is a great place to buy some nifty inventions and daily tools that you can’t source easily elsewhere.
Our favourite acquisitions from this trip include: a Japanese fan jacket, several knives and other kitchen tools.
The fan jacket in particular is light and highly effective during heatwaves. Mine has kept me comfortable even when walking outdoors in 35ºC heat.
Note: there appears to be two types of fan jackets: commercial ones and industrial/professional grade ones used by people working outdoors, the original target audience of this invention.
I went for the latter, so can’t say much about the commercial ones except that they are a fraction of the price of the professional ones but also quite a bit less effective apparently, so caveat emptor. For professional grade jackets, I went to Shokunin Land in Osaka. Professional ones sell components separately (ie. jacket, fan, battery). The top of the line batteries can last 8 hours even when running at top fan speed; highly recommended.
Knives can be easily acquired; you don’t need to go to specialist knife shops unless you’re a true connoisseur. We bought from a variety of places, and found even the ones from Don Quijote (aka “Donki”) sharp and effective.
But if you’re in Osaka, consider swinging by Sakai, the knife capital of Japan. Sakai produces about 90% of Japan’s professional grade chef knives and a Sakai knife (easily identified by an engraved 「堺」on the blade) has a certain prestige attached to it. Here, a number of smiths offer workshops where you can watch the forging, grinding, and handle-fitting process and there is, naturally, a much higher concentration of specialist knife shops than the rest of Japan. Well worth a visit!
Tip #7: Don’t shy away from kids’ recreations just because they’re “for kids”
The major cities in Japan have lots of incredible parks and recreation options for children, including young toddlers. A lot of these places are fantastic/ relaxing/ interesting for adults too! Here’s a list of our children’s favourite play spots:
Tokyo
The Railway Museum
This was an absolute highlight of our trip. Huge museum with lots of interesting things for everyone. eg. Tons of real trains from different periods of history you can board and wander through, ability to get up close to full sized shinkansens, explore mini railway crossings, huge dioramas, train driving simulator, etc.
Lots of fun areas specifically for children. Despite how far it is from central Tokyo, it’s worth the trip and I recommend budgeting a full day there. Even adults had lots of fun.
There are several dining options on site. We went to The View restaurant on the 4th floor of the museum’s South Building and scored some great booth seats right by the window. These seats offered perfect views of passing shinkansens as we ate. A really fun experience for everyone. Would highly recommend but note that the restaurant takes cash only, and there are no ATMs on site
At a set time every day, the steam train in the train display area also does a full 360º rotation. It’s fun for a while but note that if you have young kids, it’s best to stay away as the train whistle is extremely loud – as in “easily heard and startled even if you’re 300 metres away” loud. If you/your children react strongly to sudden noises, get as far away from this display as you can when it’s in action.
Toshima Kids Park
A fun and relaxing spot in the middle of Tokyo, this kids park has an electric train ride that is great for kids. There are also tricycles and different play areas, including an area specifically for infants.
It’s one of the few places on our trip where we were able to just let the kids roam on their own, because the space is large enough for children but is staffed and enclosed. Perfect if the adults need a break from running after the kids.
Advance online booking required, though entry is free. Note that it closes fairly early (4pm).
Overall, I would advise young families to spend less time in Tokyo and more time in other cities/towns. Tokyo is a very dense city with a population of 37 million, and it understandably moves at a specific pace (read: fast and orderly). There are many unwritten rules about what is considered appropriate conduct in public (ie. do not disturb the peace or inconvenience others) and whilst this is true in all of Japan, you will feel this more acutely in the capital. Travelling with a few boisterous young children can be tricky and navigating the busy trains and massive metro stations (some with 20+ platforms) can be stressful.
Kyoto
Japan Preschool Exchange Programme
We sent our eldest to a local Japanese preschool for a full week whilst here as part of the Japan Preschool Exchange.
Since a key goal of our trip was to show the children different ways of life, thinking, etc. this was an excellent way to be immersed in the minutiae of a different culture – to live, eat, play and learn the way they do. My child even got to don the classic Japanese sailor school uniform!
The programme offers a range of nurseries/preschools nationwide to choose from. The logistics are straightforward: before we left for Japan, the program arranged a Zoom call with our nursery’s headteacher and two programme personnel, including a translator. On your first morning at the school, a translator will also be present in case you need help communicating with teachers. Throughout the week, teachers take photos of your child and at the end of the week you receive a big batch of photos digitally.
We selected a preschool that has access to a nearby forest, an element difficult to replicate back in London. My child absolutely loved this experience. They’d found wild frogs and the joy on his face when he held the frog in his hand was immense.
Japanese children tend to be much more independent than those in many other countries, and we were delighted to see that our child picked up some good habits from his time in the Japanese preschool, just by being exposed to what other children his age can do.
We were really happy with the decision to enroll in the program; our eldest was able to experience another way of life in an authentic way and we (adults) were able to explore Kyoto with just our youngest in tow, which made it quite relaxing.
I do feel that the cost of the Preschool Exchange can be a major consideration as to whether a family considers it worthwhile. The fee for one week on the exchange program is comparable to 1 to 2 months of nursery fees in London. But if broadening horizons and an immersive school experience in Japan are part of your agenda, there are few alternatives that rival this.
Osaka
Kids Plaza Osaka
This is a multi-storey kids’ entertainment centre that has everything you could want – big slides, different terrains to run through, role playing stations (eg. post office, fire station, grocery store, etc.) and STEM-oriented play zones for older children. There’re also several areas separate from the main parts designed for younger infants who aren’t walking yet.
Whilst there, visit the adjacent Ogimachi Park, which has a fantastic playground with some big and highly addictive slides for kids.
Harukas 300
This is Osaka’s highest observation deck. The kids and adults alike loved the panoramic 360º vistas of Osaka on the 62nd floor. Even the lift ride up was really special for the children as there were some cool visual effects. A personal highlight as a parent was looking at the awe and wonder on the kids’ faces as we rode the lift up.
On the 61st floor there’s a semi-outdoor area with lots of dining options. If you’re quick, you can even book a table for barbecue in the evening, though that was all sold out in the afternoon when we dropped by.
There’s a classic Japanese food hall in the basement of this mall/building that offers a huge array of food. Downsides: very limited seating areas and often crowded, which makes walking through it quite tricky with a stroller.
Osaka Castle
A major tourist destination that is great for everyone, though we didn’t bother entering the castle proper due to hearing that it’s cramped and crowded inside. Instead, we opted to let the kids play within the castle grounds and they had a grand time just playing by a tree. Sometimes, the simplest plans are the best.
The castle grounds do get busy really fast so I would highly recommend going at opening time to enjoy the space before the crowds move in.
That’s a wrap! As you could probably guess, there were tons of highlights – amazing bars, restaurants, hidden finds, etc. – that were left out in this piece, but I had to be disciplined and chose to focus solely on tips for young families (or else this post would’ve been outrageously long). I’ll write a separate post on holidaying with children in Hong Kong and how we created a more immersive environment for them to learn Chinese in that trip report. If you have questions, drop them in the comments section below. Until the next post!
