Planning a trip to Japan with kids? Here’s everything you need to know to make it fun, smooth, and unforgettable! We spent 8 days between Tokyo and Kyoto and learned so many useful tips along the way, so let’s dive in.
How to plan your trip to Japan with kids:
My husband and I usually pride ourselves on planning our international trips entirely on our own—no travel agents, just lots of research and spreadsheets. But when it came to Japan, I’ll admit I felt a little out of my depth. We don’t speak or read Japanese, and I wanted this trip to go smoothly, especially with kids in tow. While searching for “Japan tours” online, I stumbled upon Kimkim Tours, a more affordable and flexible alternative to a traditional travel agent. They offer personalized guidance while still giving you plenty of freedom to shape your own itinerary.
After reaching out, we were connected with our guide, Greg, and simply shared a few general ideas. We knew we wanted to visit Tokyo and Kyoto, find a fun ninja or samurai experience for the kids, attend a tea ceremony, and sprinkle in some walking and food tours to help us get a feel for the neighborhoods. Greg took that loose framework and helped us build an itinerary that ended up being absolutely perfect for our family. We did go back and forth and tweak a few things, as he had packed us pretty tight with 2 to 3 tours per day. We wanted to also have time to go off the beaten path. Plus, our girls are 8 and 11, so we didn’t want the entire trip to be balls to the wall.
After we locked in our itinerary, Greg did a lot of the legwork for us. While we found our own flights (Denver flies direct to Tokyo on United), he booked our car to and from the airport, our tickets to all the events, and all of our tours. You by no means need to use a company like Kimkim. Had we not used their guides however, there are some hidden gems we would have never found on our own. If you’re here for itinerary ideas, here’s what our trip looked like.
Before you go:
Our entrance into the country was seamless thanks to the leg-work my husband did beforehand. Go onto Visit Japan web and fill out their forms online. It will give you a QR code that you can scan when you arrive in Japan that makes getting through the airport so much faster! Also, when filling out the paperwork the flight attendants give you before you land, make sure you use dark blue or black ink. If you use any other colors, you’ll have to redo the forms when you land.
Day 1-2: Traveling to Japan with kids:
As I mentioned, we got lucky that United has direct flights to Tokyo. Our flight left around 11:30 am and was a 12-hour flight. With the time change, they were 15 hours ahead of us. So we ended up landing around 2:30 pm their time the following day.
Hot tip #1:
If you can swing it, book premium economy – it’s 100% worth the upgrade! For us, it was a few hundred dollars more per ticket, but made a huge difference in comfort. Booking in advance gave us our pick, so we chose the row behind business class. That meant we had a wall in front of us instead of other passengers, which made the space feel even more private and roomy.
You don’t get the fully flat seats like in business or first class. But premium economy definitely reclines more than standard, and the legroom was amazing. The airline served us three full meals during our 12-hour flight, which pleasantly surprised us too. It was also my first time flying on a Dreamliner, and I was obsessed with how smooth and quiet it was!
Once we landed, we got our bags and met our driver. We then headed to our hotel for the next two nights, The Blossom Hibiya. We loved this hotel because it’s right in the heart of everything. The rooms are smaller like in NYC, so we got two separate rooms. Our trip planner, Greg had also booked the breakfast buffet here for us, which was fantastic.
By the time we got checked in, it was around dinner time in Japan. We were exhausted and didn’t feel like going to a restaurant, so we went to 7 11. I know what you’re thinking – why the fuck are you grabbing food there? Funnily enough, it’s a big thing for tourists to check out the Japanese 7 11’s. They have a lot better food options than the versions we have in the United States. My husband and I spent months before the trip scrolling Instagram for must-try Japanese food. And some repeats we saw over and over were the fresh fruit smoothies, “egg sandos” (egg salad sandwiches), ice cream bars, and onigiri (a rice ball wrapped in seaweed with different fillings) from 7 11.
Our first full day in Japan with kids:
Since we wanted to get our bearings, and weren’t sure how far we’d get without speaking the language, we booked two separate walking tours for our first day.
Hot tip #2:
If you’re traveling with kids to a country in a completely different time zone, here’s my tip to help them adjust quickly. Make sure you wake up early on your first full day, and keep them up and out all day long. Will they be tired and jet-lagged? You bet you’re fucking ass. But they’ll also get adjusted to the new time zone so much faster!
Asakusa, Senso-Ji Temple and Nakamise Shopping Tour:
For our first 4-hour walking tour, we met our guide, Show-San in our hotel lobby. He wanted to start us out by shopping but shops don’t open until 10 and we met him at 9. So, he ended up taking us to Hama-rikyu Gardens. The garden itself is a historic landscape, once a residence for the Tokugawa shoguns. After killing an hour walking through the gardens, we got on the Subway and headed to Nakamise Shopping Street.
What to buy in Japan with kids:
Both of my girls wanted to find Sanrio stuffies, Daruma dolls, and my almost 12-year-old was after skincare. I wanted a matcha bowl or any type of Japanese ceramic bowl and a matcha whisk. Japanese steel is known for its quality, so I set out to find some sharp kitchen knives to gift my dad and stepdad. So we definitely went to Nakamise Shopping Street with particular items in mind!
The only thing we bought on it though, were my matcha bowl and whisk, as well as 3 umbrellas. We were in Japan during the height of summer, so it was between 95-99 degrees everyday with extremely high humidity. (Something we aren’t used to since we live in Colorado where it’s bone-dry.) We bought the umbrellas not for rain, but for protection from the sun. It gets so fucking hot, if you do travel in the summer, I can’t recommend bringing a cheapy umbrella enough!
Getting around Japan:
Between the subway, shinkansen, and cabs, it’s easy to get around Japan – even without speaking or reading the language. For ease of hopping on and off the subway, we got Suica cards. You pre-load them with money and can reload at machines at the entrance of every Subway if you run out. If you’re traveling with kids: They need their own Suica cards!
My husband and I had ours saved digitally in our Apple Wallet on our iphones so we could just hold our phone to the scanner and it would read it. But our kids don’t have phones, so they had to use the physical Suica cards. To make it easy for them to scan themselves, I tossed the cards inside these lanyards. I’d keep the lanyards in my purse when they weren’t in use, but it was sure helpful to have them hanging around the kids’ neck when we were hopping on and off the subway!
Senso-Ji Temple:
The Senso-Ji Temple is the oldest temple in Tokyo, housing the Kannon statue (the Buddhist goddess of mercy), and is a major center of worship. It snuck up on us after we had been meandering through shops and definitely stuck out! And bonus – there is no entrance fee!
We were already hot and exhausted by this point and set out to find lunch, not realizing we could have found out our fortune here! You draw an Omikuji (a Japanese fortune-telling strip.) Then, match the number on the stick to the drawers, open it, and read your fortune. If it’s good, keep it as a lucky charm. If it’s bad, tie it to the Omikuji-kuyo area and the Gods will protect you from it!
Ikebukuro Anime and Game Culture Experience Tour:
After our first tour, we took the subway to Ikebukuro for our second 4-hour walking tour. (I told you we went balls to the wall on day one!) We met our guide, Grant, in front of the Don Quijote store. By this point, we were all over-heated and exhausted. Grant first took us to GiGO so the kids could play some claw-machine games. Then, he took us to the Pokemon Center. There are two – we went to the one called Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo. My eight-year-old, Winnie, did some serious shopping for her and her friends here. Even though it was nice and cool inside, we were still so hot, so we grabbed drinks at the Pikachu Cafe. We also had to stop by the Sanrio Cafe for Lila’s sake.
The Pokemon Center and Pikachu Cafe are all located in a big mall. In the basement of it was a capsule machine spot (gashapon) that the kids loved. The beauty of the capsule machines versus claw machines is that you are guaranteed a prize. My favorite was the tiny Boston Terrier wearing a purple thong. Winnie and I were stoked that she won that one in particular since we have a Boston Terrier, Barky Mark. And there was also a Popmart vending machine. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Labubus yet, but they are all the rage for kids these days. We were hoping to find the stereotypical plush ones. However, every other tourist in Japan was too, so Popmart stores would have lines wrapped around the building of people wanting to find Labubus.
We weren’t about to stand in line for that shit. But, we hit the jackpot when our guide, Grant, noticed that there were plastic Coca Cola Labubus in the Popmart vending machine. There were three left so we bought one for Lila, Winnie, and one of Winnie’s best friends.
Mipig Cafe:
To end the day, we went to my 8-year-old’s request – Mipig Cafe. It’s Japan’s first cafe where you can interact with mini pigs! When you walk in, they have you change out of your shoes into sandals and put your items in a locker. Then you sanitize your hands and enter a room where there are a ton of pigs walking around. We initially had reserved a private room where it would be just our family and some cute baby pigs.
But, as I mentioned before, we had been going hard all day so we moved our reservation up an hour. In doing so, we had to go to the main room, but that was totally fine with us. There were a few other families scattered around. You sit down on pillows and the workers bring pigs over to you. Some crawl into your lap all on their own. They give you around 30 minutes in the main room to interact with the baby pigs, and it was a highlight of the trip for my girls!
We were so hot and tired after clocking over ten hours in the 95+ degree heat that we didn’t want to go to a restaurant. So for dinner, we got snacks from Lawson’s which is a lot like 7 11. Don’t worry – we did get way more adventurous with our food as the days wore on!
Day 3: Kyoto with Kids:
Here comes hot tip #3. Do not do what we did where you start in Tokyo, go somewhere else, then go back to Tokyo. I am sure Greg at Kimkim had the best intentions having us book it like this. If I could do it all again though, I would have had us stay in Tokyo for 4 nights then gone to Kyoto for 3 and flown home from Kyoto. But, you live and you learn. So we had a little more back-and-forth between Tokyo and Kyoto than I recommend to you!
Anyhow, for our second full day, we started our adventure with a ride on the shinkansen – the bullet train. The bullet train to Kyoto from Tokyo is only 2 hours and 15 minutes. We left at 10 a.m. and arrived in Kyoto right at 12:15 which brings me to my next hot tip. Greg had arranged our tickets ahead of time which was fantastic.
Hot tip #4:
Install the Go Japan app on your phone and use that baby! It works just like Uber or Lyft where you can schedule a car to come get you. And while Kyoto is smaller than Tokyo, I don’t think we ever waited longer than two minutes for a car to arrive! It was nuts! Our cab driver that got us from the train station was the sweetest. He gave us a little tip that if you say “Okini” instead of “Arigato” that the locals will think it’s cute. That is how locals in Kyoto say thank you – but only in Kyoto. He was right too – any time we said it the locals appreciated the nod.
When we arrived at our next hotel, Hotel Yuraka Kyo-yasaka, it was too early to check in. That is one thing I will say with Japan. You really usually can’t check in until right at 3. It was very rare we got to check in early. So be prepared to store your luggage and hit the pavement until later! Once we ditched our crap, we went in search of a spot for lunch. We stumbled upon a joint that had some amazing vegetarian food. We got bagna cauda (in Japan it’s made with tofu silk and cheese) with dippers. And also had rice, miso soup, and tea. Then we went to meet our guide, Pam, in front of the Yasaka Shrine.
Temples/Shrine Tour through Yasaka:
Once again, this day was hot as hell. We were already sweating through our clothes by the time we met Pam in front of the shrine. But she was one of my absolute favorite tour guides of them all. She showed us around Entokuin Temple, Kodaiji Temple, The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and the Yasaka Pagoda.
Hot Tip #5:
You don’t need to wait in line like a chump for the bamboo forest. The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is exactly like it – with no crowds!!! You’re surrounded by bamboo forest on a nice walking path and can take pictures without 100 fuck faces in them.
We loved our guide, Pam, because she was not only sweet, but so excited to share her culture with us. Whenever you pray at a shrine you are supposed to follow these steps: First, toss in a coin, preferably one of the ones with the holes in the middle. Second, you ring the bells above you by shaking the long rope. Then, you bow twice, clap twice, pray, then bow again.
After we did our three-hour walking tour, we ended it at Ninenzaka – a sloped street at the base of the Yasaka Pagoda. I did some major retail damage at a store called Washikurabu Kodaijiten. It’s a stationary store and the owner sources everything locally and designs it herself. And while we didn’t speak each other’s languages, I could tell she was the sweetest human. She was so excited at how delighted I was buying stationary, fans, and other souvenirs for our family. I wish they shipped to the U.S. because I would order from her in a heartbeat!
After shopping, we said goodbye to Pam and headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Then we headed to our hotel to finally check in. The Hotel Yuraka Kyo-yasaka is so unique because it’s a boutique hotel with just 13 rooms. What makes them so cool is that they each have their own onsen in them. An onsen is a Japanese hot spring, known for its relaxing and therapeutic properties. These naturally heated springs are often found in volcanic areas. If you go to a public onsen, the protocol is that each sex has their own, and you go in nude. Hoping to save my children the trauma of seeing their middle-aged mother in the nude, we were thrilled to have a private onsen in our room. It allowed us to wear swimsuits without anyone judging us.
Day 4: Kyoto with kids:
We started with quite the feast for breakfast at the hotel. Vince and I couldn’t figure out why the woman who checked us in the day before seemed so concerned that we’re vegetarian. She kept asking, “So, you eat squid then?” “You eat chicken then?” We didn’t understand her concern until we saw our spread the next day. The staff at Hotel Yuraka Kyo-yasaka go above and beyond for your breakfast. It was multiple courses and every single one was delicious. We had more bagna cauda, pumpkin soup, omelettes, and boxes of bread and pastries.
Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony:
After our huge gourmet breakfast, we checked out and headed over to our next hotel to drop our bags off. Once again – we couldn’t get an early check-in so we stashed our shit and ran. We did the Kimono Tea Ceremony Maikoya at Gion Kiyomizu. When you arrive, there is a room on the main floor where the men change and then up a very steep set of stairs is where the women get ready. I was floored at how many employees were all crammed into the upstairs to help us. They seamlessly had us pick out kimono, helped us dress in them, then did our hair in traditional updos. Then, they ushered us to the gardens behind the building where we got to explore until it was our turn for the tea service.
The tea ceremony itself lasts around 45 minutes and costs $48 if you dress in kimonos. Otherwise you can do it for just $22. But I’ll tell ya, everyone we were with booked the entire experience of dressing in kimonos. Our tea master showed us the 3 different ways to bow, explained how to whisk the matcha to make it froth, and then had us try ourselves. Then we got to sip matcha and visit before changing back into our clothes to head to our new hotel.
Nogha Hotel Kyoto:
The Nogha Hotel was another favorite for us because we got the “penthouse suite.” I realize it sounds like we spent a fortune on it, but we didn’t! We stayed in the Nogha Suite, and it was sprawling! We had plenty of space to spread out, and once again, enjoyed a breakfast buffet with our stay. The kids called this their favorite buffet thanks to the endless supply of lychee, their newest obsession. It’s also easier to peel and eat than you’d think. Another reason I appreciated Kimkim tours? Greg made sure to find us rooms with beds large enough for us. I am 5’9 and my husband is 6’6. Greg did an excellent job finding us rooms with beds large enough for our tall frames!
Samurai Ninja Museum:
Since the tea ceremony was one of our quicker experiences, we also took the kids to the Samurai Ninja Museum for a one-hour tour. This was our first tour with a larger group, and our guide walked us through different rooms while explaining the armor, weapons, and more. What was so intriguing is that all the helmets the samurai would wear had fake moustaches attached to them. Our guide explained that it was to help disguise which samurai were younger than the others. They could start fighting as young as 12, but were easy targets as kids. So giving everyone fake rope moustaches made it where you couldn’t clearly see their faces in battle.
After you get a tour of the museum, they let you practice throwing your own plastic ninja stars at targets on the wall. The winner who gets the bullseye out of the group gets to keep the plastic star. (That was not us.) Then, you’re allowed to try on some samurai armor and take photos. Winnie was all about dressing up in the full gear. I think it weighed more than her which made it all the funnier to us.
Nintendo Store:
On our way back from the Samurai museum, we saw that the Nintendo Store was in a mall nearby. My neighbor’s son really wanted a Kirby plush from Japan, so we had to stop in. The girls ended up getting some cute plushies and Vince even got to explore the roof. It was closed due to rain (the only time it rained for us) but the security guard let Vince check it out nonetheless.
Day 5: Kyoto – Nishiki market:
For our last full day in Kyoto, we did a walking tour through Nishiki Market. Our trip was booked through MagicalTrip – and our guide was named Yujiro. He met us at 9:30 in front of Gion Shijo Station. We started our tour by walking down Pontocho Alley. It runs parallel to the west bank of the Kamo-gawa River between Sanjo and Shijo. Kyoto residents and visitors consider it to be the most beautiful street in the city.
We learned a couple of useful tips during this part of our walk. First, if you see a place with white lanterns hanging outside, they have no kitchen. If they have red lanterns hanging outside, they do have a kitchen. What else was interesting to see were what looked like balls of sticks. Those show you the age of the sake inside that particular establishment. The greener the ball, the fresher the sake. The browner it is, the more aged the sake is. We also got to see a geisha’s living quarters from the outside. The geisha’s apartment had her stage name on a plaque outside of her door. She also has windows that she can see out of, but no one can see in.
After walking Pontocho Alley, we stopped at the Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine. Then we headed to the market. Our guide was very sweet and told us we had an allotment of about 700 yen per person from him to use on snacks we wanted to sample throughout the market. The first thing my kids wanted was tanghulu. It went viral on Tiktok and it’s fresh strawberries covered in glossy, hardened sugar. We also sampled some delicious dried fruits, and Vince got fresh strawberry juice.
Shopping in Nishiki Market:
We got a lot of unique souvenirs here. My favorite being some bougie Japanese steel cooking knives from Aritsugu. A basic everyday knife will run you between $150-$200 US dollars. I ended up getting one for us, my dad, and my stepdad. I went on this trip on a mission to buy less shit that was more memorable and unique, so this knife fit the bill. Then, we headed into other stalls of the market including a matcha shop, candy store, and more. The market is known for it’s fish and seafood, so if you’re a seafood lover, I can’t recommend checking this place out enough. (Think of it as a Japanese version of Pike Place Market in Seattle – but with cooler shops!)
After we shopped and snacked our way through the market, Yujiro took us to a random vegetarian restaurant for lunch. It was inside a mall of all places and not a tourist trap by any means. Because of that, we were thankful Yujiro was with us to translate. After lunch, we parted ways and headed back to our hotel for a couple of hours. Then, we hopped in a cab to head to our second destination of the day.
Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama:
If you are ever in Kyoto, a must-do with kids is to check out the Arashiyama Monkey Park. We were warned by many travel blogs and family who have traveled here before, that the hike is steep. It really was, but since we are used to hiking in Colorado, it was way less severe than I was expecting. It takes between 15-20 minutes to hike up to the park, but it is straight up. The walkway is really pretty though and our kids handled it without issue. Once you get to the top, you see Japanese macaques, also known as snow monkeys running amuck!
The monkeys were definitely a big hit with my girls. Lila even spotted a mama holding her baby before anyone else did, so we were able to snap some uninterrupted photos. There is a room at the top of the park where you can buy food to feed the monkeys. After both girls did that, we took some photos of the amazing Kyoto skyline, then headed back down the hill.
Day 6: Kyoto back to Tokyo:
Breakfast was once again a delicious breakfast buffet before we headed to the train station. Every breakfast buffet we had on this trip had a fantastic mix of traditional Japanese food and foods that any American or European would appreciate. (Eggs, bacon, tons of fruit, pastries, pancakes, bagels, etc.)
This was the only whoopsie daisy we had of the trip. We got on the correct bullet train heading back to Tokyo, but the wrong train car. When we got on and saw our seats were taken, we knew we were in the wrong spot. I ended up finding an employee on the train to see if we were on the wrong one and he assured me we were on the right train, but wrong car. So we had to haul all of our huge suitcases through ten packed train cars while it was moving to get to the correct one. All that to say, when you read your shinkansen ticket, the first number is the car number and the second is the train number.
Hot tip when booking seats on the shinkansen:
When you are booking seats on the bullet trains in Japan, only certain seats allow you to have larger than a carry-on suitcase. Those seats are the last row of each train car. Otherwise, your suitcase has to fit in the overhead space which only houses smaller carry-ons. So please be aware of that when booking your tickets! Luckily our guy, Greg, at kimkim assured me that all our bullet train seats were the ones in front of where you store larger suitcases.
Hotel New Otani Tokyo Garden Tower:
After the 2 hour and 15 minute train ride back to Tokyo, we grabbed a cab and headed to our last hotel of the stay – Hotel New Otani Tokyo Garden Tower. This was my least favorite hotels. It wasn’t bad or anything, it was just pretty basic. And I hated that it gave me Vegas vibes – where it takes forever to make it to your actual room. You go into the lobby of what looks like a huge mall. Then you get into one set of elevators, head to the lobby of the garden tower, then get in another set of elevators. So of all the hotels we stayed at, I don’t recommend this one. But hey – at least the others were all winners!
Once again, Japanese hotels don’t really let you check in early. We got lucky that the woman at the desk said we could check in at 2 versus 3, but only because we laid it on thick how much we wanted to check in. So just keep that in mind when planning your days! We stored our luggage then grabbed lunch at a little joint inside the giant ass mall we were attached to. After that, it was time to finally check into our room. Then, we headed to our next stop – Shibuya.
Shibuya with kids:
We booked a Vegetarian Food Tour for the evening. It was also booked through MagicalTrip. But before that, we partook in the Shibuya Pedestrian Scramble – entirely by accident. If you’ve looked into things to do in Tokyo, Shibuya Scramble will undoubtedly pop up. Why is it called the Shibuya Pedestrian Scramble? It is the busiest crossing in Tokyo.
During its busiest times, an estimated 1,000 to 2,500 people forge their way across this intersection every two minutes. The phenomenon gave rise to its nickname “scramble,” as pedestrians cross from all directions. I didn’t really care if we partook in this “phenomenon” or not. But our cab driver dropped us right at the intersection, and we had to cross it to meet our guide. It was way less intimidating than I thought, and now I’m glad we partook!
Shibuya Vegetarian Food Tour:
We met our guide, Mayu, in front of the Shibuya Tsutaya. She then took us to multiple spots for some delicious vegetarian food. We started by going into one of the many skyscrapers up to the top to try some veggie sushi. Then, we headed to another spot for veggie pancakes (okonomiyaki). We also got some stir fry there too. Then, we headed to a dessert spot for dessert for the kids and boozy drinks for Vince and I.
Our food tour ran from 5 pm – 8 pm and when it ended, we were near a big tourist-trap shop – Don Quijote. Don Quijote, also known as Donki, is a popular Japanese discount store chain known for its wide variety of products. It has snacks, cosmetics, household goods and unique souvenirs. Some of the most popular items to buy at Donki include Japanese snacks like Kit Kat (especially unique flavors), Ichiran instant ramen, and matcha sweets. Donki is also a great place to find skincare products, so my tween and I had watched instagram and youtube videos on what to buy there!
Day 7 in Tokyo: TeamLab Planets and Tokyo Skytree:
We started our day with 9 am tickets for TeamLab Planets. I had joined multiple “Japan with kids” travel groups on Facebook prior to booking our trip. And TeamLabs was the big one recommended over and over again. There are two TeamLab exhibits – borderless and planets. TeamLab Borderless and teamLab Planets offer distinct immersive art experiences. Planets is more sensory-focused, requiring physical interaction like walking through water and uneven surfaces, while Borderless is a visually immersive journey with a vast, interconnected digital art world to explore without a set route.
Since we were now a week in of clocking roughly ten miles per day walking, the girls and I were sick of our tennis shoes. So, we wore sandals to TeamLab Planets. There are certain exhibits where they don’t allow sandals though, so here comes my other hot tip: If you go to TeamLab Planets, wear tennis shoes. For half the exhibit you wear those, and for the other, you go barefoot. Since we arrived in sandals we “rented” (they don’t charge you) weird little slip on black shoes to wear for part of the experience. Then for the parts where you walk through water, you go barefoot.
I will forewarn you – the earlier you go – the better. We got tickets for 9 am and there was already a long line to get in. I think we waited in the blistering sun close to a half hour -even with tickets. Also – they provide free lockers. You toss your shit in, turn the key, and the key is on a bungee cord you can put around your wrist. Ladies – use the lockers! Trust me, this is not an exhibit you want to carry your bag around in!
There are so many things to check out in this exhibit. From trampolines to a large slide, there are lots of things to wear your kids out. There is also a room where you are given a choice of a few different pieces of paper to color with pastels. Once you color it how you see fit, there is an employee standing by to help you scan in your work. It literally makes your work turn 3D and it shoots across a huge screen where you can navigate it with your phone.
After we made some art to send out into space, we headed to the other exhibits. For this section of the building, you are required to put your shoes and belongings away before you enter the water area.
We ended up exploring TeamLabs for about three hours before grabbing lunch on-site. I kept seeing this tip everywhere, so I’m passing it along to you! You’ll find the best ramen of your life served right outside TeamLab Planets. It’s called Vegan Ramen Uzu. Even though it was about 95 degrees out, and the only seating is outdoors, the tables are shaded. Plus, little misters spray you in certain seats, which felt so great! We inhaled the ramen and still talk about it weeks after our trip! After we ate, we headed back to our hotel to hang out for a couple hours and cool off before heading to the Tokyo SkyTree.
Tokyo Skytree:
We had 4 pm tickets for the Tokyo Skytree. It is basically a tall observation tower. It’s 634 meters (2,080 feet) tall, making it Japan’s tallest structure. Are you ready for another hot tip? Get your kids one of these stamp books. At every shrine, temple, and touristy structure, you’ll see rubber stamps. Your kid can collect them (much like a passport.) My kids loved doing this, and I just kept their stamp books in my bag at all times.
It takes two separate elevator rides to get to the top of the skytree. And it usually involves being in decently long lines, so just brace yourselves for that. After we got to the top and took photos, we headed back down to the main level. There is a mall right by the base of the skytree, so we did some more retail damage.
Day 8 of Japan with Kids:
Our flight didn’t leave until 6:40 pm so we grabbed one last breakfast at our hotel then stored our luggage. We then headed to Shinjuku to check out the infamous 3D cat billboard. The cat billboard happened to be near the Shinjuku Don Quijote and we still had a couple small souvenirs we wanted to grab. (Namely different flavored Kit Kats.) So we shopped hard again.
I also ended up getting some viral skincare and haircare. (Medicube collagen wrap mask, medicube pore pads, and &Honey shampoo and conditioner.) The joke was on me though, as these items are so viral, they’re now offered on Amazon. So you too can have luxuriously soft hair and beautiful glass skin like the Japanese women! My oldest daughter has naturally very curly hair and the shampoo and conditioner detangle and make her hair so soft. Needless to say, we are obsessed with Japanese hair/skincare!
After grabbing some last minute souvenirs, we popped into a random spot for lunch then headed back to our hotel. We met our driver who took us to the Narita airport for our flight back to LAX. We splurged on business class seats for the flight home since it was an overnight one. The downside? We had to connect in LAX before flying on to Denver instead of taking a direct flight.
My hot tip if you fly Singapore Airlines:
I’m not sure if it was just this airline, but they needed at least one of us two adults traveling home to have TWO forms of ID. I was sweating it since I had packed only my passport figuring I didn’t also need my license. Luckily Vince had his driver’s license with him along with his passport. So please check the airlines you are using and see how many forms of ID they require to get you back to the US!
Also, if you are like us and buy a souvenir sake set, please know that the sake bottles are likely pre-filled with sake! We assumed the set we got was an empty one so we had put the sake set in my carry-on to ensure it didn’t break on the flight home. So you can imagine our surprise when they pulled me aside to tell me there was liquid in the sake pitcher. We opened it, ready to pour out the sake and keep the set, but discovered the pitcher was corked like a wine bottle. Vince ended up exiting the security area, checking the set, and then coming back through security.
We had been so excited about our fancy seats on the flight home that I almost hate to admit this—but business class on Singapore Airlines didn’t live up to the hype. The service fell surprisingly short. We had pre-ordered all of our meals in advance to ensure we’d receive vegetarian options, but when it came time to eat, the flight attendants first brought us chicken. I reminded them we had selected vegetarian meals, so they returned—this time with salmon—saying they had run out of the vegetarian option altogether.
I wasn’t sure why our pre-ordered meals weren’t available, but I can only assume a first class passenger thought the vegetarian option looked better and claimed ours. We spent much of the flight trying to get snacks for Winnie, since she couldn’t eat the meals they brought. The same flight attendant promised—on three separate occasions—that she’d return with something, but she never did. For the price we paid, the service was incredibly underwhelming. Honestly, we had far better food and attentiveness in Premium Economy on United on our outbound flight. So, take that tip for what it’s worth.
What to Pack for your trip to Japan:
Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t also tell you how to pack for a trip to Japan with kids. Especially if you have older kids like us and are slaves to their school calendars. Since we went in the dead of summer so that the kids wouldn’t miss school, it was so fucking hot. Unbelievably hot. We kept reading that June-July was the “rainy season” but it sprinkled for maybe an hour during our entire stay. So here is what I recommend packing.
Comfortable walking shoes. As I said earlier, we clocked around 10 miles per day. Even our most broken-in, comfy athletic shoes wore on us after that many days. So bring 2 pairs of broken in, comfy tennis shoes. But also – bring sandals. My husband teases me because I would hike in sandals or barefoot before tennis shoes. I hate my feet being confined. (Ironic as a former shoe store manager.) So after a few days of hot tennis shoes, I was more than thrilled to toss on some flip flops for our shorter walking tours.
An umbrella. I kept reading this on every site on “what to pack” and was like, nah – they take up space. Why bring them when we won’t even use them? Well, we used them merely for sun protection. And you’ll see most locals do the same! Everyone had umbrellas with them even though it was dry, simply for reprieve from the sun. So save yourself a few bucks and bring some cheap ones from home so you aren’t scrambling for one in Japan.
Light-weight and light-colored clothing. I have a few insights on what to wear clothing-wise. First, if you go in the summer like we did, don’t be an idiot like me and pack dark clothes. You’ll be outdoors the majority of the time, and have I beat the dead horse yet on how fucking hot it is there? So pack lighter colored clothing that will reflect the sun versus absorb it. Also, I leaned towards linen and light cotton blends. Airy t-shirts and shorts for the kids, and linen dresses or shirts with athletic shorts for me. If you think you’re going to dress up a few times, pack dresses that are lighter weight and breathable fabrics.
They are much more modest in Japan than we are in the United States. You seldom see a bare shoulder, and you certainly don’t see cleavage or revealing clothing – even on the younger generation. While some of the 20-somethings had shorter/cropped t-shirts, I never saw cleavage. So if you’re younger and reading this, just trust me that it’s better to pack modestly. I had one sundress that wasn’t revealing by any means, but it did show a little bit of cleavage. So I bought this pashmina off Amazon and it was a great layering piece. (And much lighter than a jacket or cardigan would have been.)
Obviously if you’re traveling in cooler weather, it’s easier to be covered-up. I also kept reading that there were dress codes for temples and shrines. I saw people stroll through them in t-shirts and denim shorts, so I don’t know how true that is. But modest is best, and while you don’t need to be dressy by any means, don’t flash a lot of skin.
For you ladies, I absolutely loved this anti-theft crossbody bag. I got it for all international trips for a few reasons. It’s durable and holds a decent amount of crap for starters. But it’s anti-theft where one of the pockets has RFID technology to prevent high-tech electronic readers from capturing your personal information. When traveling in Japan as a tourist, you are required to have your passport on you at all times! We have traveled a ton internationally, and this is the first country we’ve been to where you need to have it with you 24/7.
Anyhow, I also love my travel crossbody because it has zippers that actually clasp over a little hook to keep them from easily been opened without your knowledge. Now, Japan is an extremely safe country. For starters, guns aren’t legal so you don’t have a bunch of whack jobs running around with them like we do here. But this handbag is so great in general. Plus, in Japan you do get on crowded subways and trains, and you’re sticking out like sore thumb as tourist, so at least make it harder on pick pockets to steal your shit!
Bandaids, sunscreen, moleskin: Since we clocked a ton of miles, it was inevitable that we needed bandaids to cover where our shoes rubbed. I also used moleskin and brought tiny nail scissors with me. (Those are allowed so long as you check them.) We dipped into the moleskin stash more than once on this trip.
One more hot tip:
Rent a pocket wifi: For as technologically ahead of us as Japan can be, they don’t have free public wifi in most places! Your hotel will have it and that’s about it. So if you’re a tourist relying on google maps, or you’re like us using Go Japan to hail your taxi cabs, you need wifi. Our tour planner, Greg, had ours waiting for us in our first hotel. But there are so many companies that you can rent them from where you pick them up and return them at the airport. Here is is one. Each night when we got back to the room, we’d charge it back up. And during the day I just kept it in my purse.
Curling Iron: If you’re a girly girl like me who likes to curl you hair, I loved this travel curling iron. I have both the 1″ and the 1.25″ but packed the 1.25″ for this trip. It’s dual voltage so it won’t fry the curling iron to use it in other countries, so long as you have the right adapter.
What NOT to pack:
Adapters! Funnily enough, I had bought a few US-Japan adapters for this trip and packed them. But Japanese outlets are like ours, assuming that you have a 2-pronged item to plug in and not a 3-prong one. (So for example, i phone chargers, regular curling iron plugs, etc. all work fine in Japan without a converter.) But if you have a 3-pronged item you want to plug in, you will need a converter for those! I packed this one since it has USB charging capability too.
Trash bags: Japan is a very clean country and what is so unique about that, is that they don’t have many public trash cans. Why is that you ask? Well, they don’t eat or drink as they walk. Unlike America, you won’t see them walking around with a Starbucks cup. Their kids aren’t opening snacks whilst out and about. They eat their food only where they purchase it.
So when we went to 7 11 for snacks, we just carried them back to our room and ate them there. But a couple times where Lila wanted to have a smoothie or Winnie wanted an ice cream, they ate them standing in front of the 7 11. It’s considered rude to walk around with food or drinks, and you will not see locals doing it. So you eat where you buy your food, and then there is a trash can there that they will let you dispose your trash in.
I say all of this to warn you that I read a million blogs saying to bring your own little plastic trash bags. So I packed some of our small trash can liners and tossed them in my purse. That was so unnecessary. If you’re following suit with what the locals do, you will eat where you buy your food, or you’ll bring it back to your hotel where you have a trash can in the room. So there is truly no need to bring your own trash bags like I saw recommended over and over again.
Heavy layers: If you’re traveling in the summer, even a sweatshirt will be unnecessary. I packed each of us a light rain jacket in preparation for the rainy season, and they never left our suitcases. I do tend to run cold on airplanes, so I had a sweatshirt for each of us for the plane, but that was it. Save yourself many layers and just toss in a light rain jacket or one hoodie and call it a day.
Revealing clothing: Once again, it’s a modest country. Leave the denim cut-off shorts and any tops or dresses that are low-cut at home for this round.
Certain personal care items. We all got a kick out of the fact that every hotel provides toothbrushes and tooth paste. Plus everywhere we stayed also provided plastic hair brushes and make up remover wipes. Now, I still packed toothbrushes in our carry-on bags so we’d have them if we got stranded at an airport overnight or something. But Japanese hotels do offer way more amenities than just your typical shampoo and conditioner and soap. What they don’t offer that we tend to have in American hotels? Lotion. So if you are dry like I am, still pack your own body moisturizers!!
A hair dryer: I had purchased this dual-voltage world-travel hair dryer for a trip to Europe and love it. It’s great because it works in most countries, assuming you have the appropriate adapter for the outlet of the country you are visiting. While I did pack this hair dryer, every hotel we stayed at had them in the room. Save yourself the weight and space in your suitcase and skip packing yours. I get it that even in the US hotels, some hair dryers just suck! But the ones in Japan were great!
Stimulant medications: My oldest daughter has ADHD inattentive, and she usually takes methylphenidate (Ritalin) twice a day. Ritalin is classified as a Psychotropic Medication in Japan. You can bring in less than a 30-day supply or 2.16g of methylphenidate without needing to obtain a Yakkan-Shoumei (import certificate). We didn’t want to risk it though, so we let Lila go without her Ritalin for the trip. So if you or any of your family members are on certain medications, please look up if they are allowed in Japan.
Vitamins are totally okay though! While I don’t take a ton, I tend to take a daily probiotic or fiber gummies, and nights that I can’t sleep well, I take magnesium glycinate. Those were all allowed and I had them in my carry-on without any issue. (Same with my birth control pills.) I also always have children’s chewable Tylenol and ibuprofen in my purse, and those were fine to bring in as well. The biggest thing is, no matter the medication or vitamin, you can only bring in a 30-day supply without needing to fill out import certificates!
What I packed in my carry-on:
I’ll be straight with you. We knew we wanted to bring home souvenirs for our family and friends, but we didn’t want to drag around a mountain of luggage. So we packed smart: we checked two large suitcases, and inside each one, we nested a smaller suitcase. That meant we flew out with 4 suitcases total, however, the two smaller ones were tucked inside the empty larger ones. As we collected souvenirs throughout the trip, we unpacked the nested bags and filled them up. Each of us also brought a backpack as our carry-on.
In my carry-on: I packed a change of clothes (you never know if your luggage will arrive on time or not.) I also packed my makeup in this clear bag. (Priorities ladies!) And then I tossed in my deodorant, a book for the plane, a portable power bank in case my phone died and I had no access to an outlet, and our passports.
In my kids’ carry-ons: Once again, I packed an extra outfit for them. I also tossed in a set of pajamas too. And then they had their ipads and chargers, their own power banks, coloring books/crayons, and books to read. I let them each bring a stuffed animal from home. Since we knew we’d shop though, I told them to keep their bags light! While I did pack a few comfort snacks like goldfish, pirate’s booty, etc., that was unnecessary. Make your kids eat what is in the country you are visiting. They have kids who snack too, and it’s a good way to explore the culture when you eat the food!
Whew! For those of you who hung in and read every word, I hope you found some useful tidbits from this blog! It’s worth the days it took me to make this as long if it helps at least one person. I know there is a lot to take in, and I don’t gatekeep my travel knowledge. So feel free to give me a shout out or comment on my Instagram page (gracebeautyandfbombs) if you have any particular questions I could help you with!
And if you’re looking to travel internationally to some of our favorite places, I blogged about Australia here, here, here, here, and here. Or you can read about our adventures with kids in Montreal here. To read about my husband’s and my trip to Jade Mountain in St. Lucia, read here. I also have useful tips on what to pack on international trips with kids here. And other travel essentials here.
As always, thanks for reading!
