You can easily spend a whole week in Tokyo with kids! This metropolis offers a huge number of activities you can do with your family. This Japanese capital is the place that almost all families with children visit when traveling to Japan. We visited Tokyo for no less than 10 days, and in this blog, we list all the activities you can do in Tokyo with kids.
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Tokyo with children: things to consider in advance
There are a few things to consider when taking a city break to Tokyo with children. We briefly list them below:
- In Japan, we don’t shake hands, but people greet each other. In this regard, the Japanese are very polite, and everyone lines up neatly. You don’t have to worry about people pushing forward, as this isn’t common in the culture. Therefore, things are generally orderly on the streets as well.
- It can be quite difficult to navigate through all the Japanese characters. It can sometimes be tricky to navigate. Our advice is to pre-download the maps.me app to let it guide you around the city without the internet. This will save you a few dozen euros on a SIM card in no time. Most hotels, of course, have Wi-Fi.
- The metro network is extensive, but it’s run by two different companies, so you can’t use all the lines with a single ticket. This is where we made several mistakes ourselves. Always check carefully in advance which lines you’ll be using and whether they’re from the same company.
- In many buildings, you’re asked to remove your shoes. This could be in hotels, restaurants, or temples. Be sure to wear socks, as bare feet are not welcome on many occasions. In Tokyo, you won’t find diapers for your children in every pharmacy. Since children are bigger in Europe than in Japan, diapers aren’t necessarily the right size, and only protective pants are available. However, there’s no shortage of soda vending machines, which you can find on every street corner.
- Toilets in Japan are often much more modern than in Europe. For example, many toilets have all sorts of buttons, the toilet seat is often heated, and you can use jets to clean everything after your trip. It can take some getting used to, especially with children.
TRANSPORT IN THE CITY
Most travelers from Europe land at Tokyo Narita Airport, which is about 70 kilometers from downtown Tokyo. The train will take you from the airport to Tokyo Station in the city center in about 50 minutes. From there, the best way to get around Tokyo with children is by subway.
For example, you can buy a 72-hour subway pass at the airport. This way, you won’t have to buy tickets multiple times. In Tokyo, you have to buy new tickets every time you change subway lines, and it’s inconvenient if you constantly have to get new tickets at a ticket counter. Another option is to buy a Suica pass and load money onto the card here. Then, you pay the same way when you use public transportation within the city.
Be careful to know exactly which lines you need to take, as they don’t always come from the same company.
Must-see places in Tokyo with kids
There are a few sights you shouldn’t miss during a city break in Tokyo with kids. These sights may not be the most child-friendly right away, but they’re a must-see if you’re visiting the city.
#1 Senso Ji Temple : This is the city’s most famous landmark and is by far the oldest and most well-known temple in all of Tokyo. It’s also an important place for Buddhist pilgrims. The entire temple complex is free to visit, and it’s quite popular with tourists. The temple is located near Asakusa Station, and the Asakusa area is also a pleasant place to wander around, with many historic alleyways. We visited the temple on a weekend, and it was way too crowded.
#2 Imperial Palace Tokyo: Unfortunately, the palace can only be visited for a few days a year. You can, however, visit the gardens, which are actually a very large Japanese park in the middle of the city. It’s fun to stroll through the palace grounds. Especially with children, it’s a great place to take a break from this busy city.
#3 Tsukiji Fish Market: This used to be a must-see attraction, but it’s long gone. It’s talked about everywhere, but we found it very disappointing. It’s housed in a very modern hall these days, and you can only see the market from a distance. It can still be interesting in the early morning with the tuna auction, but the rest of the day, there’s nothing to see. So, it doesn’t really belong on this list.
#4 Shibuya Crossing : This is the busiest intersection in the world, with over 2,500 people crossing at every green light. You get a great view of the intersection from Starbucks, but you can also go to the top floor of the mall and check out Mag’s Park’s rooftop terrace for a small fee. It’s a great place to take a photo.
Fun kids-friendly activities in Tokyo
Of course, many activities in Tokyo are extremely suitable, especially for children. In this overview, we’ve compiled a list of fun, child-friendly options you can do in Tokyo with your children. We’ve briefly listed them below.
#5 Disneyland Tokyo : The world’s most famous theme park also has two parks in Tokyo: Disneyland Tokyo and Tokyo DisneySea. If you’ve already been to Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Tokyo is very similar. To visit both parks, you’ll need at least three days. If you’ve already visited Disneyland Paris and only have time to visit one of the parks, Tokyo DisneySea is a completely different park from the Disney parks in other cities, with very different attractions.
#6 Ueno Zoo: This zoo is located in Ueno Park, which is in the center of Tokyo. The most famous animal in this zoo is the giant panda, which you can admire here. They also have several large animals like the elephant, the rhinoceros, the tiger, the giraffe, and various types of monkeys. However, the zoo is a bit cramped, so the animals are sometimes in somewhat cramped quarters. You can have a great time at this Tokyo zoo with children for a few hours. The great advantage of the zoo is its price. This one only costs a few euros.
#7 Kidzania : There are Kidzania branches in several cities around the world, and you can also visit this amusement park in Tokyo. Children can reenact all sorts of professions and sign up for all sorts of workshops, where they’ll make their own hamburgers, candy, and ice cream.
#8 Legoland Discovery Centre : Here, everything revolves around Lego toys. The various branches of the Legoland Discovery Centre in different cities are quite similar, and the Scheveningen branch of Legoland gives a good impression of the Tokyo branch. Here, too, you have a 4D cinema, a mini-island where all kinds of buildings are recreated from Lego, and an attraction where you can shoot guns. Of course, children can also play with Lego.
#9 Joypolis: This is one of the largest indoor amusement parks in Tokyo. You can play all sorts of games here, some of which are almost a ride, where you’re completely thrown back and forth in a room. Of course, some games won’t be easy to follow due to the Japanese characters, but it’s a real experience to see the Japanese in action here, and several “rides” are also a lot of fun without understanding the language. This is a fun option in Tokyo with kids, if your kids are big on computer games.
#10 Sunshine Aquarium : This aquarium is located on the top floor of a building. You can admire many sea creatures there, such as many different (colorful) fish, penguins, and seals. It’s not very big, so you’ll see it in an hour (or two). This aquarium is also located in the city center, and the subway will take you there in 10 minutes.
#11 Sanrio Puroland : This park is located just outside of Tokyo and can be reached by public transport in about an hour. The indoor park has four floors and is dedicated to cartoon characters such as Hello Kitty. Especially for young children, the setting will capture their imagination immensely. There are few rides, but there are shows and a parade featuring all the Sanrio characters.
#12 Tokyo Dome City Attractions : This amusement park is located near the Tokyo Dome in the city center and is also the stadium where the Tokyo baseball team (Yomiuri Giants) plays its games. Admission to the amusement park is free and you pay for each attraction individually. You can also buy a day pass and then you’ll have access to all the attractions all day.
Stroll around the theme park first and then decide what you want to do. In total, you can enjoy about twenty different rides at this Tokyo amusement park with children, some of which are aimed at younger children, and there are also some spectacular rides.
Best Museums to visit in Tokyo with kids
You can also visit several child-friendly museums in Tokyo with children. We briefly list the most important museums below.
#13 Samurai Museum : This small museum is entirely dedicated to the samurai. You can take a one-hour tour with a guide, who will tell you more about the different samurai swords, and you can also have your picture taken in samurai costume. There will also be a demonstration. You’re in the museum for a little over an hour, which is often just long enough in a museum with children.
#14 Edo Tokyo Museum : This museum covers the history of Tokyo and Japan and, at first glance, might not seem very child-friendly. However, it’s very interactive, making it interesting even for children. There are many English-language signs throughout the exhibits, making everything easy to follow.
#15 Fire Museum: This museum is dedicated to firefighters and their history. Children can dress up as firefighters and play, for example, in a firefighter helicopter. Visiting the museum is free.
#16 Tokyo Studio Ghibli Museum : These film studios are also known as the Disney of Japan. Every Japanese child is familiar with the animated films from Studio Ghibli. Located in western Tokyo, this museum has an entire play area for children. You can also see a short animated film, but it’s in Japanese.
#17 Toy Museum: In this toy museum, children can actually play. You often see that in toy museums, you mainly look around, but in this museum, you can play with games and toys in ten rooms. Located in a former school building, the museum has several floors. You can easily spend a few hours in this Tokyo museum with children.
#18 National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation : You can also visit a science museum in Tokyo with children. There, you’ll meet various robots, and there will also be a robot demonstration. However, the museum is better suited to slightly older children than very young ones. There are enough interactive exhibits on seven different floors to keep you and your children entertained for a few hours.
Best Parks to visit in Tokyo with kids
You can also visit Tokyo with children to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Below, we briefly list some of these child-friendly parks.
#19 Heiwa No Mori Park : This is one of the most fun parks to visit in Tokyo with kids. After all, there’s plenty for kids to climb and play on here. There are actually two courses you can do in the park. One course is for children up to seven years old, and the other course is for children seven years old and up. You have to pay an entrance fee for this park, but then you have 40 different obstacles for kids.
#20 Yoyogi Park: This is one of the most beautiful parks in Tokyo, but honestly, we didn’t think there was that much to do in the park. The famous Meiji Shrine is also located here, and it is accessible to the public. It’s really fun to walk around here and watch people come to the shrine to make offerings or write a wish on the ema.
#21 Inokashira Park: Located just outside of central Tokyo, this park has a large pond, where you can take paddle boats out onto the water. You can also take a nice walk here and enjoy the park’s cherry blossoms. Keep in mind, of course, that the trees are only in full bloom during a certain part of the year. You’ll also find a small zoo in this park that you can visit with your kids.
Best viewpoints to visit in Tokyo with kids
You can also see the city of Tokyo with your children from a great height. There are several options in the city where you can do this. Below is a list of several options.
#22 Tokyo Skytree : This TV tower is the most famous and tallest in Japan and, at 634 meters, is the second tallest building in the world. The tower was built as a transmission tower, but you can also visit the observation deck at a height of 350 meters. To do this, you can use one of the 13 ultra-fast elevators that will take you to this altitude in less than a minute. There is also a second observation deck at 450 meters, from where you can see Tokyo from a great height with the kids.
Furthermore, near this tower is also the Sumida Aquarium, which you can visit, and there is also a whole shopping and entertainment center near the tower with more than 300 shops and restaurants.
#23 Sky Circus Sunshine 60 Observatory : This tower, which is also located in the city center, is lower than the Tokyo Skytree (you have a view from 240 meters up), but there are more entertainment options in this skyscraper. For example, there are rooms where you can do all sorts of things with VR glasses, there are light shows and a space with all sorts of mirrors.
#24 Tokyo City View Observatory: This viewpoint is located in the Mori Tower. You have two floors where you have a view. The first level is more like an exhibition, where of course you also have views, but much less than if you go all the way up. You pay extra for this, but you’re not behind glass and you’re in the open air. The first platform is 250 meters high and the second is 270 meters high. On a clear day, you can even see Mount Fuji (by the way, you can do the same on the other platforms if you’re lucky).
#25 Tokyo Tower: This tower is very similar to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and here too you’ll have a breathtaking view of Tokyo. The Tokyo Tower also has two platforms from which you can admire the city. The first platform is 150 meters, and the second is 250 meters high. Incidentally, it’s often not necessarily the case that the higher you go, the better the view. At a certain height, everything becomes so small that we often find it less beautiful than having a view of the city from a lower level.
#26 Metropolitan Government Office: This is the only free viewpoint on this list, and in this “city hall,” you can get a great view of Tokyo from two locations (north and south). You go up to the 45th floor of this building, just over 200 meters high, and from there, you have a breathtaking view of the city. The building is open until 11 p.m., so you can also go there in the evening to see the city after dark. Because it’s free, the line here can be long.
Other activities in Tokyo with kids
In addition to the above-mentioned activities you can do in Tokyo with children, there are several other activities that we categorize as other activities. We briefly list them below.
#27 Sumida River Boat Tour: Near Senso Ji Temple, there’s a pick-up point for a Sumida River cruise. You’ll get stunning views of the Tokyo skyline from the boat and pass all sorts of colorful bridges during the cruise.
#28 Hato Bus Tour : Another way to see Tokyo with kids is by bus. This bus company runs several tours throughout Tokyo itself and up to Mount Fuji. You’ll tour the city in a distinctive yellow bus, stopping at various tourist attractions. Of course, you’ll receive explanations from a guide along the way. Especially if you don’t feel like making a lot of effort to figure things out on your own and might find touring the city by subway daunting, this could be a good option for your family.
#29 Harajuku: This is a fun neighborhood to visit in Tokyo with kids. Many Japanese people walk around this area wearing unusual clothes. The most interesting street in the area is Takeshita. We really enjoyed walking down this street once. They also have several quirky restaurants.
#30 Go-karting in the streets of Tokyo: Unfortunately, you can no longer go-karting in the streets of Tokyo as Mario or Luigi, as Nintendo won a lawsuit against the company that offered this activity throughout the city. However, it is still possible to go-karting through Tokyo and then dress up as a superhero. Unfortunately, this is an activity that is only allowed when children are 18, so for most parents, this fun activity is out of the question.
#31 Akihabara District : This is another fun area to explore. It’s also called Electric City because of the many electrical appliances and gadgets they sell. You also have a lot of wacky cafes here. For example, we visited a cafe here that featured girls in maid costumes. In this area, you see these girls standing everywhere in all kinds of outfits and trying to attract people. There are long lines at many of these cafes.
#32 Shinjuku District: This is another very lively neighborhood where you see a lot of neon lights and other things. Here too, you can feast your eyes on all the craziness and people you see on the streets. Visiting Tokyo’s various quirky neighborhoods is one of the highlights of the city.
Best restaurant in Tokyo with kids
You can eat anywhere in Tokyo with kids, of course, and the selection is naturally enormous in such a metropolis. However, there are a few special restaurants in Tokyo that are fun to visit with children and are a sight in themselves . These are kind of themed restaurants and they are certainly not cheap. However, eating here is a special experience.
#33 Ninja Restaurant Tokyo : This restaurant is all about ninjas. Upon entering the restaurant, you walk through dark corridors with secret doors and are served by ninjas. The entire restaurant is designed in the style, and you can, for example, call the waiters with a button under the table. From time to time, there are also ninja shows in the restaurant.
#34 Samurai Restaurant Time: The restaurant sits right in the heart of Shinjuku’s neon-lit Kabuki-cho district. With its ultra-photogenic entrance and electrifying sound and light performances featuring samurai, dancers, and even robots, it offers a high-energy Japanese entertainment experience you won’t find anywhere else.
#35 Vampire Cafe : If you and your kids love Halloween and horror, then this restaurant might be a fun choice for you. The restaurant staff are obviously trying to scare customers, but what they do is actually hilarious.
#36 Alice in Fantasy Book : You can also go to an Alice in Wonderland-themed restaurant in Tokyo with kids. Of course, the restaurant seems entirely fairytale-themed, and you shouldn’t go there for the food. It doesn’t seem very special.
Best places to stay in Tokyo with kids
We stayed at the Lumiere Kasai Hotel and we loved it. The hotel was super close to the subway, you could reach Tokyo Disneyland in 20 minutes by bus, the hotel had a great breakfast and the room had nice beds and a bathroom with a bathtub. The hotel is definitely highly recommended.
Of course, there are many other options for families with children. To give you an overview, we’ve listed the top-rated hotels for each price range.
Budget accommodation:
Mid-Range Accommodation:
Luxury Accommodation:
