What’s the best place in Asia to spend your family vacation? Tokyo! I visited Tokyo when I was 11, 15, and 30. And it never got old. So, I was really excited to return to Tokyo and introduce our kids to one of the most fun, dynamic, and exciting cities in the world. Tokyo must be part of your Japan travel with kids.
Family Friendly Tokyo
Tokyo is one of the most family-friendly places to visit. Sure, it’s not easy to go around, with all the walking and riding on trains and buses. But a family trip to Tokyo is simply a must.
For kids and adults, Tokyo has robots, anime, manga, ninjas, video games, rides, Sanrio, Disney, Studio Ghibli, and all things kawaii. For grownups, Tokyo offers gastronomic delights, cultural immersion, and shopping galore.
We went on our trip to Tokyo as part of our 14-day family vacation in Japan. We split our time in Tokyo and Kyoto with day trips to Osaka, Nara, Kinosaki, and Mt. Fuji. But hands-down, our kids enjoyed the Tokyo segment most of all.
We skipped the Disney theme parks as we already spent three days in the Disney parks in California. We also decided to forego Studio Ghibli Museum until they open their theme park. And we did not visit Tokyo’s temples and shrines as we reserved those for Kyoto (aside from the fact that my wife and I have visited Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa and Meiji Shrine in Shibuya in the past, we figured the kids aren’t exactly looking forward to seeing temples and shrines).
Instead, we focused on the best places to visit in Tokyo with kids.
5 Tokyo Attractions for Kids
Other than the usual theme parks, we highly recommend these places for your family vacation in Tokyo based on our children’s experience.
1. Harajuku
You would think Harajuku is only a shopping mecca for fashionable teens and stylish young women. Of course, it still is. After all, this is where you can find the latest in Tokyo streetwear. But you would be surprised your kids will absolutely love Harajuku (our tween and second-grader can attest to that).
The main attraction, of course, is the world-famous Takeshita-dori, the tight, busy, and chaotic pedestrian shopping street known for fun food, kawaii culture, animal cafes, and cutting-edge fashion.
There’s plenty of fun stuff for your kids to munch on as you stroll along Takeshita: cotton candy, crepes, croquettes, ice cream, and fried potatoes. And if they’re into cute stuff, there’s a lot to take in: rainbows, unicorns, hedgehogs, cats, owls, and more. Your teen, tween, or grade-schooler will also love shopping for clothes, character goods, and cute accessories.
Read about our guide on Harajuku With Kids.
2. Akihabara
If your kids are into manga, anime, video games, cosplay, toys, and electronics, they will go crazy in Akihabara, the land of the otaku. It so happened our tween is a huge anime fan (particularly of the shonen genre). And yes, she did go crazy in Akiba.
You and your kids can play video games, dress up as cosplayers, watch idol concerts, or visit maid cafes. We initially planned to do all these, but since we only had one day to spend here, we decided to stick to what our daughter came here for: shopping for merch and character goods.
If your kids are fans of any anime series, they will definitely find all sorts of merchandise in one of the multi-level buildings dedicated to Japanese pop culture.
3. Odaiba
It’s not so much kawaii as cutting-edge. That’s how to see Odaiba, the man-made island that serves as Tokyo’s entertainment center. There’s the must-visit teamLab Borderless digital art museum, the giant Unicorn Gundam Statue, the highly-educational Miraikan science museum, the indoor amusement park Tokyo Joypolis, and the Toyota Mega Web theme park, among others.
For smaller children, there’s Legoland Discovery Centre, Madame Tussauds, Trick Art Museum, and Tokyo Water Science Museum. And for parents and older kids, Odaiba has shopping malls like Decks Tokyo Beach, Aqua City Odaiba, DiverCity Tokyo, and Palette Town.
You can easily spend two to three days in Odaiba. In our case, we spent a whole day in TeamLab Borderless and Miraikan, squeezing in DiverCity and Aqua City.
4. Tsukiji Market
Yes, your kids will insist on burgers, crepes, french fries, and ice cream (their four food groups in Tokyo). But bring them to Tsukiji Market, and they will be blown away.
Sure, they might get weirded out by sea urchin, oysters, eel, corn fishcake, baby octopus, and sushi, but remember, kids are only just into kawaii; they’re also into weird stuff.
We let our kids try everything we ate at Tsukiji Market, and they (mostly) love it. It will definitely be something they will remember.
5. Tokyo Solamachi
With over 300 stores and restaurants, there is something for everyone at Tokyo Solamachi, which is attached to Tokyo Skytree, the world’s tallest tower.
While your kids might enjoy the views from the Skytree or a visit to the Sumida Aquarium, they’ll have the most fun browsing anime goods at the character shops.
There’s a Jump Shop for anime fans; a Studio Ghibli store for those who love My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke, among other animated classics; a Disney store; a Pokemon center; a Hello Kitty store; a nanoblock shop; an Ultraman World store; a Tomica shop; and a Rilakkkuma store; among others.
Aside from places to see, we also listed down our favorite things to do.
5 Things to Do with Kids in Tokyo
There is no shortage of things to do for your family vacation in Tokyo. We would have loved to have taken small group classes on being a ninja or samurai, making sushi or ramen, or watching a tea ceremony. But sadly, we were pressed for time.
Still, our goals were eating, sightseeing, and shopping. And we made sure we checked those off our wish list. Here are our top five favorite things to do on your family vacation in Tokyo.
1. Eat Japanese food
We love Japanese cuisine, so food tripping was on top of our list. Chances are your kids already like certain Japanese food, like tempura and tonkatsu. So why not introduce more?
In our case, our kids loved ramen, donburi, curry rice, okonomiyaki, gyoza, karaage, wagyu, and takoyaki. And when we crave fast food, there’s Mos Burger, Japan’s famous fast-food chain.
Also, be more adventurous. Let them try uni (sea urchin), giant oysters, torched scallops, grilled eel, sushi, and sashimi. And eat at a sushi conveyor belt restaurant.
Of course, there’s Japanese confectionery. We tried dango, mochi ice cream, manju, higashi, and Japanese KitKats. And the kids loved the Japanese take on crepes, cakes, cotton candy, and ice cream.
2. Visit animal cafes
Japan has the most animal cafes in the world, even though the concept originated in Taiwan. It makes sense, given the Japanese penchant for all things kawaii. And what could be cuter than cats, dogs, rabbits, hedgehogs, piglets, and owls?
We visited a cat cafe and owl cafe in Harajuku, which our daughters enjoyed a lot. Admission is a bit pricey but they will be a major highlight of your trip. We felt a bit concerned about their welfare, but we made sure the cafes we chose had a good reputation for taking care of their pets.
3. Shop for toys and character goods
Aside from the United States, I can’t think of any other country that makes the best toys and character merchandise. Most likely, your kids are already immersed in Japanese pop culture, whether it’s anime, manga, cosplay, J-pop, Sega, Nintendo, Sanrio, Studio Ghibli, Pokemon, or Rilakkuma.
By all means, take them to Kiddy Land in Harajuku; Mandarake, Radio Kankan, Gamers, and Don Quijote in Akihabara; and the toy and character stores in Tokyo Solamachi, Tokyo Station, and practically all over Tokyo.
4. Explore kid-friendly museums
Museums and children may not seem to be a natural match. But in Tokyo, there are plenty of kid-friendly museums and museums designed specifically for children.
There’s the Tokyo Toy Museum, National Museum of Nature and Science, Ghibli Museum, Fire Museum, Metro Museum, Police Museum, Railway Museum, Dru Museum, Cup Noodles Museum, Samurai Museum, Ramen Museum, and a lot more. See what I mean?
For us, we made sure to visit teamLab Borderless, the world’s first digital art museum, and Miraikan, The National Museum of Emerging Science & Innovation. If you have to choose which museums to visit, put these two at the top of your list.
5. Go to amusement parks
There is no shortage of outdoor and indoor amusement parks in Tokyo and its surrounding areas. If you’ve never been to DisneySea, you should go. It’s unique to Japan and is one of the best Disney theme parks. Pair it with the classic Tokyo Disneyland.
If you have young daughters, consider Sanrio Puroland, Legoland Japan, Kidzania, and Toshimaen Park (soon to be closed and replaced with a Harry Potter theme park in 2023!). For older kids who love rides, arcades, and video games, there’s Tokyo Dome City and Tokyo Joypolis. And for something retro, visit Hanayashiki, Japan’s oldest amusement park.
We decided to skip theme parks as we’ve had our fill of Disney parks in the US. But we did go to the Fuji-Q Highland outside Tokyo. It’s geared toward older kids because of the death-defying rides. But the adjoining La Ville de Gaspard et Lisa, with its Parisian theme inspired by the children’s book’s characters, is adorable.
As you can see, there is so much to see and do on your family vacation in Tokyo.
5-Day Tokyo Itinerary with Kids
We think five days are enough for a family vacation in Tokyo. In fact, a week would be even better. But as we were also visiting other parts of Japan, we kept our Tokyo trip to five days, excluding the days we took the Shinkansen to Kyoto and back.
Day 1: Oshiage
- Arrive in Tokyo
- Check-in at Smi:re Stay Oshiage
- Eat at Tori Ichimi
- Check out Tokyo Skytree
Day 2: Oshiage and Shinjuku
- Shop at Tokyo Solamachi
- Lunch at Kururu and Tendon Tenya
- Explore Omoide Yokocho, Golden Gai, and Kabukichō
- Dinner at Kameya Shinjuku Tentama Soba
Day 3: Tsukiji Market and Akihabara
- Lunch in Tsukiji Market
- Shop at Mandarake, Don Quijote, Cospa, and Animate in Akihabara
- Watch the “Haikyuu” hyper projection play
Day 4: Odaiba
- Lunch at Kaneko Hannosuke
- Check out the giant Unicorn Gundam statue in Diver City
- Visit the teamLab Borderless digital art exhibit
- Visit Miraikan, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation
- Dinner at Kanazawa at the Tokyo Ramen Kokugikan Mai in Aqua City
Day 5: Harajuku and Shibuya
- Shop in Harajuku
- Visit Cat Café Mocha and Owl’s Garden
- Lunch at Kaisen Misakiko
- Snacks at Eat at Croquant Chou Zakuzaku, Long! Longer!! Longest!!!, Totti Candy Factory, and Marion Crepes
- Dinner at Afuri
- Stroll in Yoyogi Park and check out the Shibuya Blue Cave Illumination
As you can see, Tokyo is a city you can keep going back to. We look forward to watching a sumo tournament, the opening of Ghibli Park, and the launch of a Harry Potter theme park.
