Last Updated: December 29, 2022
Japan is an amazing country and one that we were particularly looking forward to on our Family Round-The-World Trip. And it didn’t disappoint.
Japan has such an amazing fusion of tradition, calm and culture, but also the weird, wonderful and crazy. It really is like no other country in the world.
It is a reserved society and a very orderly and organised country, but the people are also very friendly and helpful. English isn’t as commonly spoken as in other parts of Asia. But English lettering is usually found on most signs, maps etc. and due to how well organised the country is, it is logistically easy to negotiate.
Japan has lot to offer, it seems to be light years ahead in it’s technology and has some really out of this world things to see and do. It also has some amazing natural sites that are rarely found anywhere else. And, of course, it is rich in history and culture.
And Japan with kids is all the better. There are many unique experiences that kids can enjoy in Japan and it’s also particularly safe and clean for them.
Japan restricted it’s boarders for quite some time due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. But, as of the 11th October 2022, independent tourism is now allowed again and a number of other restrictions have been relaxed (yay!).
There are still some requirements and hoops you may need to jump through, so ensure you check your own country’s and Japan’s official governing bodies for all the details.
Family Itinerary for Japan
Japan is a relatively small country and due to the vast and fast transport system you can really see a lot of it in quite a short time, if you go with the quickest modes of getting about.
But it’s also a great country to take a bit slower if that’s preferred. You can really absorb the culture and energy as you make your way about at a slower pace.
We stayed in Japan for about a month and felt this was a good length for what we wanted to do and see. Our one regret was not getting into the rural areas a bit more as Japan has some amazing mountains and forests to offer. But as we were travelling by public transport this would have required some lengthy and tricky routes and added expense, so we decided to stick to a main route on this occasion.
Below is our suggested four week itinerary. If you don’t have this much time and need to cut this down we have a two week itinerary in brackets as well.
1. Tokyo – 2. Nagoya – 3. Kyoto – 4. Osaka – 5. Hiroshima – 6. Fukuoka
Tokyo – 10 (5) Nights
We loved Tokyo so much we extended our stay there. There is so much to see and do in Tokyo and the kids loved it. But it is HUGE, so you will need a decent amount of time if you really want to get under the skin of this vast city.
With themed cafes, towering sky scrapers, and more arcades than you can count. Tokyo is definitely one of our top cities in the world to visit with kids. With so much to see and do we have a separate post on the things to do in Tokyo with kids.
It’s also a great base for getting to and from Mount Fuji. So if you want to climb Mount Fuji with kids, Tokyo is a good starting for the adventure and something we would highly recommend.
Nagoya – 3 (1) Nights
Nagoya popped onto our itinerary mainly as a pit stop for us to break up our journey, but it is also a very nice city. It’s considered mainly an industrial town and isn’t as heavily geared towards tourists, which is a good thing in many ways.
You can head to Meijo Park for a stroll and explore Nagoya Castle, one of our favourite Japanese castles we came across. You can also head to Nagoya City Science Museum. It’s a great science museum that you can spend the day at, with numerous interactive exhibits for the kids.
Kyoto – 4 (2) Nights
Kyoto is a really nice city in Japan with some great sites you can see, such as the Golden Temple, Flame Walkway, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Yokai (monster) St and many more.
It has a nice blend of traditional Japan with the mix of modernisation. It’s become very popular with tourists, but is still a must see whilst you are in Japan.
Read our separate post for Kyoto with Kids if you want some more information on the best tings to do.
Osaka – 4 (2) Nights
Kyoto and Osaka are extremely close and can be easily reached by train for day trips, so some people base themselves in one and travel between the two. But we decided to break them up and stay in each city separately and we would recommend this, as both the cities have quite a lot to show.
Osaka has a lot to offer centrally and so we did a self-guided walking tour and managed to see the majority of the main city sites in a day.
From Osako you can also do numerous day trips. Such as a visit to the Naruto Whirlpools. Where you can jump on a boat and literally drive into these natural phenomenon. It is a particularly unique experience and one you can’t do many places else where in the world.
It’s also the home of Universal Studios Japan, which is an absolute must for Harry Potter fans! With the Hogwarts castle towering high into the sky. You can even buy wands and do some magic in and around the area, which is great fun for kids.
Aside form Harry Potter there is also a Jurassic Park, Super Nintendo Land and many more.
Hiroshima – 3 (2) Nights
The obvious reason for visiting Hiroshima is to learn about the nuclear bomb incident. Which is such an important part of history, not just for Japan, but for the world. And it really is incredibly overwhelming when you visit the Peace Memorial Park and see the Atomic Bomb Dome.
But it’s even more rewarding to the see the city as it is now, rebuilt and thriving. We were also lucky to be in Japan when they hosted the Rugby World Cup and watched the opener in Hiroshima with the locals whilst there.
Fukuoka – 3 (1) Nights
Fukuoka was our last stop and the main reason we headed here was to get our ferry to South Korea.
This city itself doesn’t have as much on offer as the other on this list but it’s still got enough to fill a few days. With shrines and temples to explore, as well as the Uminonakamichi Seaside Park. Which has many events and other things going on throughout the year.
And if you are heading to South Korea after Japan, then we would recommend the ferry from Fukuoka. It’s easy and cheaper than a flight as well as being better for the environment so win-win.
Getting Around Japan with Kids
Getting around Japan is super easy. The transport system is so efficient that even with the language barrier it is still very easy to negotiate your way around.
There are lots of options for getting about both nationally and locally. with the famous bullet trains, the quickest (but not the cheapest!) way to get about. There’s then the ‘normal’ trains to back this up and coaches. All of which have great comfort and efficiency.
When travelling more locally, wherever you are in Japan you will probably have decent public transport system at your fingertips. And failing that Taxis and Uber is widely used across the country.
Head to our Getting About Japan with Kids post for the detail on negotiating Japan.
Family Accommodation in Japan
Japan is known for being pretty expensive, but, after the transport, we actually didn’t find it too bad. And we were particularly surprised with how reasonable accommodation was.
We mainly did Airbnb and these seem to be generally cheaper than the hotels. We did stay in one Hotel in Nagoya which was a tiny room! But the kids loved the free pyjamas you often get in the hotels in Japan.
Visitors are usually interested in staying in Ryokans (the traditional Japanese inns). With kids it can be a little trickier as only some are suitable for toddlers, although you can find them. And they’re not the cheapest stays usually.
If you want a similar experience you can find some great traditional stays on Airbnb. We stayed in a traditional Japanese style house, which gave us the best of both worlds with the tatami-matted flooring, low tables and floor mattress’. But still our own space without our kids disturbing any other guests through the paper walls in Ryokans.
So if you can find something like this it’s a great experience.
Overall we averaged around £50 a night whilst in Japan for our family of four. Mainly in Airbnb apartments/houses. So considering we stayed in major cities the majority of the time and all our accommodation was really nice and comfy we were very happy with this.
Eating in Japan with Kids
Again we were pleasantly surprised with the cost of food in Japan. We mainly self cater when we travel, but we did have a few eat outs and didn’t break the bank. The supermarkets are also reasonable western sort of pricing.
One of the best places to get food through are the convenience stores! A weird thing to say and not what I would have expected to be writing about in this post, but they really are amazing.
They are absolutely everywhere in the towns and cities, you can’t walk for more than 5 minute usually before you see a 7/11. And they have such an array of food and snacks at reasonable prices. Most of them have Yakitori, which are basically small marinated chicken skewers, which we pretty much lived off.
The stores make life very easy when you have a couple of gannet children (as we do) who constantly want snacks on demand!
There are also some great dishes you should try in Japan, it’s obviously famous for it’s Sushi. And various regions also have some specific dished such as Okonomiyaki in Osaka and Hiroshima. Which looks a bit like an omelette, but usually consists of batter and cabbage with additional savoury ingredients depending on the restaurant.
We averaged around £125 a week on food for our family of four, mainly self catering and 7/11 snacking!