Exploring Japan with Kids

There’s nothing more stressful to many parents than traveling across the world to a non-English-speaking country with small children. Asia can be intimidating to travel to in general, let alone with the entire family. However, with proper planning, this can be the trip of a lifetime. Exploring Japan with kids is absolutely doable and surprisingly, one of the most family-friendly countries we’ve visited. We are here to share our 2 week Japan itinerary and ease your travel woes. Read on to learn how to plan a seamless family vacation to Japan.

Why Japan?

“What made you choose Japan?” We were actually asked this question many times by friends and family. Japan has so much to offer: a unique cultural experience, prideful cuisine, the kindest locals you’ll ever meet, history, nature, and more! Japan has something for all age ranges to enjoy. Tokyo itself is a modern, metropolitan area with endless restaurants, shops, temples, parks, and activities. Kyoto, on the other hand, is what many people picture when they think of Japan: historical, geishas, and many, many temples. There are all types of terrain through out the country. From large, architecturally-savvy cities to the mountains, there’s so much to choose from. Based on your family, traveling to Japan with kids can be customized accordingly your interests. There’s just so much to do and see!

Can you travel to Japan with Kids?

Exploring Japan with kids is not only doable, but an extremely enjoyable experience. You will not find many unique family vacations such as visiting the beautifully-cultured island of Japan. Not only will your children gain travel knowledge, but they will enjoy the different daily activities. Living in Florida, Maya was not used to trains, buses, and other types of city transportation. By the end of the trip she knew how to swipe a metro card, get money refunded from the train station machines, and hail a taxi. These life experiences are unique to many children who don’t live in a big city. She learned patience waiting in lines for delicious meals, using chopsticks, sitting down for tea time, and more. None of these things Maya experiences on a daily basis at home. We assume many children do not either. Your tots will love being outdoors and having new, exciting activities.

Only you know your children, so plan according to their personality. Plan around nap time, prepare the night before a long day trip while they’re sleeping, set yourself and your children up for success. With adequate planning, going to Japan with kids can be a reality and incredible trip. Japan itself is very family friendly and we will help make your planning easier. So, find the courage to fly across the world and experience this once in a lifetime opportunity with your children!

さくら sakura – cherry blossoms

花見 hanami – practice of viewing the cherry blossoms

Which Island to Visit?

Japan is composed of three main islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, and Kyushu. The main island Honshu includes the most familiar cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Mount Fuji. The Southern island of Kyushu has many farm lands, hot springs, and natural parks. The Northern island of Hokkaido is a popular ski destination. Due to its close proximity to Russia, you’ll encounter mountains and a colder climate. In contrast, the smaller Japanese island chains, including Okinawa, are perfect for a relaxing summer escape. Diving, snorkeling, and relaxing beach days a make this an ideal destination. Choose your destination based on what activities you prefer and the season you’re traveling.

3 Main Islands of Japan:

1. Honshu
2. Hokkaido
3. Kyushu

We spent our two weeks on the main island of Honshu visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hakone (mountain town with views of Mount Fuji). Two weeks is not enough time to visit all regions of Japan. Spring was the best time of the year to visit the mainland, in our opinion. Our plan was to see the cherry blossoms aka Sakura. Unfortunately, this year they bloomed early and the full-bloom timing did not work out. However, we still managed to see some stunning blossoms that remained. We were grateful for this experience and would highly recommend planning to visit these locations during the blossoms. Next time, we would love to explore the Okinawa islands and Hokkaido at their peak times (summer and winter, respectively).

When to Visit

You can truly visit Japan any season of the year. Depending on what activities do you want to do, will help you decide which island and when to visit. If your goal is to see the cherry blossoms, the main island of Honshu will be best around the last week of March to first week of April. Each year they announce a cherry blossom forecast that predicts when the blossoms will be in full bloom. It is possible to see blossoms later in the month of April and even beginning of May the further north you go. If you want the foliage, the best time is in fall.

For those looking for a ski destination, Hokkaido is best in the winter. If you are looking for summer weather, all of the islands are wonderful, but you may want to visit the Okinawan islands for the best beaches and water activities.

“If your goal is to see the cherry blossoms, the main island of Honshu will be best around the last week of March to first week of April.”

Keep in mind the weather when traveling to Japan with kids, the age of your children and activities that you plan to do should be a large motivation factor. For example, we wanted nice weather that wasn’t too hot or too cold with a toddler and an infant. The spring time was perfect for us for this reason.

Our 2 Week Itinerary

Tokyo

Tokyo is full of energy and endless attractions. This city truly has something for everyone to enjoy. Solely roaming around Tokyo’s districts is entertaining in itself, but we’ll share our recommendations for Japan with kids. Below are some of our favorite spots around the city, including a couple that we didn’t get the chance to see. Some locations we were visiting for the cherry blossoms and decided not to waste time because the blossoms were nearly gone 😞. When traveling with young children, you need to go with the flow and be open minded. Not everything on your itinerary will get done, so prioritize what you want to accomplish.

Tokyo Spring Bucketlist

• Tsukiji Fish Market
• Chidorigafuchi Park*
• Ueno Park*
• Starbucks Reserve
• TeamLab Planets
• Shibuya Crossing
• Omoide Yokocho aka “piss alley”
• Ginza
• Golden Gai
• Animal Cafe (we visited mipig cafe in Kyoto)
• Tokyo Station Ramen
• Senso-Ji Temple
• Shibuya Sky

* Best Sakura viewing aka Hanami

How Long to Stay in Tokyo

Tokyo has an endless amount of activities and restaurants to enjoy. There’s truly no amount of time that will allow you to explore every corner that it has to offer. That being said, most people tend to plan a one to two week trip to Japan. If you have one week, three days is plenty of time to experience some popular things in Tokyo. If you have two weeks, four to five days should be adequate. We split up our time in Tokyo for a total of 5 days, as we flew in and out of Harida airport. It is an excellent base with access to major cities through out Honshu (the main land) by train.

“If you have one week, three days is plenty of time to experience some popular things in Tokyo. If you have two weeks, four to five days should be adequate.”

How to Plan Your Tokyo Itinerary

The city of Tokyo has multiple districts, which are basically smaller regions within this large city. The best way to plan your daily itinerary is to pin each destination on Google maps and organize by district. Try to visit one to two districts a day to prevent burning out. Plan maybe one district in the morning, head back to hotel for nap time, then check out another in the afternoon. Obviously, this isn’t just for those visiting Japan with kids :). Click here for our Kyoto Google Map as an example. You can create your own for Tokyo as well!

Getting Around

The most efficient way to explore Tokyo is definitely by rail. The Japanese made the rail system simple, yet effective to decrease the amount of car traffic in the city. You’ll see more taxi drivers than personal cars on the roads. It’s not difficult to get a taxi, but they can get pricey if you’re traveling far distances. Local trains come and go about every 5 minutes and are extremely punctual. The Shinkansen bullet trains run about every 30 minutes to one hour. If you miss a train, it’s not the end of the world. The system can be a little overwhelming at first, so we will explain the basics of the main rail systems in Japan.

Here the JR (Japanese Rail) group website goes into more detail and does a great job breaking the system down. JR owns about 80% of the railways in Japan, so a JR rail pass may be beneficial to you. Read on for more info!

Major Rail Lines

The major railways you will most likely encounter are the Shinkansen line (super bullet trains) and the local trains (metro). The Shinkansen will expedite your travel across the country with minimal stops at a high speed. For example, you can get to Kyoto from Tokyo in about 2.5 hours versus 4 hours. However, for getting around Tokyo or Kyoto, the local lines will suffice. You will find the yamanote line that essentially circles around the major districts of Tokyo and other lines that connect to and from it. Google maps was very helpful in showing you the fastest routes in real time. Also, all train stations have Wi-Fi, so this should make planning very simple.

JR Rail Pass

The JR tail pass is a discounted ticket for foreign travelers. The JR is useful for most local metro lines, buses, ferries, and monorails to and from Narita and Haneda airports. It saves passengers money who will be using the JR system multiple times in a specific time frame. For example, we traveled to Kyoto and back from Tokyo within one week. Instead of booking separate JR line tickets, we choose to purchase the JR rail pass for 1 week. It ended up being cheaper with the rail pass than purchasing individually. However, the rail pass can only be booked in one week increments, not by number of days. So, make sure to calculate the costs of individual tickets first.

Once you activate your pass in Japan, that is when your duration begins. We did not leave for Kyoto until day 4, so we waited to activate our passes until we arrived at Tokyo Station NOT at the airport. Pay separately for monorail tickets leaving Haneda. They’re cheap and then you won’t have to activate your pass if you don’t need to.

Do NOT activate JR rail pass until the day you plan to use it!

How to Book a JR rail ticket

Your first question probably is “Do I need to purchase a JR rail pass?” The answer really will be based on: where you’re traveling? how many days will you be in Japan? and will it save you money? The pass is not cheap and you will need to justify purchasing solo tickets at kiosks versus the pass. The JR pass is good for 1 week increments. If you are traveling between major cities, it may be worth it. If you are staying in Tokyo only, it’s probably not worth the money.

Our Recommendations on the JR Rail Pass

Should you purchase a JR pass? It really depends. Our recommendation is to wait until your itinerary is planned. Don’t worry about the monorails and local metro lines, as they are fairly inexpensive. We would suggest calculating individual tickets between major cities and comparing to the different time frame options. If you plan to hop around cities often, it may make sense to purchase the rail pass and use that for most all transportation. We did not use the buses or ferries on our trip.

We did 4 days in Tokyo, 5 days in Kyoto, 3 days in Hakone, and 2 days in Tokyo. Our plan made the most financial sense to purchase the 7 day JR pass and activate it on day 4 when leaving for Kyoto. This covered our major transportation costs between Tokyo and Kyoto and Kyoto and Kobe. It’s truly impossible to recommend without seeing a specific itinerary. However, it is worth looking into if you plan to visit multiple locations. Don’t forget to arrive at the JR exchange office early to activate your pass!

Where to stay in Tokyo

Ahh, where to stay in Tokyo? We spent more time researching this than anything else on this trip. Tokyo is a very large city with many districts and attractions. Although the train system is very efficient, when visiting Japan with kids, every parent (and American lol) wants convenience. We recommend staying close to the Yamanote line that circles downtown Tokyo. You can get anywhere from here. Deciding where to stay really depends on your goals and budget. Some questions to think about are:

• What’s your budget?
• Do you need to be close to Tokyo Station (main station), a local station, or do not care?
• Do you want to be close to shops and restaurants?
• Do you care about nightlife?
• Do you need a lot of living space, kitchenette, etc?
• What attractions do you want to be close to?

These are all important questions and you may not be able to find the “perfect” location. Below are some common districts to stay in based on specific preferences:

District	Goal	Budget
Shibuya	Nightlife, Central location	$
Shinjuku	Central location, East side is family friendly	$$$
Ginza	Luxury shops, Restaurants, Close to local station, Central location, Feel-good vibes	$$
Roppongi	Newly popular, modern district, central location	$$
Asakusa	Larger rooms, cheaper options, still central to many attractions	$
Yokohama	More bang for your buck, chain hotels with larger rooms, further from central Tokyo	$
Chiyoda	Tokyo Station is located here, Easy to get anywhere (very busy train station)	$$

Our Pick:

If you couldn’t tell from the chart, we are obsessed with Ginza! We felt like it was perfect for our family. The district had a little bit of a boujee feel with its designer shops and michelin-star restaurants. However, we loved how modern the area was and that it was easy to get around Tokyo. The train station was about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. It was not only convenient, but also had a safe, positive vibe.

Food Recommendations

We only recommended specific restaurants or spots that left an incredible impression and that we believe are kid-friendly. Eating in Japan with kids sounded stressful during our research. However, we found that we were able to still make some of the smaller izakayas happen…even though people said we couldn’t. It is important to note that many restaurants do not have high chairs, so just keep that in mind. We packed a portable fold up seat that we literally never used. Don’t waste your money or packing space on them. These are more suitable for a year old, not a six month old. It was hard enough finding extra seats in general. Below are our fave Japanese food joints:

• Omoide Yokocho aka “piss alley” – any Izakaya here is 👌🏽
• Tokyo Station ramen (we sadly missed this but we’ve gotten multiple recommendations from people)
• Tsukiji Fish Market
• Ginza – most Michelin-star restaurants in Japan (these restaurants are usually NOT little kid friendly)
• Starbucks reserve – wood-fired pizza & fresh bakery
• Local street food & 7/11!

7/11 was seriously the easiest place to grab a quick bite. When on-the-go in Japan with kids, never underestimate a good ole 7/11 rice ball or melon cream 😁

Overall Tokyo Impression

As a family who avoids much city travel, we can’t speak highly enough of Tokyo. Although crowded, if you don’t travel during rush hour, it wasn’t as busy as we expected. The city itself was immaculately clean, the people were so kind, and we found that overall, Tokyo was very family friendly. We did not complete nearly half of our plans, but felt though we really got to enjoy a lot that the city boasted. From food to nightlife, Tokyo did not disappoint! Keep reading on for more specific tips on traveling with a baby and/or toddler in Tokyo.

Kyoto

Kyoto has all of the Japanese vibes you could imagine. From Geishas to temple gardens, Kyoto is the idyllic ancient Japan. Although quite a large city, you’ll find the majority of your plans in the same regions. Gion is famous for dressing up like a Geisha and wandering the streets. Honestly, you could roam just about anywhere in a kimono and no one will look twice. Find yourself amongst the locals enjoy tea and pastries at a Gion tea house. Be sure to try some of the unique street foods and save plenty of time for walking around this amazing city. Below is our bucket list for exploring Kyoto, Japan with kids.

Kyoto Bucket List

• Stay in a Ryokan
• Kiyomizu-dera temple
• Gion – Geisha makeover, wander Hanami-koji-dori street, visit tea house, see a geisha show, try to spot a real geisha
• Roam philosopher’s path
• Take Shinkansen to a Kobe steakhouse & try waygu beef
• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest & Tenyruji temple & gardens
• Fushimi Inari shrine
• Visit animal cafe
• Eat along Pontocho Park
• Day trip to Nara Park and Mount Yoshino*

*Did not get to do this, but was high on our list

If we could recommend splurging on ONE thing in Japan, it would be staying in a ryokan and getting the full kaiseki dinner. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience that you won’t get anywhere else in the world. We truly felt like we got to witness true Japanese culture and felt like locals! It was an absolute must-do. We spent extra to stay one night at Seikoro Ryokan in Kyoto. This was without a doubt the most unique thing we did in Japan. You cannot visit this country without staying at least one night in a traditional Japanese inn.

Food

• Kaiseki dinner at Seikoro ryokan
• Kichi Kichi Omurice (make reservation in advance immediately when site opens!)
• Kokubu (Kobe) – waygu beef steakhouse, reservations required via phone
• Enen – cook your own meats
• Local street food
  

If you only get to choose two cuisine experiences in all of Japan, we would recommend the kaiseki dinner and going to Kobe to enjoy wagyu beef. These were by far our favorite ways to experience some of the local fine dining and worth every penny. The wagyu beef was far less expensive in Kobe than at your traditional US steakhouse. Kokubu is a family-owned steakhouse and reservations needed to be made in advanced via phone. Just consider your time zones and call in advanced as there is limited seating. They were very accommodating with the girls and sat us away from the main grill. They did not cook the meat on the stove in front of us for safety purposes, which was disappointing, yet very understanding with two littles.

As far as the kaiseki dinner, it was a part of our ryokan experience and was a little expensive, but absolutely worth it. We loved that we had dinner in our room which allowed us to enjoy the six-course meal and let the girls play freely when they were done eating. This is a nice option that made our Japanese experience extra family-friendly. Kyoto has so much cultural food to offer and these are must do experiences when visiting Japan with kids.

Getting to Kyoto

Traveling to Kyoto from Tokyo is very simple. This ancient city is a comfortable 2.5 hour bullet train ride from Tokyo Station. Use your JR pass or purchase a ticket at the office or kiosk to use the Shinkansen. Don’t forget to validate your JR pass prior to using! Allow sufficient time as these JR offices can have long lines. I would recommend arriving an hour early to the station for validation.

Hakone

Hakone was a short side trip for our family before returning to Tokyo. We stayed two nights at the Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora which was just lovely. It was the first modern, American style (no offense to the small Japanese rooms) hotel we had stayed in during the trip, which always makes for a relaxing experience. Especially after nonstop plans and traveling in Tokyo and Kyoto.

Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora

The staff were super friendly, there were in-room Onsen bath tubs, Japanese Yukata and slippers, a large co-ed Onsen spa, and most importantly with kids, a delicious breakfast buffet. This is an essential part of traveling with toddlers especially. You never know what they’re going to eat or dislike when traveling. A buffet gives them so many options to ensure that they’re little bellies are full. When visiting Japan with kids, this is a crucial find because much of the cuisine can be very different. Luckily, Maya loves all noodles and rice, so she ate most of our dishes. However, we know not all children enjoy Asian food, so a buffet at a brand hotel is certainly a win for many parents! A little mix of many International cuisines make you feel at home.

Activities

• Hakone sightseeing cruise (Mt. Fuji views)
• Visit natural Onsen/hot springs
• Hake shrine
• Hike Lake Ashi

There’s quite a bit to do in the Hakone area. With only two days and catching up on some rest, we ended up not getting to see everything we would’ve liked to. However, just being in the Japanese mountains was relaxing enough. Our itinerary included relaxing at the hotel and doing the Lake Ashi boat tour, which was plenty considering our short trip. The boat tour we would highly recommend. Grab some rice balls and local beer from the convenience store across the way and enjoy the scenery!

Tip: Lake Ashi Private Ship Tour – Purchase tickets at booth (or online here) then grab some local beers and rice balls from the store across the way

There’s a ton of local Onsens (hot springs) and spas in the area. Unfortunately, we didn’t plan accordingly and missed out on this opportunity. A lot of other hotel guests were planning to go to some and we’d highly recommend it!

Getting to Hakone

From Tokyo

An easy weekend getaway from Tokyo via the Odakyu romancecar. This is about an 80 minute scenic train ride from Shinjuku station. You can purchase roundtrip tickets here. This is a nice option instead of using the Shinkansen bullet train. It takes slightly longer but Also, consider the Hakone Free Pass if you plan on staying in the area for a few days and are taking the romancecar to and from Tokyo. This will save you some money on some of the local transit and tours.

From Kyoto

Take the Shinkansen from Kyoto station to Odakyu for about a 2.5 hour ride. From Odakyu station, you can either take a bus or taxi to your accommodations. The Hotel Indigo had a shuttle service, but it was not at the hour we arrived, so we ended up taking a taxi. After a decent journey, we weren’t willing to waste any more time.

Tokyo Disney Resort

Ahh…every child’s dream come true! We decided to do what we do best and do our first Disney trip in Japan (even though we live an hour from Orlando, Florida hehe). We will admit that we had no idea what we were getting into. Expecting to buy a ticket and show up apparently isn’t enough when it comes to this magical place.

Choosing one Tokyo Disney Park

First, you need to be aware that there are TWO Tokyo Disney Resort parks: Tokyo DisneyLand and Tokyo DisneySea. The former being your typical Disney park and the latter being totally unique to Tokyo and unlike any other park you’ve been to. We only had one day to spare and ended up going to DisneyLand. We have read that DisneySea is incredible but more geared towards older children who enjoy toy intense rides. If you are traveling to Japan with kids, try to check out both if time permits. Otherwise, do your research and choose based on age appropriateness.

Tokyo DisneyLand Tips

There are plenty of blogs out there with some solid advice on how to plan out your day. We are not going to go into depth with a full Disney review, but would like to share a few things that helped set our family up for success. When visiting Japan with kids, Disney is a must if you can swing it. We know that Maya appreciated adding some kid-friendly fun into our hectic itinerary. Not going to lie, we enjoyed it too! Below are some tips that we want to share:

• Check out some blogs on how to plan your Disney day
• Stay close to the parks (Tokyo Disney Resort has a few hotels on property and the parks are an easy shuttle train away)
• Stay at least one night to avoid a long, tiring day traveling to and from Tokyo
• Purchase tickets in advance
• Arrive as soon as park opens (there were massive lines and we arrived about 20 minutes early)
• There is a Starbucks right outside of the train station…you’re welcome
• Go back to hotel for nap time
• Fireworks were nothing special and our girls fell asleep
• Download Disney Resort app before arriving
• Make lunch/dinner reservations for park restaurants in advance (if that’s a must for you)
• Reserve premier access rides and standby pass (Beauty and the Beast was the best premier ride)
• Start queuing for most popular rides first
• Baby area has diapers, wipes, snacks for purchase, nursing room, diaper changing stations
• Take advantage of parent swapping when you have an infant who can’t go on a ride (one parent will go with child and then you can skip the line and switch parents, so each can ride with the elder child. Win, win!)
• Reserve seats for night parade
• Lastly, be patient & have fun!

We had an absolute blast at Tokyo DisneyLand and enjoyed staying on the premises for one night. The Hilton Tokyo was perfect for our family and you know we love a solid breakfast buffet with little ones. It was the ultimate ending to our time in Japan with kids!

Japan Etiquette

The Japanese are some of the kindest, most respectful people we have encountered traveling. They will go out of their way to help you find what you’re looking for. Even though many speak little to no English, the Japanese will do their best to assist you. Google translate was our best friend on this vacation! Below are some tips to enjoy the country in a respectful way.

Respectful Ettiquette

• Don’t eat in public (in streets, on transportation, or while walking). The only place people ate outside of restaurants was sitting on the Shinkansen bullet trains, as these rides can be lengthy. We didn’t really notice anyone eating in the parks or on benches that often.
• You won’t get rude looks or comments, but you’ll notice many Japanese don’t drink and walk. Our Starbucks to-go cups were always in a bag. Vending machines are common with trash cans next to them.
• Bring your trash with you. There are NO trash cans on the streets. The only ones we saw were by vending machines and were very small openings for bottles only. If purchasing food from a restaurant, there’s trash cans you can use there.
• Don’t talk loudly or on the phone on trains/buses. Everyone is very quiet and reserved. It’s not obnoxious like in American cities.
• Don’t have bad BO. The Japanese will make fun of your sweaty armpits 😁
• Do say “arigato gozaimasu” which translates to “thank you” often
• Do take shoes off when entering temples, homes, ryokans. Point your shoes towards the outdoors. Wear slippers if offered by staff.

The Japanese are so friendly that they’ll never confront you if you don’t have proper etiquette, but it’s the right thing to do. We tried hard to not drink on the go, but when visiting Japan with kids, sometimes you just need a quick coffee and can’t sit for 30 minutes. However, we were good about taking our trash with us and throwing it away at our hotel or wherever we were heading. We never ate on the local trains either, only the bullet trains.

Japan with Kids

Traveling to Japan with kids can seem daunting, but we have all of the tips to make your trip an incredible family adventure! Who likes boring, perfect trips anyway? 😝 Our eldest, Maya, was 2 years old and Luna was 6 months old at the time. The best advice we can give is to plan ahead, yet be flexible in the moment and have patience. If you’re coming from far like us, the journey is long and exhausting. Set your family up for success and read our tips below!

The Journey

Were not going to sugarcoat it…Japan is not an easy destination to reach. It is long and tiring, but well worth the effort! Traveling to Japan with kids is very doable as long as you plan accordingly. The best way to reach Japan from the US (IMO) is to fly out of the west coast.

We flew out of LAX airport on a red eye flight. This was a very smooth 10 hour flight. There was enough time for all of us to get some rest. Make sure to request ahead a bassinet for your lap infant (if within size limits). Some airlines will allow you to reserve in advanced, others are on a first come first serve basis, so always arrive early to the airport. We were lucky enough to get the bassinet, but we did have to pay for extra legroom bulkhead seats in advanced. Only Gregg and Maya’s seats were charged by American Airlines.

If flying with a layover, we highly recommend splitting up the flight and spending one night at your layover when your long haul flight is second. This allows the whole family to get some rest before the long flight. Just in case no one sleeps, this is so important! We hate wasting a day of travel, but we have grown to learn this helps sets our fam up for success. Make sure to get an overnight flight to try to get on the Japan time zone and get some rest.

What to Pack

What to bring on the flight

Organized packing is a true passion of mine. Prepping for a long haul flight is so important! Try to begin packing at least a week in advance to prevent getting overwhelmed with last minute stress. Our most crucial peace of luggage is the Getaway Bag by No Reception Club. It is so organized and can fit everything you need for your little tots. We have used this now as a personal item on all over our recents flights and are obsessed. It’s well worth the splurge. Click here to check it out! We posted a reel showing everything that we fit into the bag on our Instagram page.

The above photos show the bag and what we fit in it for our last few trips. We would suggest that less is more but there are certain things you do want to include. These items we’d suggest bringing extra of would be: milk, snacks, enough diapers and wipes to get to your destination (plus a few), small toys and arts to keep occupied, and plenty of movies/shows downloaded to iPad just in case.

Lastly, our favorite new flight gear is the Flyaway Kids Bed. Maya has been loving this comfy air mattress and honestly, so have the flight attendants. We expected to get some crap for it, but they all thought it was the coolest thing! The only thing is, you can’t blow it up until after take-off and it must be stowed for landing. Other than that, Maya was very comfortable and Luna even used it a bit. It’s super easy to set up taking 90 seconds to inflate and includes multiple plugs to release air quickly.

Flyaway Kids Bed

We used this bed not only on our flights but also on the bullet train to and from Kyoto. The online caveat is that it’s a bit crammed on a domestic Boeing and we would only recommend using on long-haul flights. It’s a little large and unnecessary for a quick flight less than 5 hours. We are stoked to use it on our next trip to France!

Other packing tips

Overall, some quick tips would be to pack light. You don’t need to check in a stroller, car seats, and the whole nine yards. If you absolutely need a stroller, bring a travel one that’s lightweight and easily compatible. You will be taking lots of local transport (trains) and will not want to deal with closing a stroller every time you get on and off. The best way is to carry your baby in a carrier and avoid bringing a stroller all together. We did it easily going to Japan with kids. Maya walked a lot and then Gregg carried her on his shoulders a bit too. If that seems impossible to you, try bringing a stroller like the GB pockit. It’s afforadable, lightweight and easy to carry if necessary. Less is always more with city travel.

Most Important Tips for Japan with Kids

Below are some tips for traveling Japan with kids and how to optimize your trip. Also, be sure to check out our post on how to successfully travel with an infant for more packing advice and suggestions to make your next vacation stress free!

• Fly a red eye to Tokyo (main leg of flight)
• Split up the flying days if not flying direct (i.e. stay overnight in your layover city for a fresh start the next day)
• Request bassinet for international flight portion after booking flights, pay for other passengers extra leg room seats if in budget
• Sit in middle row for access to both aisle (with two caregivers)
• Keep carry on baggage minimal = free hands for children
• Use luggage transport system, Yamato, when arriving in Japan (worth every penny)
• Baby carrier > stroller
• Have daypack or organized bag (we love No Reception Club – Getaway bag here)
• Reserve pocket Wi-Fi at airport in advance
• purchase JR rail pass before trip, if needed
• don’t overpack!
• Exchange USD for JYP with bank 1 week in advance
• Download plenty of movies for children of age
• Get on Japan time zone asap
• Research where to buy baby food as we had a difficult time finding anywhere that had options for Luna. She had just started solids recently, and other than rice was a bit restricted because we could not find any more puréed foods. I usually don’t overpack baby food, but I wish I had in this country.
• PATIENCE

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Overall, we had the most amazing experience in Japan with kids. The girls were such troopers and I think they really enjoyed the experience. We had a blast learning about the Japanese culture and met some of the most incredible, kindest souls. Hopefully one day we can return when the girls are older and get to enjoy a little bit more of the country. Traveling to Japan with kids is definitely doable and should not be intimidating at all. We hope our post and advice helped motivate you and your family to book your next trip to this wonderful place!