Booked Japan for 2 weeks… with kids!
Looking for recommendations for must-see places to visit and things to do. Tokyo is huge - where should we stay? Is Disney worth it? Favourite onsen?
Edit: kids are 8

Disneyland is like LA, disney sea is more for adults/teens.
Find a stay thats near a station. Google maps is your BFF. Get a suica or pasmo card for transit. Look into tourist day passes (tokyo metro day pass or a jr day pass)
*if you dont want so many plastic bags say something on the lines of fukuro (bag) then cross your fingers or something to make an “x”. I usually say “fukuro iranai”.

Odaiba has a cool place that looks like old Japan with arcades and food. We are going next week and staying by Shibuya station cause it’s a good hub. Ueno zoo is good and there are many temples that are nice and also sell little stuff and treats that kids like. Akihabara is all electronic and has like a robot show thing that kids might like (depending on age- it’s loud and flashy) Disney is good if you haven’t been to Disney in North America. It’s very very similar to the ones here so it’s cool but not necessarily a Japanese experience. Highly recommend osaka for kids and Kyoto as well. If you’re interested in these areas, feel free to message and I can give you some detailed info. I used to live in Kyoto as an English teacher.

Jennifer Agreed, Kyoto is a must.

Jennifer Thank you! Will DM.

Jennifer odaiba onsen is closed

Lawrence Yeah most of Odaiba is being rebuilt at the moment.

A friend of mine, who used to live in Japan suggested Hiroshima. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether that may be to heavy for 8 yr olds?

Katie there are some nice places in Hiroshima outside of the war memorial, but that would be the main thing to do there and I wouldn’t recommend more than maybe 1-2 days. If you’re comfortable talking about war with your kids, I’d say that the memorial is very well done. It has a few pictures that show victims but not many and not overly graphic. It tells the Japanese perspective on the war and has a large focus on the importance of peace. It’s heavy subject matter, so I’d be prepared to explain as you go through at whatever level you are comfortable. It’s laid out like a museum so it’s quiet and calm so if your kids aren’t into slow walking and listening and pictures, then it might not be a good fit, as it’s laid out for education much more than any level of entertainment. It’s located in a very nice park along a river. Hiroshima is also know for its own style of okonomiyaki (Japanese style pizza-pancake). There is also a small island with temples called miyajima.

Jennifer Just an FYI, that robot restaurant closed down quite a number of years ago now.

Andrew oh no!! I had only heard about it from friends and thought I’d check it out this time. Booooooo!

we just returned from Tokyo 2 days ago. Spent a couple of nights at the Hamacho Hotel, near the Suitengo Shrine. Nice quiet (relatively speaking) area very close to downtown, and several subway lines. Had a nice family/neighbourhood feel to it. We found Shubuya a bit hectic (nothing compared to Shinjuko) so after visiting, it was nice to go 'home' to a quieter area.

Super helpful!!!

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/.../9781786577269-item...
This is a great book for kids with lots of ideas
CHAPTERS.INDIGO.CA
lonely planet Kids City Trails - Tokyo 1 1st Ed.: Secrets, stories and other cool stuff

Cheryl amazing!

Check out https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3034_showa.html
JAPAN-GUIDE.COM
Showa Memorial Park

How old are the kids? We spent 2 weeks in Japan with a 9 and 10 year old in 2019 and it was one of our favourite places ever! We spent 2 days at Disney and thought it was well worth it. DisneySea is beautiful and totally unique and Disneyland was different enough that it felt worth it even though we'd been to Anaheim and Orlando before. We became addicted to udon noodle shops and had them every day for lunch; there was a chain with a sort of brown and orange flower logo that was everywhere. We kept going back because it was super easy and no language barrier. You get in line, point to the size you want, pick some tempura from the self serve racks and pay whatever number shows up at the till. (Usually about $10 Cdn per person for medium). We also visited a hedgehog cafe, which the kids loved. I'm not sure how the onsen would work with kids. My kids are pretty chatty, active Canadian kids and I've never had issues taking them out and about in Canada (although I would never take toddlers to a super fancy restaurant or anything), but in Tokyo it sometimes felt like my kids were the loudest kids on the planet! Just talking in a normal tone of voice seemed out of place on the metro and playing and running around was strictly reserved for the playground sections of parks. Not that anyone was rude about it or anything but just be aware that there are very different expectations of behaviour there. I felt like I was constantly shushing my kids just to ride the subway; a super peaceful place like an onsen would have been a nightmare for us. But of course, all families are different so your experience may vary. All in all, of the 30 plus countries my kids have visited, Japan is a favourite for both.

Deanne 8 years old, so super helpful!

Katie my husband did a bit of a write up about our time in Tokyo if you're interested. https://runawayfamily.ca/.../walking-through-blossoms-tokyo/
RUNAWAYFAMILY.CA
Walking Throughthe Blossoms in Tokyo - Runaway Family

Disney Tokyo is AWESOME! If you can only do 1 park, do Disney Sea (it is only in Tokyo. Disneyland Park is basically the same as any magic kingdom or Disneyland in Anaheim — still loved it). We splurged and got character rooms at the Disneyland hotel (Alice in wonderland and beauty and the beast).
My kids loved the Pokémon store also.

GIBLI Museum, get your tix asap they sell out months in advance

If you’re kids are into Mario Universal Studios has a huge Super Mario theme park now.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=znxb0k6XrIk
Also buy the rail pass in advance. It will save you a ton of money and you only get the discount if you buy it out of country. I would also recommend checking out Kyoto, Nara for the wild deer all over the city and Osaka.
YOUTUBE.COM
Super Mario theme park opens in Japan’s Universal Studios

Don't go to another country to find a bit of America. Immerse yourself in Japanese unique things.

Theres also Universal Studios Japan in Osaka

ohhhh Im planning Japan too! Just a quick trip though - we are planning on focusing on all things Japanese Anime!

My kids love trains. Buy a rail pass and see all of Japan from the window of Shinkansen trains. The ride is an adventure in itself

First thing you have to do is get a Pasmo subway pass and load some money onto it because you are going to use it a lot to get around Tokyo. Also there s a great app which you can download onto your phone, you simply enter the station you are at, the station you want to go to and it calculates the quickest route and how long it is going to take ( and it is always accurate). If you are a confident driver you can rent a car and drive round the Izu peninsula. It is rural Japan with small fishing villages and wonderful views, and good onsen. I went at this time of year and didn't meet a single Canadian tourist, although I did meet a Japanese girl in Tokyo who had been to UBC! Small world.

There are a bunch of Japan travel FB pages you can join…ppl there are full of info. We’re going next year…hitting up USJ, Disney & Legoland. Because I don’t want to pack up the kids a million times, we are only hitting Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo and Nara/Nagoya (only 1 day each). There’s so much to do in each of the big cities depending on kids’ interest.
I think we are going to hit 8 Pokémon centres.

get the unlimited pocket wifi at the airport. your kids will love it. Lol
also its very helpful when using google maps for getting around town.

Tokyo Disney and Disney Sea are awesome, think your 8 y/os would love them! If your family would also like to experience a traditional onsen ryokan (traditional hotspring hotel), Nikko is only a hop away for a quaint and cultural experience. Book a ryokan stay there and leave lots of time to visit the beautiful shrines

Our kids (myself included) loved the Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama which is a train ride away from Tokyo. You need to book in advance on their website to secure a spot. You make instant noodles from scratch and take them home as souvenirs. Also you get to make a custom cup of noodles with the toppings you like. Yokohama is a beautiful city itself to explore.

I forgot to mention but if your kids love sushi then I would take them to Kura Sushi (conveyor belt). After eating 5 dishes of sushi the plates are like tokens that you use to play a game at the table. When you order food from the menu it rides along the top belt and delivers it to right to your table.

Lisa-Perkins we didn't book and still got in. Just had to wait an hour. There's an arcade and carnival rides across the street where we passed the time.

Is Japan letting people in now not on tours

EM Yes! They have opened back up!

Katie entirely?

Recently heard from someone who has seen all of the Disney's and that Japan's is awesome!

Edo Wonderland & Fuji-Q are some themeparks that can be fun for kids that are an alternative to Disney. There's a few onsen places near Edowonderland that are affordable with omakase teishoku too

A day trip to Kamakura to see the Great Buddha was fun. And look up Teamlab - immersive and interactive digital art exhibits - always a favourite.

In tokyo I'd say book Team Lab - Planets. Their borderless was one of the most instagrammed places on the planet and for good reason, but it's closed as most of Odaiba is a ghost town now. Personally I like Akebonobashi, Ningyocho, and Edogawa, though they may not be the best for travel, though Akebonobashi is pretty close to Shinjuku station. The downside is that you'd have to get used to Shinjuku station and that place is a labyrinth.
Onsens - Hikone or Kusatsu. Hikone will give you a decent view of Mt Fuji, but Kusatsu is a more traditional town with more traditional baths. They both take a little bit of work to get to however.
Tokyo is huge, but I wouldn't spend my whole vacation there. Other posters are right. Kyoto is gorgeous, Osaka is fun with great food, and they're both well worth the trip. Kansai also allows for a lot more travel to other cities. Tokyo is just sort of Tokyo, and most surrounding cities are just there to house people working in Tokyo.
In kansai I'd recommend Himeji Castle, Kiyomizudera, Todai-Ji, Byoindo, and Arashiyama.
For kids stuff, in Osaka there is a massive aquarium and Universal Studios Japan. You could also try hitting up a Round 1 which is just a big amusement center. The larger centers just have a fee for 24 hours, and they have karaoke rooms, arcade games, fishing, electric motorcycles to ride, bowling, and balls and fields to do most sports as well.
I haven't lived on the mainland in years and am stuck in Hokkaido, so I only have current information from a few snippets of travel for work. Sorry I can't help more.

https://www.cupnoodles-museum.jp/.../attractions/mc-factory/
Kids can make their own noodles. My kids thought that was the coolest thing ever.
CUPNOODLES-MUSEUM.JP
My CUPNOODLES Factory | CUPNOODLES MUSEUM OSAKA IKEDA

oh yes disney is worth it as it tokyo disney seas. plan on 1 day at each park for sure

Can I cask when you're going and how much you paid? I was looking at next year with 2 kids and 2 adults and the price recently jumped from about $5k to $7k+

Spring Break. Booked right when they opened on air canada. Wasn’t too bad then, but still have a Google flight tracker set up and see they are way up!

Katie I was looking at the price when they first opened and my husband didn't want to buy then and now I'm kicking myself that I listened. Lol. Thanks!