Planning on a family trip to Japan later this year with an adventurous 10 and 7 year old. Looking for recommendations for must sees, itinerary ideas, etc. We are flying in/out of Tokyo, but we would also like to see more of Japan. We have 10 -11 days. Thanks in advance!

Trip to Lake Ashi, Mount Fugi and Hakone Ropeway. Also loved Kyoto. The kids would probably love The Robot Restaurant in Tokyo.

I second the Robot Restaurant! It’s so crazy and ridiculously fun.

Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki. So much to see and do in these spots. But definitely the top stops. Maybe Nara and Okinawa as secondary options.

Get baseball tickets.

Try and find a sumo match or practice if you can. Amazing time.

Hi, we have done Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima. When we went to Tokyo we stayed at Ueno (Bueno without the B ) this was good for us as it was out of the way but still accessable. We went for lunch at the BluJamCafe in Azabu Juban which is a nice area, if I go back to Japan this is where I would stay.
During our time we went to many places as the metro is so easy to use. The lines are all colour coated and you buy a Passmo card which is easy to refill and gives you access to 90% of the trains you will use.
If you plan on going to Osaka and further you should buy a Japan rail pass https://www.jrailpass.com/
But make sure you buy well in advance as it takes a while to you, once you get them you redeem them at the office in the station.
It is very busy but people are very helpful. They walk on one side if you walk against them you can get lost. If you need help, just ask, they will try and help you as much as possible.
There is so much to see it gets quite overwhelming. Plus it is very hard to find a seat to rest on. There are few garbage cans so you will have to carry your stuff till you get home. And when you go to the washroom you may find not dryers as they use their own hand towels.
Make sure you have extra money most places only except cash.
We went to Team lab Borderless https://borderless.teamlab.art/
Well worth the money but if you go, go early as it gets really busy.
We didn't really try a lot of the food as my daughter is a vegan and was limited to what we could eat together. But if you get a chance, they have a bakery called Anderson and it is amazing.
They recommend to book your accommodation 3 months in advance. It can get to much looking for accommodation but don't go for the cheapest as we did and it was terrible.
If you have anyone that is over 5-10 they may have trouble as Japan is not made for tall people, the shower is compact!
You can get a pocket wifi at the station but we didn't use it as my bf cell worked quite well.
Also check out airbnb for experiences, it's where you can book activity's
If you need any additional information just let me know.

How about trying a theme park? There's Disneyland/Disney sea, Joypolice, in Osaka, universal studio Japan, Maxell Aqua Park is amazing.

Disney Sea is on our list as we have heard it is really unique.

Awesome! yes! Definitely a place to visit. make sure to pick the right date. otherwise, it'll be super crowded like you wouldn't believe! PM me if you need help planing

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Teamlab Borderless will be loved by all:. https://borderless.teamlab.art/

We went this past summer, end of July begin of Aug. it was extremely hot but there were tons of festivals we got to see and experience. We stayed at the Royal Park Shiodome in Tokyo. Would highly recommend! Many hotel rooms don’t fit more than 2 people and this one did. It was also a great location with many train stations & restaurants close by. We flew up to Hakodate to experience the island of Hokkaido which was cool. Much less populated. Then took Shinkansen train back & got to see the famous Aomori festival!

Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima are all musts if you ask me.
Tokyo- Fashion Capital
Kyoto- Historical Capital
Osaka- Food Capital
I would say 3-4 days Tokyo, 5-6 Kyoto, 1-2 Osaka and 3 in the Hiroshima area.
Caution with your morning eggs at the hotel. Sometimes made with fish sauce. That was an eye opener when your not expecting it! Lol
Food as a whole was amazing everywhere
Kyoto has so much to see and do. From shrines to bamboo forests to ancient temples and simple hikes to go see the monkeys!
You will never forget your trip to Japan!
Also, if timing is right. Go to a baseball game it’s a lot of fun with no trash talk just big cheers and celebrations. The 7th inning stretch was also something very different.
Almost everyone wants to talk English so it’s easy to get around!
Take a quick look online at Mario Cart Tokyo. It’s a blast but you have to book early and I don’t know the restrictions for kids. If they can ride with you, none of you will be disappointed!

Ryan thanks for the heads up on the eggs

As many castles as you can fit in and at least one of those sushi restaurants with the conveyor belts!

We’ve been several times now and have travelled all over. I wouldn’t spend the time travelling. Down to Nagasaki... it’s a long way and will eat up too much of your time on a first trip. If you’re going to visit lots of different areas and use the Shinkansen lots I would recommend the Japan Rail pass. They have a calculator online to determine whether it’s worth the cost. Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto are of course typical. You n hit the high points in a day in each city if you’re organized. If you’re looking for some different things to see (even just day trips) I would recommend: Nagano, Nara, Kinosake Onsen, Hakone, Kanazawa, Kobe... we stayed in Nagoya for half of our last trip and it ended up being a good central location for lots of day trips. We have stayed at several APA hotels. They’re very small and you’d likely need 2 rooms but they’re clean and usually very inexpensive ($90) per night. Feel free to pm if you have any questions as you do your research. I absolutely love Japan. It had been my favourite place to visit.

I’ve been there 5 times, mainly for business reasons but travelled around as well. Tokyo is amazing, there’s a tour that starts with a bus ride and ends with a river tour. Very worthwhile! Also took the bullet train to Kyoto, definitely high on the must see list!

I lived there a long time ago. I recommend Kamakura. Very old and less crowded than Osaka. Tokyo Disneyland would be good for the kids.

Helen good to know. Thank you very much.

Nara for the bowing deers and Kyoto is a cute city. The shrines in Kyoto.

I'm taking my kids to the instant noodles museum in Osaka. https://www.cupnoodles-museum.jp/.../attractions/mc-factory/