In December 2024, my family and I travelled to Japan for 2 weeks, visiting Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. We travelled as a family of 4, with two children aged 3 and 6 years of age. I’ve put together a brief summary of our travels, trying to provide an overview of what we did in each location without going into too much detail and writing pages upon pages of content! I’ve done a separate post for our trip to Tokyo Disneyland, Disney Sea and Universal Studios, where I put my tips and tricks and what we learned and what we loved. While Japan is usually most popular in the Spring for the cherry blossoms, I’d highly recommend visiting in the Autumn for the golden Ginko trees and absolutely stunning vistas!
Tokyo
Day 1: After arriving in Japan the night before, we jumped straight into a full day of sightseeing at some of the most popular spots in Tokyo on our first day. We sorted out our JR Rail passes at the station and then conquered our first ride on the subway system, riding from Akasaka to Yoyogi Park. We entered the park closest to the Yoyogi-Koen station, and walked through the park to exit at Harajuku Station. This is one of the largest parks in Tokyo, and is known for its Ginko Tree Forest. If you’re visiting in November/December, be sure to stop here to see hundreds of Ginko Trees in their full golden coloured delight. We then walked down Takeshita Street, a pedestrian shopping street in Harajuku, known for its quirky and youth-driven shops, colorful fashion, and kawaii culture. During the day this is a great spot to take the kids. Be warned that as the day progresses it gets extremely busy on this street, and by night fall it is absolutely packed with adults and can be overwhelming for children. Our favourite shops were Daiso (for cheap souvenirs and Pokémon merchandise!) and all the little food stalls.
From here, head down Meiji-Dori Ave to take in the big brand name flagship stores. Check out Tokyo Plaza Omotesando Omokado, which has a huge mirrored frontage and then head up to the 6th floor rooftop garden for some great views over the city. We then visited Kiddy Land (the best toy shop around) before detouring down Cat Street. Cat Street was one of my favourites – a lot quieter than the main street, but filled with unique shops and boutiques and interesting buildings. A very quirky street worth the walk! Cat Street joins back up to Meiji-Dori Ave, and we then headed to PARCO Shibuya – another huge shopping centre and home to a Nintendo Store and Pokemon Store. Finally, we walked down to the Shibuya Scramble crossing and crossed the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing! After a huge day of walking, we jumped on the subway at Shibuya and made our way back to Akasaka to grab dinner nearby our hotel and retire for the night. Don’t miss: For great views of the crossing in action, head to the overhead passageway that connects Shibuya Mark City and Shibuya station! Accommodation: Cocoshuku Akasaka Premium
Day 2: Japan’s Imperial Palace is a must visit. The Palace is closed to the public, but has beautiful moats and gardens all around it that you are able to enter. However, a few times a year (on random dates) the Imperial Palace opens to the public allowing them to walk through the inner gardens – and by absolute chance, we happened to visit on one of these days! Getting a peek behind the gates was very special, but this place is amazing even without access behind the gates. That evening we visited Maranouchi Park, which is home to one of Tokyo’s largest Christmas Markets and lights display. Don’t miss: Nijubashi Bridge is a very popular photo spot – arrive at Imperial Palace via the Tokyo JR station for closest access. Then walk anti-clockwise from Nijubashi Bridge up to Edo Castle Ruins where you can walk through the Castle gardens for free. Accommodation: Cocoshuku Akasaka Premium
Day 3: Time for Tokyo Disneyland! We spent one day here which was enough for our family with two young children. I have covered our visit to Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea here in more depth. Just note that it is a very different experience to visiting a US-based Disney park and cultural differences really impact your visit. Be prepared for queues, lots of queues, and an experience that didn’t quite have that ‘Disney perfect’ vibe that you get in the US. I know some people love Tokyo Disney, but we were a bit disappointed (although mind you, any day at Disney is always going to be a good day!!). Our favourites here were Toon Town, and the Beauty and the Beast ride. Don’t miss: be warned that when the daily parade starts, all the streets around the centre of the park get completely shut down and you cannot go past until after the parade! Which means you must stay in your ‘land’ until the parade has finished. Don’t get caught out with bookings in another land! Accommodation: Cocoshuku Akasaka Premium
Day 4: Back to Disney, but this time for Disney Sea! This is by far the more popular of the two parks, given it is the only Disney Sea in existence. This park well and truly blew our minds. Probably the only downside of this park is the entry line – it was our worst experience of the day. We arrived 45min before opening time to join the queue, and it still took 40 minutes past opening time to get through the security check. Again, I’ve gone into more depth about our visit here if you would like details on Disney Sea. Mermaid Lagoon was our favourite, the under the sea grotto filled with rides and things to see and do is such a great experience for the kids. Don’t miss: be sure to check out the interactive installations around the park, it’s not all about the rides! Mysterious Island and Mermaid Lagoon have plenty of things for the family that aren’t ride focused. Accommodation: Cocoshuku Akasaka Premium
Day 5: We had a slow start after two busy days, and headed into Akihabara (Electric Town). Best known for its electric goods stores and gaming arcades, it’s a popular tourist destination. As for visiting with a family, if you’re looking for something to skip on your itinerary, this would be the place I would miss. It felt very seedy, with a lot of adult focused cosplay, maid cafes and dark video game arcades. It was really busy, even at 10am and difficult to navigate with small children. We decided to leave after about an hour and head back to Maranouchi area to do some shopping and re-visit the Christmas Markets. Don’t miss: In this instance, I’d say you can miss Akihabara! Accommodation: Cocoshuku Akasaka Premium
Day 6: Today was Asakusa, a very popular tourist area with Sensoji Shrine and a traditional shopping street. We got here early and it was already packed! Nakamise Shopping Street is fun to pick up small souvenirs and try some Japanese foods – although be warned, they are very strict here about not eating while you walk (IYKYK!). The Sensoji Shrine and its gardens are a beautiful place to explore in the middle of the city. From here we went to the Samurai Ninja Museum to learn all about the Japanese martial arts and history. We got to dress up, see different samurai swords and get exposed to the world of ninja! This was a highlight and very strongly recommend. There are heaps of shopping streets and arcades here, so we wandered through them and found the Asakusa Batting Arcade, where my baseball loving husband had a go at batting practice! Don’t miss: The beautiful photo opportunities in the Sensoji Shrine gardens, particularly in the Autumn. Accommodation: Cocoshuku Akasaka Premium
Fujikawaguchiko
Day 7: Time for our shinkansen ride! Today we headed out to Fujikawaguchiko to see Mt Fuji and surrounds for a few days. We gave ourselves plenty of time to make the shinkansen so we weren’t stressed out, and it all went very smoothly. We then got off at Mishima station where we picked up our hire car and drove out to Fujikawaguchiko. This was a very easy and smooth process, so if you’re thinking of hiring a car I say go for it! Oishi Park is one of the best spots on Lake Kawaguchiko to get pictures with Mt Fuji in the background, and there is also a café and a playground here. We spent all afternoon as it was such a beautiful day! Don’t miss: while we wouldn’t consider driving in the cities, driving in the smaller towns is surprisingly easy. They drive on the same side of the road, and most road signs have the English version written, not just Kanji signs. Don’t discount the idea of driving, as it certainly opened up a lot more opportunities in Fujikawaguchiko and surrounds. Accommodation: La Vista Fujikawaguchiko
Day 8: Up early for a 1.5hr drive to Hakone, we started the morning at Owakudani, one of most famous viewpoints in Hakone, where you can observe volcanic activity from up close. We ate the obligatory Black Eggs, cooked in the volcanic steam, and added 7 years to our lives (as the myth goes). We then went on to Hakone Open Air Museum. This was such an unexpected highlight! There are huge sculptures throughout open air gardens, including interactive elements like a labyrinth, a giant children’s playground and beautiful gardens. We easily spent a few hours here, before heading back to Kawaguchiko for the night. Don’t miss: The Hakone Open Air Museum was the unexpected highlight of our trip. Accommodation: La Vista Fuji Kawaguchiko
Kyoto
Day 9: We drove back to Mishima to drop off our hire car and get the shinkansen on to Kyoto. Today was mostly about travel, but we did manage to have a look around Shinjo-Dori, a shopping street in the middle of Kyoto city. Don’t miss: Pontocho Alley is a tiny little alleyway in the city centre packed with traditional restaurants. Most are not family friendly, however one street over on Kiyamachi-dori we found plenty of places happy to accommodate families at early dinner sittings. Accommodation: BnA Alter Museum
Day 10: One of our earliest starts today, but very worth it. We walked over to Kiyomizu-dera, arriving around 7am. It was cold, but there was hardly anyone around and we were able to move easily around the shrine grounds. From there, we walked down Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka streets, two very old, traditional shopping streets. Getting here early, before the shops were open, meant there were no crowds and we got some beautiful photos. Next was the Kodaiji Temple, where there is also a Bamboo Forest – hot tip, this bamboo forest is just as beautiful as going all the way over to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, and we were the only people there!! Highly recommend this. Then we saw the Yasaka Shrine, and walked through the Maruyama Park. We then turned around and retraced our steps back to Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka streets which were now bustling with tourists as all the shops were open. Finally, we grabbed a taxi and headed to Nishiki Market, a huge food market with hundreds of stalls for dinner. Don’t miss: Get out early when visiting the Shrines. Over tourism is real in Japan, and Kyoto is a tiny city not designed for crowds. You will be well rewarded by getting out early and hitting up the Shrines before the crowds arrive. Accommodation: BnA Alter Museum
Day 11: Another early start, but trust me, in Kyoto you want to get up and get to the Shrines before the crowds! Today we visited Fushimi Inari Taisha, home to the famous orange torii gates. Taxis are cheap in Kyoto, so today we jumped in a cab and got dropped off right at the entrance to Fushimi Inari Taisha. We walked around the shrine, and walked through the lower levels of the torii gates. It’s very well sign posted as to what section of the torii gates you are in, so you can make the choice when to turn around and head back. To walk to the very top is very steep and about a 1.5-2h walk, so not the best for kids! There is a small food market at the entrance to the shrine, so we had a look through there and then walked over to Tōfuku-ji Temple. Tōfukuji is a large Zen temple founded in 1236, and is home to Tsutenkyo Bridge which is popular in the Autumn months. We caught a cab back to the city centre and had a look through the shops to finish the day. Don’t miss: The 22 metre tall Sanmon Gate at Tofuku-ji Temple. It is the oldest Zen gate of its kind, dating back to 1425. Accommodation: BnA Alter Museum
Osaka
Day 12: Checking out of Kyoto, we took a taxi to Osaka. We had planned to get the train, but with kids and our luggage, we decided a taxi was the better option. Taxis in Kyoto and Osaka are really reasonably priced as public transport is reliant on buses, and this almost 2hr drive cost us about $200 (not much more than train tickets for 4 of us, but with door to door service). We went straight to the Osaka Aquarium which the kids loved. You can also find Legoland here, the Osaka Wheel and a shopping/gaming arcade. We took a ride on the wheel and then headed back to our hotel. Once night fell, we went over to look around Dotonburi – a nightlife area with neon signs, clubs, bars, and restaurants. Super family friendly (albeit VERY busy) early in the evening, it becomes more adults only later in the night. Don’t miss: The Osaka Aquarium is very under rated. I hadn’t seen much about it online, but it was a HUGE aquarium with some of the best displays I’ve ever seen. Accommodation: Mimaru Osaka Namba Station
Day 13: We went back to Dotonburi, but this time in the day, to visit Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Arcade – a very busy arcade filled with traditional goods, food vendors and souveniers. You honestly can easily spend the day wandering around, seeing all the different goods and just taking it all in – which is what we did! Don’t miss: Keep your eyes peeled for all the traditional Japanese dragons and other fine decorations adorning the buildings at each street corner. Accommodation: Mimaru Osaka Namba Station
Day 14: Another transit day, but this one not too far. We jumped in a cab and changed hotels over to Universal Studios where we would spend our last two nights. This day was spent transiting, checking in to our hotel and exploring the Studio Walk, which is accessible to anyone with no need for a park ticket. There are plenty of great stores and themed experiences along here. Don’t miss: Get the iconic photo with the Bubba Gump shoes. We get one at every Bubba Gumps restaurant we visit! Accommodation: Oriental Hotel Universal
Day 15: Today was all about Universal Studios. This was probably one of the things we were most looking forward to our entire trip! I have a detailed post about our visit here. Osaka’s Universal Studios was (until recently) the only venue that has Super Nintendo World, and with two boys obsessed with Super Mario Bros, this was our priority! There is no early access for hotel guests, however if you check the forums it seems that they basically always open about 45-60min before the official open time. We lined up 1hr beforehand, and got McDonalds takeaway breakfast to have in the queue (it’s right next door). Sure enough, the gates opened early and we were able to go straight through and within 15min of the gates opening we were entering Super Nintendo World without the need for any entry passes! It was such a great experience in comparison to Tokyo Disney. We spent the whole day at Universal and if I had to choose between a visit to Disney or Universal, I’d choose Universal. Don’t miss: read the forums, do the research, Universal Studios is amazing, but you need to go in with a plan. Don’t wing it! Accommodation: Oriental Hotel Universal
Day 16: Our last day in Japan, but our flight was at 9pm so we had all day to spare. There is a train that goes direct from Universal Studios to the airport, however we got off one stop before at Rinku Town Station. This station is home to the Rinku Premium Outlets and is basically a transit destination. You can drop your luggage into one of their luggage holding facilities (they’re little shops, not lockers) and spend the day here. We shopped in the outlets, dined in the restaurants and there is even a kids indoor play centre! This was the perfect way to kill some time before heading over to the airport before our flight home.
