Japan with kids: family travel guide

• Complete safety — crime rates are among the lowest in the world. Children play alone in parks, walk to school without adults and nobody locks the car in many rural neighbourhoods. Travellers with children do not need to be constantly on guard.
• Reliable and comfortable transport — trains arrive to the second. The Shinkansen have wide seats and optional quiet carriages. There are pushchair (stroller/wheelchair) facilities in almost all major stations, and lifts are everywhere.
• Kid-friendly food — ramen, sushi, udon, karaage (fried chicken) and Japanese curry are dishes most children accept well. Children's menus (o-ko-sama ranchi) exist in almost all family restaurants. Konbinis have sandwiches, onigiri and snacks at any hour.
• Reduced or free admission — most museums and attractions have very reduced prices for children. Many public museums are free for under-18s. The Tokyo metro is free for under-6s and 50% off from 6 to 11 years old.
• Unique cultural stimulation — deer that eat from your hand in Nara, robots in Akihabara, bathing monkeys in Jigokudani, Pokemon Centers and Nintendo World. Japan has activities that hardly exist in any other country.
• Cleanliness and hygiene — public toilets are clean, plentiful and free (there is always toilet paper). No need to worry about tap water: it is drinkable throughout the country.

Book the must-dos in advance. The Disney and Universal parks sell tickets by specific date and sell out weeks ahead. The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka is the most extreme case: you can only enter with an advance reservation, for a specific date and time. Tickets go on sale on the 10th of each month (at 10:00 Japan time) for the following month, on a first-come basis through Lawson, and usually sell out within minutes. It is worth registering on the sales site beforehand and marking it on your calendar. If your trip revolves around theme parks, expand with the guide to theme parks in Japan.

10 days with kids: the extended classic

Extension of 4 additional days (14 days)

• Day 11: Hiroshima — Peace Museum (for children over 8) + historic tram around the city
• Day 12: Miyajima — floating torii, deer on the island, cable car up Mount Misen
• Days 13–14: Tokyo on the way back — Shinjuku, Shibuya, shopping in Harajuku, flight home

These 10 and 14 days follow the backbone of the classic Japan itinerary, but with the pace dialled down: fewer temples in a row, a theme park slotted in and free afternoons so the kids can rest. If it is your first trip to the country, the first time in Japan guide covers the rest of the general logistics.

The biggest challenge of accommodation in Japan for families is the size of the rooms. Japan has smaller rooms than in Europe; planning the type of accommodation well is key.

• Quadruple or family rooms in chain hotels — Dormy Inn, APA Hotels, Richmond Hotels have "family" rooms with bunk beds or double beds + singles. Always search with the "family" filter when booking.
• Apartments on Airbnb / VRBO — the best option for families with young children: own kitchen, room to move and a lower price per room than two hotel rooms. Many Japanese apartments have a soaking bath (ofuro) that children adore.
• Ryokan with tatami — sleeping on futons on tatami is an experience children remember for life. The ryokan includes a kaiseki dinner and breakfast. For young children, it is better to choose a ryokan with a private onsen (kashikiri) so they can bathe without adult rules.
• Capsule hotels: not recommended for children — capsule hotels do not admit minors; rule them out directly.

Caution with room size

A "double" room in Japan can be just 14–18 m². Always ask for a "family room" and confirm the size when booking. Most search engines show the size in m² — filter by "family room" and review the photos.

• Shinkansen with a pushchair — the most comfortable seats for families are at the end of the carriage (the last row, against the wall), because behind the seat there is a gap where a folded pushchair fits. They are booked in advance from the JR app or at the station ticket office. There are also seats with extra space (oversized baggage) worth booking ahead. Under-6s travel free without their own seat (up to two children aged 1 to 5 per adult, in a non-reserved carriage); for the third, or if you want a reserved seat for the child, you pay a child ticket (50% of the adult). More details in the JR Pass guide and in transport in Japan.
• Metro with a buggy or pushchair — almost all major stations have lifts, marked with a green icon. The Google Maps app shows "accessible" routes in Tokyo that avoid stairs.
• Taxis — Japanese taxis are impeccable and have child seats available if requested in advance when calling. More expensive than the metro but useful with tired children.
• Car seats — if you rent a car, add a child seat when making the reservation (agencies such as Toyota Rent a Car and Times Car have them available). In Japan a child seat is mandatory up to 6 years old.
• Strollers — Japan is more stroller-friendly than it seems: shopping centres have ramps and lifts, parks are flat. At temples with uneven steps, a baby carrier is a better alternative.

• Jet lag with kids — Japan is several hours ahead of Europe (Japan does not change the clock; much of Europe does, so the gap shifts between summer and winter). Young children usually adapt in 2–3 days. Arriving in the evening and going straight to sleep helps. For the first few days, calm activities without early starts.
• Summer heat — July and August in Tokyo or Osaka is extreme heat (35–38 °C with humidity). For families with young children it is better to avoid summer or plan indoor activities between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Shopping centres are very well air-conditioned.
• Food for picky kids — Japanese curry (kare), udon noodles, karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken), takoyaki (dough balls with octopus) and salmon or tuna onigiri are safe for most children. Konbinis are the lifesaver for fussy palates. For ideas dish by dish, see what to eat in Japan.
• Pharmacy and paediatrics — Japanese pharmacies (Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Sundrug, Tsuruha) have fever medicine, children's antipyretics and nappies. Staff can use Google Translate if they do not speak English. University hospitals in Tokyo have interpreter services. Always carry travel insurance with an international assistance number.
• Nappies and formula milk — available in konbinis, supermarkets (Ito-Yokado, Aeon) and pharmacies. Local brands (Merries, Goon) are of excellent quality and comparable to European ones. Japanese formula milk is available but the stage naming may differ — bring a supply for the first few days.
• Wifi and navigation — an eSIM with unlimited data is essential for Google Maps in real time. With children, getting lost on the Tokyo metro is more stressful. The Suica app for iPhone lets you top up without going to the machine.
• Cultural rules with children — the Japanese adore children and are extraordinarily tolerant of them in restaurants and transport. Even so, try to keep them from shouting on the metro or long-distance trains (general rule of silence). The "women only" carriages are marked and men should not enter.

June brings the rains (tsuyu) and July and August, heat and humidity that are exhausting for children. It is worth always having a plan B under cover and air-conditioned so you are not stranded if the weather turns. These options work at any time of day:

In Tokyo

• Aquariums and digital art: the Sumida Aquarium at the base of the Skytree and TeamLab Planets are indoors and entertain for hours. KidZania Tokyo (Toyosu) is a miniature city where children "work" in different jobs — book in advance.
• Museums for children: the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno (dinosaurs, planetarium) and the Miraikan (science and robotics, with the ASIMO robot) are perfect for a rainy afternoon.
• Experience shops: the Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo in Ikebukuro and the toy floors of the department stores can be enjoyed without setting foot outside.

In Osaka and Kyoto

• Kaiyukan Aquarium (Osaka): one of the best aquariums in the world, with a whale shark, fully covered.
• Kyoto Railway Museum: real trains, simulators and a locomotive turntable; a guaranteed hit with children.
• Universal Studios Japan has many covered attractions, although the outdoor queues get wet: bring a light raincoat.

The wildcard in any city

The depachika (food floors in the basement of department stores) and the shopping centres with play areas (such as AEON Mall) are air-conditioned and let you eat, snack and let the children move without going out into the open. Large stations connect with underground galleries: in Osaka or Kyoto you can go from the station to the hotel and the restaurant without opening your umbrella. To decide your dates according to the weather, check when to travel to Japan.