Japan is a wonderful family vacation destination- with a mix of ancient traditions and futuristic innovations, it’s a truly a unique travel experience for families. There are an abundance of kid-friendly attractions, from temples to theme parks, museums, themed cafes, and pop culture hot spots. There’s something for everyone to enjoy! For families, Japan offers a safe, clean, and well-organized environment where both adults and kids can explore with ease.
The sheer number of amazing attractions, along with cultural differences, can make planning a family vacation to Japan seem overwhelming at first. But we can help walk you through everything you need to know, from choosing the best destinations and accommodations, actually getting reservations for top attractions, to finding the best food and navigating the country with ease. So, let’s get started on creating an unforgettable family adventure in Japan!
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When to Visit
Japan is a great destination to visit year round. But the best time of year for your family will depend on your preferences and plans during your visit.
Spring
Spring is a popular time to visit Japan, and for good reason. Cherry blossoms, or Sakura in Japanese, will be blooming around the country and are a pretty spectacular sight. The weather is great, with mild temperatures typically in the 60s and 70s°F. And there are plenty of special Cherry blossom festivals and activities during this time.
But it is also the most popular time to visit, so you’ll need to book early to get the best prices and availability on hotels, flights, and activities.
Summer
Summer days in Japan are filled with tons of unique summer festivals, and can be a great time to really explore Japanese culture. It’s also a great time to head out to the beach, or up into the mountains. But temperatures are high, in the 80s and 90s °F with near 100% humidity, which will feel unbelievably hot, so just walking around the city probably won’t be very pleasant.
Fall
Autumn is another popular time to visit Japan, and a great choice for families. The whole country is filled with trees changing color, including maples with red leaves, Ginko trees turning golden, and oaks with deep oranges. Temperatures are pleasant and usually between 60-80°F. And seasonal comfort foods, like pumpkin soup, persimmons, grilled Pacific Mackarel, and chestnuts will be available.
Fall is not as popular as spring, so prices may be a bit better, and activities more available. Overall, it’s a great time to visit!
Winter
Winter in the mountains of Japan is a special experience. Hokkaido and the Japanese Alps get near continuous snow- in fact, they have some of the heaviest snowfalls in the world. They also have great family-friendly skiing and snowboarding, along with some wonderful winter festivals. It’s also a great time to visit family friendly onsens (hot springs). And you won’t want to miss visiting the snow monkeys soaking in the hot springs of Jigokudani monkey park. However, temperatures are obviously quite cold, and snow can make travel a bit tougher.
Times to Avoid
While there are tons of great times to visit Japan, there are also a couple of times of year you may want to avoid.
First, the Golden Week, which is typically the end of April or early May. This is a major holiday for Japanese people, and you can expect a LOT of domestic travel. That means prices will be quite high, and attractions will be crowded.
Secondly, typhoon season, which sees most activity between July and Sept. If you choose to travel during that time, you’ll just need to keep your eye on the weather, and be flexible with your travel.
Where to stay
Hotels in Japan are often not set up for families. In fact, many rooms won’t even allow more than 2 people in a room. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find a great place to stay for your family. You will just need to keep in mind that you will want to look specifically for family accommodations.
Hotels
Hotels are still a great option for families in Japan. Just look for family hotel chains, or hotels with family rooms. We love Mimaru hotels because they set up perfectly for families- many have bunk beds, kitchenettes and dining areas, in-room laundry, and some Mimaru locations even have Pokemon rooms!
Monday hotels are another great apartment-style hotel in Japan – perfect for families!
Family-Friendly Ryokans
Ryokans are an amazing Japanese cultural experience and can be a great choice for families. However, keep in mind that Ryokans are intended to be a luxury, full-service relaxing experience including meals and onsen. Meals will be traditional Japanese food, and prices are included, so it won’t be a great option if you are just looking for a place to sleep. Ryokans are a uniquely Japanese experience, but they aren’t a low-cost option, and not all of them are family friendly.
Ryokan Sanga is a great option with some bigger rooms that can sleep up to 6, as well as family baths available for use. Fukuzumira Ryokan is a historic, traditional Ryokan in Hakone. Its a very small place with only a few rooms- but several of those are spacious enough for families, and some have a private onsen- which is convenient for families.
Vacation Rentals
Another great option for family lodging are vacation rentals like Airbnb. Typically, you’ll rent out a small apartment, which means you’ll have more space than most hotel rooms and a kitchen available. Plus, vacation rentals are often found in neighborhoods rather than touristy spots. That means you might end up traveling a little farther to all of your activities, but you’ll also get a bit more of an authentic Japanese experience.
For tips on picking a great vacation rental, check out this article.
When to Book
For a family vacation in Japan, you’ll want to start planning, and booking early. We recommend starting the planning process around 1 year before your intended travel date. Yes, we know that’s SO EARLY and not ideal or feasible for some families. But if you can start planning early, it’ll make the whole Japan family vacation easier.
Flights
At one year out, start tracking flights. If you are booking flights with points and miles, you’ll likely find the best deals at 9-12 months before travel. For cash bookings, its hard to guess, but it’s worth setting up a Google flights alert so you can watch the prices and be ready to book when prices go down. We love that Google flights tells you when prices are high or low to help you understand when you should book.
Set Schedule
At 6 months before your travel date, or earlier, you’ll want to start planning your activities. Many of the popular activities book up quickly, so you want to have a game plan on what you want to book and for which dates. However, you won’t actually have to book most activities until around 3 months.
Book Hotels
Hotels typically release rooms 12 months out. And the best, most affordable rooms in the best locations will book up early, especially for peak travel times like cherry blossom season, so be sure to book early!
Looking to do a stay at a Ryokan? Ryokans typically don’t release rooms until 3 – 6 months in advance. They are often small places with only a few rooms. So if you have your heart set on a specific ryokan, make sure you do your research to understand when they will release rooms. Then be ready to book as soon as they are released.
When to Book activities
There is quite a long list of attractions in Japan that book up immediately (some within seconds) of being released. So if any of these are on your list, you’re going to want to make sure you mark your calendar for the date they release, and have a game plan for how to book.
Important Japan Activities to Book
Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea: You can purchase 2 months early. Buying tickets can be a complicated process because often Disneyland Tokyo website doesn’t accept non-Japanese credit cards, but you can buy through approved 3rd party agents like Klook. Tickets likely won’t sell out immediately, however, we still do recommend purchasing as soon as possible after they are released.
Universal Studios Japan: Park tickets and Express Pass tickets are released 2 months out. The Express Passes sell out quite quickly, and you likely won’t be able to visit Super Nintendo World without a timed ticket. We recommend booking the day they are released.
TeamLabs Planets OR TeamLabs Borderless: Tickets go on sale 2-3 months in advance. Tickets don’t sell out immediately, but they will sell out. You’ll want to get them as soon as you can.
Tokyo Skytree: Tickets are released 30 days in advance. Sunset and later in the afternoon will sell out quickly, but the less ideal times will remain available longer. They also release tickets the day of for a higher price, but there are no guarantees that anything will be available.
Shibuya Sky: Tickets are released 30 days in advance. Sunset and late afternoon will sell out quite quickly, but other times may remain available 2-3 weeks in advance.
Themed Cafes: Each themed cafe will have different release reservations at a different time, and some are certainly more popular than others. If there is a particular themed cafe you are interested in, make sure you research when they release reservations and set a reminder on your calendar to book on that day. In general, you can expect many themed cafes to release reservations about 3 months in advance.
Super-tough to Book Tickets
Some popular Japanese activities are really tough to book, with tickets or reservations slots booking up completely in seconds (or less!). If these activities are on your list, you’ll need to do some preparation, have a game plan, and a flexible schedule for your best chance at success in booking. Don’t get discouraged- it is possible to get those reservations!
Ghibli Museum: Tickets for the subsequent month go on sale at 10am JST on the 10th. For example, Tickets for the whole month of April will go on sale March 10th at 10am JST. So that means, if you are in Pacific Time Zone, (and depending if its daylight savings or not) you’ll need to buy your tickets at 6pm on March 9th. This is important because you need to be in the queue the second tickets are released to have a chance at booking them.
Things change all the time, so check Reddit for up to date tips and tricks on booking. But what worked for us was getting into the waiting room (before queuing begins) at around 9:30am JST, 30 minutes before tickets go on sale. Everyone in the waiting room is then placed randomly in the queue at exactly 10am. It also seemed like being on a Japanese VPN, if that’s possible for you, gets you a better place in the queue.
Ghibli Park: Tickets are released at 10am JST on the 10th of the month for the month after the following month. Confused? For example, tickets for all of July will go on sale May 10th at 10am JST. You can expect Premium Pass, which allows you to enter a few more buildings, to sell out almost immediately. The regular pass will sell out minutes later. So definitely mark your calendar and be ready to book.
Pokemon Cafe: These reservations may be the hardest reservations to get in Japan. Reservations are released at 6pm 31 days in advance. The reservations go instantly, so you have to have fast fingers and a fast browser, and you may still end up disappointed. The only upside is that you can try again for every day of your trip.
Like other hard to get tickets, Reddit is a good resource for the most up to date tips for booking success. Another option is to use a booking service. We have VIP Pokemon Cafe Booking, found on Facebook. Using this service is my recommendation, if you want to go to Pokemon Cafe, because those reservations are just so hard to get. So many people try and end up disappointed. Current prices are $20USD for successful reservation with 1-4 people and $30USD for 5-8 people. Of course, they aren’t guaranteed to get you a spot, but your chances of getting a reservation using that service is quite good!
Kirby Cafe: Kirby Cafe is another extremely difficult to get reservation. Kirby Cafe reservations are released at 6pm JST on the 10th of the month for the following month. For example, every reservation in the month of May would be released at 6pm Japan time on April 10th. Just like Pokemon cafe, all the reservations are available at the same time- no queue once reservations open. So you’ll need fast fingers and fast internet, and that may not be enough.
VIP Pokemon Cafe Booking, found on Facebook, will also book Kirby Cafe reservations for you for $20 for 1-4 people. And we recommend using them, or another booking service if Kirby Cafe is on your list. Our experience was that getting a reservation is almost impossible. And because all reservations for the month are released at once, you only get one shot.
Phones
Getting set up for mobile service while in Japan doesn’t require a ton of advanced planning. But you will want to have a plan before you get there. You have a few options.
- Check with your mobile carrier for international plan availability and pricing. Be sure to check data limits.
- Use a SIM card. You can order one ahead of time to pick up at the airport in Japan, or you can wait in line.
- Use a mobile hot spot. We like this option because multiple people can connect to the hot spot for one price. Ninja WIFI is a great option.
Medicine
One super important, and easy to miss thing to know about Japan is that their laws on medication don’t match the laws in the U.S. And some prescription drugs are completely banned, even if you’ve obtained them legally outside of Japan. So if you are traveling with prescription drugs, you can end up inadvertently breaking the law.
One common drug issue is with stimulant medications commonly prescribed as a treatment for ADHD. But if you are planning to travel into Japan with any prescription drugs, you’ll want to review the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare of Japan website for the most up-to-date, accurate information. For many drugs, you are allowed to bring a 30 day supply, but again, this won’t apply to every drug.
Packing
For family vacation to Japan, packing smart is important! There a few things to keep in mind when packing for your family vacation to Japan.
Pack light!
Packing light when you are traveling as a family, is tough but worthwhile for a trip to Japan. Travel throughout Japan is primarily on public transit. So getting around with a huge suitcase in hand is quite difficult. This is especially true if you’ll be moving hotels frequently. Even if you take a taxi or rent a car, expect smaller cars, and smaller spaces in general in Japan.
Also, there are a million amazing things to buy in Japan- packing light means that you’ll be able to carry an extra bag home, if you so desire.
Comfortable shoes and clothing
Expect to walk a LOT in Japan. My family, and many others I’ve spoken with, walk well over 15,000 steps per day while in Japan. Plus, its not uncommon to need to stand on the train, especially if you’re traveling during normal commute hours for Japanese workers. Comfortable shoes and clothing you can comfortably walk in are a necessity for everyone in your family! For babies and toddlers who cannot yet walk that distance, make sure you are set up to comfortably carry them in a baby carrier or push a stroller.
Weather
The weather in Japan will vary widely depending on which part of the country you are visiting, and what time of year. Make sure you research the weather at your destination and during the time of year of your visit. Weather can be anywhere from hot and extremely humid, to frigid with tons of snow.
If you want all the details on what to pack for a family trip to Japan, check out our article here.
What to expect
While planning a trip to Japan can be a LOT of work, the trip itself will likely feel a lot easier. Japan is clean and safe. As travelers, we’ve always felt welcome. But there are a few things you may be wondering about for your trip.
Restaurants
Dining in Japan is easy because, well, basically every restaurant has great food. So religiously checking restaurant reviews, or looking for the ‘best’ restaurant in the area really isn’t necessary, in my opinion. Even low cost restaurants have excellent, made-from-scratch meals (think hand cut udon, delicious broths, crispy tempura vegetables, delicious, melt-in-your-mouth sushi).
We had heard that many restaurants won’t allow children. However, this seems to only be the case for smaller children who likely won’t eat much, and for teeny, tiny (like 5 seats total) restaurants. We also avoid multi-course, super ‘fancy’ restaurants with my kids simply because they don’t enjoy it. If this is something you are interested in, just check in with the restaurant. And remember that Japanese people are very polite and hesitate saying no, so anything other than an enthusiastic ‘yes’ may mean it’s not the best place for a child.
Transportation
Public transit in Japan really is as good as you’ve heard. It can be a little tricky in the beginning, but signs are in English, and there are plenty of staff around to help if anything goes wrong. Public transit in Tokyo is the best, but even in smaller cities, things are efficient and will get you everywhere you need to go. However, taking public transit means walking a lot more than what you are used it, if you typically drive everywhere.
One important thing to remember if you are traveling with kids- everyone is very quiet on the train. Japanese people are very accepting of children acting like children. However, it doesn’t hurt to bring something to keep them entertained and quiet on the train.
People and Culture
There are a few cultural norms and unwritten rules you’ll want to be aware of before visiting Japan. The biggest one is that people in Japan are quiet and courteous, so talking loudly in trains, restaurants, or even on the sidewalk is not the norm. However, we never felt judged even when my kids were a little too loud or rowdy. Children seem to be the exception here.
Even though convenience stores are everywhere, avoid walking and eating. And make sure you never drop your garbage on the ground. Public garbage cans are few and far between, so plan to carry any trash for a while.
Tipping is not the norm and some will consider it offensive. However, compliments and a sincere bow and thank you/Arigatou gozaimasu to service staff will be appreciated.
Planning a family vacation to Japan is an adventure in itself- there is just so much to see and do! From exploring the bustling streets of Tokyo and the historic temples of Kyoto to enjoying thrilling theme parks and relaxing in natural hot springs, Japan is an amazing family vacation destination we know you’ll love! Happy travels!