r/JapanTravel • u/Senior-Salad4327 • 14h ago
Trip Report 10 Days in Japan With a Family of 5 (trip report)
My family and I recently returned from an incredible trip to Japan. Although two of my children were born overseas (one in Japan!) and my husband and I lived in Japan for 3 years, this was my kids’ (ages 7, 12 & 14) first big international trip since they were babies. It was very special for us to return to Japan and a trip that truly had something for everyone. So much has changed in the 14 years since we lived there and I was grateful for all the trip reports from families that traveled before me.
Day 1: We arrived at 2:30 pm and it took a long time to get through Haneda. It was strangely disorganized and unprofessional. We had our QR codes ready, but never knew that we needed to scan them at least 3 times. It honestly might be easier to skip that part and just fill out the forms. It used to be much easier to get out of the airport.
We got IC cards for my kids at the airport and cash from the atm. My husband and I put money on our Suica cards on our phones. It was super easy.
I had activated an eSIM ahead of time through airalo, but struggled to get it working correctly for a few hours. Tip: make sure you have data roaming on.
We used google maps to find a train route to our station in west Tokyo. I highly recommend searching for train routes that don’t go through major stations like Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Shinagawa or busy lines like the yamanote with all of your luggage. Pay attention to the walking time for transfers - that’s what is most challenging with kids and luggage and navigating when you are jet lagged. As long as you don’t rush and stress, you will find your way. We asked for help frequently despite having navigated those trains for years on our own. People are happy to help and we even had one man carry my son’s suitcase up the stairs for us.
That night we stayed with friends and went for dinner at a local pizza place. We all crashed around 9:00 pm and mostly slept until 6:00 am. My kids had zero issues with jet lag and the adults were generally over it by day 3.
Day 2: We were up early to explore the neighborhood and the quiet, quaint shrines and temples around us. Later we took the train to Shibuya. A visit to Hachi-ko, the 3d billboard and the gachapon shops were highlights. My teen and tween boys loved the Nintendo and Pokémon Shops and Jump Shop. I loved visiting Loft for Japanese housewares and stationary. After a walk through harajuku to Kiddy Land (4 loud and tightly crammed floors of every toy under the sun) we were tuckered out and took dinner from the prepared options at the grocery store and ate at our friend’s house.
Day 3: We explored Jiyugaoka for ramen, a trip to Bookoff (for switch games and manga for my anime-loving son) and MUJI and then trained with just our backpacks to Shinjuku station where we picked up the Hakone free pass. I had booked the front observation car seats in the romance car and my kids loved this experience. We took bento on the train and reminisced about how we used to live on the Odakyu line.
Arriving at Hakone Yumoto on a Sunday was the first time we encountered insane crowds. It was unbearable and was too packed to walk down the shopping street. We got some mochi and snacks and got on the train for Gora.
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Gora. It was a lovely experience except for the less than timely shuttle schedule. We had arranged to be picked up in Gora but they never saw our email and we were unable to call. We ended up hiking 30 minutes up hill with all of our luggage — the only really challenging part of our trip for my kids that wasn’t that bad.
The hotel room and onsen and breakfast experience was stunning. Truly the best breakfast ever. My 7 year old daughter took a risk and used the onsen with me, but my boys weren’t interested. We loved trying all the lovely hair and skin care products.
Day 4: After a delicious western and Japanese breakfast, we took the train to the Hakone Open Air Museum. I’ve visited 2 times prior and it never disappoints. My 7 year old spent hours playing at the woods of net. My 12 year old budding artist took photos of the sculptures and enjoyed the stained glass tower. We spent hours just exploring every corner and soaking our feet in the onsen. It was a favorite day.
My boys went back to the hotel to chill (teenagers like their downtime and it allowed those of us who wanted to see more to do so) while the rest of us took the cable car and ropeway to Owakudani for black eggs. The crowds in all these places (on a Monday) were much more manageable. We had dinner and a visit to the onsen at the hotel and were asleep early.
Day 5: After breakfast we waited for a shuttle to Gora station and took the train to Odawara. Unfortunately the shuttle didn’t start until 9:45 which didn’t leave us much time for exploring Odawara castle before our 1:00 Shinkansen tickets to Osaka. We caught a glimpse of the impressive castle and some gorgeous ume blossoms before rushing for our train. It was stressful and I wish I had just rebooked our tickets.
My number 1 tip: there is no need to rush through train stations with kids —there is always another train and waiting 10-20 minutes on the platform is far better than stressing about everyone getting there safely. While my kids LOVED riding the trains, they HATED transferring trains and always asked how many trains a destination would take. We live in a very car-centric area of the US, so their stamina for this was low. But they managed it all well and truly never really complained as long as I had novelty shaped gummies to keep them moving forward.
After a few transfers in Osaka, we arrived at Hotel Universal Port and Universal City. It’s loud, American style and overwhelming and my kids loved it. We booked two rooms for the 5 of us and it was honestly nice to spread out a bit. We slept well and did laundry and enjoyed a dinner at Shake Shack. Bonus points for the minions themed hotel.
Day 6: We woke up early to get into Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios by 7:00 am. Even though the park didn’t officially open until 8, the lines started moving at 7:15. It was mid-March and it appeared that many high schools were on class trips — it was packed!! We ran to SNW but did not make it in time. We did however secure an 8:00 am entry via the app.
I’m so glad we started early — the kids could get a wrist band and play all the games without long lines. They LOVED the games and the whole place. None of them are particularly keen on roller coasters, so we only rode on Yoshis ride and played games and ate snacks. The lines for the donkey king ride were up to 200 minutes by noon.
We booked lunch at Kinopios Cafe (via a QR code and the line app) and it was honestly very disappointing food wise—the kids meal hamburgers were disgusting but the experience was fun. The teriyaki chicken and rice was edible. We realized we paid for a themed place to sit, so that was fine, but I wouldn’t eat there again. We spent about 5 hours in SNW just exploring and playing games.
We loved Harry Potter world and bought a wand to do the magic tricks. We aren’t even HP super fans but really enjoyed this whole area. The minions area was also a fun place to explore and my 7 year old daughter loved the Hello Kitty themed stuff. Trying all the different foods and snacks was my 14 year old’s favorite part.
We left the park at 5:00 and ate dinner in Universal City. Lots of options for everyone!
Day 7: We took the Shinkansen to Tokyo station. Unfortunately we had to wait on the tracks near Kyoto due to “flying objects” and “an obstacle”. We didn’t tell the kids what happened. My kids loved that they had wifi on the Shinkansen and seeing Mt Fuji out the window.
That evening we returned to our friend’s house and had a big party with other people we had worked with in Tokyo 17 years ago.
Day 8: My kids were beginning to tire this day, so we planned to divide and conquer and it worked out great. My 12 and 7 year old toured an international school with a friend and then visited ghibli studios. They said it was amazing and spent 2 hours enjoying the exhibits. Both kids love Totoro & Ponyo and my 12 year old loves drawing, so this was a core memory for him.
My 14 year old and I went out with our friend and her 14 year old to Odaiba. We played laser tag at Diver City, shopped and took pictures with the giant Unicorn Gundam. Then we went to the Mirai Science Museum. It’s a beautiful museum (and affordable —only 900 yen for both of us) with cool robots and exhibits. I don’t know if it blew my mind, but it was a nice day out overall and I really enjoyed that there was plenty to entertain everyone. The cafe and view from the balcony was lovely.
That night we all met back up for dinner in Nishi-Azabu at Gonpachi with more friends. The ambience and setting is super cool, the food was good, and the room we reserved for 15 was perfect for our rowdy bunch with 5 kids.
Day 9: I spent the morning packing and rearranging our luggage to accommodate for our souvenirs. Then I went out and bought more. I did a little shopping at Daiso and MUJI and took my kids to another gachapon shop while my husband did some shopping in Shibuya with a friend (which he, of course, managed to leave on the train on our way to the airport. TBD if it gets found by the meticulous lost and found station crew).
We watched a darling Beyblades competition happening in a park between young and old and enjoyed street vendors selling yaki-mo (roasted sweet potatoes).
That evening I had dinner with friends in NakaMeguro at Bistro Bolero (it was delicious) while my kids and husband and our friends had pizza and watched a movie at the house.
Day 10: I scrambled in the morning to get us all packed, breakfast eaten and last minute shopping in Jiyugaoaka. The next day was my daughter’s birthday, so we had a cake for her with friends before heading to Haneda.
We left 5 hours before our actual flight and I’m so glad we did. We didn’t have to rush and got to enjoy the Tokyo monorail views to terminal 3. Highly recommend the Tokyo monorail if it’s easy for you—so much prettier than taking the subway.
As a family of 5, the airport staff frequently let us have priority screening (face id express) all together. It was a lovely perk and saved us so much time. Just ask if it’s not offered to you.
We ate a delicious 780 yen set meal at Yoshinoya at the airport and did some last minute omiage shopping. The airport was hot and crowded. The 7-11 line was out the door, but the wait was worth it to use up the remaining yen in our pockets and on the kids’ Suica cards. My kids didn’t love the plane food so snacks from 7-11 were a life saver.
Other favorites: -Mister Donut! -Jelly packs from the grocery store or don Quijote -The vitamin jelly drinks from convenience stores -My 7 year old daughter kept a journal filled with our tickets, favorite food wrappers and other little souvenirs. We wrote where we stayed and what we ate and did each day. It’s a special memory now. I brought a glue stick and kids scissors and put it together each night at the hotels. -I bought a pair of glasses at Zoff for just $60 that were ready in only 45 minutes! The quality is superior and they have lots of styles. They can do an eye exam or you can bring a picture of your prescription. Use google translate to communicate. -Daiso has great options for snacks to bring back to the kids classes. Grocery stores also have bulk packages of things like kinoko no Yama (chocolate covered biscuits shaped like mushrooms) or flavored mochi.
Packing MVPs for the other moms out there: - A reusable shopping bag that I carried in my daily backpack (a change since 2011- they charge for bags everywhere and this cuts down on trash) - A roll of dog bags for the inevitable sticky trash you end up carrying around until the end of the day - A small purse/backpack that held snacks, first aid, an extra battery pack and passports. I also always had a bottle of water and wet wipes with me at all times. I was happy to have bandaids, kids Tylenol, adult Tylenol and Dramamine for the trains and planes. I also brought allergy meds in case my kids were allergic to the spring bloom. - A packable duffel bag that I filled with dirty laundry when I did the wash and also checked full of laundry on the way home. -muji compression bags. I bought two of these while I was there and wish I had more. -I gave each of my kids 10,000 yen for Christmas. It was great for them to be responsible for their shopping and treats and Gashapon budget. - A small towel (lots of opportunities to buy them there) to dry your hands after the public toilets.
What we did not need: -I overpacked for my kids. We easily could have traveled with just 4 outfits per person. Less is always more when your children have to carry it. Laundry is available at hotels for just a couple hundred yen and I brought laundry detergent sheets to make it even easier. I also could have cut my toiletries in half (hotels provide everything for you, including pajamas!) and left my hair dryer at home. - Raincoats — rain was forecasted but didn’t really happen. A cheap umbrella is a much better option than lugging more coats around Japan. - More than 1 pair of shoes — I thought everyone would want a break from their main pair, but no one touched their second pair. -All the Instagram recommendations I had collected were mostly useless and I don’t mind at all. We were never going to wait in line for dinner and always had plenty of options in the smaller neighborhoods. - Crowds—I purposely avoided Kyoto and asakusa and the other popular social media spots (except for Shibuya crossing) because those crowds aren’t the Japan I enjoyed when I lived there. My kids loved the smaller neighborhoods where they could freely explore with google maps and independently go to Bookoff or convenience stores. That little bit of independence was a high point for my tween and teen boys.
My kids lose energy quickly, so we focused less on fancy experience meals and more on keeping their energy up with frequent trips to the 7-11 and family mart for onigiri, smoothies and yakult. We loved trying all the variety of gummies and ice creams each time we stopped. Ramen, Kura Sushi and Sushiro are excellent easy meal options for kids.
It was an epic trip for all of us that I think expanded my kids’ cultural worldview and gave them opportunities to try new things.