Japan with kids brought a wide range of fun and stimulating kid-friendly activities to our family! A 10-hour direct flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) with a 2 and 4-year-old may sound intimidating, but by following our flying with kids guidelines which can be found here, we enjoyed the majority (obviously not all) of the journey. A 2-3 hour nap time during the middle leg of the flight, and jumping from one activity to the next, was the key. Enough about flights, since what it comes down to is just doing it, with the final destination being the driving force that stimulates the journey. Now to Japan!

Are you interested in other family getaways with kids and toddlers? Read more here:

• Fiji with Kids
• Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite – Perfect Fall Getaway
• 30+ Weekend Getaways from San Francisco with Kids
• How to Pack for a Family of 4 in 1 Bag & Save Money

Leg 1 of 4: Tokyo

Our first official day in Japan started at the crack of dawn due to jet lag – we woke up at 1:00 am and decided to trek to a 7-Eleven for a pre-sunrise breakfast (by the way 7-Eleven and other local convenience stores in Japan have quality food – much better than the US). Luckily, we slept again between 4:00 – 6:00 am, which gave us the juice to officially get our trip to Hiroshima underway. From Tokyo’s Shinagawa Station, we took the high-speed Shinkansen (train) to Hiroshima. Beautiful views of Mount Fuji and Japan’s countryside complemented our fun and easy journey with the kids, who were playing Sega’s Sonic Dash on their i-Pads and crushing snacks with active smiles on their faces.

Our arrival to Hiroshima was very special, as this was the city Emily spent the majority of her early years in life – from 2-14 years old. Introducing Emily’s hometown to Henry and Andrew was emotional and beautiful, and the Airbnb we stayed on top of a hill and near the city center, was perfect for our family’s itinerary and soaking in the views. Although it was a steep hill to climb up for the 4 days we spent in Hiroshima, it was a good way to stay in shape and toughen up our family. The park at the bottom of the hill (under 5-minute walk), and a very quaint neighborhood with convenient grocery stores and restaurants, was perfect for our family’s stay.

Hiroshima had a wide variety of kid-friendly activities for us. Day one brought us to the historic, emotional, and beautiful Peace Memorial Park. Although the history of the origin of Peace Memorial Plaza is heavy and sad, the beauty, hope, and optimism it brought was very meaningful for our family to recognize how fortunate we are and the positive influence we can bring to the world. Since we visited the park early on a cold Winter morning, we quickly walked to the downtown Hiroshima shops to get warm tasty treats and toys for the kids to keep their travel interests strong. The highlight for the kids was renting out our personal Karaoke room for one-hour at 9:00 am (yes, super early), followed by a Pokémon World shop at a nearby mall. All of these activities were accomplished on foot.

Miyajima was our next destination in the Hiroshima area. This world-famous island, known for its Itsukushima Shrine (which was unfortunately closed at the time for renovation) is the perfect day escape from Hiroshima. In just over an hour by train, plus a beautiful 15-minute boat ride across the bay, you are greeted by friendly deer (sometimes overly friendly, especially if you have food – take care), breathtaking scenery, mouth-watering Japanese cuisine (especially the oysters!), a beach for the kids to run around and play on, and various iconic temples and shrines. We spent the entire day there, and it continues to leave a positive mark on our family’s memory.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in Hiroshima was as special as it gets for our family. The New Year’s celebration in Japan brings a strong spiritual, food, and games component that delivers a deep and taste bud tingly enjoyment to the holiday. We spent our New Year’s Eve browsing through the Hiroshima Castle and its temple and shrine. The entire park surrounding the castle was lined with endless food and games tents and booths. From grilled and fried seafood and traditional Japanese bites and plates to kid-friendly carnival-like games, we had a blast. The cold Japanese beer also helped carry us close to midnight. Although we did not make it to midnight, it was totally worth the experience.

Leg 3 of 4: Osaka

Emily’s Mom, Kazuko (a.k.a. Mama or G-Mama to Henry and Andrew), grew up in Osaka which deepened the homegrown theme of our trip. Emily’s parents also just bought a house in a small coastal town 45 minutes from downtown Osaka called Misaki-Cho, which was the focal point of our time in Osaka. The Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Osaka was a bit over two hours, and we were super excited to spend time on the coast in Japan’s food capital, Osaka. Here we go!

Downtown Osaka is bustling and has a ton of character. We only spent one day cruising through the downtown area, which for us and our two young ones, was plenty. Osaka’s downtown Minami or Namba area had many shops and restaurants that kept us stimulated for hours.

When we returned to Misaki-Cho, the quaint coastal town welcomed us at a very hometown level. From the new home in Misaki-Cho, we were able to walk to the Osaka Bay’s rocky but pleasant beaches in five minutes and a couple of cute parks with jungle gyms for the kids to swing around on. Also, in five minutes by foot, there was an impressively large and active amusement park with many kid-friendly rides, games, and a fun dolphin show, which included fantastic views of Osaka Bay. The most local and delicious Japanese-style seafood restaurant you can imagine awaited us for our pre-nap meal, and we returned to this same unforgettable restaurant multiple times during our six-day stay.

Misaki-Cho’s location was also ideal for short excursions to beautiful mountainous and coastal destinations. On the mountain front, we drove about 1.5 hours each way to the famous Nara Buddha and Todaiji Temple, which was located in a very scenic park that included dozens of food vendors on the trail to the gigantic Buddha. The distance from the parking lot to the Buddha was just right for our family, just over one mile each way, and plenty of food, drinks, and deer to keep everyone interested (once again, take care of your food around the deer – food is a strong magnet between you and the deer). On the coastal side, we stayed overnight in an Onsen (hot spring) hotel in Wakayama, which was a quick 30-minute drive from Misaki-Cho. The views of the vast Wakayama Bay from our hotel room and the hot springs were amazing – just gorgeous. The kids joined us in the hot springs as well, which they enjoyed. Also, to take it up a notch, the hotel had a fun game center and a private Karaoke room – so much fun, especially when Emily’s Dad Andy (Papa or G-Papa to Henry and Andrew) sings Weezer’s Island in the Sun! The next morning we checked out the sandy beaches in the Wakayama area, and although it was in the middle of Winter, we dreamed of the warm Summer days that await us when we return to the Osaka area!

Leg 4 of 4: Tokyo

Tokyo was surprisingly kid-friendly. For the three days (which was the perfect amount) we spent in Tokyo, there were plenty of fun activities that we all enjoyed. We stayed in an Airbnb near the Ueno area, which was right around the corner from the Tokyo Sky Tree. Being the tallest tower in the world, it was always easy to spot where we were staying, and the multiple easy-to-use transportation options (bus and train) made it easy for us to get around.

To launch our stay in Tokyo, we rocketed up 2,080 feet to the top of the Tokyo Sky Tree. The views of Tokyo were unbelievable, and the kids had a blast! We ended our day at the In ‘n Out or Five Guys of Japan, Mos Burger – it was delicious and an easy way for our ruckus of a family to eat a meal at a “restaurant”.

The next morning we surprised the kids with news that we were headed to Tokyo Disneyland – a win-win since we all love Disneyland. The super easy and comfortable one-hour bus ride from Tokyo Sky Tree station brought us directly to the front gates, and the rest was history – Light Savers, rides, fun snacks, and drinks. Since our family believes that staying out and active with the kids creates the most fun, we took a one-hour’ish nap on the bus ride back and went straight to an “all you can eat and drink” restaurant – Emily and I had to throw-in an adult activity or two to keep our hip youth not too distant in our memory.

Our final day in Tokyo brought equal joy and excitement to our family. Starting with a walk through the majestically beautiful Ueno Park (which is comparable to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park), we “peacefully” walked through to enjoy the sites (it was not Cherry Blossom season, but that is where you go when it is), ate grilled Tako (octopus in Japanese) from one of the multiple food vendors along the way, and played at a jungle gym located in the middle of the park. To top our day, and our trip to Japan, we hit a goldmine for the kids – Tokyo Dome City! Located right next to the Tokyo Dome, where the now 2021 Olympics will be held, there was a fantastic, super kid-friendly amusement park with rides, games, and quality kid-friendly restaurants. We ended the day by taking a ride on the Big O, a center-less Ferris Wheel that had Karaoke machines in its gondolas – of course we rocked out on those while sitting on the top of Tokyo!

That is a wrap on our adventure to Japan, and we will be back – arigatou gozaimasu and sayonara!!

Are you interested in other family getaways with kids and toddlers? Read more here:

• Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite – Perfect Fall Getaway
• 30+ Weekend Getaways from San Francisco with Kids
• How to Pack for a Family of 4 in 1 Bag & Save Money

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Have you been to Japan with your toddlers? Share us any thoughts you have in the comments or contact us!