Mountains & Temples & Trains (Oh My!)—A Guide to Japan with Kids

TeamLab Planets Tokyo is the perfect place to spend a few hours if you need to get out of the rain or bad weather. I would describe it as a highly interactive electronic arts space with plenty for kids to do and see and touch. They also have a small ramen restaurant on site as well as a donut truck.

While in Hakone, we visited the Open Air Museum, which is a large outdoor space with sculptures as well as an indoor Picasso exhibit. One of the highlights was the long foot onsen right outside the café. This was a perfect place to stop and rest our feet after getting in 20,000 steps each day.

We loved the Dotonbori area in Osaka! Be warned—it’s loud and chaotic and may not be for everyone (especially noise-sensitive kids). There is a lot to see in this area, including a Pokémon Center, Kirby Cafe, and tons of claw machine arcades.

The Kiyomizu-dera (Buddhist temple) in Kyoto had stunning views of the city, and the walk up is lined with lots of shops and restaurants. Our son is a big Snoopy fan, so we of course had to stop at Snoopy Chocolat for some Snoopy-themed ice cream. My personal favorite area in Kyoto was Pontocho Alley. This area has a very romantic feel at night, as the alley is lit with lanterns, and you'll find some great bars and restaurants should you have an opportunity to hire a sitter for an evening!

The second-to-last stop on our Japan journey was Takayama. The train from Kyoto to Takayama alone was worth it. You’ll get to see some of the stunning Japanese mountainside. On the train back from Takayama to Tokyo via Nagoya, we paid extra to be on the Mount Fuji side and had great views of the mountain for several minutes of the ride. While in Takayama, you can take a 50-minute bus ride to the UNESCO site Shirakawa-go. If being on a bus that long isn’t your thing, the Hida Folk Village is easily accessible and worth a visit.

Last but not least, a trip to Tokyo with kids wouldn't be complete without a stop at Disney! This was a great way to end the trip and something the kids could look forward to. We felt like one full day at the park was plenty after spending a week and a half train-hopping around Japan.

One of my husband’s fondest memories of his time in Okinawa was eating at a casual Japanese curry chain called CoCo ICHIBANYA—if you’re military, you’ve probably heard of it. They had one in just about every city on our list, and it was the perfect place for a good, quick, kid-friendly meal.

Don’t skip the ramen restaurant at TeamLab Planets Tokyo! Their vegan ramen was one of the best meals of our entire trip. My family is pescatarian/vegetarian, but even for our mostly carnivorous friends traveling with us, it was a big hit.

We ate a lot of sushi over the course of 12 days, as you do while in Japan. There isn’t a single place that stood out to me as it was all delicious, from the sushi box meals at the train stations to the sushi stands at the markets. However, if you’re traveling with kids (who enjoy sushi), I highly recommend you find a conveyor belt sushi spot that delivers the sushi via little train cars! My son loved the experience and wanted to keep ordering more food.

One of the most memorable meals we had during our entire trip was at Nogawa in the Takayama old town area. It wasn’t so much the food, but the experience. No frills, and it felt very much like a place where locals eat. The women who worked here were the sweetest people. If you’re looking for a casual spot for noodle dishes, this is it!

Last but not least, I highly recommend finding a place to try an authentic Japanese breakfast. We stumbled upon a small woman-owned café just a five-minute walk from Kyoto Station, Cafe Corbeau. The menu is minimal, ingredients are fresh, and they also sell fresh-baked goods and bread. My breakfast consisted of onigiri, miso soup, scrambled eggs, and two different vegetable dishes. It still lives rent-free in my head.