Age

This Sunday, October 22 the Roppongi Area will be celebrating Halloween a week early with their 3rd annual Roppongi Halloween Jumbo (“rokuhallo” for short). They will have a costume dance parade which will start from Aoyama park through Nishi Azabu down Roppongi Avenue to Gaien East (about 2km total). Dancers, …

Late October through November is great foliage viewing in Tokyo and surrounding areas. Get on your bike or tie on your walking shoes for a full-day or couple hours of foliage touring. I recommend the following eight locations for foliage viewing in autumn. You can bike the entire loop in …

Would your child like to meet a pony in Tokyo? Yoyogi Park Ponies (代々木ポニー公園)  is a fun little pony park in the middle of Tokyo. Depending on the time of the day you attend you can feed, brush, and ride the ponies for free. Kids, aged 4 – 11 (elementary) …

Here are our recommended Fall 2017 Tokyo Museum Exhibits for Families. Enjoy the leaves and crisp air while visiting the museums in Tokyo. Lots of options from popular characters to Japanese art to keep your kids engaged and amused while learning a bit about art and science. There are six …

A beautiful autumn day so Baby and I headed out west to Tama Zoo. If you love animals and walking in the outdoors, you will love the Tama Zoo. Tama Zoo is huge at 129 acres (52H) which is about four times Ueno Zoo size. If you were to see …

If you are heading out to Hakone or Gotemba Outlets,  you will want to save two hours to visit Parcabout tree nets. Parabout is a huge trampoline, and net climbing system suspended 4-10 meters in the air between huge trees. Each climbing session is for 2 hours, and you will be …

The Tobacco & Salt Museum is a great museum for kids in upper elementary to adults to learn about the history, production, and trade of tobacco and salt. The multi-floor modern museum, opened in 2015, is beautifully laid out with multimedia, 3D some hands-on exhibits. The museum is subsidized by …

If you have children ages 5 and up I recommend you attend the Ikebukuro Life and Safety Learning Center 池袋防災館.  Sign-up to take the FREE 1 hour 40 min tour and get a full education on the risk of fire, smoke, and earthquakes. The tour leaders are retired firemen and women …

Tokyo Mini Park: Kamiyon Jidouyuen Playground, Nakameguro. What is a Tokyo Mini Park? Tokyo Mini Parks are smaller local playground parks that one would not go out of their way to visit, but a great spot if going from one location to another. Kamiyon Jidouyuen Playground is a newly renovated …

Round1 is one of my boys’ favorite place to go with their friends for a few hours of “down-time” or a birthday party. The closest ones to downtown Tokyo are Odaiba, Kawasaki, or Ikebukuro, although there are over 100 Round1 facilities in Japan, and over 10 locations in the USA. …

Nakameguro is a popular yet quiet residential neighborhood filled with unique boutique shops and cafe. The area comes alive with their Cherry Blossom festival along the Meguro River in mid spring and during their summer matsuri (festival). Tokyo One Day Itinerary: Nakameguro with Kids Start your morning off at City Bakery. …

Radio calisthenics (ラジオ体操 rajio taisō) is a free, fun and healthy family activity usually for ten mins between 6:00 – 7:00 in local parks all around Japan. If you are jet lagged find your local park and head out with a towel and some bottled water.  Here is a Japanese website …

Honshiba Park is a sliver of a park that offers train watching, a playground and petit water play park (July/Aug).   The park is conveniently located next to Tamachi Station on the JR Yamanote Line.  The playground equipment is new and the park very clean. Added bonus is that there is …

Tokyo Sea Life Park is a modern Aquarium located on the border of Tokyo and Chiba on the Bay of Tokyo. You can study sharks, eagle rays, and penguins.  It is housed in Kasai Rinkai-koen Park which is a huge public park with a massive ferris wheel, food stalls, plenty …

If you need to stock-up for your new apartment or a new seasonal wardrobe for you or the kids, there are eleven greater Tokyo area outlet centers. Japanese outlets usually offer a 30-50% discount off of department store prices – although most of the product is made specifically for outlets …

Try traveling on the Tokyo Water Bus (水上バス, Suijō Basu) for a fun and relaxing method of Tokyo travel.  If you are traveling to Odaiba, locations on the Bay in Minato-ku, or up the Sumida River to Asakusa, I recommend you try a Tokyo Water Bus especially between April – …

We love this quiet, residential area in Shibuya-ku. We often often spend our day in the Ebisu Station West Exit area then walk towards Daikanyama or the East Exit towards Ebisu Garden Place. Tokyo One Day Itinerary: Ebisu Area with Kids Crossroad Bakery is a great place to start the day – …

I grew up on a farm so crave a good burger every once in a while – very happy Umami Burger has launched in Japan. Umami Burger started in California and now has 24 branches in Las Vegas, Chicago, NYC and Tokyo!  Their whole concept is gourmet burgers which capture …

Asukayama Park not only has a great water area from early July to September but also has an old SL train and fun playground. Take a picnic and enjoy the day outside.  Getting there is half the fun – ride the oldest streetcar in Tokyo 1913 – the Toden Arakawa Streetcar from Otsuka …

Late June to early September is blueberry picking season in Japan – so here are our recommended Tokyo Area Blueberry Picking Locations 2017.   We have chosen six gardens for great half-day or one-day trips; two in Chiba-ken, two in Saitama-ken and two in Kanagawa-ken. Many of these gardens run through September, …

The Tokyo Police Museum 警察博物館 will inspire all youngsters to be a person in blue. If you are a fan of the Tokyo Fire Museum, the Police Museum is a must visit. The museum reopened in May 2017 following a one year remodel. Five floors of Tokyo police history, criminal investigation techniques …

If your child suddenly has a skin rash the cause could be heat to a virus – check out six common children’s skin rashes in Japan. The summer months in Japan are warm and moist with lots of outdoor play which can lead to skin rashes and bug bites. Inspect …

The Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo (MMAT) in collaboration with Niki Tiki are exhibiting more than 400 wooden toys from Europe focusing on toys from Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia. Kids can enjoy seeing special toys on display, learn how they`re made and play with toys in specially designated areas. This long holiday …

Yutenji Temple is holding their annual Yutenji Mitama Matsuri (祐天寺み魂まつり)  this weekend, July 16, 17 & 18, 2017. Parents and children from the neighbouring school, Yutenji kindergarten, participate by dancing in colourful yukatas every year. Grab lunch at Midorie Organic Cafe then stop by the Temple grounds late afternoon to learn about …

Yomiuriland is one of our favorite water & ride parks on our list of TOP Theme Parks in Japan. Yomiuriland Amusement Park is an all inclusive amusement ride and in the summer months water park. A 30 train ride from Shinjuku, your family can enjoy a hot day at one …