ATTRACTIONS IN JAPAN

The JR West Kyoto Railway Museum (京都鉄道博物館), formerly the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum, was expanded and modernized, and reopened in April 2016. It is the newest and largest railway museum in Japan surpassing JR East`s Omiya Railway museum in Saitama (30 minutes from Shinjuku Station) and JR Central`s SC Maglev …

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 …

The Haneda Airport Observation Deck is a great place to spend the afternoon with your kids – and toddlers. The observation areas allow aviation enthusiasts to hear the roar of the jet engines as they arrive and depart the runway, the enclosed space allows your kids to run around freely, and there …

I needed a few big pieces of artwork for my Airbnbs and found a few old shoji screens, so I crafted some washi shoji screens. Shoji are the wooden screens that Japanese homes traditionally use to separate rooms. However, in newer homes they are less popular due to the lack …

Himonya Park (碑文谷公園)  is a lovely place to take your young kids. Neighborhood children love the free petting zoo where they can get nose to nose with guinea pigs, rabbits and dogs; 200 yen pony rides, boat rides in the enclosed lake, and the playground. It`s beautiful for short strolls around the lake, …

A nicely manicured walk with flowers and green starting at Nakameguro and ending in Sangenjaya is the Jakuzure Green River Way / Jakuzure walking path. In the past the Jakuzure River, also known as the “noisy river”, flooded frequently during typhoon season so the city decided to cover it and …

You can’t visit Tokyo without a trip to Meiji Jingu, the most famous shrine in Japan. Here are some fun and interesting Meiji Jingu Trivia to inspire and challenge big and small minds alike.  To understand and associate with Japanese culture, you should definitely visit Meiji Jingu. Meiji Jingu was …

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. …

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 …

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 …

Looking for a quick fun craft to keep your tribe busy and cool this summer? Try a summer fans craft. I bought a few paper fans at the local Daiso 100 yen store and had fun with the kids. A quick and cheap craft which will also be very useful over …

Looking for the Best Tokyo Parks for Kids’ Bicycling? Before heading out to the sidewalks and streets of Tokyo try practicing in a safe kid-friendly environment.  Here are our favorite parks that we love taking our kids. Once your kids are bicycle veterans, try the Rainbow Bridge/Odaiba adventure  If you …

If you love nature walks, bird watching or insect hunting then Rinshi no Mori (林試の森公園) is the park to visit. The 120,762.91 sq m park is home to several hundred Japanese and foreign trees, some as old as 100+ years! There are a number of walking paths and large signboards …

The VR Park Tokyo located near Shibuya Station is an excellent virtual reality park for people on a schedule. You can reserve your spot for 110 mins of an unlimited experience of action fighting and thrill sports games. We arrived at 10:00 and were second in line to buy tickets …

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku has one of the best views of Tokyo, and it is free (well Taxpayers are footing the bill). From Tokyo Tower on a clear day, you can see the fantastic size of Tokyo from Mt Fuji in the west, Tokyo Bay to the …

Myoukenzan Yutenji Temple is a Jodo (pure) Sect of Buddhism established about 300 years ago. The temple launched a free smartphone app, a bilingual (English and Japanese) video guide to the history and origins of the Temple buildings. Download the app, obtain an app map at the main temple office, …

Do you know about the Azabu Juban sculpture walk?  If you have ever walked down the main Azabu Juban shopping street, you probably have seen a few sculptures. However, did you know there are 16 sculptures that have been collected and installed in Azabu Juban since 1968. These sculptures are …

Space Athletic Tondemi opened their second location in Heiwajima, Tokyo. This is following the huge success of Space Athletic in Makuhari Chiba (トンデミ). Space Atheletic is a great indoor activity center to spend 90 mins bouncing, climbing and running. There is also a Tondemi in Mie-ken and one opening in …

Sayama Berry Land (Saitama-ken) (狭山ベリーランド) has one of the largest blueberry farms in the Tokyo area with over 50 types of berries and 2,000 bushes. The blueberry bushes are in covered mesh houses. Here are other great places to visit in Saitama with kids They have two parking areas; one …

Have a kid who love things that go? Trains, planes & cars we got you covered. Our sons were obsessed with transportation when they were 3-5 years olds so we have first hand experience at all of the recommended locations. Whether a museum, interactive experience or shopping all of our …

Tokyo Dome City (東京ドームシティ ) may not be on your top 25 Tokyo Bucket List for families, but it should be on the top 50 if you live or are visiting Tokyo for an extended amount of time. Tokyo Dome City includes the Tokyo Dome (home of the Yomiuri Giants & the …

Check out our Tokyo Splash Parks and Wading Pool recommendations. A free or very inexpensive way to keep cool (er) in the sticky hot Japan summer. Most Tokyo area wading pools are open from July 1st through mid-September, although there are a few splash ponds that open in June. Here …

Our family is very loyal Yomiuri Giants fans, so we highly recommend going to see a Giants baseball game when in Japan. Here are some quick tips on How to Buy Japan Baseball tickets, and have a great time with the family! However, regardless of if you follow a baseball …

Don’t let the fact that the Sunshine Aquarium is located on the top of a shopping center sway you from visiting. The Sunshine Aquarium (renovated in 2017) is a great city aquarium where kids and adults can view a variety of ocean and freshwater fish and aquatic mammals. The Sunshine …

Zoorasia Japan is by far our favorite zoo outside Tokyo. It`s more like a walking safari than a zoo. It`s spacious and beautifully maintained with a variety of animals from around the world. For 800 yen per adult, 300 yen for middle & high school aged kids, 200 for elementary and …