Enjoy our Family Tokyo Bucket List! Our experiences as two moms (with six kids between us), travel and lifestyle bloggers, and Airbnb hosts we are constantly asked for our “must dos and sees” in Tokyo for new families and short-term visitors. We have widdled down our over 500 activities and locations we have written about to highlight our top 30. The list below can also be used as an aggressive 3-5 day itinerary depending on the age of children and energy level. This list can be debated by everyone and anyone! Luckily Tokyo has so much to offer so augment as needed. We have grouped by areas to help plan “attack strategy.” If you have your own bucket list recommendation, please add below! Also check out our recommendations for Tokyo Nights with Kids, Free For Kids!, Open on Monday attractions, and the Tokyo Teen Checklist Attractions.
Family Tokyo Bucket List – One Week Visit or One Year Stay – See, Eat, Play
Shibuya/Omotesando/Harajuku Area
1. Shibuya Scramble & Hachiko – Shibuya train station is the second busiest train station in the world (following Shinjuku). Just outside the station is a large crossing where at every light change up to 2,500 people cross. Get lost in the excitement of crossing or gain a high view location at the Starbucks 2nd floor on the corner. To see a very crowded crossing best time to visit M-F is 8:30 – 9:30 and 7:30-8:30. While experiencing the crossing also stop and say your greetings to Hachiko (statue of the loyal dog who waited 9 years at the station for his owners return). History about Hachiko is here.
2. Meiji Jingu Shrine– Open from dawn to dusk (Opening and closing times change depending on the sun and the season). You should visit Meiji Jingu early in the a.m. to escape the crowds and enjoy the morning sounds under the huge trees. The walk to the actual shrine takes about 15-20 mins and is a lovely escape from the hustle of Tokyo. If you want to see one of the hundreds of weddings held each year in Meiji Jingu the best time to visit is between noon and 15:00.
3. Harajuku Takeshita Dori & Back Streets of Omotesando Dori – Takeshita Dori is every teenage 
girl’s dream street with accessory, clothing and make-up shops. A must have treat is a crepe or a cotton candy. However, not stroller friendly so if you have little ones put them on your shoulders. Omotesando Dori is known for the high-end western brands, but more interesting for teens are the back streets which house sports brands and Japanese brands and resell shops. Most stores open at 11:00 so enjoy your a.m. visiting Shibuya Crossing and Meiji Jingu. The roof-top Starbucks @ Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku is a great place to relax before stores open; address is 4-30-3 Jingu Mae, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo (opens at 8:30).
******Family Tokyo Bucket List – One Week Visit or One Year Stay – See, Eat, Play
4. Kiddy Land Toy Store – There are lots of great toy stores in Tokyo – here are our top picks. But Kiddy Land is famous offering the best of Japanese and Western brands. Swarming with young and old people watching can be as fun as shopping for your favorite character. Tip – don’t try to take the elevator unless you have a stroller; it takes forever. Open every day 11:00 – 21:00. Address 6-1-9 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo
5. Tonkatsu Lunch at Maisen – Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama Honten is the mecca for Tonkatsu lovers. If you are in 
Harajuku, Omotesando or Aoyama, it is the perfect place to enjoy the traditional meal of Japanese breaded fried pork. Tonkatsu (豚カツ, とんかつ, pork cutlet), is a popular Japanese dish often eaten at home made by deep-frying a breaded pork cutlet.
6. Nezu Museum & Garden -The Nezu Museum and Garden is one of my favorite escape relaxation locations in Tokyo. I visited the other day with all four kids, and the iris plants were in full bloom (May). However, regardless of season or exhibit the Nezu Museum & Garden is a great 1-2 hour period of escape from the busy pace of Tokyo. Spring is beautiful with cherry blossoms and azaleas, late spring iris, and the beautiful foliage.
7. Kintsugi Class – Take a class at the Best Living Japan Studio. Kintsugi (金継ぎ, きんつぎ) is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with a dusting of gold, silver or 
platinum power. The Wabi-sabi (侘寂, transience, and imperfection) technique enhances the ceramics beauty by enhancing the cracks and nicks!
******Family Tokyo Bucket List – One Week Visit or One Year Stay – See, Eat, Play
8. Glow in the Dark Bowling – A fun after dinner activity @ EST Shibuya Bowling and Game Center. EST Shibuya Bowling and Game Center has 37 bowling lanes for awesome family fun. 
This nine-floor complex can deliver hours of entertainment. There are 25 regular lanes and 12 glow in the dark lanes. There is also a Sega Game Center on the 1st floor with plenty of arcade games and photo booths.
9. Rotating Sushi Restaurant – You don’t go to a rotating sushi bar for high-quality sushi but rather for convenience, fun, and budget. At Genki Sushi in Shibuya you can order all the sushi you want via iPad then sit back and watch it delivered directly to your seat on the speedy conveyor belt. Genki Sushi is open 11:00 – midnight every day. Address: 24-8 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
******Family Tokyo Bucket List – One Week Visit or One Year Stay – See, Eat, Play
10. Karaoke – Plenty of Karaoke places in Shibuya but our favorite is Karaoke Pasera Shibuya, which is also child-friendly. It has baby and toddler-friendly rooms and meal sets. Located right before Tower Records as you walk from Shibuya station. Address: 1-22-9 Jinan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
Bay Area/Asakusa
11. Water Taxi to Asakusa – 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 – November when the temperatures are lovely on the boats. A bonus is that you can pay a small fee to take your bicycle on the boats.
12. Tokyo Tower – A trip to Tokyo Tower (東京タワー) with the kids is a must do for visitors or newly arrived Tokyo expats. Not only is the view great, but the ride up is really, really cool! The Tower opens at 8:00 so a great first stop of the day. There are two observation levels; one at 150 meters (490 ft), and the second at 249.6 meters (819 ft). You can buy a ticket to just the 1st level or a ticket to visit both.
13. Tokyo Sumo Tournament or Practice Viewing – If you want to attend a Sumo Tournament (Basho) in Tokyo you have three chances each year. Tickets for each basho go on sale approximately one month in advance. Tickets sell out very quickly so buy the 1st day they are offered online at Pia Sumo Tickets. Learn about sumo and how to purchase Tokyo Sumo tickets at the official sumo website. Sumo Tournaments are January (Hatsu Basho), 
May (Natsu Basho) and September (Aki Basho). Each tournament lasts for 15 days and runs from Sunday to Sunday. If you are able to secure tickets or not in town during the tournament season you can still view beya practice by standing outside of one of the many beya between 7:30 – 9:30 in the Ryogoku area. When the Tournaments are taking place they are not practicing. Check the sumo website for the tournament schedule. Here are two recommended Stables. Tokyo Arashi Beya, 2-47-2, Hama-cho Nihonbashi Chuo-ku Tokyo and Dewanoumi-Beya Sumo, 2-3-15 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo. If you are a die-hard Sumo lover you may also enjoy the Sumo Museum in Ryogoku (next door to the Edo-Tokyo Museum).
******Family Tokyo Bucket List – One Week Visit or One Year Stay – See, Eat, Play
14. Edo-Tokyo Museum – Great museum to understand Tokyo history from hundreds of years of ago to present day. The Edo-Tokyo Museum (江戸東京博物館 Edo Tōkyō Hakubutsukan) in Ryogoku is one of our favorite edutainment (education-entertainment) and we attend at least once a year. Opened in 1993 the permanent exhibitions include; the life-size replica of the Nihonbashi, which was the bridge leading into Edo, the Nakamuraza theatre, and scale models of towns and buildings
from the Edo, Meiji and Shōwa periods.
15. Eat Ramen for Lunch – If you are crazing ramen Ichiran Ramen in Asakusa Ichiran is a large family friendly shop with awesome ramen. Ichiran is located at HK Asakusa Bldg. B1F, 1-1-16 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo.
16. Sensoji Temple – This Buddist temple is the oldest temple in Tokyo and the most popular. Enjoy the long approach (Nakamichi Dori) stopping to buy warm bean paste 
sweets and gifts for folks at home. As you near the temple get your fortune, ward off bad luck and spirits with smoke and then make an offering at the temple. Throw a five yen coin into the temple offering. “Go en” (five yen) is said to bring good luck. If you have time, it is also fun to take a rickshaw ride around the Asakusa neighborhood. Before you approach the temple I highly recommend you visit the Asakusa Culture Tourism Information Center -2-18-9 Kaminarimon, Taito-ku, Tokyo – the view from the 8th floor is perfect to see the entire temple complex from above. The washrooms are also very clean so take a break before venturing on. The Asakusa Center is open every day from 9:00 – 20:00.
******Family Tokyo Bucket List – One Week Visit or One Year Stay – See, Eat, Play
17. Hanayashiki Amusement Park – If you have “templed out” the kids visiting Sensō-ji in the morning, a 2-3 hour visit to Hanayashiki 
Amusement Park is the perfect afternoon. Located immediately behind Sensō-ji (a top 3 place to visit on most Tokyo trip lists) it is the oldest amusement park in Japan. The Hanayashiki Amusement Park offers over 20 rides and amusements which are sure to please toddlers to teens. The space is small, but it is jam-packed with retro rides, festival games, haunted houses and even a BBQ area for lunch. It is pay-per-ride so stay for 30 mins or a few hours.
18. Kappabashi & Make Plastic Food – Kappabashi Kitchen Town, Tokyo is a cook’s shopping paradise. There are over 180 cooking, kitchen and restaurant supply stores extended over six blocks. Here even the kitchen sink is for sale – every pot and pan, serving dish, utensil and kitchen appliance that a cook can imagine. Kappabashi is located between Ueno and Asakusa so
you can combine it with a temple or museum visit and have an exhausting but wonderful day!
Have you ever wondered how to make plastic food samples? You can enjoy making food samples the old fashioned way with wax at Ganso Sample in Kappabashi, Tokyo. Spend an hour taking a class and take home some fun plastic food. Details here.
******Family Tokyo Bucket List – One Week Visit or One Year Stay – See, Eat, Play
Ginza/Tsukiji/Odaiba
19. Imperial Palace East Garden – Open from 9:00 each day this green space is a good way to start the day. Spend about 45 mins wondering the garden while getting a brief overview of the moat and wall around the Imperial Palace.
20. Kabuki Viewing Short Act- In all my years in Japan I have attended Kabuki once and have to admit I found the four hours+ show a tad long for my attention. However, I did love the experience. I recommend to all visitors and residents that they should see Kabuki but 
try a short act first which is both economical in yen and time. Every day the Kabukiza Theater in Ginza sells one act or short act tickets which range between 18 – 45 mins in viewing time and cost 600-2,000 yen. The Tokyo Kabukiza schedule is here in English.
21. Visit a department store food basement (Depachika) – Depachika means Department store basement. Japanese basement floors are epicures of the finest bread, meats, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, beverages, and desserts. Pick-up a picnic or grab some dinner to take home. After 18:00 many of the items are deeply discounted. Here are some of our favourite depepachikas:
- Shinjuku Takashimaya 5-24-2 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku
- Ginza Mitsukoshi 4-6-16 Ginza, Chuo-ku
- Shibuya Tokyu Toyoko-ten 2-24-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku
- Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi ,1-4-1 Muromachi, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku
******Family Tokyo Bucket List – One Week Visit or One Year Stay – See, Eat, Play
22. Stationary and Craft Shopping at Itoya – The Itoya Ginza Flagship Store was redesigned in 2016 and now is not just one of the Tokyo Must Shop places to spend hours shopping for Japanese paper (washi) and stationary and home accessories but has a great restaurant and also in-house veritable garden. The Ginza Flagship Store (located on Ginza Dori) and second building directly behind 
the main building has 18 floors of some of the coolest items you will find in Japan. Be careful with time because once you start shopping you may not exit for hours!
23. Make Washi (Japanese Paper) at Ozu – Ozu Washi in Nihonbashi, Tokyo carries
the widest selection of washi paper, shodo paper, and sumi art paper. A 300+-year-old store that has always specialized in paper and art materials (brushes, string, and inks). Kids will also find pre-packaged crafts to make origami and balloon washi animals. Adults and children can also participate in a one-hour washi class, or sign-up for other culture classes.
******Family Tokyo Bucket List – One Week Visit or One Year Stay – See, Eat, Play
24. Bike or Walk over the Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba – I recommend you consider a Tokyo Rainbow Bridge Bike crossing if you have a goal of visiting the Odaiba area. Some many great places to visit in Odaiba including the Shiokaze Park, Miraikan, Oedo Onsen, Sony ExploraScience and Lego Land. Here is our full list of family fun in the Odaiba or Toyosu area.
25. Oedo Onsen Monogatari – Oedo Onsen Monogatari is one of our favorites on our list of TOP Theme Parks in Japan. It`s one of the ultimate tourist attractions in Tokyo. However, even long-term foreigners and Japanese can have fun! It is the Disneyland of Onsens. The Oedo Onsen Monogatari translates to Oedo Onsen Story. It is an onsen, dining and entertainment centre. The facility is multilingual in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
Super Popular Events & Activities for Families
26. Ghibli Museum – Here is the official Ghibli website with directions on how to get tickets.
27. Disney Land or Sea – Disney Land and Sea are two very different experiences and you will need a full day to experience each. Disney Sea tends to be less crowded and I think more enjoyable on hot days. Families love both so enjoy! Check out our tips for visiting both Disney Land and Disney Sea.
28. Enjoy a Baseball Game – Japan baseball season runs from the end of March unil the 1st week of October. There are two main teams in Tokyo, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants. If you like outside games the Swallows game would be fun to attend. If you want to see a huge indoor game attend a Giants game. The cheering, the music, and the beer girls are all a head turning experience. To review the Japan baseball schedule and buy tickets check out JapanBall Tickets.com.
29. Japanese Festival – A great cultural experience is to visit a Japanese festival to listen, see and taste. Here is our list of Tokyo Summer 2019 Festivals.
30. Japan has many amazing theme parks to offer from parks with thrill rides to soothing onsens. Visit our Top 15+ Theme Parks in Japan that will have your kids asking for more.
Bonus Links
Top Tokyo Restaurants with Play Areas – babies and kids (0-6 yrs)
Tokyo Events & Activities this Weekend
One Day in Odaiba Itinerary with Kids
One Day in Setagaya Itinerary with Kids
One Day in Ebisu Itinerary with Kids
Tokyo Teen Checklist – Must See and Do
Top Baby and Kids Playgrounds in Tokyo
Top Tokyo Area Indoor Play Centers
Tokyo Summer Bucket List for Families – Six Weeks – 20 Tokyo With Kids Fun Spots
Family Tokyo Bucket List – One Week Visit or One Year Stay – See, Eat, Play
***********
Brighten up your Inbox with the Best Living Japan newsletter and never miss any great info. It is easy to sign-up. Just click here, and enter your email.
Very good information, Lauren! Thanks so much for the time and effort you put into each month’s newsletter! We really enjoy it! Also, we love the info for teens.
Thank you Gloria. We love helping people enjoy their lives even more! Thank you for your support. Lauren
Wow this is so helpful! Thank you for taking the time to share all this info!