Japan with a 6 year old

[Caroian]

We're less than 2 months away from a two and a half week trip to Japan with our 6 year old son. He's a good traveller but Japan is actually a new country for all of us so just wondering if anyone has any top tips.

We have several days in Tokyo (starting out in a Western style hotel to lessen the culture shock) and a couple of days staying at Disneyland. We're then moving on to Mt Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka before returning to Tokyo to fly home. We'll be staying in a mixture of Air BnB and Japanese guest houses, but not actual Ryokan as we struggled to find family friendly ones (with availability - given that it is also cherry blossom season!)

I'm particularly looking for tips regarding:
Food - our son is not the most adventurous eater although he does love rice, noodles, chicken and fish. However I'm mindful of the etiquette regarding snacking and would love to have a few good restaurant choices/recommendations up our sleeves if at all possible. Particularly for our first couple of days in Tokyo whilst we get our bearings. Do most places welcome children?

Onsen - as above, we're not staying at a Ryokan, so I think our only option will be a public Onsen. My husband won't want to go (he has a fear of water and won't even get in a hot tub). My reading suggests it is acceptable for a 6 year old boy to accompany their mother in to a female onsen? Any tips around where to go for this?

Kabuki - I think our best bet will be to try to get "single act" tickets on the day in Tokyo?

Geisha dances - we'll be in Kyoto in April however I cannot get my head around tickets for the Miyako Odori, and what the deal is with children. We're thinking of visiting Gion corner, although this looks like it is set up just for tourists. Any thoughts or experiences?

Any other general tips, must dos etc are most welcome. We've already pre-booked JR passes and have the date in the diary to book Studio Ghibli tickets.

TIA!

Amazing! I hope you'll have a great time. I've been a few times but not since kids so can help with some of it.

Kabuki is very long and in old fashioned Japanese. I don't think a 6 year old would sit through it. Think sitting through a few back to back Shakespeare plays at age 6. A bit of a rubbish comparison but only one I can think of.

Food - there is lots of choice. Even things like fast food and Starbucks etc if your DC wants something familiar.

Studio Ghibli near Tokyo is fabulous.
Also the huge aquarium at Osaka.

A few more things I've thought of.

Yakitori might be good food wise. It's basically food on sticks. So your child could have things like plain chicken and you could be more adventurous if you wished.

Eating in the street is considered rude. If you need you could pop into somewhere or at the least sit on a bench outside. The eating in the street etiquette seems to go out of the window at festivals though!

Gion - you might glimpse geisha going between appointments in the early / evening twilight if you are lucky.

Thank you

I've heard the Shakespeare comparison with Kabuki before. I know that there is no way he'll sit through over 3 hours of it, but that was why I was wondering about the "single act" tickets that seem to be available. So basically you just see one part of the show, which may be as little as 15 minutes. It seems you have to queue up on the day for these tickets though. I'd really love to see some, even just a snippet, so wondered if this was a good compromise.

It's the no snacking thing that worries me a bit as like a lot of 6 year olds, he can get a bit hangry, and not being able to settle him down with a quick snack is a mild concern! I don't want to end up in McDonalds or Starbucks too much if we can avoid it though! Yakitori sounds ideal. Also, do you know if most restaurants tend to be open to children as that's something I'm not totally clear on!

I'd looked at the Aquarium in Osaka - it looks fab - would you say it's worth a visit? (always cautious with using time in Aquariums, because you can, after all, find them the world over!)

I'm jealous, wish I was going back.

Don't worry too much about food, most places will have pictures or plastic versions of meals, so your son can see what he's about to order. There's a huge eating out culture so there's plenty places to choose from. I also love the selections of food in the 7-11 shops. We would stock up then head to a park where lots of other people go to eat.

I saw loads of kids in onsens but I would check with each one before hand if it's okay. Also press that he's 6, my dc's towers above Japanese kids the same age.

In Kyoto go on Johnny Hillwalker's tour. You'll get to see a bit of everything including the more hidden parts of Gion.

I can also highly recommend hopping on the train from Tokyo to Nakano to hit Nakano Broadway. If you've not heard about it already, just google it.

The aquarium is amazing. There is (if she's still there) a whale shark in a gigantic tank that spans several stories high.

Ah I hadn't heard of the mini Kabuki. That sounds great.

I haven't been with kids but childhood is regarded as precious so I think you'd be fine. People are very polite and keen to help. If you open a map people will offer to direct you for example.

Picnicking in the park is a good tip!

I'm concerned that Johnny Hillwalker might be a bit too much walking for a 6 year old, even one with a lot of stamina?

Hadn't heard of Nakano Broadway but just had a look and that is now on the list!

Where are you flying into? Do not use a taxi to take you to your hotel if you have not already got a transfer in place as these can be mega expensive. Use the coach service instead.

Tokyo Disneyland is 2 parks; Disneyland itself and DisneySea which has some rides unique to Disney. A day in each is worth doing. The nearest train station is Mitaka which is accessible from Tokyo station.

I would give Kabuki altogether a wide berth, its deathly dull.

Studio Ghibli is certainly worth a visit and you can get around it all in a couple of hours. Bear in mind however, that some of the exhibits do not have English translation. The café is fabulous and I would recommend their strawberry gateau!.

One attraction in Tokyo that is worth a visit is the Tokyo Skytree where on a clear day you can see for miles. I would also suggest a visit to Nakamise street in Tokyo as well. Do pay a visit to the department stores particularly the basement where the food halls are.

Use the vending machines. These are cheap, well stocked, clean and plentiful.

Japanese people tend to be very forgiving of Westerners so do not worry overtly about etiquette; you are not expected to know everything about manners in Japanese society. Many people you will see on the streets are helpful and polite but many of them do not speak much if any English beyond the basic hello, thank you etc. Hotel staff overall speak English and I would use the concierge services for directions if required.

We could not eat noodles and such like all the time and found McDs to be useful. They have a picture menu and the food came up within seemingly seconds.There is also a Hard Rock café in Roppongi which is family friendly.

Take a jacket and sweater when you go to Mount Fuji as it can be a lot colder at altitude (and also foggy on occasion). Its a mass of gift stores.

The department store floors where they sell children's toys is also worth looking at. Your son may well like the toy model trains which are based on actual Japanese trains.

I have been to the Geiko dances in Kyoto and they really are not suitable for a 6 year old. They are very smart occasions for the Japanese (I have never seen so many Chanel suits and Hermes handbags in one place). We didn’t see a single child. The performances are very highly choreographed (slow deliberate movements), the music is Japanese and the performances are quite long. It’s beautiful but quite hard to follow.

The Temple complexes in Kyoto are a bit more fun but obviously not Disney. (Why go to Disney in Japan? So much more to see!). I don’t think I would have taken mine to Japan at 6 because I cannot see how they will appreciate the cultural aspects of the cities. Nara has the deer park and is well worth a visit.

However for food, in Tokyo, the Department stores in Ginza have restaurants on the top floor. Lots of choice of cuisines from around the world. Lonely Planet book has details. Also in the basement, the food floor will sell Bento Box components for a snack. Just find a cafe as an alternative.

I second the Osaka Aquarium, its fab. Took my (then) six year old there in the pouring rain and we loved it.

Also nearby is the Osaka transport museum which has a full size train simulator. We went during the week and it was empty so we could practice over and over!

I was solo with my son so we based ourselves in Osaka near shin-Osaka and had breakfast at the station before zooming off with a rail pass to Himeji, Hiroshima, Kyoto and so on, all as day trips. Only places we booked outside were Nara and Koyasan.

Osaka castle is worth a visit with historic battle displays although th castle keep is a reproduction. Very famous for the Japanese so lots of locals there too. We caught a samurai armour exhibition nearby purely by chance so keep your eyes peeled for diversions.

Don't forget Japan is just so different your six year old will love being there so every interaction or trip is a fascinating one. And chicken Katsu with no curry is going to be great for him as he can eat Japanese food!

Have a great time.

Oh and the Japanese have a great range of toy cars. Tomy Tomica.

There is a large public onsen in Osaka, and boys under 8 I think can go with their mums in the female side. It’s called Spa world, very relaxed and plenty of children, even late in the evening up to 10pm.
There are lots of street vending machines for snacks, and combini stores everywhere selling groceries, and they tend to have public toilets, which might be handy with a 6yr old. They often had a couple of seats for coffee and snacks too.

Thanks Attila some useful stuff there. We're flying in to Narita and have transfers sorted out. We've got two days for the Disney parks too.

Your comment about Kabuki is interesting. It's one of the things that keeps coming up when people make suggestions about "must sees" in Japan. My understanding is that is because it's a very "only in Japan" type of thing. We definitely don't want to sit through hours, but a 20 minute single act sounds interesting. Perhaps we'll just see how it goes!

BubblesBuddy that is my impression of the dances, but there is also a lot of reference in various places to "cheap" and "backpacker" tickets for sitting on the floor, which is where my confusion comes from. I think we will stick with visiting the Gion Corner centre which seems set up to offer tourists an insight in to Japanese culture.

Withe regards to your second paragraph, it seems a little contradictory! We're going to Disney a) because we have a 6 year old with us and it will undoubtedly appeal to him and b) because by all accounts the Japanese put their own cultural spin on the Disney experience - especially at DisneySea which is unlike any other Disney park elsewhere in the world (we wouldn't bother with Universal in Osaka for precisely the reason that it seems almost identikit to the parks we've already visited elsewhere). As for taking a 6 year old - if we waited until he was the mythical "right age" to do things, his whole childhood will slip away. There are precious few years to enjoy travelling with him as a child. Also, children are surprising. Travelling with them is fantastic because they see things in such a different ay and can often open adults' eyes to things they would entirely miss, or open up new perspectives. Plus, even if he doesn't appreciate the culture fully, we will. - and it is a trip for the whole family.

WiseDad sounds like you had a good time with your six year old! The Aquarium is definitely on the list and we also had the transport museum down - although there seem to be many of them in Japan! The train simulator may be swinging it for visiting the one in Osaka though! Our son does love chicken katsu, so we'll be safe with that.

Thanks sparky that is a handy tip about toilets! I'll look up Spa world as well

i think your son will love Disney sea. I took dd when she was 3 and she had a great time. Nara is also a great day trip from Kyoto - the deer park is lovely and the town is very easy to navigate. There is a tourist info desk at the train station and they were extremely helpful in providing a map and recommended route thought the town and what to see.
I agree with you - I think travelling with younger children does provide a different experience and perspective.

Oh this thread is making me want to go back with the kids.

Have an incredible time (and yay for the Ghibli museum)

Me too potatoes and I've been googling Disney Sea.
If I went back to Ghibli with DCs I'd be allowed on the cat bus (it was kids only)....

I was gutted I wasn't allowed in the catbus. That's a reason to go in itself.

The boat trip down the river in Tokyo was wonderful, think it started in Akasaka? and ended up in Odaiba. If you go late afternoon you'll arrive at sunset and the rainbow Bridge is just beautiful at that time of day.

He won’t remember it though. We travelled with ours from about 5 and before 10 it’s hazy memories. You travel because you want to. That’s fine but it’s hardly for him! He may well prefer a beach and a pool. We have met countless young boys on cultural holidays (Peru, Galapagos, Rainforest, Alaska, etc) who are bored witless. Some would have loved a week playing football. The magic is for the parents. However it’s your holiday and your choice.

I just think Disney is so hackneyed. Every single parent thinks it’s great. Why? It’s just American culture but in Japan. What’s wrong with Japanese culture? There’s a lot of it in Tokyo and you won’t see it because you are at Disney. Go to America if you like their culture.

I didn’t see any short time tickets for our Geiko dance show. We all went in and no-one joined us for part of the time. However the Geikos and maikos come out after the show and rush back to their lodgings to get their tea boxes for the tea ceremonies later in the evening. You can hang around and see them then.

Bubbles - up to the op where she goes. I think we have all got the point regarding your opinion of Disney Sea. Your criticism of ther people's choices is tiresome.

Re Ghibli museum , you have to buy tickets in advance, and not on the door. It is lovely though.

Also a bit niche but if you like miniatures there is an amazing miniature artist based in Osaka who makes the most stunning tiny models, often food, but other things too, shoes, iPhone etc. I’m gutted I only discovered this after I had been to Japan.

Oh and on the subject of toilets. Public loos don't have loo roll or they'll have a loo roll vending machine. Best to pop some tissues in your pocket at all times.

I saw people handing out packets of tissues on the streets in Tokyo and wondered why. Its also because not all public toilets have loo roll in them (but some of them play a tune when its flushed!). Some of them in public places are the sit and squat type (saw those at Ueno zoo) rather than the standard type of loo you see in the West.

Be wary pressing buttons by the side of the loo (the buttons should have English words underneath the symbols).

If you do travel on the metro in Tokyo (the ticket machines have English as a language) try and ensure in advance that you know which exit to leave from to get to your destination. This is because some exits can easily be half a mile distance from each other, Shinjuku and Tokyo stations in particular are massive and widely spread out.

You also get great views from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buildings on a clear day and its free to go up to their observation deck. Details below.

www.tokyometro.jp/en/attractions/metropolitan_govt_bldg/