Japan

[longestlurkerever]

BIL, who lives in Australia, has suggested a meet up in Japan next year. Dcs will be 7 and almost 4 (mine) and 2 (his). I wouldn't normally do a long haul trip with the dc but feel we could justify it financially on the basis it's less far than Australia. Is it doable? Where should we go? Dd1 loves pokemon. Is there anything pokemon related we could do while there? Thinking Easter holidays - would that work?

How long would you go there for; if it is say for only a week then I would reconsider. Its a 12 hour flight from the UK to arrive there and Japan as a country is not cheap (nor are the airfares around Easter which is one of their peak times).

There are a couple of Pokémon stores in and around Tokyo (the link below shows the largest) and there are two Disney parks (you would likely need a day in each one).

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g1066460-d7834870-Reviews-Pokemon_Mega_Center_Tokyo-Toshima_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html

Easter 2019 is late April so possibly flights will be a bit cheaper as it won't be peak cherry bloom season in Tokyo, plus I think spring break will have finished. Although Golden Week will be end of April, so busy again. I don't think day to day costs are as expensive as people say, certainly no dearer than say London.

Your biggest challenge might be finding hotel rooms to accommodate you - they're small and family rooms are like gold dust. Although traditional Japanese rooms can be an alternative. I think air b&b is becoming legit later this year so that might give you more options. Bear in mind that a small double means a bed not much bigger than a single, not just a small double room. Many hotels only release rooms three to six months ahead so don't panic if you can't find any availability.

There are lots of activities you can do which are low cost with kids. Some for free such as parks (Ueno park is great, but avoid the sad, sad zoo) and visiting the government building viewing deck for a view across tokyo. Or the cup noodle museum is good fun and the activities are low cost. Spend hours deciding how to spend your ¥200 in the capsule machines. Some good ideas here: santorinidave.com/tokyo-with-kids and here: savvytokyo.com/50-things-kids-tokyo/

If you have enough time I'd spend a few days in kyoto and Osaka. They're close enough together that you can use one as a base. Hire kimonos, stroll round Nijo castle (free like some other locations if you get a free kimono passport), wander round old Gion and see geiko if you're lucky. Visit Nara and to see the deer. And visit USJ - but buy express passes if the budget stretches that far.

There are a few companies who do family tours to Japan so maybe start by looking at them for inspiration?

Oh and hotel wise Japanese business hotel chains can be worth looking at for a cheaper alternative. They won't always appear on sites such as booking.com (and are usually cheaper on their own sites). Off the top of my head look at Toyoko Inn, Mystays, APA etc. They often have laundry facilities which are useful when travelling with children.

Thanks everyone! It does sound exciting. I guess we'd go for the whole school Easter holiday which is normally just over a fortnight, if we can find flights. I know it's a long way and expensive but almost anywhere is easier to get to than bil's house in small town Australia and my dds have never met their cousin

Japan is great.
If you're there for two weeks definitely travel around, catch the bullet train to Kyoto.
Visit the deer at Nara.

At age 4 and 7, your two might appreciate Disneyland or Disney Sea, which are on the edge of Tokyo (very short train journey from the centre). If you go on a weekday not in Japanese school or university holidays, the queues for rides are not too bad and there are things to do and play on without queuing as well.

With small children, an apartment or apartment hotel would be better than a standard Japanese business or budget hotel, unless you can find one with triple/quad rooms - as a previous poster said, budget hotel rooms in Tokyo can be tiny, and there is hardly room to put your luggage or move around the bed.

I just looked into a trip to Japan that would be at Easter for 2 adults and 2 kids, similar ages to yours. I picked a 2 week itinerary based on tour company family itineraries. I would do 3 nights Tokyo, 3 nights Hakone, 3 nights Hiroshima, 3 nights Kyoto (day trips to Nara and a bamboo/monkey place), 2 nights Tokyo. This would require a 7 day JR pass and a Hakone pass. Accommodation looks about 80 quid a night for a family room. Apparently you can eat cheaply. I think using indirect flights, you'd need at least a £5000 budget if you were fairly frugal. Decided we couldn't afford it. It comes out about the same as a frugal Orlando trip.

Orlando vs Japan? Chalk and cheese! Japan every time. £80 a room per night? Is this in a hostel? Japan doesn’t have very cheap hotels. It does have amazing experiences and a culture that isn’t replicated elsewhere. Disney is just nothing in comparison!

Thanks - yes I'd prefer Japan too, though am not averse to a day at Disney. What is Disney Sea?

Ryoken will have family rooms. You could stay outside of Tokyo.
we booked via this site: JapaneseGuestHouses.com/

We met people using AirBnB and they had a lovely apartment over the bay.

Disney Sea is the sister park to Japan’s version of Magic Kingdom. Many people think it’s the best Disney park in the world. Check out TDR Explorer for more information.

I’m going to Japan as part of a multi-country trip with my 4 and 7 year old in July of this year.

There is a Pokemon Cafe that looks cool. You need to book a month ahead. Also loads of other themed resultants and cafes. I’ve got my eye on a retro games one and a snake one. Also this looks mad!

Other ideas for things to do we’re planning to do that may suit you too: watch Sumo match, rickshaw ride, calligraphy, origami, Tokyo Dome (amusement park, dancing fountains, water play area, shows and more), joypolis (indoor games based amusement park), karaoke, puppet theatre and samurai role play/theatre.

We’ve been to Florida and enjoyed it. Super excited to go to Japan.

We’re paying around £110 per night for a room for 1 adult and 2 kids, around 3 star and close to public transport.

Sumo matches are fantastic, we were really engaged in it. Totally brilliant.

Loved the onsen.

Karaoke was great although I'm so out of touch I only had a few options

The trip to Hakone and the bamboo forest and into the hills was excellent.

I've just got back from Japan I stayed in a capsule hotel as was travelling by myself. Lots of people I met were staying in Air B&Bs as to be expected the apartments were tiny but they saved a lot on accommodation. Kyoto is a must Inari shrine is amazing once you leave the tourists behind and start the hike to the top but that maybe too much for young children. The bamboo Grove is overrated but there are some nice walks and is quiet. Most tourists just visit the Grove which isn't that big and turn back.

Nara is fun take bread for the deer or fruit they seemed to like pineapple.

Tokyo is crazy busy but everyone is so polite and follow the rules that it works.

The robot restaurant in Tokyo is a must especially if you have young children.

We just spent almost three weeks in Japan with our 6 year old (got back 19th April) and had an amazing time. We loved everything about it. We spent a few days in Tokyo then 3 nights at Tokyo Disney Resort. We then moved on to Kyoto, then Osaka (which we used as a base for visits to places like Hiroshima and Himeji) and finally returned to Tokyo for a few more days including a trip out to Hakone and Fuji.

We had 14 day JR passes and used bullet trains to get around, plus local train services obviously. We stayed in a mix of Western hotels, a Japanese style hostel (family friendly, with a private room) and Air bnb.

DisneySea is an amazing park, unlike any other Disney park and well worth a visit with kids. We also went to the Pokémon cafe, which was fairly newly opened,which was a great experience for our son (all the entertainment is in Japanese, but it was fun to watch anyway as the staff were all clearly loving what they were doing. Pikachu was so big he could barely squeeze pst the tables!) You currently need to book in advance and will need Google translate! We also went to the Ghibli museum which needs to be booked in advance - it has a Catbus play frame for kids under 12 which was fab.

As others have said, lots of free stuff too. Visiting markets (and sampling various foods) is a must do. The Metropolitan Govt Building in Tokyo gives great views. Wandering around Gion in Kyoto, the Fushimi Imari Shrine and climbing Mt Inari also in Kyoto. If you go to Osaka then Dotonbori at night is a must. I'd also recommend seeing Senseo-ji in Tokyo at night.

We were there in early April so saw cherry blossom but it was Japanese school holidays. Obviously their holidays are not related to Easter, so by going late April but before Golden Week you'll likely find it quieter.

I could write so much about our experiences but if you have any questions or want specific recommendations please ask!