Japan with 10yo?

[ElsaSnow]

For those who have been to Japan we are considering 2 weeks in October - we are a family of 5, oldest are 16&18 youngest will be 10. Youngest is quite a fussy eater and possibly AUDHD so concerned she will not have much to eat and find train stations and the travelling around and staying in multiple hotels tricky. We normally stay in villas or Airbnb for holidays. I’m not concerned about the flights as we have flown to America many times and she is fine for 9 hours so I think 11/12 wouldn’t be much different. We’ve done Orlando Disney/universal so would definitely visit both in Japan and she copes with crowds and queues fine but I’m trying to visualise accommodation in Japan and travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto to Osaka and anywhere else…

She likes plain foods eg plain rice, plain katsu chicken, plain noodles, plain veg - is this doable or has everything got herbs/flavouring and sauces. She also snacks a lot but I’m aware eating on the go is not done in Japan… She’d love the anime stuff, hello kitty, Pokémon etc

Does this sound like a non starter while she is young? I’m just aware the older ones won’t come on many holidays in future and I know they’d love it out there. I’d appreciate any advice from those who have been to Japan with children - those with fussy eaters and possibly neurodivergent! Also any itineraries you did and must see/do! Experiences of travelling to different cities as well. Thanks

You won’t have any problem finding food in Japan. Not all restaurants will work for you but there will be plenty that have plainer options. If the worst comes to the worst there’s always McDonalds.

There are also convenience stores everywhere and whilst walking and eating isn’t done, it’s completely normal to stand out of the way in front of a convenience store to quickly eat a sandwich or rice ball.

Do be aware that the flight time to Japan is now around 14 hours if you fly direct. Before the invasion of Ukraine it used to be about 11-12, but they have to fly a far longer route now.

For itineraries, there’s loads shared on the japan planning threads.

Thank you that’s reassuring there are simple options! We definitely need to do more research so will check out that thread.

Also thanks for the heads up about change of flight route.