Spring time in Japan - anyone been there? Any recommendations on where to go?

[SpaceTrain]

Having never had much of a desire to go to Japan, I now feel a real need to go there next spring. We will be travelling with a 4 year old and nearly 1 year old.

Any one been to Japan with children? Is it easy to travel with them?

And any recommendations on where to go, other than Tokyo and Kyoto?

Hiroshima is worthwhile in my opinion, when I travelled around Japan we did 3 wks there - 5 days in Tokyo, then used a 2 wk railpass to travel around, finishing off back in Tokyo for another 2/3 days. I'd say its easy to travel about, but theres not much room on trains for luggage so you might struggle unless you travel light. They don't give you mcuh time to get on and off trains either (they have to stick to schedule as you know) so you have to be prompt.

Not sure if theres that much family-friendly accomodation either to be honest. YOu also need to be aware of the time of the cherry blossom festival in the spring, as its a very busy time with japanese travelling internally to see the cherry blossoms in Kyoto etc and trains and accommodation are all booked up. You also have to have accommodation all booked, you can't just show up and hope for a room, its just not how things are done there!

The Tripadvisor forums have good info on travelling in Japan, from people that live there.

Thanks Kiwi. That is really useful information. Sounds like it might be a bit of hassle with a family - not sure we'll be able to get on & off the trains so quickly!

It was predominantly for the cherry blossom that I wanted to go, as DD loves it. But maybe it will be better to wait until she is older.

I'll check out the TripAdvisor forums.

Went on honeymoon and travelled the country on bullet trains. We went in mid-March and by the end of our two week stay the sakura (spring blossom) was just coming out. It was lovely. We had a fantastic holiday.

I think it would be difficult with such young children to be honest. Travelling round Japan is great by bullet train, but there are very few signs in English, and it takes a while to get used to the system. Also it's very very busy in both kyoto and tokyo. Also lots and lots of walking... not sure how buggy friendly it would be - wasn't in my thoughts at the time!

We went with a company called Imaginative Traveller, and they provided a guide who helped us find the right trains etc, and booked all the accomodation in traditional inns. They don't take children on the tours though.

Are your children fussy eaters? It's also quite difficult to get any 'western' food and some japanese food can be not what you were expecting! It's very meat and rice heavy.

Japan is an amazing country with so much to offer, and I'd love to go back. suggest you look on tripadvisor to see if anyone has done it with such young kids though.

We went to Japan a couple of years ago. At the time our children were 9, 5 & 2. We stayed in Kyoto & Tokyo but we used our JR Rail Pass to explore other places. We had a fantastic time & I'm sure you would too. I can bore you with the details, like where we stayed & fun things to do with the kids. Let me know.

We went with DS when he was 1 (nearly 2), it was fantastic. I was expecting it to be a bit difficult but was pleasantly surprised. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, especially towards DS.

We did take a pushchair but used a sling in busier places. The hardest part was getting on and off trains with all our stuff, but if you pre-book accomodation it's usual to send your luggage on ahead.

One thing I wish I'd known before going is how family friendly youth hostels are now. We stayed 2 nights in Kyoto here - kshouse.jp/kyoto-e/index.html
and wish we'd booked longer. Much cheaper than a hotel, very clean and central. They have rooms you can book as a family, and there was even another toddler staying at the same time to play with!