The Tokyo Chapter is now the most popular and most comprehensive Japan with Kids blog and I wrote this blog post as a reminder on why Japan is such a wonderful country to visit with children.
Why visit Japan with children? Is Japan child-friendly? I would argue that it is one of the most child friendly countries in the world.
This blog post contains some affiliate links. This means that I will receive a small commission if you book a hotel or make a purchase using one of my links – at no additional charge to you.
One of my first posts I ever wrote for this blog was all about the parts of Tokyo with Kids that I found to be tricky at first – until I found my groove, at least. But I realized that I actually hadn’t written about the good things – I guess I kind of assumed that the ‘things to do’ posts really spelled out the wonderful elements of Tokyo with kids. But now I’d also like to put my reasons down in writing.
Here are, in my opinion, the 15 most compelling reasons as to why Japan is such a fantastic place to visit (and live!) with children.
15 reasons to take kids to Japan now!
1. So many colourful, kawaii and “only in Japan” moments
I think it is so easy to find fun, colourful and truly unique experiences for children in Tokyo.
You know, the kinds of memories that they will want to call Grandma about afterwards or speak about at Show’n’Tell?
Some examples that immediately come to mind are :
Team Lab Planets or Team Lab Borderless, Azabudai Hills
Moreru Mignon (Print Club Photo Booth Sticker Shop), Shibuya (details in my ‘Shibuya with Kids’ post here.)
Totti Candy Factory, Harajuku ( details in my ‘Harajuku & Omotesando with Kids’ post here.)
2. Amazing Playgrounds
I can’t work out just exactly why there are so many cool playgrounds in Japan just yet….
Maybe it’s because the lack of space calls for more creative use of space and a true artistic sense of “let’s not waste this?”
… or maybe playground designers are just given more artistic freedom and funding?
Either way, we just love exploring new and creative little public spaces – clearly created with overactive imaginations in mind.
Here are some of my favourite playgrounds.
Here is my full detailed list of cool retro parks (the ones we have found so far) in Tokyo.
My personal advice is to mix up more traditional sightseeing spots with the playgrounds. For this reason I have written suggested itineraries and area guides (and am constantly adding as we make new Tokyo findings.)
The full list, to date, is here.
It really is worth planning well for a good day out in Tokyo with children – but definitely worth it.
Here are pictures of just some of our favourite playgrounds in Tokyo:
3. Sparkling Clean Play Centres
Cleanliness is a big factor in Japan being fantastic for kids (I mean, have you ridden the subway here yet?)
But I really enjoy the care taken to make sure play centres (their equipment, facilities and every single toy!) are cleaned and disinfected thoroughly – numerous times a day.
My favourite and cleanest inner-city play centre is Shibuya Playground 4 Kids. ( See all of the details for this Playcentre in my Shibuya with Kids post here. ) It is immaculate!
There are lots of other beautifully kept play centres too. See my ‘Rainy Days with Kids’ in Tokyo post here for all the info.
Here are pictures of some other gorgeous playcentres in Tokyo:
4. Cleanliness in general
You only need to arrive at the airport to see how Japan is just so beautifully clean.
Almost every restaurant hands out Oshibori ( wet hand towellettes) and the whole shoes off for stepping indoors also promotes cleanliness too.
You will also really appreciate just how beautiful the baby feeding and changing rooms are, particularly within the large department stores.
My hubby and I were in tears of laughter one day at the station to see one of the attendants who was standing at the bottom of the escalator holding a wet towel to the escalator rail until it had done a full rotation.
So…if you’re a complete germaphobe ( or have a child who just likes to lick things like hand rails and floor tiles – like I do… ) this might just be the place for you!
5. Those little convenient extras that Japan does so well
For example : Have you seen these chairs for babies to sit in while Mum uses the public restroom? Brilliant!
And what about those lovely, lovely deep Japanese baths in the middle of a wet room?
I love how the kids can really splash, play and get water everywhere and it just matter even a little bit. ( For me, I also love how deep the baths are.
It’s much more enjoyable to have a bath with the kiddies and I love how, when I’m bathing alone, I can have that deep bath all to myself with the water all the way up to my neck.) Some Japanese houses are even fitted with that magic bath-filling function that maintains the water at a certain temperature and guarrantees that the water won’t overflow. We don’t have that magic button in our current home but I do love how I set the temperature at which the water comes out of the faucet. This takes away worries of my babies burning themselves if they touch the taps.
There is also other things that makes getting around with children easier – such as the takyubin luggage and parcel delivery services.
If I’m in Kyoto and have to catch the train back to Tokyo with the kiddies, I can send our luggage from a station, house or hotel and it will arrive at my home in Tokyo the next day for as little as 1000 yen. Some people send their golf clubs to their golf course ahead of time so that they can arrive at their golf course practically empty-handed when travelling by train.
I also find Amazon and other delivery /shopping services much faster here than anywhere else. For example, if I order nappies before 6am, they will arrive on the same day.
Another handy addition when you’re in Japan (although wasn’t designed with children in mind, originally) is how handy it is to stay in traditional accommodation with children. They can’t roll off the bed onto the floor – they are already there ! And if the do go rolly-polly? They’re only go as far as the other side of your small room. It’s really handy.
My little boy slept through the night for the first time in Japanese style accommodation after a bath and a snuggle up in a futon.
6. Convenience Stores & Vending Machines
( I know the previous point already covered some conveniences but I feel like these need their own category, because they are that useful.)
I already sing the praises of vending machines and combinis (convenience stores) in this post here but let me stress again how good and fresh the food is here. It means that I can get fresh or ready chopped fruit, cheese sticks, juice boxes or small cartons of milk and even ready boiled eggs for the kids anytime of the day.
Also, every convenience store has a wide range of rice balls made with other seasonal ingredients. They are very affordable ( under 150 yen). I have a post helping you decipher the different types here.
Vending machines are everywhere here. My kiddies love using these – even when the drink is not for themselves. It must be all those flashing buttons, right? (pretty fun for grown-ups too, actually)
Vending machines serve both hot and cold drinks so make sure you try a hot cocoa or coffee.
In a still largely cash-based society that craves convenience (but also where real estate is pricey) vending machines make perfect sense and I miss them so much when I’m not in Japan. There are a wide range of drinking options and the products are constantly being updated. Keep an eye out for flashy digital screen vendors at some of the big stations. My favourite though are the gigantic retro machines that have been ‘old reliable’ suppliers for decades.
7. Safety & Trustworthiness
This is one of my favourite parts of living in Japan with children. Of course I keep an eye on my children at all times, but I don’t need to worry half as much as in other countries I have lived.
I also love the independence it allows for my children in terms of how far ahead of me I can let my 4 year old little girl walk to the park, for example.
She loves it when I wait at the door of our small fruit and vegetable store while she wanders up to the counter, alone, to buy apples, grapes and strawberries.
As a tourist even, isn’t lovely to be able to walk around slowly – take in the sights without too much concern about being pickpocketed or ripped off along the way?
You would struggle to find a wrong side of town to accidentally wander into. It makes it just that much fun to explore the city – especially a big and interesting city like Tokyo where getting lost could actually lead you to a little hidden set of shops, a cool park or a secret cafe.
When I first moved to Japan as an exchange student, I could barely speak any Japanese. If I didn’t know how much something was, the little old lady at the general store (this was in the countryside) would reach out for my purse and just take out the 680 yen I needed to complete the purchase. Can you imagine how badly that could have gone in some other parts of the world?
I challenge you to find a person who has lived in Japan who can’t tell you an amazing story of losing their wallet or shopping or passport and had it returned to them in perfect condition right away.
8. Japan, in general, encourages mindfulness and consideration of others
I think this point ties in closely with the one above but I am delighted that my children are growing up in an environment where they need to think about the bigger picture than themselves.
“See that lady practicing her flute at 6:30am in the park?…. That’s because she lives in an apartment block and doesn’t want to disturb her neighbours.”
“Why are we slipping off our shoes in the train or taxi ?”
“Because little shoes might make the seat dirty and others need to sit here or, if it gets dirty, the driver is going to have to clean up our mess.”
There is a better notion of “being one person in a community of people” than I’ve found in Western cities so far.
A very clear example of this notion is the way that Japanese people stand to one side of the escalator so that those who are in more of a rush can quickly climb up or down on the other side.
Of course this is not the case for everybody all of the time ( a&%$holes are everywhere, yes?) but I do feel like this is the case for the larger majority and it makes me (and, fingers crossed, my children) want to take other people into consideration more in our day to day lives.
9. Quiet Mornings
You’ve all heard me moan about the inconvenience of places opening late in the morning (especially as we are very early risers.). But this can also be a positive when you want to go somewhere that will most likely be busy. We are almost always the only people waiting for that museum or aquarium. There are so many amazing temporary art exhibits in this city. How do you think we make it to all of them without too many other people in sight? First thing – and preferably on a weekday. Japan definitely doesn’t do early mornings.
Here is my article on places that are open before 10am in Tokyo.
10. Benefit of the doubt
Most big cities are the world are more daunting for me with children as I really feel like it is “us against the world.”
I feel more like it is “tough luck” if I get lost or my child loses their train ticket between two stations.
I’m delighted that Japan hasn’t lots its true ‘benefit of the doubt’ – people are just more understanding that these things happen ( and that you are actually telling the truth.)
It makes me want to return the favour and give those around me the benefit of the doubt more often too.
11. The everyday things are miniature-sized and many of the adults love the kiddie options as much as your child does!
The novelty never wears off for my kids in terms of the fire engines and postal vans that look like toy cars ( for me too, actually.)
And you’ll get a shock – your child might love a giant Hello Kitty stuffed toy in the shop – but so does a 46 year old lady next to her! This may be a bit on the peculiar ( and funny) side but it’s good news for those of us with kids.. the demand is high – – the cute options won’t be disappearing any time soon!
12. Children’s Set Meals
Many restaurants ( mostly at lunch time but occasionally for dinner too) provide a Kids Setto (Kids meal plate) and often they come with a free toy too. The plates are often character or transport themed and present children with a few bites of lots of different kinds of food.
Here are some examples of Kids Meals we have come across so far:
13. The Customer Service
While you may not think that children care much about customer service – they sure will if their meals come out quickly and grownups are able to relax and wait for their own meals. (Some family friendly restaurants provide colouring for children, but not all, so I recommend taking some stickers, small puzzles or colouring books to keep everyone entertained while they wait.)
Especially considering Japan is a non-tipping culture, the customer service standards are like no other. Staff are attentive when it comes to making sure all customers have water and are comfortable. If you’re after restaurants with high chairs for a baby who is old enough to sit up, see my high chair equipped restaurant list here.
14. Four Seasons of Different Types of Fun
Japan has four very distinct seasons and it’s not just the weather that changes. The seasonal foods are celebrated, different festivals are held and the parks are all different colours throughout the years.
Here are some examples of my kids enjoying each of season in Tokyo:
Summer
Autumn
Winter (see here for Winter ideas)
Spring
15. Touchy Feel-y Children’s Museums & Child-friendly Art Exhibitions
Tokyo has a wonderful selection of permanent children’s museums.
Here are pictures of just some of our favourites:
Tokyo Toy Museum, Shinjuku (details on my ‘Shinjuku with Kids’ post here)
Tokyo Police Museum, Ginza ( details on my ‘Ginza with Kids’ post here.)
National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Odaiba ( details in my ‘Odaiba with Kids‘ post.)
And one of my favourite things to do is take my kids with me to one of Tokyo’s temporary exhibitions. I love how there is always something different going on in this city.
*Please note that most of the exhibitions are child-friendly but not always made solely for children to play. Please be sure to keep your kiddies safe but also keep in mind that there are rules and the artwork on display is a result of the artists’ hardwork and their creative vision coming to life.*
If you’re thinking of visiting Japan in the near future with children, I have a suggested list of things to pack for the trip to Japan with kids here and I show what I carry in my nappy/diaper bag around Tokyo.
