THE HARDEST AGE TO TRAVEL IN JAPAN WITH KIDS

THE HARDEST AGE TO TRAVEL IN JAPAN WITH KIDS

My dm’s are always flooded with questions like “when is the best age to travel to Japan with kids?”  “should we wait to do Japan with kids until they are a bit older?” “should we wait until they are school age?” etc.

And for me, I rarely ever say “wait” ever.  Japan is amazing. I’m pro-travel with kids at ANY age.  No age is impossible. 

However, there is one age that I feel is the most difficult when travelling around Japan.  

The  age? 11 months until around 11-20 months. 

*Now there are always going to the those parents who write back to this and say “no! We travelled around with our little Suzie and Jimmy at that age and it was heaven!” And that’s great for you – but I also feel that those parents are in for a treat with they travel next with a slightly younger or slightly older child too.   I also know what people tell me was tricky over and over in their private messages to me – and they are echoing my sentiment 90% of the time. 

I have also lived in Japan with children who have both been through these ages (when visiting and living in Japan, I should say)  and so it is clearly not impossible but it is harder going on the parents.

The reasons I find 11 – 20 months to be a more difficult time to travel around Japan with kids compared to kinds of other ages:

1) They are just starting to walk. 
They are learning how to explore while upright and on their own! It’s so cute and they have energy to burn. Their bodies literally want them to practice their new skills as much as they can.  But this makes it hard as they can’t move over bigger distances and can’t move quickly.   A Japan holiday isn’t like a beach holiday. It’s an adventure and explore type holiday and involves more walking than you’ll likely do at home.   So it can slow you down and make life a little more frustrating for you and for your newly mobile human. 
For help in overcoming this trickier age – we used to make sure we had play spots and little tiny parks scattered throughout the cities in Japan where we were sightseeing. A good example of this is in my Kyoto with kids blog post here – I literally have some play spots I’ve designed in next to temples and shrines – and restaurants that have a bit more room for kids to wriggle.  I also recommend using this blog post to help you find places to, for example, spot the koi in a pond to make your little “rest spots” where your toddler can explore – a bit more fun, a bit more interactive – while still very much feeling like you’re still “doing Japan.” 

Small playground near Heian Jingu shrine. Details in my Kyoto with kids blog post here.

2) And, for the reasons listed above, they often don’t want to sit in a stroller  
They want to explore. They don’t get why they can’t just walk.  
HOWEVER don’t even think about not bringing that stroller to Japan. It will save everything about your Japan holiday. I explain exactly how and why here. 
In fact, I recommend bringing a stroller AND a baby/toddler carrier (to wear on the front – not the back) so that you can mix it up for when your toddler is feeling a bit frustrated, tired and/or grumpy.  Your stroller will be your portable bed, snack station, entertainment seating, a extra chair in a restaurant, storage for baby related goods… the list goes on.  I even explain here how a stroller is part of our emergency earthquake plan. 

Stroller in front of Mt Fuji. I explain here why you definitely need a stroller

3) They are still too little to really enjoy a playground without you having to be right there all the time
This is, of course, cute and fine – although I must admit that I’m glad I don’t have to do all slides with my kids all the time now!  But on holidays when you’re tired and they are this age – they are excited by a playground but they also can’t really make the most of it yet either.  
I have mapped out some areas here with cute playgrounds in areas to stay in Tokyo that are great for little kids and I also have a list of our favourite playcentres in Tokyo here – so, if you really want to travel with kids 11-20 months in Japan – I believe you’d be crazy not to intentionally add these into your holiday itinerary – for the general happiness and sanity of all involved. 

4) Flying is harder work on parents at this age
I have a really really long and detailed blog post on flying with kids (and I first wrote it when my kids’ were around this age).  It is doable but yes – you need to be ready.  I explain here. 
They don’t sleep that much – in fact you’re probably dropping naps and gaining naps where you don’t want naps to be. 
This can be hard – especially if you’re the type of parent who really feels anxious if your little one isn’t on schedule for food and sleep times.   They often want to stand up on their set during awake time (even if it’s no one else’s awake time) and if you’ve read my flying with kids tips you’ll know that I don’t love the “walk up and down the aisles with them” approach at all – I explain why and what we do instead. so that can make it hard on parents to keep a little one entertained and content for as much as you can. 
I’ve done it – and I’ve done it from Australia to Europe on my own with two kids – so it’s def possible – but it does require more patience and prep than other ages (way more than when you have a fresh newborn, even.) 

Flying with kids. It’s probably the longest and most detailed blog post I have.

5) They are kind of too big for some baby things in Japan but too small for other bigger kid things
I write more about it here but it is so hard to find a hotel room with a cot or a crib in Japan for a baby older than 12 months of age. The reason is mostly cultural and I explain more here but still … it can make “hotel shopping” a bit more tricky.   My little boy was a giant baby and we found some high chairs in Japan hard for him too (if you’re interested I have a list of restaurants that we love with high chairs in Tokyo here.) 

6) They are too young to really negotiate with (ie. if it’s not in front of them in that very moment, they don’t believe it will ever happen) 
When kids are a tad bigger you can say things like “Today we are going to do the playground, then we will check out this sightseeing spot and then we are going to this ice-cream place”
But kids who are in this trickier age bracket don’t believe they’ll ever see a slide or ice-cream ever again unless it’s in front of them in that very moment.  That can be hard.  Especially if you’re like me and that’s how I plan a holiday itinerary with kids – something they love + something mum and dad love + something that we all love.    It’s harder to dangle a carrot when they don’t believe that the carrot is there at all….
*This also makes bribing harder too because, once again, if it’s not now to them it’s never….

Mt Fuji sized tantrum

If you’d like to read more about how I adjusted to life in Japan with a baby and a toddler (and also explored a lot of Japan with my husband and also without my husband) you may be interested to read this blog post I wrote called “Two Small Children in Tokyo: the tricky parts” (and I also walk you through how I did learn to problem solve and make it work for us.) 

My main tip is to be realistic and plan for slow travel. I loved travel before kids and I love in a different way now with kids.   They keep me curious – make me stop and take things in. And I get obsessed with creating little special family memories in unexpected places along the way. 
If you’re at the beginning stages  of planning a trip to Japan with kids – I’ve written this blog post to walk you through each step. 

 

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