Seven days in Japan, that’s all we had back then to visit family-friendly places in Tokyo and Nagoya. These two major cities are populated and considered as major destinations for foreigners like us. We knew that with low budget and limited days we can stay in this country, we had to carefully plan our itinerary and make sure that it would be comfortable to our daughter.
Our entry point was the Chubu International Airport in Nagoya. It is stationed in an island. (Yeah that’s right!) The whole island is the airport and is a train away from the main Nagoya Station. You need to ride a Meitetsu train which costs 870 yen (430 php) and will take 30 minutes travel time.
From Nagoya Station to Tokyo, you may ride a shinkansen or bullet train which costs around 1000 yen (5000 php). It is the fastest transportation to Tokyo which takes 2 hours and 40 minutes travel time.
TOKYO
If you are on tight budget, ride a bus which only cost 5000 yen (2500 php), almost half the price of shinkansen ride. But here’s the catch, your travel time is 6-7 hours. We chose the 2nd option, the bus.
We had 4 days in the bustling city of Tokyo. The city itself is a tourist destination, and even the streets, houses and buildings will amaze you too. Remember that we need to consider that we’re carrying a child on this trip so we cut short the original itinerary and just visited the family-friendly places to go during our DIY tour.
Skytree
With the height of more than 600 meters, Skytree is the world’s tallest free-standing broadcasting tower. It boasts different restaurants and shops such as Hello Kitty and Pokemon souvenir store.Never leave Tokyo without taking pictures with the Skytree. It is the famous landmark of the city and if you glance upon it, that means you’re in the heart of the Tokyo.
If you want the full description and details about the entrance tickets, CLICK THIS website link.
Odaiba
Odaiba is popular with foreign tourists who want to shop and at the same time, see the Rainbow Bridge and a replica of Statue of Liberty. At night, the whole place will give you the ambience of America. We did our shopping spree here and found great deals on perfume, clothes and accessories. Don’t forget your passport because you can get tax-refund for every 5000 YEN you spend on a store. Isn’t that cool?
Oidaba
Asakusa
It is a temple town and home of Senso-ji Temple. It is also a busy district with lots of souvenir and food stores along Nakamise-dori Street. Before going to this temple, know the tradition and how to bow or pray inside and outside the structures. The temple is jampacked with tourists during weekend and summer season, so wear comfortable clothes and just carry few important things like camera, passport, mobile phone and towel. For souvenir buyes, let me give you some tips. The nearer a store to the temple, the lower the prices of goods.
Shinjuku Area
It is the home of skycrapers and train stations in the west ward of Tokyo where you will find the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Shinjuku district is a perfect place for tourist to stay because it is close to shopping malls and stations. It is like Makati City in the Philippines, a business district full of busy walking people dressed in corporate attires. Nevertheless, Shinjuku houses the main train and bus stations, and is a great place for accommodation.
Shibuya
Shibuya is just a train stop away from Shinjuku and the best time to visit the place is at night where the building lights and signs are lively. I suppose this is the place for many millennials and fashion gurus for many shopping stores align along its streets such as Shibuya 101, It’s Demo, Uniqlo etc. Shibuya is mainly famous for its major crossing and Hachiko Statue.
Meiji Palace
It is a vast palace in the middle of the city and one of the high ranking Shinto shrines in Japan.
The best time to visit this place is in the morning when there are only few tourists and you can do soul searching. There are two entrance to the palace.
You may want to know how our Japan visa got approved:
https://teamuytravels.com/blog/2017/05/31/approved-japan-visa-how-to-get-nod-fro/
or what souvenirs from Japan you may want to bring for yourself and friends.
https://teamuytravels.com/blog/2017/07/08/10-great-souvenirs-from-japan/
Great tips! I love visiting local spots.
These are great ideas to see in Japan! Kid friendly travel gets me excited to be able to do this myself when I have kids!!
In my mind, Tokyo is a perpetually busy city but your pictures suggest otherwise. Thanks for showing us a different facet of this city. I’m also surprised to see the replica of the Statue of Liberty…it was unexpected.
Great spots! I think many spots in Tokyo are family friendly, and I really loved walking in the Japanese gardens. It’s such a polite and orderly place, and I loved exploring it.
Japan seems like such an interesting place to visit! This is a great guide… will be saving this for a future trip, thanks for sharing 🙂
We love getting tips for family travel. My family would really enjoy Odaiba and be able to compare the two Statues of Liberty. We would also most definitely want to visit the Meiji Palace for a peaceful hideaway from the big city.
Tokyo definitely has something for everyone! I would love to walk through the gardens, especially in Spring!
Everyone who’s been to Tokyo says it’s amazing! I need to start planning a trip soon…
Good piece of information to explore the city. Would keep it safe for future. I love that Shibuyo station because of Hachiko. It reminds me the movie which I loved most. Thanks for sharing.
Great traveling information for the future I wish to start traveling me and my husband when are last two young ones are grown that just like in the next 7 years lol maybe before then like the next 3 years.
What other destinations should one plan along with Tokyo? I am going to follow this to the T when I am in Tokyo. Thanks for your information.
Great pics and tips. I love visiting Japan and especially Tokyo any chance I get!
Great idea’s here. We haven’t been to Tokyo but would love to go sometime soon. Asakusa looks like a super cool place to explore. I would end up with so many souvenirs though!
We haven’t been to Tokyo yet, but it’s nice to know that there are so many family-friendly things to do there. We’re definitely hoping to visit in the near future!
I visited Tokyo three years ago and was a bit afraid of all the crowds and tall buildings but it was not so crazy at all. Indeed, as what comes across clearly from your post, it is a fantastic town with many great places to visit with kids. I have hardly ever felt so safe in such a big city, love to go back!
A lovely post! I’ve still not been to Japan, and it’s so high on my list. I really hope to visit some of these places you’ve listed, they look great!
When people think about Japan, they will eventually think about Tokyo. Tokyo is super beautiful and the food there is yummy as well. Thanks for sharing your journey.
We went to Tokyo back in 2007 and it was such a great experience, seems like most of Japan would be family friendly as its pretty safe! Looks like you guys had a great trip as well!
I haven’t been to Japan, but these seem like really great tips, especially for first-time visitors! I had no idea that they had a copy of the Statue of Liberty! That’s so strange haha.
Oh can’t wait to go to Japan!!! I was living in China but I didn’t had the chance to go.
Visiting Japan is on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing these recommendations and tips 🙂
You’ve listed quite interesting family-friendly places to visit in Tokyo. Skytree sounds fascinating considering it’s in the heart of the city and is the world’s tallest free-standing tower. I like the idea of getting tax refund by carrying your passport. Thanks for sharing this lovely post and amazing photographs.