There’s no denying it: All international locations are completely different. However imagine it or not, Japan is one way or the other extra completely different than most.
Simply think about a rustic the place tipping is taken into account disrespectful, a rustic the place English shouldn’t be the nationwide language, however is broadly used and understood!
For any grown-up customer, Japan is an unique vacation spot. It’s a distinctive nation that gives an thrilling escape from the acquainted environment with its peculiarity being a part of the fascinating enchantment.
The large query, nonetheless, stays; are you able to do Japan with a child? Or perhaps a wide-eyed six or eight-year-old child happening his/her first long-haul vacation to Japan?
Our Private Expertise of Touring to Japan with a Child
We’ve got learn time and time once more about how baby-friendly Japan actually is, but we personally discovered the vacation a bit difficult (*sincere reality).
(We’ve got a full information of different concepts on the finest locations to go on a vacation with a child.)
So listed here are my ideas: if you’re touring to Japan with solely a child (and no different children), I believe Japan is a superb vacation spot to go to.
We have been touring with 3 children, although, and along with having to tug baggage + maintain palms + carry a child up and down stairs to subways & practice stations frequently; we discovered the journey REALLY HARD.
Nonetheless, I’ve some invaluable tips about how to make sure your vacation might be simpler than ours! Be taught from our errors and take them on board.
As a result of a trip to Japan is a once-in-a-lifetime alternative that guarantees a number of journey, schooling and a giddy mix of tradition, it’s all the time price a bit of little bit of a problem.
Information to a Child-Pleasant Japan Journey: High Ideas + All the pieces You Ought to Know
Earlier than you embark on a Japanese journey with a child in tow, these nice suggestions will enable you create the last word child vacation in Japan.
1. Passports
Youngsters are required to have their very own passports to be able to be allowed to journey to and round Japan. Additionally, you will want to hold the passport with you if you journey on trains as you is likely to be required to indicate it.
2. Vaccinations
There aren’t any necessary vaccinations for a kid to journey to Japan. That mentioned, it’s important to make sure that your child is updated together with his/her vaccines for his/her personal good.
3. Don’t Pack Too A lot!
Getting from one vacation spot/attraction to the following, in Japan, could be a little bit of a mission when you may have an excessive amount of baggage with you. Particularly if you’re travelling along with your child! While the practice system is super-efficient, taxis are extremely costly, which signifies that you’ll most definitely use the trains to get round.
We discovered that only a few stations truly had lifts or escalators, which meant that we needed to carry our child (in a provider) in addition to all the baggage down and up approach too many stairs. So is Japan child pleasant? Not all the time!
Attempt to minimise and to pack as mild as you possibly can. Actually assume onerous about which gadgets you’ll actually need. (We’ve got a full checklist of the finest child journey gear that you just would possibly discover useful).
Additionally, you will want to have the ability to match the baggage within the baggage compartment above your seat (see photograph above to see how a lot area you may have – not a lot!).
Tip: If, like us, you discover that it was approach too onerous to tug all of your baggage from one vacation spot to the following, here’s a helpful tip: Japan has a baggage forwarding system!
Basically, you possibly can arrange and pay to your baggage to be collected out of your lodge in a single metropolis and dropped off at your lodge within the subsequent metropolis. You are able to do this on the lodge reception. We thought the costs have been fairly affordable (nothing in Japan is affordable).
Vital to notice that the method usually works in a single day, so you should have your bag the following day (relying on how far they should journey). So we all the time took our necessities in a single suitcase and solely carried that suitcase with us. You may study extra about this forwarding system right here.
4. Journey Slower
Travelling via Japan with a bit of one will undoubtedly sluggish you down. One of many downsides is that you just received’t be capable of go to as many areas as you’d have needed. You need to, subsequently, all the time think about planning actions which can be shut to 1 one other.
Make sure you journey slower and permit loads of time for child to be modified, fed or to be rocked to sleep.
Don’t overlook to schedule some downtime for you too, in any other case, you would possibly get exhausted.
As a result of it may be so tough getting from level A to B in Japan with a child I additionally extremely advocate that you just decrease the variety of cities you may be visiting.
We tried to see Tokyo, Kyoto, Miyajima, Nara, Shirakawa-Go, Takayama, Kanazawa all in our 3-week journey and we have been exhausted by the tip of it!
So choose 1-3 cities to your journey and hold it easy and straightforward. Tokyo with a child is a number of enjoyable, and so is Osaka!
5. Be Ready for the Flight to Japan
When travelling to Japan with a child keep in mind to e-book bulkhead seats that include a bassinet. Not solely are you able to make use of the bassinet, however additionally, you will have hundreds extra room (and no reclining seats in entrance of you!).
You also needs to know what your ticket worth consists of. In case your child is consuming solids, keep in mind to name the airline and request a child meal. This meal often features a drink field and a few pureed meals pouches.
Bear in mind, airline meals is rarely assured to be a success with children. So ensure you have your personal snacks and child meals provides for the journey readily available.
We’ve got a great deal of suggestions for flying with a child that you would be able to learn in our put up right here. You can even discover bucket a great deal of travelling with child suggestions by clicking to our information right here.
6. E-book a Machiya (Japanese-Type Home) or Airbnb Condominium
As a pre-warning, lodge rooms in Japan are actually tiny and fairly dear. I additionally extremely advocate that you just ask them if a child cot might be out there.
In case your child is shifting, you would possibly favor a Machiya or an Airbnb reasonably than a lodge, so that there’s room to your infant to crawl and play. They’re additionally fabulous selections for individuals who cannot afford the dear costs of the inns.
We loved staying in a mixture of all three of the above. We cherished our Airbnb’s in Japan as they usually include a totally purposeful kitchen that definitely affords you the possibility to cook dinner your personal meals, particularly for the infant. Most even have a washer which is able to make issues simpler so far as the infant’s laundry is anxious.
If you have not used Airbnb earlier than, we’ve a coupon to your first keep! Merely enroll with this hyperlink and it’ll apply a small low cost to your first Airbnb reserving.
I’ll share some lodge hyperlinks beneath for these of you who actually do want to keep in a lodge. You’ll find that almost all inns may have some data on their cots/additional beds which say “There isn’t any capability on this room for a cot“, so these inns that do provide cots will prevent a great deal of analysis time.
The place to remain in Tokyo with a child:
Discover beneath our three favourite lodging choices for these touring with a child. Do not forget to match costs with Airbnb leases (however then you have to to take your personal child cot).
- Imperial Lodge Tokyo (5-Star): This lodge is ideal should you can attain the value. It’s handy with an airport shuttle drop-off at its entrance door. It’s also in a central location with 3 stations inside a 5-minute stroll. They’ve household rooms out there that provide more room. Babysitting is offered, in addition to cribs. Click on right here to test availability and costs.
- 4 Seasons Lodge Tokyo at Marunouchi (5-Star): One other fabulous choice as it’s immediately accessible from JR Tokyo Station. In addition they have babysitting providers in addition to cribs out there. Fabulous location, you possibly can’t go mistaken. Click on right here to test availability and costs.
- Nohga Lodge Ueno (4-Star): This lodge is conveniently positioned 3.3 km from Tokyo Skytree, within the Taito district of Tokyo. No babysitting providers right here, however you possibly can request a cot free of charge. Click on right here to test availability and costs.
You will discover our full checklist of the most effective household inns in Tokyo right here.
The place to remain in Osaka with a child:
Discover beneath our three favourite lodging choices for these touring with a child.
- InterContinental Lodge Osaka (5-Star): In a superb location and solely a 5-minute stroll from JR Osaka Practice Station. Their rooms are beautiful and soundproof. They’ve babysitters out there in addition to free cribs. Click on right here to test availability and costs.
- Artwork Lodge Osaka Bay Tower (4-Star): This lodge is conveniently positioned near the practice station. They’ve bigger household rooms out there to supply area. The rooms are soundproof and cribs can be found as effectively. Click on right here to test availability and costs.
- Lodge Nikko Osaka (4-Star): The Lodge Nikko model is a well-liked one for vacationers resulting from their reasonably priced costs. They’re additionally positioned with direct entry from the airport shuttles. It’s also immediately linked to Click on right here to test availability and costs.
The place to remain in Kyoto with a child:
Discover beneath our two favourite lodging choices for these touring with a child.
- Lodge Think about Kyoto: What we love about this lodge is that each one the items include a seating space (which suggests more room). The lodge is positioned near Kyoto station so it’s simple to discover different areas of Kyoto. Free cots can be found too. Click on right here to test availability and costs.
- Kyoto Tokyu Lodge (4-Star): This lodge affords a free 5 min shuttle to the Kyoto Station. The World Heritage web site Nishi Honganji Temple is only a 5-minute stroll away. We love their household measurement rooms and so they have cots out there as effectively. Click on right here to test availability and costs.
Be aware about cots: We ended up taking a transportable child cot with us to Japan as lots of the inns and Airbnb’s didn’t have a cot out there, so it is very important ask the query earlier than you e-book, to make sure that child has a secure area to sleep.
>>> Click on right here should you want to see a listing of beneficial journey cribs to take alongside.
7. All the time go for Public Transport in Japan
While we’re on the subject of transport, right here is one other tip: In the event you’re planning to remain in Japan for longer than every week and plan to journey between main cities akin to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto (which is clear) travelling by rail would undoubtedly be essentially the most economical choice.
Japanese public transport is undoubtedly among the best on the planet!
So whether or not it’s a bus, a subway or the Japan Rail Move (which is mainly long-distance practice journey), the Japanese public transport is extraordinarily conducive for teenagers. Children beneath the age of 6 can journey free of charge and children aged between 6 and 12 might be half-price.
This makes Japan with children a complete lot extra viable!
- Additional Studying: Allow us to enable you resolve whether or not the Japan Rail Move might be of a profit to you.
Tip: All the time keep away from rush hour in the primary cities. It’s because it may well generally get hectic and the shortage of area can scare the infant. You can be stunned at how many individuals can squash into the trains at these instances. I wouldn’t advocate it.
The weekday rush hours peak between 8 am and 9 am within the morning, and shortly after 5 pm within the night.
8. Attempt to Journey Palms-Free
We discovered that many points of interest have been positioned in stunning hilly areas, which meant that not solely did we’ve to take care of stairs on the practice stations, however we additionally needed to climb stairs on the points of interest!
While we did certainly take our child stroller alongside, we barely ever used it on our Japan journey and I’d recommend that you just depart it behind altogether.
As an alternative, attempt to journey hands-free. We had Avalee in a child provider on a regular basis. It simply made life a lot simpler as we climbed many stairs at points of interest or headed down all the steps to the subways.
We additionally favor to journey with a backpack diaper bag, which is nice to not solely stability out the load of our child on the entrance, but in addition makes it simpler for us to have our palms free to take care of cash and tickets (and to carry our different two daughters palms on the busy practice stations).
Tip: In the event you discover that you just actually do want a stroller, you possibly can all the time hire one.
There are quite a lot of on-line outlets that provide child cots, automotive seats, child carriers and plenty of extra child facilities at reasonably priced costs. There’s additionally some nice child meals in Japan! All the pieces is in Japanese although, so finest to ask your lodge receptionist that will help you. They are typically tremendous pleasant and pleased to assist.
A lot of the department shops and buying facilities in Tokyo have free stroller leases which gives you a break from the provider should you want.
9. You may Depend on Japanese Division Shops
Most shops in Japan are extraordinarily baby-friendly. They’ve nurseries with altering tables, and personal rooms for breastfeeding. A few of the well-known shops with these facilities embody; Daimaru, Isetan, Matsuya and Mitsukoshi.
For meals and child provides we frequently discovered it finest to move to the drug shops as an alternative of the supermarkets. Drug shops are a superb supply of child provides and you may usually discover them simply. They may promote your pre-packaged child meals, formulae, child snacks and diapers.
Pureed Child Meals: Our child didn’t just like the Japanese child meals and purees, so ensure you pack your personal simply as a backup.
Child Components: Our child didn’t thoughts the infant method in Japan. The most effective manufacturers are Meiji, Morinaga and Icreo. We couldn’t perceive what number of scoops so as to add, however our lodge receptionist managed to translate the directions for us, so simply ask if you’re confused.
Child Diapers: While they’re available, they’re costly. Our Australian diapers have been a lot better high quality as effectively so we made certain to maintain a superb provide of our personal diapers for the flight residence (as a result of no one needs to vary child’s diaper extra typically on a airplane than is important)
Be aware: We did battle to seek out provides within the smaller cities, so fill up within the cities earlier than you head out to islands or distant locations.
10. Eating places in Japan
While most eating places and pubs do permit infants, use your frequent sense when deciding which restaurant is suitable for him/her.
Many eating places in Japan are tiny, crowded and noisy, which is such an awesome ambiance for us however could be fairly overwhelming for a child.
Smoking in eating places can also be allowed and we frequently walked right into a restaurant solely to show again round after we realized how heavy the cigarette and cigar smoke was.
You additionally received’t simply discover a excessive chair in these eating places, so anticipate to carry your child on our lap or in your child provider. In case your child is a bit older, you would possibly wish to take a light-weight journey excessive chair with you. Listed here are our suggestions for moveable excessive chairs.
Meal time for us usually meant that our child Avalee was drained, however the eating places have been approach too noisy so we struggled to get her to sleep and she or he spent the dinner crying. It wasn’t enjoyable.
So my tip right here is to keep in mind that they do have Dominoes Pizza Supply. We ended up ordering supply a couple of nights, in order that we may eat in our Airbnb condominium as an alternative (and that approach Avie may get some sleep in her moveable cot) – dinner + peace = heaven!
11. Breastfeeding in Japan
If you’re planning on breastfeeding in Japan I’d extremely recommend that you just pack in a cover-up. While breastfeeding in public is ok, I by no means noticed anybody with their boob visibly out, it’s all about discretion.
In the event you favor to feed in breastfeeding rooms, you’ll all the time discover them in department shops, museums and play facilities.
The concept of travelling to a international nation is commonly an intimidating prospect for a lot of.
The concept of constructing the journey with a child or toddler in tow is much more worrying to many, however that doesn’t imply dad and mom can’t have an thrilling vacation to a international land distant from residence. You may journey to Japan along with your child, you simply should be well-prepared!
Save for the jet lag, travelling to Japan with a child is less complicated than in lots of different international locations.
That’s as a result of Japan is definitely an especially child/kid-friendly nation and everyone appears to be in love with infants. To spotlight this, there are seats for infants to take a seat on in lots of public locations, in addition to child areas for youngsters to let unfastened, run round and have some enjoyable!
Imagine it or not, altering tables are all over the place together with within the males’s lavatory! Some locations even provide free diapers and microwaves.
This can be a place the place you’ll stroll in huge cities akin to Tokyo and Kyoto and see infants all over the place.
However do study from our errors and journey sluggish and journey mild to your Japan travels.
So should you’ve been planning to journey to Japan and have some worries relating to your child, relaxation assured that Japan has received you and the infant correctly lined. Travelling to Japan with a small toddler is feasible! All you need to do is sustain with the above improbable suggestions and also you and your child might be good to go.
