Traveling with children can already be difficult. Throw in a potential language barrier, a cultural shift, and a complete overhaul of sleep and you could end up with a miserable toddler (or child). Going to Japan with a baby might sound a little outlandish. I know this type of trip certainly isn’t for everyone. But we found the country to be surprisingly child friendly and getting Monster to adjust to the change was pleasantly easy. I loved taking my child to Japan and I think they had a lot of fun too. There are so many things to do in Japan with kids that vacationing there was a breeze, as long as we remembered that Monster was still little.
The Flight
Depending on where you are coming from, it is very likely that you have a very long flight ahead of you. This flight can be over 12 hours and sometimes include a connecting flight. The nice thing about these long flights is at least they often have (more) comfortable seating and small meals.
If possible, have your child sleep at least part of the plane ride. This will hopefully set them up for success on your day of arrival. Take a day to get them on a good schedule once you arrive. This way they can participate in the day to day enjoyment of travel.
I suspect your child likely will not sleep the entire flight, although it would be nice if they did. Be prepared to need to play and entertain them. If you know me, I am super anti-screens, which is still true even when on a super long flight. I believe children need to learn to entertain themselves without TV. This is a great time to read a chapter book together or come up with some simple games.
If your child is still nursing, be sure to take advantage of that at take off and landing. The sucking motion can help manage the pressure in their ears, preventing a cranky baby for hours on end.
When we traveled with Monster, my partner and I sat together and Monster was a lap baby. Now my kids are older and I don’t travel with their dad anymore. I would definitely say if you can afford a seat for your child to do it. This gives just that much more room for them to move around and for you to have space as well. I personally love having a row all to my little family so that we can rearrange as needed on the flight.
Getting Around
One of my absolute favorite things about Japan is how incredibly easy it is to get around. Their public transportation system is AMAZING. Very efficient and it pretty much always runs on time. We got ourselves a JR Pass so we could take almost any train. I can’t imagine getting around Japan without one.
Bring a stroller if your child is still young. There is a lot of walking in Japan and a heavy reliance on public transit. Letting Monster fall asleep in the stroller was great for the days we didn’t slow down for a nap or ended up staying out much later than they should. Yes, you will have to find all the elevators and it isn’t as convenient for getting around, but it makes a long day of travel a little friendlier for your young one. Even our older kids, around 8, were pretty beat after a long day.
Eating
If your child is a picky eater, this might be the hardest part about Japan for you. I don’t recall there ever being a mac and cheese or chicken nugget option. This culture isn’t weird about feeding their kids the way we are in the US. For whatever it’s worth, the food is just simply delicious, so Monster was very happy to eat whatever we had. My child isn’t a picky eater and has been eating what we eat their whole lives, so that might have been part of it.
Ordering meals in Japan was often as easy as walking into a store, ordering at a kiosk, and handing your ticket to your server. Those kiosks were full of pictures as well, so no Japanese necessary. There is no tipping in Japan, so be sure to support your child in keeping their space clean. And be sure to try lots of new foods together!
Sleeping
Getting your child on a solid sleep schedule once you arrive in Japan is super important. You don’t want a grumpus with you for the entire trip, so make sure to carve out time for appropriate sleep and naps, especially at the beginning of the trip.
Japanese style rooms often have beds on the floor, which can be great for the whole family. At least in my experience, cribs were not a function we had available on our trip. So make sure the room you stay in is comfortable and safe to contain your little one.
Wherever you stay, make sure they are kid friendly. The houses in Japan are built tall and skinny as opposed to the sprawling we are used to in the United States. This could mean a lot of steps to get to whatever floor the bedroom is on. If you have a young toddler that isn’t confident on stairs, this may not be a good setup for you. Don’t hesitate to ask about your accommodations before committing to them. We used AirBnB for our stay and it was perfect for us. But shop around and find a place that is in a good location and child friendly.
Activities
Finding fun things to do with your child is the best part of any trip in my opinion. A lot of your options will depend on where you are and what time of year you are there. There are so many things to do in Japan, below are the highlights of some of our favorites though.
Beach
The beach in Japan was absolutely beautiful. It’s sand is soft and it’s easy to get into the water. We spent an entire day at the beach and it was probably my absolute favorite part of the whole trip.
Deer
The Nara Deer in Japan are famous for their friendliness to humans. The park is filled with them and they will walk around close enough to touch. They’ve been trained to bow to you, so if you bow, and they bow back, you are supposed to give them a treat. Very cool experience.
Festival
There is nothing like a good old festival to really enmesh you in a culture. Depending on when you are going, there is likely to be a festival somewhere or other. Even if you have to travel a little extra or even take a bullet train, they can be fun.
Hike
Mt. Fuji is not open year round for hiking. But if you are there at the right time of year, you should give this a try. You and your whole family will be able to check this one off the bucket list!
Museum
My kiddos and I actually really like museums, so this was a no brainer for me. If that’s not really your family’s thing, you could probably skip it. But I find there is a lot to be learned in museums and there is always so much to see.
Parks
It’s important to take a lot of breaks when traveling with children. Parks can be a great way to do that. Parks in Japan are sprinkled all over the place. There were always children at them too! As opposed to the empty parks I am used to seeing here in the U.S. almost every park we went to had lots of kids
Shrines
The Inari shrines were remarkable and worth walking through. The walk up Mount Inari gifted us with a whole bunch of animal views as well. One important note is that it is a stair heavy walk, so when you go out for the day, leave your stroller at home. It’s only going to get in the way.
Zoo
I do love me a good old zoo. We went once because we wanted to see panda bears. There was a line for the pandas, and it was a very different experience from what I’m used to, but it was cool. Full transparency, my local zoo is the Denver zoo, so I will admit I’ve become a bit of a zoo snob. I wasn’t super impressed with the state of the exhibits at the zoo when I went. Be prepared for that. But a zoo is always a great stop with littles.
Overall, I would say traveling with children in Japan was pretty easy. The locals all loved to comment on how adorable Monster was. Their culture seems to be accepting of children. Even on days when Monster was crying on a train, people were very kind. Total strangers offered Monster little toys and one person even made them a crane. It was beautiful to see. I would definitely go back to Japan with kids.
