What to Do in Tokyo with Kids

~ cswada

I thought it would be helpful to others to spend a moment to describe everything that we did in Tokyo as a family. Tokyo is a rather large city with plenty to do beyond what is described below.

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Ueno Park

Ueno is one of the larger parks in the Tokyo metropolitan area. You’ll find a wide array of six museums and even a zoo here. It’s all conveniently located right by the subway station, served by the Ginza and Hibiya subway lines as well as five JR lines (Joban, Keihin-Tohoku, Ueno-Tokyo, Takasaki, Yamanote). If we had a bit more time, we would have made it into the zoo, which seemed rather quick to enter in the morning. Out of the many museums, we would have been most likely to venture into the National Museum of Nature and Science given the programming available for children. But we were actually here to observe the cherry blossom trees.

Ueno Zoo entrance
Cute bench outside zoo entrance

Out of all the places we came to visit the cherry blossom trees, this location felt the most crowded. I wouldn’t say I am surprised by that — after all, the park is popular and many people come here for the zoo and museums. There was a small festival going on, with street food and vendors, so it’s a nice place to spend some time as long as you’re fine with some crowds.

Visiting the sakura

Pokémon fans could also have extra interest here as two specially-decorated sewer covers are found here. One is immediately outside the whale by the National Museum of Nature and Science. The other is off to the side of the entrance by the Tokyo National Museum.

Pokémon lid
Pokémon lid

Chuo Park

This ended up being a daily stop for us. Located immediately across the street from the Park Hyatt Tokyo, the park is a wonderful spot for a jog and features an extensive playground for the little ones. Frankly, it offered us all a chance to stretch and work off some of the weight we gained from the Park Hyatt’s extensive breakfast offering. Like many places in Tokyo, the park was kept in pristine condition. There were even some cherry blossom trees found here–not too many, but if you wanted to get some close-up or family shots of the cherry blossoms without any crowds around, this might be an option for you.

Ultimately, if you’re not staying in the area, it might be a bit of a hassle to get to. I wouldn’t recommend making a trip over here purely to see this park. But if you happen to be in the area already, or are staying nearby like we were, it’s definitely worth a visit for a bit of peace and serenity in an otherwise busy city.

Chuo park
Chuo park
Chuo park
Chuo park
Chuo park
Chuo park
Chuo park (sakura in background)
Chuo park
Chuo park
Chuo park

Imperial Palace

Located near the heart of Tokyo is the Imperial Palace. This is where the emperor of Japan lives (no, don’t expect to get a picture with him). Access to the grounds is subject to a security search and some areas are off-limits, but it’s a physically beautiful property that offers some views of the immediate surroundings (not high enough to see the skyscrapers but tall enough to see the treetops). If taking public transportation, you’re best arriving via Otemachi station, served by five subway lines (Mita, Chiyoda, Tozai, Marunouchi, and Hanzomon).

They do have free guided tours, including those in English, available from their website. I would recommend you book in advance as space is limited. We were here to take one of the tours, but unfortunately we couldn’t find the pathway to the Kikyo-mon Gate (thanks for that, Google Maps). Some of the pathway appeared blocked, perhaps due to construction, so leave plenty of time to get there early enough to find your way to the tour start location.

Even though we didn’t make it onto the tour, there is quite a bit to see here for those willing to get in their steps. You’ll find a room with a small model of Edo Castle and forking paths to see nature. Importantly, for those in Tokyo around cherry blossom season, you’ll find plenty of cherry blossoms on property. We found this location to be less crowded than Ueno Park and with more opportunity to get up close to the trees. I’d rate this as a better location for cherry blossom viewing than Ueno.

Imperial palace
Imperial palace
Imperial palace
Imperial palace (visiting the sakura)
Up close and personal with the sakura

Sensoji Temple

Perhaps one of the more popular places to come visit is Sensoji Temple, a large Buddhist temple found in Asakusa. Similar to other temples, for a small donation, you can purchase and place incense, get your fortune, and place good luck charms.

While there is a cherry blossom tree found here and there, it’s not a place you’d want to come to observe them given the crowds. It didn’t help that it was lightly raining while we visited, making it difficult to manage the crowds with umbrellas.

Sensoji temple
Sensoji temple
Sensoji temple

As visitors to Sensoji are well aware, there is an array of shops that leads right up to the temple. While I would have written most of them off as touristy, if you’re here, it’s worth a visit to Ginkado Asakusa, about halfway through the stands. They serve perhaps the freshest, most delicious ichigo daifuku (strawberry mochi) we’ve ever had. Granted, we haven’t tried every single place that makes them (who has?), but I still have dreams about this place. Just remember in Japan you shouldn’t walk and eat at the same time. You can save them for later or you can stand next to the shop to eat it. It might be a strange custom, but the practice originates back to appreciating and respecting the food while also helping to reduce litter.

Ginkado Asakusa
Ginkado Asakusa

Ghibli Museum

We didn’t make it during this trip, but we did go back in November 2017. I bring it up knowing this is still a popular activity to do in the Tokyo area. Getting tickets now is done via online registration (10AM JST on the 10th day of the month prior to when you want to visit) and honestly as long as you have some flexibility, it’s a little easier securing tickets than it used to be pre-COVID (having to go through a sales office in your country). Getting to the museum is a little out of the way, as it’s in Mitaka, about 30-45 minutes from Shinjuku and further from central Tokyo.

Once there, you’ll find plenty of references to your favorite Studio Ghibli animated films, especially My Neighbor Totoro. There is a show to watch, you can board the cat bus (children only, as in the movie), and spy a robot guardian on the roof that protects the museum. There is some dining available on-site, or you can also eat at the train station if you want more options.

It’s worth a visit, but just remember when planning that it takes a bit of time getting to and from the museum so plan accordingly.

Ghibli Museum
Ghibli Museum
Ghibli Museum
Ghibli Museum
Ghibli Museum
Ghibli Museum

If you haven’t already read our reviews on other specific activities we did in Tokyo, you’ll find them here:

Next Time

Tokyo seems to always have something to do. The next time we end up in town, here is a sampling of things we would like to do (and further expand this page):

  • Visit Mt. Fuji
  • Go to an animal cafe
  • Kidzania
  • Dine at a ninja-themed restaurant
  • Explore the museums at Ueno Park
  • Check out Tokyo Sea Life Park, near the Tokyo Disney resort
  • Take the kids to play games at Akihabara

What are some things you enjoy to do while in Tokyo?

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