I took my four-year-old to Japan – this is everything I learnt

When my four-year-old daughter, Nora, is asked about her highlights from our recent trip to Japan, she says the same thing every time: Splash Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland. If pressed, her second favourite thing was a sushi restaurant in Shinjuku, where she could take items off a conveyor belt behind which chefs in white hats carved fatty tuna and bonito sashimi.

This dichotomy of experiences perfectly sums up a holiday in Japan, a land of high, ancient culture and cutting-edge technology, of karaoke and Hello Kitty. The country has experienced a tourism boom in recent years with as many as 41 million visitors expected in 2026, according to the Japan Travel Bureau. I assume that a portion of these are families with young children, especially if the queue at Haneda airport arrivals was anything to go by.

My husband and I planned to visit Japan before having children but it never happened, so we decided to make the most of our freedom to travel outside of school holidays, with a jam-packed, two-week trip. Our itinerary included two nights in Tokyo, five in Kyoto, the art island of Naoshima for two and a final five nights back in the capital. Here is how we did it.

Tokyo

We soft-landed in Tokyo for two nights which gave us time to adjust to the time zone. We did this at the New Otani, a mid-century resort near the Imperial Palace with beautiful gardens – the antidote to jet lag – plus an outdoor pool.

It’s imperative that you visit a konbini such as Family Mart (there’s one in the hotel), Lawson or 7-Eleven, which are practically on every street corner. These convenience stores are both a cultural experience and a place to feed your family inexpensively, and they pride themselves on using fresh ingredients. Our favourites were their egg sandwiches and hot fried chicken, which saved us more than once. Nora’s choice? The custard pancakes and fresh fruit smoothies.

Once stocked with snacks, you can explore. The New Otani is a short metro ride from both Ginza and Tokyo stations, which are good for shopping, including the Uniqlo flagship and seven-floor Itoya stationery store.

Leave enough time to visit Character Street, underneath the main concourse, while passing through. The maze of shops is dedicated to character merch, some of which is exclusive: Pikachu in a train conductor’s outfit, Mofusand sushi cat charms and all the Sanrio souvenirs you could ever want. We even saw a life-sized penguin character called Koupen-chan milling around before we caught the Shinkansen to Kyoto.

This is also where we discovered gachapon, the vending machines with collectible toys that became a big feature of our trip. Our haul included a Teletubby watch and a mini tape-recorder, though we never found the lusted-after Polly Pocket keyrings. Give your child all your change and let them go wild every time you see a machine.

On our return to Tokyo, we stayed by Shinjuku Central Park, which has an excellent playground popular with locals. It was also the location of Nora’s second-favourite thing about Japan: Himawari Sushi Shintoshin, where a platter cost us £5. Uobei in Shibuya is a good alternative, where the sushi arrives on actual toy trains. If your little people are averse to sushi, then the Afuri ramen chain is a failsafe option. And luckily, donuts, ice cream and dessert cafes abound.

My favourite day was in the quieter, leafier neighbourhoods of Daikanyama and Ebisu (Ebisu Park has a good playground). Daikanyama is known for its upmarket boutiques and pedigree dogs whose owners push them around in designer prams, much to Nora’s delight. Don’t miss T-Site, a bookshop devoted to the print medium, and Kodomo Beams for kidswear by the cult Japanese brand – their rucksacks in an array of colours are perfect schoolbags.

Tokyo Disneyland

We picked Disneyland over the Studio Ghibli theme park near Nagoya, which has a monthly ticket drop akin to Glastonbury, as it slotted into our itinerary (Disney is reached via metro from central Tokyo). I do however regret not booking Tokyo’s Ghibli Museum, which has the Catbus, reimagined as a soft play area, from My Neighbour Totoro.

Read more: This underrated Japanese city is perfect for escaping overtourism

On arriving, purchase your requisite Mickey ears from the shop before the entrance, as Main Street was overrun with tweens doing the same thing. I had as much fun surveying the fashions (Marie from the Aristocats hair clips! Fluffy Sully bucket hats from Monsters Inc!) as Nora did spotting characters.

The app gives queue times, plus both free and paid-for passes for certain rides throughout the day based on crowds (2000¥ or £9 per person for Splash Mountain; 1500¥pp or £7 for the Baymax ride). You can only book inside the park and, unlike other Disneys around the world, you cannot buy a fast-track bolt-on. It’s well worth it if you only have a day, especially considering we paid £37 for entry per adult and £22 for Nora. Compare that to Florida’s Magic Kingdom where rates start at £520pp for a week’s package (day entry is not available).

Kyoto

Kyoto, while a destination in its own right, is also a good base for family-friendly day trips – namely, a quaint, hour-long train ride to see the deer in Nara, and the Kids Plaza Osaka, 45 minutes by train. It has everything from a human-sized bubble maker to a role-play area with a realistic mini-supermarket.

Day trips were important because Kyoto isn’t that child-friendly – the main streets get busy and the temples and shrines weren’t our priority. Luckily, there are 2,000 of them in the city, so we ticked off two while exploring – Niomon Gate, a temple complex in the eastern hills, and the Yasaka Shrine in the Gion district. We also paid a visit to the Unesco-listed Nijo Castle, home of the first shogun of the Edo period. Nora specifically enjoyed exploring the corridors of the wooden houses in her socks and feeding the Koi carp.

A ryokan stay shouldn’t be missed – going shoeless and wearing a yukata is a novelty that doesn’t wear off. The inns are known for their multi-course, seasonal kaiseki dinners served in rooms – a dream for parents who want to enjoy 10 courses in relative peace. I made the mistake of booking a more modern ryokan, which had a restaurant, and so didn’t offer the traditional in-room set-up, so check before committing. Family-run Kanamean Nishitomiya comes recommended and children under seven stay free.

Another hack for dinnertime: a private karaoke room. Round One is a neon emporium with arcades, bowling, photobooths and karaoke across four floors. Two hours of singing, plus fried chicken, apple juice and two ice-cold Asahis cost around £20.

Naoshima

Finally, the adult highlight of the trip: the island of Naoshima, a paradise of open-air sculptures, galleries and views of neighbouring islands that look like slumbering dinosaurs.

Read more: I fell in love with this island-to-island cycling trail through rural Japan

We stayed at Benesse House, a Tadao Ando-designed hotel and gallery set across four buildings. It’s worth the splurge as you get access to the galleries at night – we took it in turns to go – and Nora never tired of saying we were sleeping inside a museum.

It may not sound child-friendly, but the open, green spaces and the fact that everyone gets around on electric bikes (or the Benesse bus) means you can take it at your own pace. The Chichu museum was the gallery pick for us (booking essential); Nora spent a long time in the rock-covered courtyard and found wearing slippers in Monet’s Water Lilies gallery fun.

Her favourite thing? Visiting Yayoi Kusama’s yellow, polka-dot pumpkin in all weathers. She might not mention it when asked about Japan, but it’s been immortalised in a family photo, which will be treasured, like this trip itself, forever.

Top tips

How to do it

Japan Air has direct flights from London Heathrow to Tokyo Hanena airport. Flight time is 14 hours. Prices start at £1,130.

Where to stay

Double rooms in the Garden Tower at the New Otani, Tokyo start at £121 per night. The city-centre resort has 37 restaurants, an outdoor pool and beautiful gardens.

Park Double rooms at Benesse House on Naoshima from £312. A once-in-a-lifetime stay designed by star architect Tadao Ando, and gives you access to some of the island’s museums at night.

Jade was a guest of the New Otani and Banyan Tree Higashayima