Exploring Tokyo with Kids

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With its 14 million residents, Tokyo is the second most populated capital in the world after Beijing. However, modern Tokyo began as a fishing village in the 15th century and was known as Edo until 1868 when it was renamed and designated the official capital of Japan. Today Tokyo is a bustling metropolis, which hosts the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing, as well as its busiest train station, and is home to more Michelin-starred restaurants than other city across the globe. Its unique cultural blend has given the world such delights as Anime, cat cafés, vending machines that sell everything from drinks to umbrellas, and even pod hotels. The city sits at the convergence of three separate tectonic plates, making it prone to earthquakes, but thankfully its specially designed high-rise buildings as constructed so that they sway like bamboo and generally remain unharmed. Although Tokyo is a modern city, its 11,000 square kilometres of landmass include over 300 islands and diverse landscapes which are in stark contrast to the urban sprawl of Japan’s capital.

Let’s go to explore Tokyo with BusyKidd!

Getting to Tokyo

The direct flight from Singapore to Tokyo takes approximately 7 hours and is offered by Singapore Airlines and Scoot, as well as the Japanese airlines ANA and JAL. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Scoot has decorated some of the planes on its Singapore-Tokyo route in Pokémon theme so that the fun can begin at Changi Airport! Once onboard, passengers will experience Pokémon-themed meals, cups, serviettes, internal cabin decorations, disposable headrest covers, plus the opportunity to buy Pokémon merchandise.

Where to Stay in Tokyo

Tokyo is not renowned for its cheap accommodation, but it does at least offer a wide variety of options for travellers, with everything from well-known chains to boutique hotels. As the city has over 3,000 hotels it would not be realistic to touch on more than a handful of hotels recommended for families, but here are five of our favourites.

Toy Story Hotel at Tokyo Disneyland

Many families visiting Tokyo will have theme parks on their to-do lists, and Tokyo Disneyland is one of the best. It offers a number of hotels that are perfect for children, including the Toy Story Hotel. Unsurprisingly, this hotel is themed on the popular Toy Story movie franchise and is sure to be a hit with fans of Woodie and friends. Everything in the hotel, from the exterior decoration to the bedrooms and restaurant dishes, has a strong Toy Story theme that is sure to delight the kids.

Tokyo Disneyland Hotel

Also within the environs of Tokyo Disneyland is the Hilton Tokyo Disneyland. This Disney-themed hotel has mock Victorian architecture that adds to its magical feel. You can choose between different themes for your room, such as Alice in Wonderland and Mickey Mouse, whilst the communal areas are all strictly Disney in design. The hotel provides a free shuttle to Tokyo Disneyland, which is just a short hop away.

Mimaru Hotel Apartments

Located in a variety of neighbourhoods across the city, Mimaru Hotel Apartments are a great family option because all rooms have a minimum of four beds and plenty of amenities for kids and self-catering kitchens. You can choose between Japanese or Western themed rooms, with some even offering rooms decorated in themes such as Pokémon and ninjas.

Four Seasons at Maranouchi

One of two separate Four Seasons Hotels in Tokyo, Four Seasons at Maranouchi is perfect for kids (and adults) who love rail transport as it’s right next to a major train station. This means that guests can watch trains come and go from the comfort of their hotel rooms. If that’s not already enough, each room comes with its own train set as well as train-themed books and movies. There are even children’s bathrobes and bedtime snacks.

Muji Hotel, Ginza

Fans of the Muji brand will expect its hotel to be stylish and comfortable and they won’t be disappointed. The beautifully designed rooms use space creatively and the family rooms have enough capacity to comfortably accommodate four people. Unsurprisingly, the hotel uses Muji products in its rooms, so expect to find ultra-soft bedding and towels. The family rooms include child amenity sets which include slippers, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and even pyjamas (although pyjamas are for rent or purchase only).

Shiba Park Hotel, Minato

If you have children who love to read, look no further than the Shiba Park Hotel in the Minato district. This concept hotel combines a love of reading and fine cuisine with a thirst for discovery of new places. It hosts a collection of over 1,500 books, many of which are in English and suitable for children. The Shiba Park Hotel offers a number of traditional craft activities as well as the opportunity to experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The spacious rooms are tastefully designed, with some offering modern bunk-style beds.

Travelling Around Tokyo

Although Tokyo is a huge city, it is served by one of the best public transport systems in the world. This means that, wherever you want to head in the city, you can get there very efficiently. Although the bus system is very extensive, it can be quite complicated to navigate so the best way for tourists to travel is by train and subway. The most useful subway line is the JR Yamanote line, also known as the ‘Loop Line’ as it covers nearly all the major hubs in Tokyo. Although you can buy day passes for the train and subway networks, if you’re in Tokyo for a few days it’s worth buying a prepaid card such as Pasmo or Suica, which you can buy at the airport and are valid for 28 days. You will need to buy a separate card for each traveller, but kids under 12 years old travel for roughly half price.

Where to Eat in Tokyo

Tokyo is a food-lover’s paradise where you can indulge in everything from simple meals dispatched by a vending machine to gastronomic delights created by some of the world’s best chefs. Some of Japan’s most famous delicious foods include sushi, ramen noodles, tempura, yakitori, and wagyu beef. Although some dishes will be alien to a lot of children, there are always plenty of familiar foods, such as gyoza dumplings, as well as oodles of rice, so Tokyo is a great location for eating as a family. A sprawling city such as Tokyo has huge numbers of dining options, but here are just five of our favourite restaurants for families.

Gyopao Gyoza, Shinjuku

Advertised as a fusion of Japanese and Taiwanese cuisines, Gyopao Gyoza specializes in the dumplings that started off as Tokyo streetfood but have become worldwide favourites. ‘Gyopao’ are a specific type of soup-filled gyoza that are also known as ‘explosive soup dumplings’! Most kids love dumplings and none of the family will go hungry with a menu that goes well beyond gyoza to include stuffed seafood spring rolls, noodle soups, steamed chicken with green onion sauce, as well as dumpling varieties such as ‘tom sum soup’ and ‘meat steamed dumplings’.

Ninja Experience Cafe, Harajuku

What isn’t there to love about a café that combines kid-friendly food and stealthy assassins!

Ninja Experience Cafe does exactly what its name suggests, providing diners with an opportunity to meet ninja actors. Be prepared for a few surprises as these ninjas may jump out when you least expect it! The menu includes a variety of Japanese dishes but the experience is the main draw for this café. Young ninjas can don costumes and learn to use blow darts, Japanese swords, and shuriken (throwing star weapons).

Wagyu to Worldwide, Chuo-ku

Unless you’re a vegetarian you can’t really visit Tokyo and not try wagyu beef at some point. This marbled beef is renowned for being some of the world’s most delicious (and expensive) and it is famous for the special treatment that the cattle receive, including regular massages. Wagyu to Worldwide offers a great introduction to wagyu beef through its extensive menu of high-quality burgers that include unusual options such as a Roast Beef Burger and Foie Gras Burger, as well as more usual choices such as a Wagyu Cheese Burger.

Straw Hat Cafe, Ghibli Museum, Mitaka

Located within the leafy grounds of Ghibli Museum, which celebrates the studio that produced such classic animations as ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ and ‘Spirited Away’, the Straw Hat Cafe captures some of the magic of Ghibli and combines it with healthy dishes made from organic ingredients. Themed dishes include Bacon and Eggs with Toast (from ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’) and Madame’s Petite Chocolate Cake (from ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’). This restaurant and the museum (see below) are a must for any fans of Studio Ghibli. You can even get breakfast before you start your tour of the museum.

Pokémon Café, Chuo-ku

Tokyo has numerous themed restaurants including a Robot Restaurant, Vampire Café, Harry Potter Cafe, Hedgehog Café, and even a Kawaii Monster Cafe. However, there are few restaurant themes more Japanese than the Pokémon Cafe, which pays homage to Pikachu and friends. Diners can choose from artistically created and imaginatively named plates such as Pikachu and Bulbasaur’s Best Friends Forever Curry Plate and Snorlax’s Tummy Filling Nap Lunch Plate. Desserts include the Poké Ball Dessert Bowl which includes a surprise dessert.

Things to do in Tokyo

With so many activities to choose from in Tokyo, it’s impossible to do justice to the variety and quality of entertainment in the city, but here are just a handful of our favourite activities for families.

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea

Many family visitors to Tokyo will probably be intending to visit one or both of arguably its most famous theme parks, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Although these parks are adjacent to each other they require separate tickets and offer slightly different themes.

Disneyland has the cowboy-inspired Westernland, jungle-themed Adventureland, animal-focused Critterland, fairytale-inspired Fantasyland, futuristic Tomorrowland, and the town-based World Bazaar. DisneySea offers a slightly different focus with its zones that include a fishing village-inspired American Waterfront, an ancient civilization-themed Lost River Delta, a mermaid-inspired Mermaid Lagoon, and a Jules Verne-inspired Mysterious Island. Whichever park you choose you will have rides of all types plus the opportunity to meet Disney characters.

Pokémon Center

If you’re not lucky enough to fly to Tokyo on a Pokémon-themed plane, you can still visit one of the city’s six Pokémon Centres. The highest rated of these is generally Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo in the central Toshima district. Here you can see displays, buy themed merchandise, or get a sugar fix in Pokémon Sweets Cafe. This café offers all manner of themed desserts, such as cakes, ice cream and bubble tea, but you can also buy souvenirs such as keychains and mugs.

Ghibli Museum, Mitaka

No fan of Studio Ghibli’s world-famous animated films, such as ‘Spirited Away’ and the 2023 movie ‘The Boy and the Heron’, can visit Tokyo without seeing the Ghibli Museum. This maze-like building, set in beautiful gardens, was designed to inspire the imagination of young and old. Inside you can watch original short films in the Saturn theatre with its blue-sky ceiling and flower-covered walls. Indeed, wherever you look throughout the museum, you can see Ghibli’s most famous characters, such as Kiki on her broom and Nausicaä on her jet glider. Other special features include five rooms where you can see ‘Where a Film is Born’, and a Cat Bus for younger kids to climb on. The Ghibli Museum also hosts special exhibitions based on its famous films.

Japanese Tea Ceremony

There are few things more quintessentially Japanese than a tea ceremony and there are few better places to experience one than Tokyo. This activity is perfect for younger children who will probably enjoy dressing up in traditional costumes, such as kimonos, and enjoy taking part in the ceremony. Maikoya is one company that hosts a tea ceremony within a traditional tea house which has a landscaped Japanese courtyard that includes bamboo groves and red torii gates. Guests get to participate in the ceremony, drink green tea, and try Japanese sweets.

Cup Noodles Museum, Yokohama

Nearly every kid in Singapore has tried Cup Noodles at some point, and many of them love them. However, even if you don’t like Cup Noodles, you might find the museum interesting as it gives a fascinating insight into this food phenomenon. This cleverly designed museum offers lots of opportunities for play and hands-on interaction through its attractions such as Cup Noodles Park (where kids pretend to be noodles as they pass through the factory on slides), My Cup Noodles Factory (where they can design their own packaging), Chicken Ramen Factory (where they can make their own noodles by hand), and the Momofuku Theatre (in which they can watch a CGI animation about the history of Cup Noodles).

MORI Building Digital Art Museum (TeamLab Planets), Koto

If your children have enjoyed visiting the ArtScience Museum in Singapore, they are sure to enjoy the TeamLab Planets at the MORI Building Digital Art Museum as it was designed by the same creative geniuses. TeamLab Planets has four huge exhibition rooms and two gardens, through which visitors walk barefoot to be totally immersed in the digital art experience. In a place where the boundaries between the art and themselves become blurred, kids will enjoy a virtual experience in which they can walk through water and become flowers in a garden. The intriguing exhibitions include The Infinite Crystal Universe, Waterfall of Light Particles at the Top of an Incline, and Moss Garden of Resonating Microcosms.

Tokyo is a unique fascinating city that offers numerous opportunities to see exciting attractions and have one-off experiences. As it’s a place where it feels like anything can happen, everyone in the family is bound to find something they love in Japan’s capital city. So, get ready to say ‘Kon’nichiwa’ to Tokyo!

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