How to Spend 3 Days in Tokyo with Kids

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We just returned from a week and a half trip to Japan and I have so much content in my brain it hurts! I can’t wait to share every bit of our trip with the hope that our experience may help another family in their Japan vacation planning.

I gotta start somewhere so I figured I would go in chronological order of our trip and start with Tokyo. I’ll go over where we stayed, what we ate and all the places we checked out during our 3 days in Tokyo. So let’s get to it. Here’s how we spent 3 days in Tokyo!

Travel to Tokyo

We flew on Hawaiian Airlines into Haneda Airport from Hawaii. If you have the chance to fly Hawaiian I suggest you do. It’s one of the only US-based airlines that still offers complimentary meals on flights and their service is hard to beat. While I chose Haneda Airport because the price was right at the time, I discovered that Haneda is actually considered the more convenient airport to Tokyo’s city center as opposed to Narita. Once we landed, we decided to dive right into the assumed craziness that is Japan’s rail system and trek from the airport to our hotel in Shinjuku.

I did my research and I found a route that would take us almost directly to where we wanted to go for a discounted weekend price. We rode the Tokyo Monorail into the city and then switched to another line to finish our route into Shinjuku Station. Google Maps is truly amazing and will help you navigate  Japan with relative ease. It will tell you what trains to get on at what exact times. And let me tell you, the times are exact!

To ensure you always have access to Google Maps for your travels, you can rent a pocket wifi for your trip. There is an abundance of sites where you can reserve one and pick it up at the airport when you land. We rented ours before we left Hawaii at a travel company called H.I.S. I believe they also offer pickup in Japan.

Where We Stayed in Tokyo

There are so many choices of where to stay in Tokyo. I had originally wanted to Airbnb it but I had heard about some new country policies that were making it harder to find Airbnb accommodations so I decided to stick to a hotel. When deciding on what neighborhood to stay in, I knew I wanted to stay right in the middle of it all. All the bright lights, endless ramen shops and quirky entertainment. I decided on Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, also known as “The Godzilla Hotel” And yes, because there is a giant Godzilla sticking out of the side of the hotel. Awesome.

We checked in rather late but had no issues. We booked a Standard Twin and although it was a bit tight, as a family of 4, we made it work. A lot of the accommodations in Japan tend to be on the smaller side, so keep that in mind when booking. The room looked exactly like the image on their site and was immaculately clean. Yes!

What We Did in Tokyo

During our time in Tokyo, we tried to fit in as much as possible while also taking into consideration that we had two kids ages 10 and 12 along for the journey. We navigated our way around the rail and did a lot of walking! Here are some of the highlights of what we did (and where we went) while in Tokyo.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
A beautiful garden located right in the middle of the city. Wide open spaces and lush forest. We checked out a beautiful greenhouse while we were there that made us feel right at home with its tropical rainforest vibe. The garden is a lovely place to walk around or have a picnic.

Meiji Shrine
Located in the proximity the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, it made perfect sense to visit Meiji Shrine. It was the first shrine we visited and made a beautiful impression.

Harajuku
An area I wish we could have spent a little more time. Boutiques and cafes galore, along with very interesting people-watching. Beware exploring on a weekend because it was crazy crowded! We also enjoyed lunch at the quirky Kawaii Monster Cafe while in Harajuku. More on that a little later.

Tsukiji Fish Market
Although the auction part of the market has since moved to Toyosu, we decided to spend time exploring the original market. We slowly wandered the endless streets of vendors selling anything and everything from the sea. Some of our favorites included the mini octopus skewers and lightly seared ahi.  So delicious! I highly recommend you take a couple hours to wander around.

Ueno Park
A sprawling park that includes a zoo, shrines and museums. We went to the zoo, Ueno Toshogu Shrine, Tokyo National Museum and Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. There are a couple of other museums to chose from as well as a few other shrines. You can easily spend a day at Ueno Park and not see everything!

Ueno Zoo
We really enjoyed Ueno Zoo! Even though we had to deal with the rainiest day of our whole trip, it really didn’t put too much of a damper on things. Overall the animals seemed well taken care of. I think its worth checking out if you make the trip to Ueno Park.

Ameya-Yokocho
An outdoor shopping arcade that runs alongside the rail line near Ueno Park. We wandered around a bit after our trip to the park. A variety of products and food can be found in this market, which used to be more of a black market following World War Two. It’s always an interesting experience to walk around an explore these outdoor street markets.

Odaiba Island
Odaiba Island is a man-made “island” on the edge of Tokyo Bay that offers a beach park setting, a few large shopping malls, some entertainment complexes and a random replica of the Statue of Liberty. If you love shopping you would love it here. Gorgeous views as well!

Shibuya Crossing
Of course we had to go to Shibuya Crossing! It was interesting because it actually didn’t feel any more crowded than some of the other crossings in Tokyo but maybe at that point we had become accustomed to the crowds. And I had to take a hyperlapse of the crossing from the second level of the Starbucks (along with a million other tourists!) Check it out.

Shinjuku Chuo Park
A nice park with a great playground! We also visited Juniso Kumano Shrine while in the park. It was nice to visit a shrine that wasn’t mobbed with people. We actually visited the park to kill some time before we headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building where we hoped to see some great (and free) views of the city. Unfortunately, the line was immensely long and we needed to catch a bullet train to Kyoto that day and didn’t want to risk being late, so we skipped the view. The playground kinda made up for it though.

Where (and What) We Ate in Tokyo

What didn’t we eat? Ramen, yakitori, sushi, udon…the list goes on and on in the vastness that is Japanese cuisine in Tokyo. It’s overwhelming to try to choose a place to eat, and while I did use Yelp as a reference on some occasions, a lot of our eating decisions came randomly depending on where we were and the degree of hunger. Here are a few of the places we dined at.

Hotel Gracery Breakfast Buffet at Bonsalute Kabuki
We ate at the hotel’s breakfast buffet for two of our mornings and thought it was pretty good! It is however, priced a bit high. That can be expected at any hotel breakfast buffet. It offered both Japanese and Western breakfast items, which was nice to be able to try this and that. It’s an easy solution for a quick and filling option before you head out for the day.

Kawaii Monster Cafe in Harajuku
Super cutesy (almost to a scary level) and touristy restaurant where their food is just as colorful and crazy looking as their decor and entertainment. A group of us dined there and although I’m glad we did it, I probably wouldn’t return.

The food was pretty decent and actually better than I thought it was going to be. A couple of the negatives include a cover charge and a minimum purchase of a drink and food order required for each person. And the fact that they wouldn’t split our check was very cumbersome! The entertainment is a dance show that runs once an hour I believe. It was fun and quirky.

Yakitori Restaurant on Piss Alley
I highly recommend checking out “Piss Alley” if you find yourself in Shinjuku. We found ourselves in a place that offered a variety of yakitori (meat on skewers) and various other snacky type food. Be aware that there is typically a cover (entry fee) that will be added to your bill per person. Not something I was particularly a fan of but oh well. The food was yummy and the ambiance can’t be beat.

Denny’s (yup, we went to a Denny’s lol) in Shinjuku
We found out there was a Denny’s in Shinjuku on Yelp and just had to check it out. Definitely different than the Denny’s in the US but pleasantly so. We were able to get the typical Denny’s offerings with variations of course, especially size-wize. No gigantic pancakes here! If you want a Western style breakfast without the hotel buffet price, this is a good option.

Boul’ange Shinjuku
A lovely pastry and coffee shop smack in the middle of busy Shinjuku. We were in the market for a quick breakfast and stumbled upon this Cafe. You basically grab a tray and wander around selecting from a wide array of amazing looking pastries. Both sweet and savory options exist and boy did we filled our trays! Yummy coffee too.

Tsurutontan Shinjuku
This place had a rather lounge-like feel with big booths and dark lighting. I was looking for an udon restaurant on Yelp and this one popped up with some good reviews. We thought it was great! It was the first time I had a creamy udon and it was so good! The bowls were gigantic, which was amusing to see placed in front of my 10-year-old.

Ichiran Atre Ueno Yamashita-guchi
This was a ramen restaurant where you place your order at a vending machine. You order your ramen and receive a ticket. Next you give your ticket to a restaurant worker and are seated among rows of seats with movable dividers between them. Your ramen is then served through a bamboo type curtain on the other side of the table. It was quite an interesting experience for us, although very common in Japan. The ramen was delicious!

Mister Donut
An awesome donut shop that caught my eye early on during our stay in Tokyo. They had some fun Halloween donuts on the menu while we were there. A must for breakfast or just a snack. Comeon how could you resist Mister Donut?

7-11 and Family Mart
You might be thinking wait, why is she listing 7-11 and Family Mart with all these other restaurants?! Its because in Japan they’re freaking amazing! They pretty much have any kind of food you might want for low-cost and high quality. You want a quick breakfast on-the-go? Try their syrup-infused pancakes. Looking for some mid-day snacks? They have yakitori, melon bread and chilled Starbucks lattes. Feel like eating dinner in the hotel room? Just pick up a variety of their premade meals. We seriously loved 7-11 and Family Mart while in Japan and I kept thinking why can’t they be like this in the US! You will never go hungry (or broke) because there is a 7-11 or Family Mart on almost every block in Tokyo.

In addition to the places above, I also felt like I ate my weight in ice cream while we were there. I am such an easy target when my kids ask for ice cream, I almost always give in! Oh, and ice cream is like everywhere in Tokyo.

Visiting Tokyo is a Must

We had an amazing time during our 3 days in Tokyo. There is seriously so much to do, I know that we barely scratched the surface. I highly recommend making Tokyo one of the cities you visit if you are traveling to Japan. There is something for everyone and a great mix of metropolitan big city and traditional culture and experience.

Have you been to Japan or are you planning a trip? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Aloha!

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