Traveling in Japan with kids
When you go to Japan, it sometimes feels as if you are entering a child's imagination or Alice's Wonderland, which is why kids, big and small, love it.![]()
It’s not the first place that comes to mind when traveling with kids but, in fact, this is a big growth area for family travel. It’s the four S’s that seal the deal. It is Safe, Straightforward, Speedy and Stunning. And because rail travel is so easy in Japan (and most kids love a cool train journey) nothing is too hard to access either. Japan is a great place for travel with teenagers. Its history appeals to an enquiring mind, and its fashions satisfy the search for cool. And of course, if your kids are into Anime, the massive trend for Japanese animations, try keeping them away.
Activities for families in Japan
Little monkeys
As if the fabulous hiking, biking and hot springs aren’t enough, Matsumoto is home to snow monkeys, a breed of macaque that escape the icy mountains by coming down to bathe in the Yudanaka Onsen hot springs.
Sumo wrestling
Not always easy to time, as they don’t happen regularly, it is worth trying to find a tournament on your travels as this is a top thing to do in Japan with kids.
Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, such as having to grow their hair long enough to go in a knot, similar to the samurai warriors of the past.
Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, such as having to grow their hair long enough to go in a knot, similar to the samurai warriors of the past.
Room at the inn
When you travel in Japan with kids, you will not only be given a royal welcome at their traditional inns, called ryokans, but children will also love the rituals of staying in one. Such as having to take off their shoes, sleeping in sparse rooms on futons, taking communal baths and taking tea. It’s like being given a mini Japan in a box.
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Traveling in Japan with kids
Ruth Hubbard, Product Manager of one of our suppliers, Inside Japan Tours highly recommends visiting Japan with kids: “Families will love it because Japanese people love children, will treat them like celebrities and probably want to take lots of photos of them.”
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