Feb 1, 2018

What are fun things to do in Tokyo as a family

At the end of March I will be going to Tokyo with my husband, mother in law, and two kids ages 3 and 7 months. What are some fun family places to visit that isn’t Disney? Thanks!

0 6

Heath320

6 Answers

Best Answer

BigfamJapan

on Feb 1

I definitely recommend Asobono play centre in Tokyo Dome City for your kids, but it sounds like you want to do something you can all enjoy. What about visiting a Spo-cha, one with a kids spo-cha? The kids can play in a fun and safe environment for them while the adults take turns enjoying the 70+ sports and / or relaxation centre within the complex. There are such a huge number of parks too. One that gets lots of great reviews from families is Showa Kinen Park. They have things for kids as well as for adults. If you want to go out to Kichijoji there is Inokashira park where you can take a swan boat out on the lake and enjoy their really reasonably priced zoo (only 400 yen for adults) that specializes in animals native to Japan. Tokyo Skytree town is also great for the family with theme cafes and attractions galore. Asakusa is very family friendly and you can book into some hands on experiences to do as a family. In Ikebukuro the Tobu Store right beside the station has some nice things for kids including the NHK E-tele play centre where the kids can meet "koshi" "saboten" and other characters from kids programmes. I second the idea for Sunshine City, lots to do and they have plenty of areas for babies. In Yoyogi / Harajuku area is NHK studio park which is also a great family day out. Odaiba is another great family area with both indoor and outdoor attractions.

0

edthethe

on Feb 1

There is sunshine city in Ikebukuro. it has a planetarium and aquarium. as well as lots of shopping. Namja town is fun too. it has a section dedicated to desserts and gyoza http://www.namco.co.jp/tp/namja/attraction/

0
edthethe

on Feb 1

oh! another fun one is joypolis in odaiba. It is an indoor theme park. the attractions are mostly virtual reality simulator type things but it is great fun. http://tokyo-joypolis.com/language/english/

0
genkidesu

on Feb 1

Your kids are about the same age as mine! We like doing outdoorsy stuff, so places like Ueno and Yoyogi Park are a lot of fun just to run and stretch out the legs - there's some good museums in Ueno Park too, and an inexpensive zoo. If you're after a theme park that isn't Disney, Sanrio Puroland was a hit with our daughter. There's also loads of shrines and temples that are built for families to visit.

0
TheHikingAlto

on Feb 4

I used to work in a nursery/kindergarten and one of the outings we took our kids on (aged 9months to 4 years) was to the Children's Castle kind of near Omote-sando Station. Mostly indoors with a lot of different areas for the kids to play. They have an English website: http://www.kodomono-shiro.com/english/ The kids had a lot of fun there.

0
Babina

on Feb 5

How about Madamme Tussads musuem in Tokyo !

0

Awaiting More Answers

1 Answer

Summer Festival Changes - Yay or Nay?

Earlier I wrote about how my neighborhood's "summer" festival has been moved to autumn. I also wrote a separate post about a summer festival in Kasukabe that has been moved indoors. I know there is a bittersweetness about these changes, but some would argue that something needs to change in the face of rising temperatures. So, I am curious, what would you vote for: 1) Leaving Summer Festivals exactly as they are - same date, same set up etc. 2) Shifting the time of day the festival is on, say for example, from afternoon until after dark 3) Moving the festival from summer to another season or at least to earlier in summer, such as June 4) Moving summer festivals indoors - not really possible for the larger festivals especially those with large floats etc. but maybe they could shift some elements indoors

BigfamJapan

on Aug 3

7 Answers

Favorite Noodles

Chilled noodles because it's summer, hot noodles are also accepted. Is it somen or chukasoba or zarusoba? Reimyun or pasta salad? Chanpon or udon or ramen? Pad Thai or Pho?! This year I made somen for the first time! I'm a soba fan. I used to love ramen and tsukemen but for some reason I'm not as into the rich and oily noodles anymore.

helloalissa

on Jul 30

8 Answers

What are the pros and cons of Japanese Citizenship for you?

Most of the people I know here are foreign residents, have foreign family members, or have foreign coworkers, friends or employees. A handful of those have become Japanese citizens. We've been chatting about things like ethnic identity and Japanese citizenship. I don't plan to become a citizen, but it made me wonder, what are the pros and cons for changing your citizenship? Is it something you've given any thought to? (What might make you consider it?)

helloalissa

on Jul 30

3 Answers

Which movie will you see this summer?

I am not a movie-goer at all, but every year I bring the kids to see a film (and they often go with their friends too) during the summer holidays. There seems to be a good choice this year, including Toy Story 5, the Chiikawa movie, the real live action adaption of Moana and the usual annual Crayon Shinchan movie among others. Which movie are you planning to see this summer? Or have you already been to see one (or more)? If so, which one?

BigfamJapan

on Jul 30

5 Answers

Your 2026 food omiyage / souvenir picks?

I know this question has probably been asked several times in the past, but it is also the kind of question to which the answer changes frequently! So, I am curious - what are your top food souvenir picks for 2026? I am going home again soon, and I want to get food omiyage for several people, including the school where my son is about to finish a one-year exchange. I would love to hear your thoughts on the BEST Japanese food omiyage around this year! And / or the food omiyage you buy each and every time you are going home because it's always a big hit? I just had the photo in this post to hand, and it is not a recommendation per se, it's not bad and fits well into a suitcase, but it's not the best strawberry daifuku I ever had.

BigfamJapan

on Apr 24

6 Answers

What's your favorite 'kushiyaki'?

Just for fun; what type of skewered food do you like best in Japan? Or, if you feel like sharing, what are your top 3?

BigfamJapan

on Apr 11

2 Answers

Movie locations near you worth visiting?

The live action version of テルマエ・ロマエ Thermae Romae (2012) was shot at Nokogiriyama, Kyonan Town, Chiba Prefecture. It's one of my favourite getaways for hiking, the temple complex, and catching sea breezes. The movie is hilarious and heartwarming. Which Japanese live-action movies do you recommend, and are the filming locations worth a visit? Tell us the original title, English title, the year, and the location.

TonetoEdo

on Mar 23

5 Answers

What are our consumer rights in Japan?

Do you know your consumer rights in Japan? And if so, would you be willing to share anything about them? For example, what is the policy on returns? I am very familiar with my consumer rights in my home country, and they are very widely publicized back home, but information doesn't seem to be as transparent or readily available here. Or is that just me?

BigfamJapan

on Mar 15

18 Answers

What do you most associate with Ehime Prefecture?

Today, February 20th, is Ehime Prefecture Day. What do you most associate with Ehime Prefecture, what is the very first thing that comes to mind when I say "Ehime Prefecture"!?

BigfamJapan

on Feb 20

8 Answers

Do you have a favorite mascot?

The other day, on "Strawberry Day" I wrote about "Yoshimin", the strawberry mascot of Yoshimi. I thought it might be fun to introduce a few others, so I've just written about "Tokimo" the mascot of Kawagoe. And I plan to introduce a couple of my favorites. It begs the question, do you have a favorite mascot? And how about writing a post on City-cost about your favorite or a local mascot? Pictured "Umerin" who I plan to write about next!

BigfamJapan

on Jan 17

7 Answers

Growing Mushrooms

Here's for a weird hobby. I just saw a video by an American Youtuber that I plan to watch about growing shiitake mushrooms. From what I've seen, it probably needs a bit of space. There was a local market in Fukuoka Prefecture that had a "mushroom room" where they grew and sold mushrooms like maitake and eringi. I also saw a video of a couple in Paris that built a mushroom growing shower room! The local hardware store sells "seeded" logs and shiitake mushroom growing kits. I have seen the logs around people's homes on occasion. It seems like a very odd, but sustainable hobby. Has anyone tried it, or is anyone interested to try this? I wonder how involved or beginner friendly it is.

helloalissa

on Dec 29

6 Answers

Hair Color Treatments for Greying Hair

For those of you who have colored grey hair, I'm curious about the hair color treatments available in most drugstores. They seem simpler to use than box dyes. It's been many years since I've colored my hair. It's a chestnut brown and my grey is more silver. I don't hate it but the grey is dry and making me feel like I look older than I am. I'm especially interested in the natural brands that are non-permanent. For example Rishiri Kombu sounds like a decent option. Looking forward to your recommendations and experience.

helloalissa

on Aug 3

What are fun things to do in Tokyo as a family

6 Answers

Best Answer

Awaiting More Answers

Share Your Experience