OverIt

Hello! My husband and I have been to Japan several times - explored every island except Shikoku using various railpasses, random transport, sleeping wherever.

We would love to go there with our two boys, who will be 4 and 7 and are developing an interest in the samurai, but my husband and I have no idea how to travel with kids. We can't obviously move from place to place as quickly as we used to, and some of the things we loved to do, like checking out ryokans with elaborate meals in out-of-the-way places, will be a pain and too expensive with kids with kids.

So, I am posting for some ideas. I was thinking about just going to Tokyo for a week, camping out in a single hotel, and just exploring the city and taking the odd day trip. I'd really like to try to go to the islands off of Tokyo but I've never managed to figure out how to get there (the websites are all in Japanese). Are there nice onsens within a short distance from Tokyo that we could go to for a day trip?

I wondered if it would be better to go to Kyoto instead and just hang out there. From there, we could go to Himeji and Miyajima and explore the countryside a bit using local transport.

We'll be flying from Boston.

Thoughts? Any other cities or areas that might be ideal for what we want to do in April? We can only go for nine days (including travel - it will be over the April school vacation in 2018).

Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions.

doug_stallings

If it were me, Tokyo would be the last place I'd go for a whole week. It's an exciting and huge city, but it doesn't hold that much interest to me personally.

Instead, I like the idea of Kyoto much better. But I wouldn't hesitate to add a second destination for an overnight stay. Your kids might like an overnight in Nara since most tourists clear out after the day, and it's much quieter. But there are a lot of places within easy reach of Kyoto, and it has a larger concentration of temples to explore. I saw an ad for something called the "Samurai Experience" in Kyoto; I suspect it's very touristy, but it's probably something your kids would enjoy.

BigRuss

<<I saw an ad for something called the "Samurai Experience" in Kyoto; I suspect it's very touristy, but it's probably something your kids would enjoy.>>

Yeah, it's touristy as all get out, but it's fun, interesting and the kids would love it (ours did).

Adastra2200

If they have some interest in old Japan or the samurai, you could always try Edo Wonderland in Nikko.
http://edowonderland.net/en/
Also there is an open air museum in Kawasaki.
http://english.nihonminkaen.jp/
Or if they like Japanese animation there is Studio Ghibli in Mitaka.
April is also the ideal time to go see the Hitachi Seaside Park.
http://en.hitachikaihin.jp

If you want to try some smaller islands, the ones off of Tokyo are not the most interesting. You could try the ones in the Seto Inland Sea for a large variety. Many cater to modern art, plus one of the most outlandish temples you'll ever see is part of Onomichi, so much that some people call it a 'Buddhist Disneyland'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Q5EjEOXI8

You could also go north and see the Tashirojima cat island.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tashirojima

And just so the two of you don't fly back home with just a "been there, done that" mentality, WHY NOT spend a few days in Shikoku? It's an undersung gem with a number of great places, particularly in Kagawa.
In Kotohira, the mountain hike up to Konpirasan is one of the best half-day hikes you'll ever take in your life - and if it is cherry blossom season, you are in for an even bigger treat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ley9rVIewoQ

The Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu is also one of the most beautiful gardens in the country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afx-Ju52FiY

In Kanonji City, the Unpenji ropeway to the mountaintop temple is also unforgettable.
http://bit.ly/2s5XzSW
And while the Akiyoshido Cave in Yamaguchi is still the best, in Kami City, Kochi there is the Ryugado Cave which you will always remember.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXClyRaiuio

In spite of saying you've been to all these islands, there really is a lot more to explore.

Judith_Hunter

We're planning a trip right now with our kids who will be 13 and 15 when we are there. We've done a few trips to other destinations with them over the years, and I have to say I've loved travelling with kids. I've found we've had great times doing things we would never have done on our own. Even simple things like going to a playground or a beach or a waterslide park are really interesting in another country.
We've found staying in apartments rather than hotels has worked best. It means we can spread out a bit, make familiar meals if necessary, pack snacks for the day out, and generally feel at home.
It's worked best staying in one place for at least 5 days, and we've really enjoyed exploring "our" neighbourhood as well as seeing more spectacular sights.
We've also made sure to plan activities for the kids to offset the things we want to do - one park for every temple for example.
I also recommend taking some transport shortcuts - getting a taxi or van from the airport for example - because the kids aren't much use carrying stuff and get tired pretty quickly.
Have fun planning! I've taken note of Adastra's Tokyo tips which look great for us too.
PS Our friends who've travelled with kids in Japan reckon their kids LOVE Tokyo. We're planning more time there than in Kyoto.

OverIt

Thanks all. I think I am going to make Kyoto our base for this trip. We do plan to return to Japan so this trip will be an introduction. Unlike many people, we love Tokyo but it seems like Kyoto will be a better place to be with young kids. And one day we will go to Shikoku.

The trip will be short and sweet but we'd rather have that than not go at all. We are constrained by work schedules, school vacation schedules, and budget. So we will do what we can.

First question is whether it would make sense to get a railpass. I guess that will depend on what we want to do.

Right now we are thinking to leave on Friday April 13 and return on Sunday April 22.

If we fly from Boston to Osaka, we would arrive in Osaka on Sat April 14. We could spend four days in Kyoto. The kids will love the monkeys in Arashiyama! Then I was thinking we could take the train in the morning to Himeji, spend the day there, and then continue on to Miyajima and spend two nights there. We've done that before and it's actually quite nice - it's a small island, lots of deer for the kids to see, plus you can hike around. There's a place we stumbled onto for noodles once - wondering if we could perhaps stay there (not sure if kids will be welcome -they can be noisy). Then on the way back we could stop in Hiroshima - I think all Americans should go there. If we are lucky, maybe we can time it to catch a baseball game (the stadium is close to the monument). Then head back to Osaka, spend a day or so there (it will be cherry blossom season, which is supposed to be very nice) and then fly out.

The cost of the individual train tickets is something we will have to work out. JR passes for the four of us will run $750. Not sure the JR Kansai pass will fit our needs - will have to figure that out.

Other overnight options? I should look into Nara - have never been there despite visiting Japan four times. Kids might be too young for Koyasan. Not sure it's the right time of the year to see Mount Fuji. I'd like to visit an onsen but will probably have to do that as a day trip from Kyoto - or maybe overnight in Kinosaki? I've been to Arima Onsen before - liked it and the quaint town but am not sure the trip will be easy for kids.

BigRuss

Limit your overnights. Kids don't adjust as well to continued movement - you can't travel with hobbits as if they're just smaller versions of you.

If you get Kansai passes, you can prob do Hiroshima with a la carte pricing. Note that with a 4 year old, you don't need four JR passes, you need 2-1/2. One each for you and hubs, one child pass for the older boy. The smaller one rides free.

mrwunrfl

>>the stadium is close to the monument

Not any more. The Carp play in a newer stadium south of Hiroshima station. It opened in 2009. google maps says Mazda Stadium is a 16 min walk, 1.3 km, from Hiroshima station.

There are two passes that could work for you, but note that you would travel in non-reserved cars only.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_k...hiroshima.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_08.html

OverIt

Yes, I realize I have to limit the overnights and the movement. I thought we could do Miyajima because it's not too far from Kyoto/Osaka, and it's really woodsy and calm (in the evening and morning at least). There are all the deer there, which may intrigue the children.

Any other tranquil and nature-y settings near Kyoto? Nara?

I assume it would be really dumb to try to fly in and out of Tokyo for this trip (taking the train from Tokyo to Kyoto and back). It takes an hour to get from NRT to Tokyo Station on the train and then we'd have to tack on an extra 3 hour trip to Kyoto on a day when we will probably arrive at NRT mid-afternoon. The reason I ask is that there's a straight flight from Boston to Tokyo. With the JR passes, though, it might be more economical to do it that way (although we may pay in other ways).

doug_stallings

Nara is fun but not tranquil. The deer are pretty pushy. Howvever, I suspect the atmosphere is much different at night, and it's only an hour or so from Kyoto. That would be an easier day-trip.

It may (and probably is) more economical to fly into and out of Tokyo with the JR pass. You just have to balance your interest in avoiding that extra 4 hours of travel on arrival day. Of course, you could just get a hotel near Tokyo Station for your first night and continue to Kyoto the next afternoon.

OverIt

I like the idea of one night near the Tokyo Station. We love that area of Tokyo anyway and we can wander around the next morning a little before heading to Kyoto. I've always wanted to stay at the Tokyo Station Hotel - we skipped it last time because it was too expensive but it might be a beautiful place to really relax for one night. Kids will probably be a jetlagged and full of energy in the AM.

That we only have to pay for 2.5 JR passes makes a huge difference!

It's been a while since I travelled to Japan - I just checked airfare prices and it seems like it's doing that thing where the fare is super high because of the fuel surcharge. IIRC, it will drop once that's set. When would the price normalize for an April trip?

I assume if I put my preferences in google flights or whatever it will let me know when the price drops?

BigRuss

Kayak tends to be useful for fare drop warnings.

I've run back to Tokyo the day of the flight home twice, once with boss only, once with boss and monkeys. It's a bit of a haul but going from Kyoto to Shinagawa on a shinkansen then to Narita or Haneda is still relatively easy and relaxing. The Japanese trains (and monorail, for getting to Haneda) are dependable - last November, there was a BIG earthquake off the coast north of Tokyo, they shut down the whole system for more than an hour, and our shinkansen at Kyoto was delayed all of 15 minutes.

PS - Tiring out the little blighters has its own benefits.

OverIt

The nonstop leaves Tokyo at 6 PM on Sunday (and arrive at 6 PM on Sunday So, if I can get the flight the moment it drops to a reasonable fare (currently it's $1800) I think I'm going to do that and then figure out the details later. Then, we have a good chance of being able to get to Tokyo that last date without much drama. Perhaps we could take a morning train, wander a bit, and then head to NRT. Or take the train Saturday night, spend one more night in Tokyo, wander around in the morning and then head off.

I'm so excited. Having kids put a stop to all of our traveling. We've been aching to get back to Japan.