Tokyo and Kyoto with 15 month old
Sep 11th, 2008, 07:50 AM
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Tokyo and Kyoto with 15 month old
Hi,
we will be traveling to Tokyo and Kyoto with our 15 month old end of September.
We arrive NRT Sept 27th and will leave from there again Oct.12th.
We haven't booked any hotels yet since we can't find anything anywhere about staying with young children.
Our plan is to stay about a week in Tokyo and a week in Kyoto but would like to do some day trips as well. The last one or two nights we would like to stay in a nice hotel in Tokyo since it never the less is our honeymoon turned into "familymoon".
Anyhow, my questions are:
-Can someone recommend some nice family friendly hotels in Tokyo and Kyoto which aren't to outrageously priced?
-Can you recommend nice day trips from Tokyo and Kyoto which are also manageable with a 15 month old (we are taking a carrier and are planning on getting the rail pass)
-Any suggestions on a nice splurge hotel?
Thank you so much already for your help!
we will be traveling to Tokyo and Kyoto with our 15 month old end of September.
We arrive NRT Sept 27th and will leave from there again Oct.12th.
We haven't booked any hotels yet since we can't find anything anywhere about staying with young children.
Our plan is to stay about a week in Tokyo and a week in Kyoto but would like to do some day trips as well. The last one or two nights we would like to stay in a nice hotel in Tokyo since it never the less is our honeymoon turned into "familymoon".
Anyhow, my questions are:
-Can someone recommend some nice family friendly hotels in Tokyo and Kyoto which aren't to outrageously priced?
-Can you recommend nice day trips from Tokyo and Kyoto which are also manageable with a 15 month old (we are taking a carrier and are planning on getting the rail pass)
-Any suggestions on a nice splurge hotel?
Thank you so much already for your help!
Sep 12th, 2008, 04:16 AM
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Hi HeikeB,
I've travelled to Tokyo with my children when they were quite young.
- hotels: first of all, what would be your budget? Wherever you stay, I presume you'll be using a cot. You NEED to ask about the room size. If there would be 2 adults plus an infant (and luggage), I won't consider a room smaller than 25 sq m,ideally 30 sq m. To/From Narita, I found limousine bus to be easier--avoids going through Tokyo station which is a big terminal and can be disorienting for the first-time visitor.
I stayed at ANA Hotel in Tokyo because of direct limousine bus connection to/from Narita. It's quite centrally located in Roppongi. Royal Park hotel near TCAT also has a good limousine bus link, a metro station right in their basement but slightly more expensive than ANA.
- There is a creche/nursery called Kids Square in Ark building close to ANA where I left my 20mo daughter for a few hours. They seemed to cater mostly to Japanese working mothers in nearby offices, though some staff spoke very good english, facility was sparkling clean and my daughter was quite happy to be there.
- Renting an apartment is another option in Tokyo. Try Oakwood.
- Transportation: metro and JR trains (Yamanote loop) in Tokyo, bus/subway in Kyoto. Not sure if you really need a rail pass, if you're just doing Tokyo-Kyoto. (Do you arrive and depart from Tokyo, or open-jaw?)
Quite a good number of stations have lifts or escalators, shouldn't be a problem esp if there are two adults. It really depends on whether your daughter would be more comfortable in a stroller or in a carrier. Some temples in Kyoto have lots of stairs, so carrier would be more practical in Kyoto.
Misc: you can get snacks in numerous convenience stores. Is your daughter wearing nappies? You can usually find them in drugstores (ask for Matsumoto Kiyashi chain in Tokyo) or supermarket, convenience stores generally don't carry large sizes. Local ones are pretty good.
Day trips: standard ones are Hakone, Nikko, Kamakura from Tokyo, Nara from Kyoto. Hakone and Nikko are more outdoor, natural beauty, would work only if the weather is nice.
I've travelled to Tokyo with my children when they were quite young.
- hotels: first of all, what would be your budget? Wherever you stay, I presume you'll be using a cot. You NEED to ask about the room size. If there would be 2 adults plus an infant (and luggage), I won't consider a room smaller than 25 sq m,ideally 30 sq m. To/From Narita, I found limousine bus to be easier--avoids going through Tokyo station which is a big terminal and can be disorienting for the first-time visitor.
I stayed at ANA Hotel in Tokyo because of direct limousine bus connection to/from Narita. It's quite centrally located in Roppongi. Royal Park hotel near TCAT also has a good limousine bus link, a metro station right in their basement but slightly more expensive than ANA.
- There is a creche/nursery called Kids Square in Ark building close to ANA where I left my 20mo daughter for a few hours. They seemed to cater mostly to Japanese working mothers in nearby offices, though some staff spoke very good english, facility was sparkling clean and my daughter was quite happy to be there.
- Renting an apartment is another option in Tokyo. Try Oakwood.
- Transportation: metro and JR trains (Yamanote loop) in Tokyo, bus/subway in Kyoto. Not sure if you really need a rail pass, if you're just doing Tokyo-Kyoto. (Do you arrive and depart from Tokyo, or open-jaw?)
Quite a good number of stations have lifts or escalators, shouldn't be a problem esp if there are two adults. It really depends on whether your daughter would be more comfortable in a stroller or in a carrier. Some temples in Kyoto have lots of stairs, so carrier would be more practical in Kyoto.
Misc: you can get snacks in numerous convenience stores. Is your daughter wearing nappies? You can usually find them in drugstores (ask for Matsumoto Kiyashi chain in Tokyo) or supermarket, convenience stores generally don't carry large sizes. Local ones are pretty good.
Day trips: standard ones are Hakone, Nikko, Kamakura from Tokyo, Nara from Kyoto. Hakone and Nikko are more outdoor, natural beauty, would work only if the weather is nice.
Sep 12th, 2008, 08:37 AM
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Thank you so much for your information W9London.
We are trying to get an Oakwood Apartment in Tokyo since it has a kitchen and washer.
I was already concerned about the diaper situation as well. Is it possible to figure out the sizes?
Thank you also for the tip on the nursery hopefully our daughter will take to it so well as yours did.
Thanks again
HeikeB
We are trying to get an Oakwood Apartment in Tokyo since it has a kitchen and washer.
I was already concerned about the diaper situation as well. Is it possible to figure out the sizes?
Thank you also for the tip on the nursery hopefully our daughter will take to it so well as yours did.
Thanks again
HeikeB
Sep 12th, 2008, 03:33 PM
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Larger disposable diapers are very difficult to find in Japan. The kdis are smaller and toilet trained earlier, so stock up when you find them. Also wet wipes can be hard to find - not because they're not available, but because they're not where you would expect them to be.
You may want to think about staying at a minshuku rather than a western hotel; you sleep on futon which fold up and you don't need as much space. In Kyoto, I would definitely stay at a minshuku.
Japan is great for kids. There are lots of things to do. You may want to visit the Yokohama zoo and aquarium. If you go to the zoo, make sure you check out the roller slides close to the main entrance of the zoo.
You may want to think about staying at a minshuku rather than a western hotel; you sleep on futon which fold up and you don't need as much space. In Kyoto, I would definitely stay at a minshuku.
Japan is great for kids. There are lots of things to do. You may want to visit the Yokohama zoo and aquarium. If you go to the zoo, make sure you check out the roller slides close to the main entrance of the zoo.
Sep 12th, 2008, 04:01 PM
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Diapers are no problem at all. Supermarkets and drugstores carry a wide variety of types and size. Sizes are in kilograms. Toddler sizes are usually pull up style, and then you tear the sides to get them off. I used and loved the Moony man diapers by Unicharm. I found that the Japanese diapers were far superior to American ones both because they were thinner, and because they never leaked gel crystals onto my daughter's skin but American ones always did (in spite of changing a wet diaper immediately).
Wipes are sold alongside the diapers. Japanese wipes are thinner material and not as wet at American ones. I liked them.
If you use baby food, you may find the Japanese selection to be poor. Most is dehydrated food you add water to. Jars of imported food can be found at some import shops, Jusco sometimes, or some pharmacies...it is not the norm, though.
Wipes are sold alongside the diapers. Japanese wipes are thinner material and not as wet at American ones. I liked them.
If you use baby food, you may find the Japanese selection to be poor. Most is dehydrated food you add water to. Jars of imported food can be found at some import shops, Jusco sometimes, or some pharmacies...it is not the norm, though.
Sep 12th, 2008, 06:45 PM
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We have taken our toddler to Japan. We stayed mostly in business hotels in big cities. We had no problem having a crib brought to our room. We did not feel a need to look for a family friendly hotel in particular.
For a splurge in Japan, I think of a Ryokan instead of a Hotel. One thing about traditional Ryokan is that you sleep on Futon mattress -- no need for a crib. Our toddler thought it was the coolest way to sleep with parents on a floor.
When using public transportation, plan trips to avoid rush hours. Buses and commuter trains and subways are brutally crowded. You do not want to get caught in these with your toddler and a carrier.
One thing we felt constrained was eating at restaurants. There were business hangouts where only regular adults are expected to dine. Since we do not know how to identify these kind from outside, we ended up stepping inside few of them to have all eyes on us with no other families in sight to get an idea that we were not welcome. Once we got a hang of what kind of restaurants to look for, families with small children, welcome face when you step in, etc, we were fine.
For a splurge in Japan, I think of a Ryokan instead of a Hotel. One thing about traditional Ryokan is that you sleep on Futon mattress -- no need for a crib. Our toddler thought it was the coolest way to sleep with parents on a floor.
When using public transportation, plan trips to avoid rush hours. Buses and commuter trains and subways are brutally crowded. You do not want to get caught in these with your toddler and a carrier.
One thing we felt constrained was eating at restaurants. There were business hangouts where only regular adults are expected to dine. Since we do not know how to identify these kind from outside, we ended up stepping inside few of them to have all eyes on us with no other families in sight to get an idea that we were not welcome. Once we got a hang of what kind of restaurants to look for, families with small children, welcome face when you step in, etc, we were fine.
Sep 13th, 2008, 02:30 PM
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Foods--fortunately our kids loved sushi, so we frequented those converyer belt sushi places. Omlette rolls, cucumber rolls and salmon roe all went well. I found fruits to be somewhat on an expensive side, but we did stock up on various fruits and yogurt at both supermarkets and convenience stores. (One discovery was that you can't eat skins on Japanese grapes which were also very tiny... Very strange.)
