10 reasons to travel to Japan with the family
1. Experience a different culture
As soon as you step off the plane in Toyko, the difference in culture is clear and not just because the signs aren’t in English! Japan is a place of order and organisation, courtesy and genuine concern to help out and assist.
Japan is a heterogeneous society, it is much easier to see who the foreigners are compared to our multicultural Australia. This means people will often say ‘Kawaii’ (cute) to the kids. In one playground we noticed the parents gently pushing their children to come and practice their English with our children. The Japanese kids would run up to them and say ‘Hello’ and run away again, back to their parents. At one point my then 5yo asked ‘Mum are we famous?’ to which I laughed and asked why. He replied, ‘Everyone keeps coming up and saying “Hello” to me!’
Although Japan is so close to Australia, its culture is so vastly different to ours with traditions of ninja, samurai and geisha, temples and shrines and castles, and it’s modern culture of anime and kawaii (cute). It will open the kids eyes to another part of our amazing world.
2. Travelling in Japan is safe for families
I have seen many posts asking about safety in Japan. It ranks as low overall travel risk. One of the boys lost his wallet in Disneyland, and it was returned with all the money and cards still in it. In food courts people save their tables by leaving their mobile phone on the table!
The food and water in Japan is safe and clean. Japanese people take great pride in keeping things clean and in order. They also take great pride in presentation, take Japanese gift wrapping for example! Everything in Japan from the shops to the houses to the streets are clean and neat. I love that we are given either a towel or wet wipes to clean our hands before each meal.
3. Japan is so easy to travel to from Australia
It’s only a 9 hour flight if you fly direct from Sydney, or a few extra hours if you include a stop over in Melbourne or Brisbane. Flights are usually overnight although, some carriers do offer some flights during the day. For more about flights, check this page. If travelling from Australia, you don’t need a Visa.
4. There is little to no time difference
Depending on daylight savings, Japan is only 1 or 2 hours behind Sydney time. No jet lag!
5. There is so much to do with kids in Japan
Dress up in a kimono, samurai or ninja, try throwing a ninja star, learn calligraphy, go to cooking school, visit an aquarium or zoo, make some fake food, become a witch or wizard at Universal Studios, have an adventure at Disneyland or DisneySea, explore the amazing Studio Ghibli, try out karaoke, explore castles, travel 300km/hr on the shinkansen (bullet train), try out the gatcha machines, see a pavilion covered in gold, catch pokemon at the pokemon centre, soak in an onsen, hike up a mountain, try a tea ceremony, marvel at the beauty of a kaiseki meal, stay in a traditional ryokan and sleep on tatami mats, visit a bamboo forest, see the sumo, go snorkelling in Okinawa the ‘Hawaii of Japan’, walk on a volcano, check out the view from Skytree, relax in a beautiful park in the middle of the city, get lost in a 5 story toy shop, visit a themed cafe…it goes on, you get the picture!
(and if you’re anything like me you just added that list to your itinerary…)
6. There are so many amazing places to visit
From the super busy Tokyo to the beautiful historic streets of Kyoto, from Osaka, the food capital of Japan, to the snow covered mountains of Sapporo and the tropical beaches in Okinawa.
Himeji Castle, Kyoto streets, Shibuya crossing, Dotonburi, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Mount Takao, Kinkakuji, Water fountain Kyoto, Autumn colours Kyoto, Geisha, Fire Festival (Nozawa Onsen), Snow Monsters (Zao Onsen), Mount Aso, Shinjuku Gyoen, Umeda Sky building, Okinawa, Gundam Statue (Odaiba), bamboo forest, Nagasaki, Todaiji temple, walk to snow monkeys, Castle ruins (Okinawa), snow monkeys.
7. Food, food and more food!
I’m sure if you have spoken to anyone who has been to Japan they will talk about the food! Sushi, Sashimi, curry, udon, ramen, okonomiyaki, kushiyaki (food on a stick), takoyaki (octopus balls). Check out these posts; top 15 foods to try in Japan, Japan fun foods and regional foods of Japan.
If you have kids that are fussy eaters I’m sure you will be able to find something for them. On our first trip, our then 2yo was fussy but we took a tube of Vegemite and he survived with sliced bread and Vegemite! (and now he loves Japanese food!) There are many amazing places with traditional Japanese foods, however there are lots of Japanese versions of western food that kids will find familiar such as tonkatsu. Convenience stores are everywhere and sell inexpensive food that our kids love, katsu sandwiches, 2 min noodles, pork buns, sushi, pancakes and super fluffy slices of bread. Japan is also known for its themed cafe’s and these meals are often kid friendly.
8. It’s easy to travel around Japan
Japan has an amazing public transport system that is clean and efficient. Of course travelling by Shinkansen (bullet train) is a must. The kids will love the adventure of these sleek fast trains and there are amazing kid friendly ekiben (eki=station, ben = lunch box) to eat while travelling through the countryside. In more rural areas, driving can be an option and in Japan they drive on the same side of the road as Aus! In Japan there are discount domestic flights for travellers, very convenient especially if you want to visit Okinawa.
Whether you travel by train, fly or drive. I recommend that you explore as much as you can. Different regions of Japan offer very different experiences.
9. There are lots of amazing places to stay in Japan
At first we found this one of the hardest things, particularly as a family of 5. Hotels don’t easily accommodate large families but there are many places on booking.com and Airbnb and many traditional ryokans will easily accommodate a family of 5 or 6.
Stay in the remote Onsen town of Ginzan Onsen, have a traditional Kaiseki meal in your ryokan or stay in a tropical paradise in Okinawa.
10. Have an adventure
Whatever you do and wherever you go, have an adventure of a lifetime with your kids. So many places in Japan are better seen through the eyes of our kids. Shared experiences as a family are priceless. Japan provides the perfect opportunity to try something new, see new sights and explore a different culture. Have a great adventure, I’m sure you will want to come back again!
