Top Tips for Travelling as a Family in Japan
Accommodation
Our tips: Book early. Airbnb works well for families. Try a Ryokan for a traditional experience.
Finding accommodation for a family of 5 can be a bit overwhelming! These are our tips for booking. It can also be hard to know where in Tokyo to book so check out our Tokyo page for further information.
What type of accommodation?
Most hotel rooms are small and only take 2 or perhaps 4 people which meas having multiple hotel rooms. This works for some families but we enjoy having common space together. Some hotels and in particular some of the Disney affiliated hotels will accommodate larger family groups. Mimaru hotels are a chain of hotels that have larger family rooms and can be found throughout Japan.
Our favourite accommodation is to find a self contained house or unit, through Airbnb or booking.com. As of June 2018, Airbnb only hosts places that meet the Japanese government’s requirements for short term accommodation. Booking.com offers different styles of accommodation from hotels, ryokan and individual houses.
Our family prefers houses or apartments as we enjoy having our own kitchen and washer/dryer. It’s also important as a family with teenage boys to have two bathrooms and separate spaces for everyone rather than being stuck in one hotel room together! Be aware when looking at photos of places, if it looks small, it probably is, Japanese people are used to small places! Read the reviews, it gives great insight into what to expect. Check out the comments about transport and the closest train station, then check that train line and how convenient it is for where you want to go.
For a unique Japanese experience stay in a ryokan and have a Kaiseki meal. It can be more expensive, but an amazing experience so try and include this for at least one night during your stay. See our blog for more about staying in a ryokan.
Whatever you choose, book accommodation early, particularly if you are travelling in cherry blossom season or travelling to the snow in winter. You may need to book 10 to 12 months in advance to book larger rooms or apartments in popular ski areas.
Money
Our tips: You’ll need cash! Take Yen but also have a way of accessing more Yen in Japan.
Japan although technologically advanced works mostly in cash. At some restaurants and hotels you will be able to use cards but most places take cash only. Be aware that many ATMs won’t accept foreign cards for cash withdrawals, they are more likely to work at bank or post office ATMs. Consider a transaction free international card or Wise card, these will work at all ATMs, including those at 7/11 stores which you will find everywhere in Japan.
Convenience stores
Our tip: Discover the joy of the konbini in Japan!
Convenience stores are everywhere in Japan. 7 /11, Lawson, and FamilyMart can be found in every city corner and in every town. Supermarkets on the other hand can be much harder to find so for most of your food supplies, the local convenience store is your best option, they have most things you’ll need from forgotten toothbrushes to tissues, fresh fruit, Pocky, sliced bread (the slices are huge), sushi, 2 minute noodles, katsu sandwiches, more Pocky or a bottle of local wine! Check out our blog all about Convenience stores!
When looking at accommodation options, check the map to see if there is a convenience store near by. It’s great for supplies and snacks, a quick lunch or an easy and inexpensive dinner after a long day.
Wifi
Our tips: Download Whats App before you leave and get an eSIM if you don’t have international roaming.
As a foreigner you can’t get a local phone number (although there are now some places you can pre order a SIM and number while in Aust). Download WhatsApp or Line before you get to Japan – you can’t set it up while you are in Japan as it recognises you are not in Australia – I’ve tried. Purchase a data sim for the time you are in Japan – these can be purchased at the airport or purchase an eSIM while in Australia and then activate when in Japan. You can then use your previously set up WhatsApp/Line account to message and call each other or family and friends in Australia (as long as they have WhatsApp/Line). Many accommodation places also offer free portable Wifi which we gave to the kids so their phone would work if they were separated from us.
Public transport
Our tips: Load Suica onto your Apple Wallet before you go. Google maps is your friend!
Public transport in Japan is more efficient than anything you will find in Australia. Japan has the population to support an extensive and regular service. We have done some driving in more remote areas but in the city areas, there is no parking, so public transport is the way to go. Load the Suica card to your Apple Wallet before you leave or purchase a Welcome Suica card at the airport when you arrive. For more details on how to load your card see our Public transport in Japan blog.
If you are planning on a few Shinkansen trips you should consider whether a Japan rail (JR) pass will work for you. Hyperdia online calculator can help you decide if the JR pass will be cost effective. The JR pass can be purchased online and then picked up in Japan. Read the conditions carefully, some places will send out a coupon in Austrailia that you then take to exchange (so leave time for this to be delivered to you). The official JR website enables you to purchase online and then book tickets online as well. You will need to still go to the counter to collect your physical ticket (with your passport) when in Japan.
There are a number of train apps you can download but we mostly used Google maps for getting around, it gave directions to walk, trains to catch, times of trains, lines they were on and in Tokyo, exits to take from the stations (which was super helpful). It was not fail proof though and sometimes did not recognise when we were underground. So we did have a few times when we ended up walking in circles – all part of the adventure!
Shoes and socks!
Our tips: Have great walking shoes and no holes in your socks!
This might seem a simple thing but there are lots of times you will need to take off your shoes and just wear socks so perhaps socks without holes might be good, but more importantly, if you have a couple of little ones, taking shoes on and off can be hard work and may result in a tantrum or two! So shoes that are easy to take off and put on can be a great help. Go for zips, velcro or no tie shoelaces if you can!
You will do lots of walking in Japan so choose shoes that are comfortable. New shoes are not a good idea, make sure they are worn in.
Food glorious food!
Our tip: Enjoy!
The food in Japan is always extremely fresh and absolutely oishii (delicious). Get the kids to try some thing new. Be adventurous too. There are lots of foods the kids will enjoy. We have a whole category dedicated to Japanese foods, however, you might find the Top 10 convenience store survival foods helpful!
Etiquette
Our tips: Be aware of local culture and try to use the language – it goes a long way!
Don’t walk around eating. Walking and having coffee is more acceptable for tourists but Japanese people won’t walk and eat or drink. Even when having ice creams it is expected that you sit outside the shop and eat them. Stop and eat, don’t walk around – possibly a lesson for all of us there. You will also notice there are no bins on the street, take rubbish with you.
Keep to the right or left of the escalator. Watch others and copy. Make it a game for the kids. Some cities stand on the left, others on the right. This is especially important when you have kids with you or luggage. Try and avoid peak times on the trains if you have luggage.
There are no bins in the streets, take your rubbish with you. Always a take a small rubbish bag when you are out and about.
Keep quiet on trains and no talking on phones on the trains. This can be hard for little ones, so take quiet games they can play for longer trips or play counting games, quietly! We found that people would often watch the kids on the trains and older people would talk to them and say to us “Kawaii” (cute). Be careful not to point and stare. Warn the kids that although most Japanese don’t feel comfortable speaking to you in English, they can often understand what you say, as they are taught English in school. So watch what you say and always be polite. Give Japanese people a great impression of Aussies.
It’s ok to take photos of your food, in fact, sometimes it’s rude not to!
It’s ok to slurp your noodles – kids love this – it’s a sign that you enjoy them! But don’t stick your chopsticks upright into your bowl as this is a symbol often done at funerals. Don’t pass food from chopstick to chopstick for the same reason.
Learn a few basic words. Japanese people love when the kids say “Arigatoo Gozaimasu” (Thank you) or “Konnichiwa” (Hello)!
More Information
Japan Rail Pass website
Convenience stores
Welcome Suica
Public transport in Japan (full instructions for loading your Suica card to your apple wallet)
Staying in a Ryokan
Staying in Tokyo