We are fresh back from the most amazing family trip to Singapore and Japan. To be honest, I never quite understood the hype around Japan. But after our first day there, I was completely enchanted. And now that I’m back home, when people ask about our trip, I talk about this country like no other destination we’ve ever visited—I fell in love! I would even go so far as to say it changed me for the better.
With that being said, I couldn’t wait to share our complete Japan itinerary! This one is going to be long, but absolutely worth the read if you’re thinking about visiting. I’ve included all of the details from our time in Tokyo, Hakone, and Kyoto, including where to eat, places to stay, and the best things to do in Japan. And if you’re looking for outfit inspiration for an upcoming trip, be sure to check out my ideas on what to wear.
Planning Out Things to Do in Japan
We’ve traveled all over together as a family, but this felt like my hardest trip to plan to date. I spent hours researching and putting together our Japan itinerary. While this is part of the fun for me, it definitely took longer than planning for other destinations. I’m hoping all of my research and the details I’m sharing today will make planning your own trip a little easier.
Personal Factors That Influenced Our Japan Itinerary & Trip Timing
When deciding on things to do in Japan, we started by talking as a family and listing out a few top-priority experiences each of us had in mind. For context, our kids are eleven and thirteen, and they each had lots of ideas about what they wanted to do. My eleven-year-old has actually been wanting to go to Japan for years! We decided to do the first part of our Asia tour in Singapore, then continued on to Japan for ten days.
We had no choice but to do this trip in July due to our sons’ schedules. While it was very hot and humid, I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant we got to experience Japan again. Luckily, they had tons of things I’ve never seen before to help you deal with the heat at convenience stores. Plus, reliable air conditioning is everywhere, so you can always cool down indoors.
Places to Visit in Japan
After determining our travel dates and everyone’s top-priority activities, it was time to map out our route. We decided on three nights in Tokyo, one night in Hakone, four nights in Kyoto, and then two final nights back in Tokyo. Next up, I got to work researching the best places to stay in each spot.
Where to Stay in Tokyo, Hakone, and Kyoto
After a lot of research, we decided to start out at the Palace Hotel Tokyo. In Hakone, we landed on Gora Kadan, and in Kyoto, we stayed at the Four Seasons. For our final two nights back in Tokyo, we stayed high up at the Park Hyatt. I’ll go into more detail on each accommodation below, but overall, they were each wonderful!
Where to Eat in Japan
While we had activities planned for this trip, we opted not to book any meals in advance. If it were just JB and me going, we’d have planned a lot of special dinners. But with kids, I wanted to leave it open-ended. Food standards are so high in Japan that I figured it would be tough to have a bad meal.
Knowing the foods and experiences we wanted to have, I relied heavily on the concierge at each destination. For example, we knew we wanted tonkatsu, ramen, Wagyu beef, shabu-shabu, beef sandwiches, teppanyaki, and omakase. So at each destination, we’d ask for recommendations and help with reservations based on these desired meals.
However, if you’re someone who prefers to plan dining in advance, I’m going to go into detail about everywhere we ate at each destination in this post!
Helpful Tips for Planning a Japan Itinerary
Before diving into the day-to-day details of our trip, I wanted to share a few important travel tips. These recommendations are sure to make your planning and traveling much easier if you’re heading to Japan.
- For a smooth arrival, fill out your immigration form prior to landing (I recommend doing the same if traveling to Singapore).
- You can get a Suica card for the metro, or you can just allot one credit card to each person in your group. You simply tap it at the entrance and again to exit. Very easy!
- Tabelog is where you can book many restaurants. They are strict about cancellations and take them very seriously, sometimes requiring a deposit.
- I booked all of our Shinkansen tickets through SmartEX. Simply make an account, and from there, it’s quite easy.
- Use luggage forwarding! We had our concierge handle this, and it was absolutely worth it. They used Yamato, and many convenience stores handle luggage forwarding as well. It will take about 24 hours for everything to arrive at the next stop, so you may want to send certain luggage pieces ahead of your departure. For this trip, we used luggage forwarding in Tokyo. We just carried backpacks and one small carry-on to Gora Kadan since we’d only be there for one night. We had two of our large luggage pieces sent to Four Seasons Kyoto and two others sent to our final spot, Park Hyatt Tokyo. All of our luggage was waiting in our room upon arrival, without us having to lug any heavy luggage around. We also used it when traveling from Kyoto back to Tokyo. If you’ve ever handled luggage on trains, you know it stinks. This was such a treat, and the total for all of this was only around $120.
- Utilize Uber and cabs. They do have Uber in Japan, and cabs are plentiful. Often, it’s just easier and quicker to grab a cab.
- They don’t tip in Japan. We tried twice when the service was SO good, and they refused both times.
Japan Itinerary: Where We Stayed, What to Eat, and Things to Do
In order to be as helpful as possible, I thought I would break our trip down day by day to cover all of the places to eat and things to do in Japan. Starting with our first stop—three and a half days in Tokyo!
Where to Stay in Tokyo
For this first leg in Tokyo, we stayed at the Palace Hotel. Our red-eye flight from Singapore landed at 7 a.m., and we had the hotel arrange transportation. They had someone waiting with a sign as soon as we exited. It was only $64 to have that service—well worth it!
We were all pretty tired, so we were thrilled to discover that our rooms were ready early when we arrived at the Palace Hotel Tokyo. We booked these accommodations through Amex, which offers an upgrade if available. While they weren’t able to upgrade us, they did give us an extra-late checkout and credit to use at their property restaurants, in addition to having our rooms ready upon arrival at 7 a.m. We didn’t ask for any of this; they just really went the extra mile!
We did need two rooms. They didn’t have any adjoining rooms, but we were right next to one another and felt completely comfortable. The rooms are beautiful and well-appointed, with special treats, a great turndown service with heated eye masks, and everything was spotless.
I loved each of our hotels during this trip, but the Palace Hotel’s service from the moment we checked in to the second we left on the Shinkansen was really special.
Tokyo Itinerary: Day One
That first day, we took a nap upon arrival, and we really couldn’t have done it without one. We woke up and grabbed lunch just below the Palace Hotel. It’s connected to the subway, with lots of restaurants and businesses below. We stumbled upon Asian restaurant Basil. This restaurant puts an Asian spin on Indian food, and it was delicious!
We then took the metro to our big outing of the day: The Beyblade Bar Tokyo. Obviously, this is very niche. But my youngest son has loved Beyblades for years. You do have to get reservations for this, or they won’t let you in. The boys joined a tournament upon arriving, and we ordered some Beyblade-themed mocktails for them and tea and coffee for me and JB. The time slots last 90 minutes, and they’re strictly timed. The boys loved this experience!
Afterward, we took the metro to Shibuya Crossing. With as many as three thousand people crossing at one time, it’s surprisingly pretty organized! It’s something to see for sure.
We wandered around this area a bit, popping into food vendors, before grabbing dinner at a teppanyaki spot. For the life of me, I can’t remember the name of this spot! But there’s a lot of action on the grill in front of you, and that makes it fun. The kids tried things like octopus and different mushrooms. After this, we were all pretty tired, so we headed back to the hotel and had a great night’s sleep!
Day Two
We started the next day with the Palace Hotel’s buffet. I think this spot wins the hotel breakfast award for us. It had so many delicious items!
We then headed to TeamLab Planets, which we had booked far in advance (as popular times sell out quickly). We selected the tickets that allowed us to go at any time rather than a timed entry. I always appreciate that flexibility so we don’t feel rushed.
There are two TeamLabs in Tokyo—Planets and Borderless. We picked Planets because it’s a bit more active for the boys, but I have heard Borderless is also amazing! If you’re visiting with your family, this is probably my number one recommendation for things to do in Japan. It’s an incredible experience unlike anything else we’ve ever done!
Next, we went to Tonkatsu Yamabe for lunch. Just a heads up, this spot can get a little line at lunchtime, but it moves fairly quickly. It’s a casual spot, and we were the only tourists there. The owners and servers were so sweet. I feel like this was the first time I noticed how different the service is in Japan. The server was constantly at attention, making sure every table had everything they needed. We all loved this spot!
After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for some downtime and swimming at the pool. Then, it was time to get ready for our Tokyo Giants game. What an experience! You have to go, even if you’re not a baseball fan. The food, the fans, the cheerleaders…we all had so much fun! We now have all the merch, and we’re proud Tokyo Giants fans, lol.
Day Three
We started the third day with the Palace Hotel’s breakfast buffet again. It was just so good! Afterward, we met our tour guide, Michiko, in the lobby. She was recommended to us through the hotel, and she was wonderful, spirited, and we really enjoyed our day with her! She gave us the tour while a separate driver drove us around. We were pretty open-ended about what we wanted to see and left it up to her. She did an excellent job! You can email her at michikosatoty (@) gmail (dot) com if you’re ever looking for things to do in Japan or Tokyo.
We started the tour with Senso-ji Temple, where she explained their two main religions—Buddhism and Shinto. She explained how Shinto and Buddhism coexist in Japanese life, with many people participating in traditions from both. Leading to the temple are tons of street food vendors and shops of all kinds.
She then took us to Kama-Asa, where we looked at Japanese knives and other kitchen products. I could have spent more time there! A quick lesson I learned is that if you see something you’d like, you should get it then because I mistakenly thought I’d be back.
We had lunch at Gonpachi Shibuya for traditional soba buckwheat noodles. We all loved it and had a huge meal! For the five of us, it was $53 total.
We then went to Meiji Shrine, which is a Shinto shrine set inside Yoyogi Park. The park is beautiful! It was a very hot day, though, so we were thankful we had the driver to pick us up when needed.
We then went to Takeshita Street, which Michiko said is “teen street.” I felt like I was in a fever dream here! After touring all morning, I knew the boys could use a little something lighter. I saw a dog café, didn’t even consult anyone, and marched us all in there. You pay to feed all the dogs…lol. There are so many animal cafés in this area—mini pig, otter, cat, capybara—it was wild!
There were also lots of gachapon stores in this area, which have 100-or-so-yen capsules with surprise toys inside. And we couldn’t leave without trying the viral Strawberry Fetish, which is fresh strawberries that are candied. Honestly, they were pretty good! We wrapped up our time in this area with some shopping nearby in Omotesando.
A few things to note about the Takeshita Street area. First, restrooms are hard to come by. It was also the only place I saw trash on the street while in Japan. There wasn’t a lot, but it also wasn’t their normal spotless streets. Also, this is a Harajuku area, so you’ll see that style of dressing mixed in as well.
Next, we headed back to the hotel and ate dinner at the Grand Kitchen, which was delicious! We were able to use the credit given to us from the hotel, so after a long day, this was a nice way to end our first few days in Tokyo.
Hakone Itinerary: Day Four
Because, you know, football is life around here, we scheduled a private training session with a pro in Tokyo the next morning. Then, I packed us up and we enjoyed one last breakfast at the Palace Hotel.
We then went underground via our hotel and walked about 15 minutes to find our Shinkansen train. I’ve heard that people have a hard time with the trains, but we actually found them pretty easy to navigate. The one time we did get confused, I was quick to ask a stranger, and he was quick to help.
We took the train from Tokyo Station to Odawara, which was only a 30-minute trip. Gora Kadan then had a driver waiting for us, which was very affordable! From there, we headed up the mountain to Hakone (about another 30 minutes).
When we first arrived at Gora Kadan, we were greeted by our sweet attendant, Kazoo, who took great care of us during our stay. He showed us around our room and gave us yukatas to wear on the property. We booked the Fuji Ume suite, which comfortably fit our family of four. The property is so beautiful and peaceful. It felt like a dream! Our attendant was absolutely amazing!
We enjoyed walking around the beautiful grounds and then took a dip in the onsen. I had a facial in their spa, which was so relaxing I fell asleep.
For dinner, they served us a traditional 14-course meal, where you sit cross-legged on the floor in the room. It took a few hours! My 13-year-old was considered an adult, while Wes (11) was considered a child. This was a tough time to be considered an adult! But he rose to the challenge and tried a ton of sashimi.
To wrap up the night, we took another dip in the onsen before heading to bed. The beds are traditional tatami beds, and to be completely honest, none of us slept well on them. We had to laugh because when we first got there, I was telling JB, “Oh no…we should have spent two nights here!” But after our rough night of sleep, we were pleased with just one. On the bright side, we were all up early enough to watch the sunrise, which was stunning.
Kyoto Itinerary: Day Five
That morning, we had a traditional breakfast served in the room, took one last dip in the onsen, and headed to the train station. I was so touched when everyone walked us to our cab and waved goodbye to us as we left.
We grabbed some bento boxes at the train station in Odawara to eat for lunch on the train. You can eat on the train; it’s just very quiet, and you need to be tidy! We took the Shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto, and we ended up just grabbing a cab to Four Seasons Kyoto.
I had originally booked a family room with two queen beds in one room. I knew it would be tight, but I wanted the Four Seasons hospitality that we know and love. We were delighted when they upgraded us to a residence! Plus, they were running a special when I booked where you could book three nights and get one free. It was a great deal!
Our residence overlooked the 800-year-old garden and had a full kitchen, two bedrooms, and (maybe the best part) a washing machine! The grounds at this resort are gorgeous, and they have their own shrine. There are lots of traditional activities going on in the lobby daily, a great gym, and a beautiful pool (which was a nice spot to relax in the afternoons). Plus, the hospitality is amazingly warm and attentive.
We checked in, unpacked, and asked the front desk for a good ramen spot for dinner. They recommended Ramen no Bambo, which was a 15-minute walk from the hotel. It was delicious! We wandered around Kyoto for the rest of the night, grabbed ice cream, and went to Uniqlo. We turned in and started The Last Samurai together.
Day Six
The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel. Four Seasons buffets are always great! After breakfast, we walked to Chishaku-in Temple, which is right by the hotel. It’s probably my favorite temple we visited on the trip. It was so peaceful and had gorgeous gardens. You will need to take your shoes off to enter certain areas, so be sure to bring socks if that’s something you’re worried about.
We booked a rickshaw through the hotel using the company Ebisuya—they were wonderful! I really just thought we would get a little tour around town, but it was a full tour, with temple stops included, a tour of two geisha districts, and a history lesson along the way…all while they were carrying us on a rickshaw through town. They are athletes!
Next, we grabbed a Wagyu burger at Nicks, and the kids loved it! It was delicious, but honestly, while I love Wagyu, I find it a little heavy in a burger! After lunch, we did some shopping around town, and then the boys did their Kendo Samurai experience. I love how this is labeled as a workout, and it was 1000%. The teacher was from a Samurai family and was very passionate.
That evening, we went to Okiyoshi for an omakase. The concierge was able to book this that afternoon. The staff and chef were incredible! There were lots of dishes to try, including fresh fish that they took alive from the little aquarium at the bar, then prepared and served. To make it even more special, they had gifts for the boys at the end, and they all walked us out and waved as we left. Then, they had the concierge check on how we liked everything. This was such a fantastic concierge recommendation!
Day Seven
On our third day in Kyoto, after breakfast, we took an Uber to Nara for the day to see the bowing deer. Nothing prepared me for this! They are all over the place. You can buy little deer biscuits to feed them, and John had it completely mastered—he’s our animal whisperer. I was so tickled by these deer. It was one of my favorite things to do in Japan!
We visited the large shrine there and then had a Wagyu teppanyaki lunch at Nagomi. We had our own little private room with our chef, Soe. We were marveling at the way he chopped, cooked, and seasoned everything with so much skill. This was probably our most expensive meal of the trip, but still probably about how much it costs to eat out at a regular restaurant in the States. Plus, it was one of my favorite meals!
That night, we met up with a friend of a friend who occasionally does food tours. I am checking to see if I can share his information here! We went to four different spots, both on foot and by metro. The metro had velvet seats that Yoshi said were from the sixties, and they were spotless. It’s those kinds of moments that just constantly blew my mind while in Japan. They take so much care of everything.
Day Eight
The next morning, we met our new friend, Yoshi, for a hike up to Monkey Park. This is a hike, to be sure, so wear good shoes—but I do think it’s worth it. At the top, there are monkeys you can feed, plus an incredible view of Kyoto.
After the hike, we got a Wagyu beef sandwich that I’ll be dreaming about until I return. It was just from a random spot in town, but it was perfect! Yoshi also took us to the bamboo forest, the shrine inside, and the moss forest—beautiful! We then did a little shopping in town, and he brought us to Kanetaka Hamono to buy knives for us and our family members. We watched them welding the knives, and then they engraved our last name in Japanese on them. It was a great souvenir and one I’m using daily! He also took us around Nishiki Market. We shopped, stopped for little snacks, and even did one of those crazy fish pedicures. This entire day was a memory from Japan we won’t be forgetting!
For dinner that night, I booked us a sumo experience. The food left a lot to be desired, but it was so worth it for how much we laughed and learned. Wes even got on stage and fought a sumo wrestler! We had toyed around with going to Nagoya for a real sumo match, but tickets were so expensive, and I felt like it may be better suited for when they’re just a few years older. But that is something to look into if you’re interested. It was a fun way to end our last night in Kyoto, and we’ll always remember Wes and his sumo match, haha!
Tokyo Itinerary: Day Nine
I booked all of our train travel for around noon on this trip, and I’m so happy I did. I didn’t want to rush in the mornings, and things typically don’t get started early in Japan, with many establishments opening closer to 10 a.m. So this worked out great.
On our last morning in Kyoto, we had a leisurely breakfast, walked the gardens one last time, forwarded our luggage via the front desk, and then headed to the train station. We grabbed bento boxes, and in two hours, we were back in Tokyo and headed to our next stop.
We checked into the Park Hyatt Tokyo. This is an iconic hotel, and you may have seen it if you’ve watched Lost in Translation. I have no idea how, but we still haven’t seen this movie—it’s on our list! We booked a family room, which was huge by Tokyo standards. I found the staff here to be a bit colder than at the other hotels.
On this day, we wanted an easy win with the kids. They hadn’t been complaining, but I wanted to end our trip with a fun night for them. So, we went to DiverCity for ROUND1 Stadium, which is a huge arcade with all the games, but also all the sports. It even has karaoke—it’s enormous, think Costco size!
I did some shopping here, and we ended up eating at a spot in the mall where you cook your own dinner on a hot pot. We also got huge cotton candies, and there was some type of enormous robot outside. We saw it come to life (as it apparently does nightly) while waiting for our Uber. This is one of those areas with tons of things to do in Japan!
Day Ten
On our last full day in Japan, we had breakfast in our hotel’s French restaurant. It was delicious, with sparkling views of the city.
We then went to the Tsukiji Fish Market, which is really neat! It had a ton to see, lots of shopping, and a variety of snacks to try.
Next, we walked to Ginza Mitsukoshi, the big department store in Ginza, where we went to the Art Aquarium Museum on the top floor. This has 3,000 goldfish of 70 different kinds, and it’s set to Japanese music and surrounded by beautiful art—super neat!
For lunch, we enjoyed a traditional shabu-shabu meal at Zakuro. This was a fun experience, and the staff was wonderful too! We walked around Ginza and did some shopping. One of my favorite discoveries was the stationery store Itoya. This is a must if you love stationery like I do!
After a full day, we headed back to the hotel. We had planned to use their swimming pool, and I wish we did, but we were all a little tired, so we rested a bit. That evening, JB and I grabbed a drink as the sun was setting at the New York Bar with a live jazz band. It was beautiful! We then picked the kids up from the room and went down to the basement of the hotel to an Indian restaurant. We always seem to eat Indian wherever we go! It was delicious. We ended the evening with a family movie together, and I’ll always remember the Tokyo sky by night, sparkling from our room on the 49th floor!
10-Day Family Trip to Japan
On day eleven, our trip had come to an end. We hired a driver to take us to the airport and bid farewell to Tokyo!
This was truly an amazing journey that we are all so grateful to have experienced together. I am already planning a trip back…maybe 2028! If this destination is also in your future, I hope this complete Japan itinerary filled with restaurants, excursions, accommodations, and things to do makes your planning as smooth as possible. And feel free to send me an email if you have any questions!
For additional travel guides, be sure to check out these posts:
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The 16 Best Spring Break Destinations for Families
What to Wear in Japan: Summer Outfit Ideas
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