Families enjoying cherry blossoms from boats on Shinobazu Pond at Ueno Park in Tokyo, Japan

Japan for Families: Tokyo, Kyoto & Hakone Itinerary

Ratings of Zicasso's Service
Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist

Countries Visited

Japan

Places Visited

Ueno, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara...

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Suggested Duration

10 Days

Discover historic secrets and new experiences during your 10-day family-friendly Japan tour. Your custom-tailored tour will immerse your family in the contemporary and historic highlights of Japan in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hakone perfect for the curious and adventurous. Wander the world’s longest aerial ropeway, learn Japanese calligraphy, and travel on the high-speed train for unique and exciting excursions into the heart of Japanese culture and tradition.

Customizable Itinerary

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Trip Highlights

  • Explore the history and color of Magna in Kyoto on the hills, in the anime stores, and at the world’s first magna museum
  • Join other families by relaxing in Tokyo’s green parks, with Ueno a great first stop in the country
  • Discover the world’s longest aerial ropeway as you whizz alongside Mount Fuji in Hakone
  • Spend a day in Nara, Japan’s first capital filled with Buddhas, deer, and plenty of family fun
  • Enjoy three nights in Tokyo with a day spent at either in Tokyo Disneyland or the excellent Studio Ghibli
  • Learn how to write Japanese calligraphy with a workshop in Kyoto
  • Spend the night in a traditional ryokan, with hot springs and kaiseki completing the experience
  • Connect with Buddhism in a child-friendly way, including encounters with monkeys
  • Visit some of Japan’s best family museums, including the Toy Museum and Fire Museum in Tokyo
  • Zoom across the country on a Shinkansen high-speed train

Detailed Description

Often the biggest challenge for a family vacation is keeping the children occupied, but that is never a problem in Japan. Step out from your hotel, and there will be a playground of fresh experiences with everything from Buddhist monks to neon-dappled shopping centers, Geishas and tea to manga cartoons and a museum of toys. Exotic and engaging, Japan is a country without any waiting time. Even traveling between destinations feels like you are in a playground, zooming on the Shinkansen or zipping around on the world’s longest ropeway. Everything is so safe and easy, not to mention incredibly clean and welcoming. In Japan, you will find an energizing escape from the every day, as this is as exotic as it comes. But for the most part, the exotic experiences will rarely require you to leave your comfort zone.

This 10-day Japan tour is handcrafted for families with curious children that are interested in new things, whether that is an active five-year-old or a pair of teenagers. The itinerary is highly customizable and is designed to be tailored further once you are in Japan with local guides showing you around and keeping things comfortable for everyone. The attractions will vary, showing you many different sides to the country. Almost all of them have an experiential aspect, as Japan is not a country where you go to see the sights as it is where you fully experience a country’s culture, tradition, history, and atmosphere. Even when taking some downtime while wandering around a park, you will find so many things that are quintessentially Japanese.

This family friendly itinerary uses three different bases with each destination connected on Shinkansen high-speed trains. Tokyo provides the eye-opening city experience, with so much of the old and the new colliding on the streets. Hakone will take you into nature and offers a rural ryokan experience, showcasing what life is like beyond the cities. Kyoto is all about history and heritage, an ancient capital packed full of temples and gardens alongside monkeys, Geisha, markets, parks, coy carp, and so much more to grab the attention. You will have three nights in Tokyo, two in Hakone, plus four in Kyoto, which allows for a Kyoto day trip to Nara. From Kyoto, it is a very short train journey to Osaka and your departing flight.

So what is in the Japanese playground? In Tokyo, the kids will get excited with the Toy Museum, but also dip into local Buddhism and the eye-catching lights of neighborhoods like Shibuya and Shinjuku. A base in Ueno is both central and relaxing, with plenty of green space to calm overstimulated minds. The Hakone experience is outdoors around Mount Fuji, plus at a small ryokan which has hot springs and beds that roll out in the evening. As Japan’s heritage city, Kyoto offers so many classic experiences with manga, calligraphy, Zen gardens, bamboo forests, even a little Samurai. Ten days will whizz by, and as you fly home, it will be hard to pinpoint a favorite experience as you have enjoyed an incredible adventure together. Consider learning more about our travelers’ best Japan travel experiences by reading their Japan travel reviews.

Starting Price

$5,195 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service

4.85 stars based on 529 reviews.

Japan Luxury Vacation Review: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara,...
"Our first trip to Japan was perfect, thanks to Zicasso’s...

Reviewed By Tina R.

Japan Luxury Vacation Review: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka,...
"Our travel agent curated a trip of a lifetime and we would...

Reviewed By Chandler M.

Japan Family Vacation Review: Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, Local...
"The Zicasso travel agency put together great properties....

Reviewed By Liz C.

Japan Trip Review: Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, Mt. Fuji, Hot Springs,...
"The travel company did a wonderful job at planning and...

Reviewed By Felicia T.

Japan Vacation Review: Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, Ryokan, Private...
"We had so many amazing experiences we would never have...

Reviewed By Jessica S.

Japan Luxury Vacation Review: Kyoto, Tokyo, Mount Fuji,...
"We gave our agent a list of interests and he delivered."

Reviewed By Jan C.

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