7 - 10 days in Japan.

[Phteven]

If you had a week to 10 days in Japan with children how would you spend it?

[lilima]

We went for about 4 days on our way home from Europe. Did all the touristy things. Spent time in Shibuya (sp) Mt Fuji The palace... With kids you could also do Disneyland, but as J was only 18 months old we didn't. Now that they are older, we would probably ski too if we went in winter.

[LionsandBears]

My brother took the kids skiing... if you're into that sort of thing

[Phteven]

We're thinking of going at the end of April. I'm not sure if the resorts will still be open then.

[nothing2lose]

Depends on where in Japan you are going but when I was there (sans kids) I went to the Tokyo Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Ueno Park, bonsai museum (can't remember the name of it but I can dig out info), Shibuyu shopping district, Shinjuku.

I Tokyo

Take me with you.

[kimmi]

Sakura Festivals (Cherry Blossoms)

You and the kids will be in awe

[SunnyRain]

Cherry blossom season is rather difficult to predict, it's very fleeting but is a great time of year.

I'd do Tokyo, then hop a shinkansen to Kyoto.

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[meow]

Kyoto and surrounds. Great temples, Nara for sure, Osaka if you want some bright lights Japanese times.

[LimeSlice]

Oh, Disneyland is in Tokyo too, if that is your thing, the night time parade with all the lights is pretty cool.

[Phteven]

*bump*

So.... we're going in January. Just shy of 3 weeks so a bit more than we originally intended and almost a year later.

I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed with choice. I've had a thumb through a guidebook and poked around online a bit.
I'm thinking that with a short time we might just stick to skiing and Tokyo, Kyoto and anything in between them. DS2 wants to see Mt Fuji and DS1 wants to see a martial arts fight.
We'll give Disneyland a miss. The boys went to EuroDisney so that's enough Disney to last me a lifetime.

Obviously we're going to ski because that's what we do. Hakuba V's Shiga Kogen V's Nozawa Onsen? Hakuba has a ski school for the boys that comes very highly recommended but I'm sure the other resorts have ski schools with English speaking instructors. Shiga Kogen is huge and closer to the snow monkeys. Nozawa Onsen is smaller and has a fire festival that could coincide with our visit. On one hand festivals are fun but on the other hand they create crowding and increase prices for the week they are on. Has anyone visited any of these resorts?

I've been looking at JRail passes. I'm not sure if it's economical if we're not traveling about a lot. How many train journeys do I need to do to make a JRail pass work for us? Can you use them on the subway?

[Freya]

Im in the middle of planning a Japan trip (for 10 days in November/December) as well!

Thanks for bumping up the thread.

[SunnyRain]

I have been thinking about doing this too. I have been by myself but have never taken the kids.

Top of my list is a visit to Studio Ghibli! A friend told me the bus that picks you up from the station to get there is painted as a 'catbus'! My kids would have an absolute fit to be able to ride catbus - Totoro is one of their favourite ever movies. Anything to do with Totoro or Ponyo would keep my kids entertained for days.

Other kid friendly highlights:
Tokyo - Yoyogi Park on a Sunday - for the walk from Harajuku station past all of the Harajuku boys and girls dressed as manga and anime characters - or whatever else takes their fancy, the rockabilly guys dancing in the square, the hip-hop dudes, the 'battle of the bands' buskers playing around the outside of the park and the amazing use of space in the actual park. Every single bit of space was being used by people of all sorts. Sports, games, music, picnics… yet it still felt relaxed and spacious. It is a great example of urban green space being enjoyed by people.

Tokyo - toy stores - just cos they are there and they are huge!

Nara - Take the kids to squeeze through Buddah's nostril. With the deer park already mentioned, plus there is a giant golden Buddah in a shrine there that is impressive. In the shrine there is also a wooden column with a hole in the base that is said to be the same size as the giant Buddah's nostril. It is said that anyone who can squeeze through the hole will be granted enlightenment. I like the fact that only children can make it through and it makes them feel pretty special by the look on their faces. The temple also has some excellent scary looking guard statues.

Kyoto - random wandering through the back streets of the old part of Kyoto was wonderful. We found all sorts of interesting things going on off the regular tourist circuit.

Hiroshima - The shinkansen from Tokyo to Hiroshima was awesome! Bento boxes on the train, country life to watch through the windows and a fast fast amazing trip. The Peace memorial museum in Hiroshima was well worth the visit. It was difficult and moving but really well put together and a really important part of the visit to Japan for me. I am not sure how old your kids are and whether it would be appropriate for them age wise, but even just a walk around the gardens and outside of the museum and a visit to the dome would be good. The paper cranes everywhere are a great access point for kids to get a handle on some of the stories tied up in the bomb.

There is a beautiful island off the coast of Hiroshima - Miyajima. It is a short tram ride from the center of town and then a ferry ride to the island. It is a beautiful place with lots of deer, and one of the most impressive shrines I saw. It is the location of the famous giant Tori Gate - up there with the Opera House as an iconic vision of a country. When the tide is out you can walk up to the Tori Gate and touch it. There are also lots of walks and other activities on the island.

On the train back to Tokyo we stopped at Himeji castle. Lots of stairs to climb and an awesome view at the top. It is one of the oldest surviving castles in Japan and is a great glimpse into the past.

Something I didn't do but kids might enjoy - Sumo??

Ohh, I am so jealous!

This. Both Nara and Miyajima have deer which the kids will love. Miyajima is beautiful at high tide, and I am so glad I visited Hiroshima. Nara is convenient to Kyoto.

However, January is hellishly cold, and Kyoto, Nara, Miyajima involve lots of walking outside in temperatures that will send your extremities numb. The sky is grey, the air like ice, no leaves on a single tree, the grass is dead and the ground rock hard.

I actually suggest staying inside.

[Freya]

Just want to hijack Onyx's thread and say thanks for adding all the advice in. We've booked our holiday to Japan, with 7 nights in Tokyo doing Disney and a few day trips elsewhere and then 2 nights in Kyoto; in December. All your memories and recommendations were really helpful!

[Phteven]

Thank you all for your advice.

Our little holiday has been through so many dramas. Fist DH got a phone call from a client who wanted him in Australia at the end of January so we shifted it to 3 weeks after school started. Then DH rang up and said oops we shifted it to the date that BIL is getting married so I ahd to ring the airline again and beg them to change us again. Bless them. They did change us again and they didn't charge us for any of the changes
So now we are going at the end of February until mid-March so the weather should be a bit milder but we should still have plenty of snow.

So my vague plan is Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, skiing then home
I'm kind of nervous about booking hotels now in case DH rings up demanding more changes. I had better alter the dates for our travel insurance ASAP lol.

[peanutter]

I would eat lots of sashimi.

Maybe some tepanyaki.

But mostly sashimi.

I like sashimi.

,

[Phteven]

Sashimi.....mmmm. My brother lives near an awesome co-op so I can get great sashimi by driving for 3 hours

Now I'm wondering where to stay in Tokyo. I guess I could look in the guidebook but that's in my bedroom which is at least 6 metres away. Are there hotels in Harajuku? So I can hang out and watch the Harajuku girls while I eat my breakfast.

[k4t]

It's years since I went to Japan now but all the nicest places we stayed were ryokan. The kids will probably enjoy sleeping on proper futon, Japanese style baths and they all did amazing Japanese style cooked breakfasts