We love Japan as a family travel destination. On our fourth trip to Japan as a family, our kids were aged 12 and 8. It was exciting to have them help plan our 2 week Japan itinerary now they were older. Planning where to go is always difficult as there are so many amazing places. We looked at going to Universal Studios in Osaka but decided it was too expensive for one day that could be mostly spent in queues. As tickets must be purchased in advance, you can’t choose a good weather day, and we were visiting in the rainy season.
We also didn’t want to spend all of our time in big cities, and the place in Japan that the kids really wanted to spend time in was Tokyo. They wanted to play the claw machines, visit the Pokemon centres, and see all the other fascinating places in the city. We ended up splitting our time between one week in Tokyo and one week around the Japanese Alps.
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How many days in Japan with kids?
We have previously spent 10 days and 12 days in Japan with kids. On this family Japan trip we spent 14.5 days. I think 2 weeks is a good amount of time to spend in Japan with kids. Another week would be wonderful but for a lot of families including us, this is not always possible. We enjoyed splitting our time between smaller cities surrounded by nature and the bustling city life of Tokyo. Unless you absolutely love cities, I think spending time outside of the major cities gives you a great insight into a different side of Japan.
2 week Japan itinerary with kids
This is our personal two-week Japan itinerary with kids. I hope you find it useful when planning your own family Japan itinerary. We travelled as a family with 2 children in June 2024.
Day 0: Arrival
Our flight landed in Tokyo at Narita Airport at 7 pm. We had booked an airport hotel for the night and they had a bus to take us from Narita Airport to the hotel. We bought dinner from the convenience store located inside the hotel. Our room at Hotel Nikko Narita was a Japanese-style family room. The beds were on the tatami floor and the room had a low table and chairs. The kids were happy to sleep on the floor and get their first Japanese experience.
Day 1: Travel to Nagano and see Zenkoji
After getting the hotel shuttle bus back to Narita Airport, we picked up a SIM card we had ordered. On previous Japan trips, we had a WiFi device but this time we went with the cheaper option. We didn’t have to worry about losing a device or sending it back before leaving Japan. The other item we bought at Narita Airport was train cards for the kids. Tim and I already had ours so, it made sense for the kids to have an IC card each too. The Suica cards were not available at Narita Airport at the time of our visit so, we purchased the kids’ Pasmo passport. It works the same way as other prepaid cards but it has an expiry date.
From Narita Airport we took the Skyliner to Ueno Station and then the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano Station. We walked to Budget Car Rental to pick up our little Kei car and drove to our accommodation for two nights in Nagano. We met the host at our Airbnb which was a traditional Japanese-style house. The rooms had tatami mat flooring and in the evening we set up our futon bedding.
Read our post about driving in Japan.
We walked from the house to the nearby Asahi Station and took the local train to Zenkojishita Station. After a 15-minute walk, we arrived at Zenkoji Temple. The kids were interested in visiting after learning that Zenkoji’s history dates back to 642 and that Nagano city had been built around it. We walked around the temple grounds as the sun started to go down, casting beautiful light on the grand temple buildings. Leaving Zenkoji through the large Sanmon gate and walking down the street, unfortunately, we were too late and the shops were closing.
Day 2: Kid’s Ninja Village & Togakushi Shrine
Our first stop was the nearby grocery store, where we bought lunch and fruit. Then we drove about 45 minutes to the Kid’s Ninja Village. The last part of the drive was up the mountain and through the forest. Kid’s Ninja Village was something our kids thought looked fun so, this helped make our decision about which area to visit away from Tokyo. The main part is a massive outdoor obstacle course. This is included in the admission fee. Other activities such as shooting, star throwing and a trick house cost extra. You can also pay to rent children’s ninja costumes.
The obstacle course is spread across the whole park area. There are tightropes, flying foxes, lots of ropes and climbing structures. There is also a water challenge so bring spare clothes. Adults can complete the course as well. When we arrived there was no one else there so we had the entire course to ourselves for most of our visit.
The Kid’s Ninja Village has food outlets although the cafe was closed during our visit. We brought lunch with us and were able to eat at an outdoor table. We spent around 2 hours here on the obstacle course and the kids did a couple of extra activities each. It was a fun family activity near Nagano. See the official Kid’s Ninja Village site for fees and more information.
Togakushi Shrine
We parked at the larger parking lot above the lower shrine. The path passed under a large wooden torii gate and led us to the shrine grounds. A bride and groom were having their photos taken around the shrine. Upon realising we had missed the grand entry up the steep staircase, we made our way down to the bottom, looked around and headed back up. There is a little waterfall next to the main hall.
We were going to walk to the other shrines but after starting along the trail, we came to a point where we had no idea where to go. The kids weren’t overly keen on a big walk anyway, so we returned to the car and drove further up to a parking space for Okusha Shrine. We had to pay a ¥600 parking fee.
It is a 2km walk from the parking space to the upper shrine. The walk passes Okusha Shrine and the Zuishinmon Gate, famous for its thatched roof. The roof becomes covered in snow in winter or green plants in summer. The path after the gate is lined by tall cedar trees, some 400 years old.
Towards the upper shrine, the path becomes steep large stone steps. At the top, we viewed the shrine and had a rest before making our way back. It is such a beautiful walk through the forest and so peaceful. There were hardly any tourists here and at times we were by ourselves.
On our drive back, we stopped for a view overlooking Matsumoto and out to the mountains.
Day 3: Snow Monkey Park
Before driving to the Snow Monkey Park, we detoured through some ski areas to the highest point of Japan’s national Routes. Parts of the road were very narrow and windy. It was a great scenic drive and the lookout spots gave us wonderful mountain views. We were interested to see cars pulled over and people in the forest all along the road, we think they were collecting bamboo shoots.
Snow Monkey Park
After parking at a free parking space, we used the public toilet and walked to the start of the trail. The trail to Jigokudani Yaen Koen starts at the info and gift shop. A sign above says it is a 1.6km walk. During our visit in June, it was a lovely walk surrounded by greenery.
The walk passes the stunning Jigokudani Valley and alongside the river is the Shibu no Jigokudani Geyser. A sign explained that the geyser is a rare geothermal phenomenon, emitting a continuous plume of water that can reach up to 20 metres high. The sign also mentioned Korakukan, the hot spring hotel located across the river. The inn was established in 1864 and young monkeys liked to play in the outdoor baths. To entice the monkeys away from the inn park officials made the monkeys a bath of their own.
After paying our entry fee and entering the park, it wasn’t long before we spotted our first monkey. There were several of them lying on the rocks next to the path. The park is known for monkeys bathing in the hot spring surrounded by snow. We were hesitant to visit in the warmer month of June.
The park area with the river flowing through is beautiful and there were monkeys everywhere. We saw larger ones, smaller ones and even some babies. They were playing, climbing, grooming and casually walking past people. The Japanese macaques showed no signs of aggression, they did not care about the humans around them at all. The park has rules about not getting too close and not having any food with you. There are staff around to make sure everybody is following the rules.
We spent about one hour in the park admiring the monkeys and the beautiful surroundings. On exiting the park, there were monkeys along the path and we saw a snake capturing a frog.
Driving to Matsumoto
We drove to Matsumoto via Azumino. My husband is a sourdough baker and he wanted to visit Gappido Bread. It is a little bakery nestled in the woods. We arrived late and luckily they had one loaf left. Our accommodation in Matsumoto was an Airbnb house with self-check-in.
Days 4-6: Matsumoto city and day trips
We stayed in Matsumoto for 4 nights. One day was spent walking around the city viewing the sights. On another day we drove to Azumino and the Wasabi Farm. We also went on a day trip to Narai Juku.
Read my post about things to do and our day trips from Matsumoto.
Days 7-8: Kiso Valley
From Matsumoto, we drove to Magome-Juku. We parked the car and walked a section of the Nakasendo trail. From Magome to Tsumago it was about 8km and took us 2 hours to walk. After having lunch in Tsumago-Juku, we got a bus back to the car.
We spent the night at Kiso Mikawaya in Kiso Fukushima. It was a lovely area to stroll around and we enjoyed the hotel dinner and breakfast.
In the morning we walked to a temple and spent some time by the river before checking out. From the hotel, we drove to a gorge and had fun climbing over boulders to a tiny shrine. We returned our rental car to Nagano and took a Shinkansen to Tokyo.
Read my post about the Nakasendo and Kiso Valley with kids.
Days 9-15: Tokyo
For our time in Tokyo, we stayed in an Airbnb apartment. A whole week in Tokyo might seem too much. Booking a week gave us a cheaper stay. Our kids were most looking forward to Tokyo and they were happy to spend 7 days in the city. We thought we could do a day trip to break up the week. What actually happened was we spent every day from morning to late afternoon walking around Tokyo. We were never sick of it and there were also places on the list we didn’t get to. Tokyo is a big city with so many interesting things to do.
Tokyo itinerary blog post coming soon!
On the last day, we stored our luggage at Tokyo Station. We explored more of the city before getting the Narita Express to the airport for our flight home.
Reflecting on our 2 week Japan itinerary with kids
Overall we enjoyed our 2 weeks in Japan with kids. When planning, we were unsure if a whole week in Tokyo would be too much time in the city. It ended up being a fantastic week of exploring Tokyo as a family. We were busy all day, every day and enjoyed eating in different restaurants. The only part of our itinerary that felt a little rushed was Kiso Valley. We only spent one night in the area, so we didn’t have a full day there. One thing that I didn’t realise would be so wonderful was simply strolling around the town of Kiso Fukushima. This shows that you don’t need to plan everything on an itinerary. I like to have a list of things and places but also allow for flexibility.
