Tokyo with a toddler

Our first time in Tokyo with a toddler was when our son was 1.5 years old. We returned the next year when he was 2.5 years old. There are many things to do in and around Tokyo with a toddler, some of them especially for kids whereas others are more for parents to enjoy.  I hope this guide helps you plan a trip to Tokyo with your toddler. 

Read: our latest 7-day Tokyo itinerary with older kids

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. Purchasing through them earns us a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.

Tokyo with a toddler 10 Fun things for them to do

1. Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea

An obvious choice for fun but for toddlers? We have only visited Tokyo Disneyland and found it had great areas for toddlers. Read my post: Tokyo Disneyland with young kids

2. Ghibli Museum

We loved seeing the artwork and displays at the museum. At 2.5 years old our son recognised images of Totoro and could have played on the large cat bus (he was tired and got overwhelmed). Read: Studio Ghibli Museum

3. Department stores

Tokyo has many department stores so you won’t have a hard time finding one. Most have a basement level with a grocery store-type set-up. There are pre-packed meals and amazing fancy desserts. One or more levels will be filled with various types of sit-down restaurants, this can be fun to look at all the plastic meals displayed out front.

We found that many have excellent baby changing and nursing rooms usually on the same floor as children’s clothing and/or toys. Our toddler loved playing with a set train table. Department stores are a great way to escape the rain

4. Tokyo Station’s Character Street

Tokyo Station has sections like Kitchen Street, Ramen Street and the main attraction for kids, Character Street. An area filled with themed shops. Our toddler loved the Plarail shop which has play trains set up. Other stores include Pokemon, Hello Kitty and my personal favourite, Donguri Garden. This store sells Studio Ghibli merchandise. Tokyo Station’s Character Street is a fun place to see a heap of popular characters.

5. Ueno Park

Ueno Park is full of things to keep you busy. Inside the park, you will find shrines and temples, five museums, a Starbucks and a small children’s amusement park with rides. (update: I don’t think this is there anymore) There is also a zoo but I am not a fan of small zoos with concrete cages so we have not visited. Ueno Park is a big open space so, great for toddlers to run around.

6. Tokyo Dome City

Tokyo Dome City was on our list but we are yet to make it there. It is a large entertainment complex that houses the Tokyo Dome Baseball Stadium. Tokyo Dome City has an amusement park, a spa complex with hot spring pools, a hotel, shops and restaurants. There is also other entertainment such as a bowling alley, skating arena, space museum and more. I have always had ASOBono! on my list for a rainy day. It is a large indoor playground with themed areas including one for babies.

7. Visit Odaiba

Odaiba is on a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. There are several shopping malls and indoor theme parks including the Legoland Discovery Centre, Tokyo Joypolis and a ramen theme park. Getting to Odaiba can be part of the fun with options including a boat ride and an elevated train.

8. Ride/watch the trains

Most kids are interested in trains and Tokyo certainly has plenty of them. Ride the Yamanote line which loops around Tokyo’s major spots. Find a spot in the station and watch all the different trains go by. If you aren’t riding a Shinkansen during your trip, you could still view them coming and going.

9. Play at parks and playgrounds

There are lots of open green spaces in Tokyo, perfect for little ones to run off some energy. Many parks have playground equipment and while walking around you will also come across local playgrounds. These are always a winner for toddler fun.

10. See the city’s tallest buildings

Tokyo Tower is 333 metres high and stands in the centre of Tokyo. It is modelled after the Eiffel Tower, however, air safety regulations mean the Tokyo version is a striking shade of orange. The tower’s main observatory is 150 metres high and a special observatory at 250 metres can be accessed at an extra cost. Below the tower, there are souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants as well as a manga theme park.

Tokyo Skytree stands at 634 metres tall. It is much more than just a broadcasting tower. The area surrounding it is called Tokyo Skytree City. There’s a shopping and entertainment complex with many shops and restaurants as well as an aquarium. Tokyo Skytree has two observation decks. Located close to Asakusa, the Skytree can be seen from Sensoji Temple. It is a nice 20-minute walk from the temple to Tokyo Tower across the Sumida River.

Follow us on Instagram for more photos and stories from our family adventures.

Areas we visited in Tokyo with a toddler

The best thing about travelling with a toddler is that you can strap them into a stroller or a baby carrier and walk around exploring the city. If you’re lucky they will get their naps in while you see the sights.

Tsukiji Market and Ginza

With our 1.5-year-old toddler in a baby carrier, we walked through the crowded market, viewing all that was laid out for sale. So much fresh seafood and a lot of it was still alive. We visited just after 9 am so the auctions had finished but it was still busy with little trucks and forklifts zooming around. (update: the auctions are no longer held at Tsukiji Market).

From Tsukiji Market, we walked about 1km to the Sony Building in Ginza. We walked by several designer clothing stores’ extravagant window displays along the way, arriving about 10 minutes before the building opened. We waited nearby, just taking in the surrounding area with lots of shiny buildings.

Akihabara

The first time we arrived at Akihabara subway station and couldn’t find our way to the popular ‘Akihabara Electric Town’. So, when you want to visit this area put ‘Akihabara Electric Town’ into Google Maps and let it guide you there! My husband’s reason for visiting was to look in the second-hand gaming and electronics stores. This area also has lots of gachapon machines and UFO game centres. 

Shibuya

After exiting Shibuya station, we walked straight into the madness. We witnessed the famous Shibuya crossing in action and went to view the Hachiko statue. Hachiko was an extremely loyal Akita dog who waited for his owner every day outside Shibuya station, continuing to do so even after his owner died. There is a bronze statue of Hachiko outside Shibuya station, the nearby exit is aptly named Hachiko exit.

We wandered around the busy streets of Shibuya with our toddler in the stroller. It started raining so we entered a department store and found a great baby changing room and toys set up for our toddler to play with. 

 Meiji Shrine

The address of Meiji Shrine is Shibuya but the entrance is located very close to Harajuku Station. The approach to the shrine is marked by a huge Torii gate made of Japanese cypress.

Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine, dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji, great-grandfather of the current Emperor, and Empress Shoken. The Emperor passed away in 1912 and the Empress in 1914. To honour them, people donated 100,000 trees from all around Japan and overseas, planting them to create the forest. Walking through the forest area you could forget you are in busy Tokyo.

Harajuku

A short 2-minute subway ride from Shibuya had us in Harajuku. The rain was now a light drizzle so, we set out to explore around the area. We first walked down the famous and crowded Takeshita Dori, amongst all the umbrellas. Here you will find fun clothing stores, gachapon machines, toy stores and lots of sweet food options including the famous Harajuku crepes.

After walking the length of Takeshita Street, we walked through the stylish Omotesando area. The store Kiddyland is a multi-floored building with merchandise from popular shows and movies. There was Disney, Studio Ghibli, Snoopy, Hello Kitty and many others.

Shinjuku

We visited Krispy Kreme and purchased their Halloween-themed donuts. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building has an observation floor with a fantastic view of Tokyo and entry is free! We have been lucky every time and got a view of Mount Fuji.
On one trip our toddler slept in his stroller and we enjoyed simply walking around Shinjuku and purchased lunch to go from a bakery.

Asakusa and Sensoji Temple

A short walk from Asakusa Station brings you to the Kaminarimon (thunder gate), Sensoji’s large outer gate. Once you’ve walked through the gate you then enter Nakamise. It is a busy shopping street that runs to Sensoji’s second gate Hozomon. When you enter the main hall make sure to look up at the beautiful artwork that covers the ceiling. There is a small garden area with a little bridge overlooking a koi pond.

A short distance from Sensoji Temple is an amusement park called Asakusa Hanayashiki. The area surrounding the temple has souvenir stores, restaurants and street food stores.

Other areas to wander around in Asakusa are Kappabashi shopping street where shops sell tableware, knives and plastic food. The Sumida River area is a lovely place to stroll and you have views of Tokyo Skytree and the Asahi Beer’s famous Golden Flame.

Go on a day trip

It can be nice to get out of the city and explore a different area. During our first trip with our 1.5-year-old, we did a day trip from Tokyo to Kamakura and Enoshima. Read: Our day trip from Tokyo

Read: where to buy nappies/diapers in Japan

How to get around Tokyo with a toddler

We found both our baby carrier and stroller useful at different times for getting around Tokyo with a toddler. The baby carrier was best for busy areas like Tsukiji Market, Takeshita Street and Sensoji Temple. We were glad to have the stroller for longer walks because we weren’t carrying our toddler and he would fall asleep easier in it.

Trains

The Yamanote line circles all of Tokyo’s major spots in a loop. Hop on and off where you like.
There are other lines as well as subways connecting the different areas. We find Google Maps to be a great option for finding your closest station and the best route to take. Trains always run on time and stations are clean. The convenience of Tokyo’s trains is one of the reasons we find travelling the city easy.

Tips for Tokyo trains with a toddler

• Avoid peak hours in the early morning and evenings.
• Push your stroller straight on. We learnt this from watching the locals do it. The Yamanote line now has designated spots to stand with strollers.
• Bring entertainment and snacks for long rides. Toddlers soon get bored with sitting on the train.
• Get an IC card. So much easier to scan a card on entry and exit rather than bother with tickets.

Bus

Buses connect Tokyo with outlying areas. We used a highway bus to get to Tokyo Disneyland when we turned up at a train station during peak hour and found it would have been unsafe to squash in with our kids.

Taxi

We have not used a taxi in Tokyo. A taxi would be useful if you were travelling with a lot of luggage.

Walking

It may be a large city but many districts are next to each other and walking between them is possible. With our toddler comfortable in the stroller we walked around Shinjuku and from Harajuku to Shibuya. Walking is always our favourite thing to do as it allows you to see so much.

Food for a toddler in Tokyo

We found eating out in Tokyo with a toddler to be a challenge. A lot of this may have been us feeling intimidated. A lot of places are very small and meant for workers to quickly eat and leave. We found convenience stores in Tokyo to be a lifesaver.

Some food items available at Japan’s many convenience stores:

• A large selection of bakery items including sweet and savoury rolls, pastries, cakes and pancakes. They also stock a small amount of bread loaves which are quite sweet and sliced thick.
• Sushi and Onigiri
• Sandwiches, salads, hard-boiled eggs
• Packaged meals that can be heated include; Pasta, noodles, curry and rice, crumbed pork and chicken.
• Hot food including; steamed buns and various fried foods.
• Milk, yoghurt, ice-creams and cold deserts
• Fresh fruits

We also bought food in Tokyo for our toddler from grocery stores and bakeries and ate out in fast food outlets.

Accommodation in Tokyo with a toddler

It can be difficult to find hotel rooms in Tokyo large enough for families. Accommodation choices are determined by budget as well as what you find comfortable.

On our first trip to Tokyo, we bed-shared with our 18-month-old. We booked a king room at Hotel Century Southern Tower. It is in an excellent location, right near an exit of Shinjuku Station. We kept watch and booked when prices were low.
On our second trip, we wanted him to have his own bed and chose a 2-bedroom apartment through Airbnb. It was a short walk from Yoyogi Station. We enjoyed having an apartment and loved the area.

Read our other Japan posts:

Our first Japan trip itinerary

Kyoto with kids