Tokyo is one of the most traveled destinations, every year the city records a lot of tourist footfall from all parts of the world. This cosmopolitan city is known for 7 things- anime, electronic, videogames, cherry blossoms, Mt Fuji and Sushi.
If you are looking for a kid-friendly destination for spending good time with your little ones and spouse, Tokyo should figure out as your top choice. There is more than just popular Tokyo Disneyland in Tokyo for your family that you might have heard of, expect one-of-a-kind family hangouts that will excite your kids and family, think of never before heard of kid-friendly adventures like guided Tsukiji Fish Market tour, learning Sushi cooking classes, cup of noodles museums, walking food tour and educational museums like Museum of Maritime Science and Museum of Engineering Science & Innovation targeting both kids and adults of different age groups. When we say Tokyo has some of the best kid friendly hangouts, you must simply trust us! Just read through the remainder of this blog about what can you really expect from Tokyo from the point of view of entertainment for kids.
- Most kids that I know of are highly addicted to videogames and electronic gaming gadgets like Nintendo and Sony Play Stations, if you want to shop these for your kids then head to Akihabara to find some of the latest in this line. Akihabara is the epicenter for this, if in case you cannot afford to buy the costly gadgets you can do window shopping to get a feel of the Tokyo shopping experience. While in Akihabara we recommend visiting Maid Café, Electronic Town, Donki and Mandrake.
- There’s no better way to spend unforgettable moments with your little ones and spouse than taking small strolls in the lush green parks of Tokyo in springtime. You can see cherry blossoms in their full bloom, during this season it’s a common sight to see large parks filled with these pink flowers. We recommend taking pictures of the scenic views of the cherry blossoms along with your little ones in the background as you explore some of Tokyo’s best parks: Ueno Park, Shinjuku Gyoyen, Chidorigafuchi, Yoyogi Park, Meguro River and Koishikawa Korakuen.
- Head to the Shibuya crossing with your family which boasts of being home to some of the best regional food stalls, the spot is also popular for experiencing the bright flashing of lights in the night at the main traffic crossing when all the vehicles come to a halt and pedestrians take over the entire crosswalk. The Shibuya Waking Food Tour is a must try with your family members to taste delectable Japanese foods: sushi, sashimi and Rice balls. Your trip to Tokyo is not a complete one if you don’t taste these signature dishes from Japan. It’s worth a mention here that Japanese Sushi is one of the most widely known sea food dishes in the world and is a top choice for food connoisseurs.
- Exploring the Tsukiji fish market and learning sushi cooking classes is our top recommendation for getting an out of the world experience of Tokyo’s unique attractions for both kids and adults. Our advice to you is head early to this popular fish market preferably at around 5:00 am in the morning to see the auctioning of tuna on a first come first serve basis and take a guided tour of the entire market which may take a cool 2.5 hours by walk to understand the market’s history. Your kids will surely love this Tsukuji fish market tour and during the tour you will also watch some chefs demonstrating how sushi is cooked from scratch.
- Museums are often a great source of entertainment for both kids and adults, for your museum tours we recommend 1) National Museum of Nature and Science,2) Fire Museum, 3) Museum of Emerging Science & Innovation, 4) Museum of Maritime & Science and 5) Ghibli Museum (created by noted Miyazaki Hayao famous for films Ponyo and Spirited away). These museums are very educational and have things that mainly interest kids.
- For experiencing the best roller-coaster rides and other thrilling fun rides we recommend you to checkout Tokyo Dome City, Tokyo Disneyland and its sister park Tokyo Disneysea. Head to Tokyo Disneyland if you can spare time to go to the suburbs of Tokyo otherwise if time is a constraint I advise you to stick to the Tokyo Dome city as it is in the heart of Tokyo.
- For getting breathtaking views of the city you must climb the Tokyo Towers and Tokyo Skytree for getting a bird’s eye view of Tokyo from atop. Don’t forget to take snapshots of the city from top of these attractions for picture perfect memories!
- Lastly taking a boat tour of Tokyo is a must to get a different feel of the city, just try the Tokyo Water Bus that runs from Asakusa to Hama Rikyu. During the boat ride you can expect to see stunning views of the surrounding buildings and the world’s top spiritual cente, the Sensoji temple. We recommend you to halt at this ancient temple and take a peek inside it during the boat ride.
