Japan with Kids: The Complete Family Travel Guide (Babies, Toddlers & the Japan Preschool Exchange)

We’ve taken our daughter to Japan three times. Once as a baby. Once for a full month in Hokkaido. Once for the Japan Preschool Exchange — where she attended a real Japanese preschool for two weeks. Every single time, Japan made us look like genius parents. Because the country basically does the hard work for you.

This isn’t a highlight reel. It’s the actual guide we wish we’d had — with real hotel recommendations, a day-by-day itinerary that works with little ones, and everything we know about traveling Japan purposefully, not just as tourists.

Whether you’re doing your first trip with a baby, planning a month of slow travel, or considering the most immersive thing you can do with a young child (spoiler: Japan Preschool Exchange), this is the guide for you.

Our Three Japan Trips: What Each One Taught Us

The first time, we went for two weeks with a baby and a toddler. The second time, we spent a month living slowly in Hokkaido. The third time, we enrolled our daughter in a real Japanese preschool through the Japan Preschool Exchange.

Each trip taught us something completely different about what Japan offers families willing to go deeper than the temples and the ramen.

Japan Preschool Exchange: The Most Purposeful Thing We’ve Done as a Family

If you follow us, you’ve heard me talk about the Japan Preschool Exchange. I talk about it constantly because it is, genuinely, one of the best things we have ever done with our daughter.

Here’s what it is: your family travels to Japan, and your child — ages 2 to 6 — attends a real Japanese preschool for one to two weeks. Not a tourist activity. A real preschool. With real Japanese kids. Real teachers. Real chaos. Real magic.

When our daughter came home from her first day speaking Japanese words she didn’t know that morning — bowing to the teacher, trying to talk to kids who didn’t share a language with her — we understood something about children that no book had ever told us. They don’t need a common language. They need a common curiosity.

Japan gave her that. JPE structured it. And the two weeks we spent there were the best two weeks of any Japan trip we’ve done.

What JPE Looks Like Day to Day

While your child is at school, you explore Japan like an adult — which, if you have a toddler, you haven’t done in years. You visit the places that require quiet. You eat at the restaurants with no high chairs. You sit in a park and do nothing. It is genuinely restorative in a way that family travel rarely is.

At pickup, you get a version of your child that has been fully absorbed by Japanese preschool culture for eight hours. They’re tired. They’re happy. They’re holding a piece of origami someone made them. And they will not stop bowing at dinner.

Who JPE Is For

• Families with children ages 2 to 6
• No Japanese language required — for you or your child
• Works for 1 week or 2 weeks
• Multiple city options — Kyoto being the most popular
• Gives YOU a Japan that most tourists never access

How to Book JPE

Go to preschool-exchange.com and use code JPEFAMILY_MARAE when you register. JPE now has programs beyond Japan too — Spain and Costa Rica are active — but Japan is the original, and nothing else compares to the cultural depth of putting your child inside a Japanese school.

The 2-Week Japan Itinerary with Little Kids

This is the itinerary we followed on our first trip, adapted from our 21-day original. It moves at a pace that works with small children — staying long enough in each place to actually feel it, not racing through temples to hit a number.

We book all our hotels through Booking.com. All hotel links below use my affiliate link — same price for you, small commission to me that keeps this guide free.

Days 1–5: Kyoto

Start in Kyoto. It will feel overwhelming for about 24 hours, and then it will feel like the most logical city you’ve ever visited. The train system is clear. The taxis are spotless and have automated doors. The konbinis have everything your child might need at 2am. Start here.

Where to Stay in Kyoto with Kids:

• Framboise Kyoto — Family-friendly, central, genuinely comfortable with little kids.
• Marufukuro — A ryokan experience worth every yen. Traditional tatami rooms, private onsen, extraordinary food.
• Kyoto Hatoya Zuihokaku — Family onsen hotel with private baths available. Kids love onsen once they understand what it is.
• Nanzenji Ryokan Yachiyo — Near Nanzenji temple. Exquisite traditional experience.
• Kyo Yunohana Suisen — Onsen ryokan worth a splurge night.

With kids in Kyoto, prioritize: Arashiyama bamboo grove early morning (before crowds), the first stretch of Fushimi Inari gates (kids go wild for them), Nishiki Market for food exploration, and at least one private family onsen experience.

Days 5–7: The Nakasendo Trail

The Nakasendo is one of the great surprises of Japan for families. An ancient mountain road connecting Kyoto and Tokyo — and the most beautiful section, between the post towns of Magome and Tsumago, is absolutely doable with small children. The walk is 8km through cedar forest, past old farmhouses and rest stops. We did it with a baby in a carrier. It was the quietest, most magical day of the whole trip.

Where to Stay on the Nakasendo:

• ONN Nakatsugawa — Modern, clean, great base for the trail.
• Hotel Hanasarasa — Family-friendly option in the area.
• Taoya Kisoji — Resort-style onsen hotel near the trail.
• Magome Chaya — Traditional guesthouse IN the post town of Magome. The most atmospheric option.

Days 7–10: Hakone

Hakone is where you exhale. The pace drops. Mount Fuji appears (weather permitting). Onsen are everywhere. If your kids have been troopers through the cities, Hakone is their reward — and yours.

Where to Stay in Hakone with Kids:

• Hakone Suisen — Stunning ryokan, private onsen available, phenomenal food. A splurge worth making.
• Hakone Suimeisou — Family rooms, beautiful onsen, lake views.
• Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu — Large resort with extensive facilities. Great for families with active kids.
• Yoshimatsu — Intimate ryokan, beautiful tatami rooms.
• Henn Na Dinosaur Hotel Hakone — Robot dinosaurs check you in. Your child will talk about this for years. Fully worth it for the experience.

In Hakone: take the Hakone Ropeway, visit the Open Air Museum (giant outdoor sculptures kids can climb — genuinely one of the best museums in the world for families), and ride the pirate ship across Lake Ashi.

Days 10–13: Tokyo

Tokyo is sensory overload in the best possible way. Kids find it endlessly fascinating — the vending machines, the convenience stores, the train doors that open with such ceremony. Don’t try to do everything. Pick a neighborhood and live in it for a day.

With kids in Tokyo:

• Ueno Park — panda at the zoo, paddleboats on the lake, massive open space to run
• teamLab Borderless or Planets — digital art that children experience as a fairyland
• Shinjuku Gyoen for open grass and picnic space
• Asakusa for the sensory experience of Senso-ji and the Nakamise market
• Skip Disney unless it’s specifically the reason you came — the rest of Tokyo is more interesting

For Tokyo hotels, location matters more than anywhere else in Japan. I recommend searching Booking.com filtered by Shinjuku or Asakusa for first-time family visits.

A Month in Hokkaido: Slow Family Travel Japan

Hokkaido is a different country from the rest of Japan. Less polished, more wild, quieter, colder. When we spent a month there, it was the closest we’ve come to understanding what Japan is beneath the tourist infrastructure. If you want to move slowly, ski, eat the best seafood of your life, and have ryokans mostly to yourselves — Hokkaido is it.

Rusutsu

World-class skiing — genuinely some of the best powder on earth. The resort is enormous and uncrowded by Western standards. Ski school here is excellent with young children.

• Westin Rusutsu — Ski-in/ski-out, family rooms, the obvious choice at Rusutsu Resort.

Hakodate

One of Japan’s most beautiful cities. The morning market alone — fresh crab, sea urchin, grilled corn — is worth the entire detour. The Motomachi historic district is walkable and stunning.

Lake Toya

A volcanic caldera lake ringed by mountains. Extremely peaceful. Onsen here are exceptional, and in summer you can take boat rides to the islands in the middle of the lake.

• Yoturelo Toyako Onsen — Beautiful lakeside onsen hotel.

Otaru

The canal town. Glassblowing studios, incredible sushi (some of the best in Japan), and a pace that feels like a century ago. Kids love the canal.

Jozankei

Onsen town 30 minutes from Sapporo, surrounded by forest. Perfect for a quiet few days before the city. One of the most underrated spots in Hokkaido.

Sapporo

Hokkaido’s capital. Sapporo-style miso ramen is unlike anything. The city functions like a quieter, more manageable Tokyo.

• House of Stone and Iron — Unique boutique stay in Sapporo.

What to Pack for Japan with Kids

Japan is very stroller-friendly in urban areas but train station stairs catch you off guard. A good carrier is non-negotiable. Everything we actually travel with is on our Amazon storefront. The short list:

• Structured baby/toddler carrier — for train stations, shrines, mountain paths
• Lightweight rain layer for each person — Japan weather changes fast
• Reusable tote bags — you will buy things constantly at konbinis and markets
• Kids’ chopstick trainers — every Japanese child uses them; yours will want to try
• Pocket WiFi or Japan eSIM — navigation is everything in Japan; don’t skip this
• Portable white noise machine — for jet lag recovery and hotel room naps

Practical Japan Tips for Families

Getting Around

Get a Suica card (IC card) on arrival at any major train station. Load it with ¥10,000. Tap in and out of every train and bus — it works everywhere, including convenience stores and vending machines. Children under 6 ride free.

For long-distance routes, book Shinkansen in advance. If you’re doing multiple long-distance legs, evaluate whether a JR Pass makes sense for your itinerary — it doesn’t always, so check the math first.

Food with Kids

Japan is paradoxically one of the easiest countries for picky eaters. Plain rice, miso soup, udon, edamame, soba, tempura — most children find at least three things they love immediately. Konbinis (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson) are your best friend at 6am and 11pm. The food quality is genuinely remarkable.

For restaurant reservations in Kyoto and Tokyo, use Tabelog, TableCheck, or Gurunavi. Many good restaurants require advance booking.

Jet Lag with Kids

It’s real. The time difference from the US West Coast is 16-17 hours. The best strategy: don’t fight it for the first two days. Stay outside during daylight, eat on Japan time from day one, and accept that 4am is going to happen. My Japan Trip Planning Toolkit includes a 5-day pre-trip jet lag system that significantly reduces transition time — the single most useful thing in the toolkit if you’re coming from the Americas.

Travel Insurance for Japan with Kids

Japan has an exceptional healthcare system. As a foreign visitor you pay out of pocket and claim back — and with kids, something will happen. One ER visit for a fever, one lost bag with all the formula, one travel delay from a typhoon. Travel insurance is not optional when you travel with children.

We use SafetyWing Travel Insurance for international family trips. Straightforward to buy, covers medical emergencies, trip cancellation, and travel delays.

Want a Purposeful Japan Trip Built Around Your Family?

Travec creates culturally immersive travel plans for families — from one week to several months. They handle the logistics so you can focus on the experience. If you want a Japan trip that goes deeper than a highlight reel, use code BRAVEFAMILY for $200 off your booking.

The Japan Trip Planning Toolkit

I made this because families kept asking me for my exact Japan planning process. So I packaged it into one document:

• 5-day pre-trip jet lag survival system + hour-by-hour 3-day schedule
• Four editable itinerary templates (7, 10, 14, and 21-day Google Sheets)
• Kid-Friendly Japan Food Guide — picky eaters, allergies, breastfeeding
• Pre-Trip Checklists — 3mo/1mo/1wk/day-before
• Budget Tracker

More Japan Resources

• Japan with a Baby: The Complete Guide — our original post, specific to the 0–18 month stage
• Japan Preschool Exchange — enroll your 2–6 year old in a real Japanese preschool (code: JPEFAMILY_MARAE)
• Japan Trip Planning Toolkit ($27)
• SafetyWing Travel Insurance
• Travec — purposeful family travel planning (code BRAVEFAMILY, $200 off)
• Our Amazon Storefront — everything we actually pack for Japan