Japan

Practical itineraries, real costs and step-by-step planning for traveling Japan with a family.

Our Japan Hub

Japan With Kids: Our 14-Day Itinerary, Real Costs & Travel Tips

Plan your family trip with our actual route, what it really cost, honest hotel reviews, train advice, and the lessons we learned exploring Japan for two weeks with our 5-year-old.

14 days7 stopsFamily of 3Traveling with a 5-year-oldCarry-on only

🗺️ Free See Our 14-Day Route Where we went, in what order, and how many nights we spent in each city. See the itinerary → 📋 Free Tool Organize Your Own Trip Our Trip Planning Command Center keeps your days, bookings, and packing in one place. Get the free planner → ✨ Done for You Get the Ready-Made Trip Every day planned in order, transportation between each stop, what to book and when, and backup plans. See the guidebook →

🍙 Traveling gluten-free? Two of us eat gluten-free, so we've got you covered. Start here ↓

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Start Here

New to Planning Japan? Read These in Order

Our full route, what it really cost, and what we wish we'd known before going with a young kid.

1 Itinerary Our 14-Day Japan Itinerary Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Nara & Osaka, day by day. Read it → 2 Trip Cost What Our 14-Day Japan Trip Actually Cost Flights, hotels, trains, food, and experiences for a family of 3, down to the dollar. Read it → 3 Japan With Kids Everything We Wish We Knew Before Our Trip Step counts, strollers, small hotel rooms, and the logistics that matter with a kid. Read it → 4 Our Verdict Is Japan Good for Families? What worked, what was genuinely hard, and whether we'd do it again. Read it →

Ready-Made Trip

Want It All Planned for You?

The free itinerary shows our route. The guidebook turns it into a trip you can follow: every day planned in order, transportation between each stop, what to book and when, and backup plans if the weather changes.

See the Standard Edition See the Gluten-Free Edition

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Planning & Budget

Planning Your Japan Trip

The decisions to make before you book anything.

10 Tips for Planning a Japan Trip → Full Trip Cost Breakdown (Family of 3) → Is the JR Pass Worth It? We Did the Math → Kyoto or Osaka: Which Is Better for Families? → Japan Weather in Late May and Early JuneNew → Japan Etiquette Tips: What to Know Before Visiting →

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Getting Around

Trains, Suica & Luggage

How we moved between seven stops with a 5-year-old and carry-on bags.

How to Get Around Japan: Trains, Suica Cards & Google Maps → How We Used Suica With Kids (Apple Wallet Setup)New → Riding the Shinkansen (Japan's Bullet Train) → Luggage Forwarding in Japan With Kids → How the Hakone Loop Actually Works →

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Where to Stay

Where to Stay in Japan With Kids

Where we stayed in every city, plus family-friendly picks we vetted against real guest reviews.

Where We Stayed in Japan: Honest Reviews of Our 6 Hotels → Where to Stay in Tokyo With Kids → Where to Stay in Hakone With Kids → Where to Stay in Kyoto With Kids → Where to Stay in Miyajima With Kids → Where to Stay in Osaka With Kids → Where to Stay Near Haneda Airport With Kids →

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Packing & Kids

Packing and Keeping Kids Happy

Two weeks carry-on only, and the activities that kept our 5-year-old engaged.

What We Packed for Japan (Carry-On Only) → What Not to Pack for Japan → How Much Do You Walk in Japan? Our Real Step Counts → Kids' Scavenger Hunt + JournalFree Printable →

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Gluten-Free Japan

Eating Gluten-Free in Japan

Two of us eat gluten-free. Here's whether it's doable, how we did it, and the tools we used.

🪪 Free ToolBuild Your Gluten-Free Dietary Card → 📘 GuidebookThe Gluten-Free Edition of Our Japan Guide →

Is Japan Gluten-Free Friendly? Our Honest Verdict → How to Eat Gluten-Free in Japan: What We Learned → Gluten-Free at Japanese Convenience Stores → Gluten-Free Tokyo: What We Actually Ate → Gluten-Free Kyoto: What We Actually AteNew →

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By City

Japan City by City

Already know which cities you're visiting? Choose a stop to find what it's like with kids, what we spent, and where to stay.

This section contains affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Optional: Local Guides Want a Local Guide for Part of Your Trip? GoWithGuide offers private tours with local guides you can message before booking, so you can plan the day around your family's pace.

Tokyo Hakone Kyoto Hiroshima Miyajima Nara Osaka

Tokyo 5 posts

What to Do in Tokyo With Kids What We Spent in Tokyo Where to Stay in Tokyo Gluten-Free TokyoGF Haneda Airport Hotel Review

Hakone 4 posts

Is Hakone Good for Kids? How the Hakone Loop Works What We Spent in Hakone Where to Stay in Hakone

Kyoto 4 posts

Is Kyoto Good for Kids? What We Spent in Kyoto Where to Stay in Kyoto Gluten-Free KyotoGF

Hiroshima & Miyajima 4 posts

Is Hiroshima & Miyajima Good for Kids? What We Spent in Hiroshima & Miyajima Where to Stay in Miyajima Miyajima Gate: High Tide or Low Tide?

Nara 2 posts

Is Nara Good for Kids? Nara Day Trip Cost

Osaka 4 posts

Is Osaka Good for Kids? What We Spent in Osaka Where to Stay in Osaka Kyoto or Osaka?

Free Trip Planning Command Center

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