Planning a Week in Japan with Two Kids Under 10

We are spending the better part of 6 months living in Kamakura, Japan, with our kids, and the number one thing people asked us when they found out was some version of: "Is Japan actually doable with young kids?"

Yes. Emphatically, enthusiastically yes. And not just doable. It might be the best family travel destination on the planet right now.

But it is not a trip you want to wing. Japan rewards people who did a little homework. Not because it is complicated to navigate once you are there, it is actually the easiest country in the world to get around, but because the difference between a good Japan trip and one your kids talk about for the rest of their lives comes down to a handful of decisions you make before you leave.

Here is what actually worked for our family.

Do the Shinkansen. Do not stress about it.

Every parent I talked to before our first bullet train ride was worried about managing kids and luggage at speed. It ended up being the thing our kids loved most about the entire trip. Get reserved seats. Sit on the right side heading southwest for the Fuji view on a clear day. Bring snacks. That is the full strategy.

Ramen for breakfast is not only allowed, it is encouraged.

Japan does not operate on Western meal rules. Ramen shops open early. Convenience store onigiri is genuinely good, not gas station food good, actually good. Kids who have strong opinions about food at home will try things in Japan they would refuse anywhere else, partly because everything is presented so carefully and partly because they are too excited about everything to be difficult.

Throw the nap schedule out on day two.

Jet lag is going to rearrange everyone regardless. Fighting it is exhausting. What worked for us was letting the kids stay up a little later the first couple of days, accepting the early morning wake-ups, and replacing the afternoon nap with an earlier bedtime. By day three everyone was sleeping through the night and we had two hours of quiet time each evening in one of the greatest food cities on earth.

Build one day with nothing on it.

Japan is so relentlessly good that you will overschedule. Every neighborhood is interesting. Every train stop has something worth looking at. The temptation is to fill every hour and you will regret it. Leave one full day with no plan and let the kids lead. Our best day in Kamakura was an unplanned Tuesday where we followed our son to every vending machine he could find, poking our heads in random doors down alleyways that seemed interesting, and ended up at a beach nobody had booked or knew about.

What is actually worth booking ahead.

Teamlab Borderless in Tokyo. Yomiuri Giants or Yakult Swallows baseball games. Ghibli Museum if you can get tickets -- the lottery is real, start early. A cooking class if your kids are into food. Everything else you can figure out on the ground. Japan is extremely walkable and extremely forgiving of people who did not plan every meal.

Japan with kids is not a compromise trip where the adults give things up so the kids can have fun. It is one of the rare places where everyone wins. Start saving your links.

Ready to plan your next family trip?