4 Days in Tokyo with Kids: A Real Family Itinerary
We landed at Narita, went straight to a digital art museum with our suitcases still with us, and only reached the hotel that evening. That was day one, and it set the tone for how we did Tokyo: one area a day, one thing booked in advance, and no attempt to see all of it.
This is the four days we actually did, in order, with what I’d change.
The four days at a glance
| Day | Where | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival, teamLab, hotel check-in | Yes — a month out |
| 2 | Shibuya: the Roastery, the Crossing, arcades | Roastery queue only |
| 3 | Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Tokyo Tower | No |
| 4 | Day trip out of the city | Trains only |
One area a day. Tokyo is too big for anything else with children.
Before you go: two things to sort
Data. We bought a 31-day SIM at the airport — data only, no phone number, which is all you need. Google Maps is how you survive the Tokyo rail network and you do not want to be finding wifi to use it.
One booking. teamLab sells out. If you are doing it, book it before you fly and build the rest of the trip around that slot, rather than hoping to fit it in.
Where to stay in Tokyo with kids
The B Ochanomizu – our base for four nights with a 10- and a 7-year-old. On the JR Chuo–Sobu line, quiet at night and quick to leave in the morning.
Mimaru Tokyo Ueno East – apartment-style rooms with a kitchen and separate living area, near Ueno park and the museums. Solves the real Tokyo problem: a standard room for four is very small.
Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Roppongi – spacious suites, several restaurants and an indoor pool, which after three days of walking Tokyo in the heat is the facility that earns its money.
We stayed at The B Ochanomizu. The other two are the ones we’d book, chosen on room capacity and location rather than from a stay of our own. Affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Day 1 — Arrival, teamLab, and getting to the hotel
We came in through Narita, cleared the airport slower than planned, and went directly to teamLab rather than lose the timed slot. With the luggage. It worked, but it is not the relaxed version of a first day.
teamLab is the right first activity with children who have just been on a long-haul flight: it is dark, it is immersive, nothing needs concentrating on, and they can move. Ours were completely taken by it. teamLab Planets Tokyo review
Then to the hotel — we stayed at The B Ochanomizu, central and about three minutes by metro from Tokyo Station. The B Ochanomizu hotel review
Day 2 — Shibuya
Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Not a coffee stop — a four-floor building, and one of the easier “wow” things to do with children in Tokyo. It runs an online queue: you join it on your phone and come back when your slot comes up, rather than standing in line. Do that first thing and go and do something else while you wait. Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
Lunch. We ate cheaply at a local place with an electronic ordering terminal — you press pictures on a screen and food arrives. With children and no Japanese, these places are a gift. Look for the vending-machine-style panel by the door.
Shibuya Crossing. Ten minutes of genuine spectacle and then you have seen it. Worth doing, not worth an afternoon.
The arcades. This is what our two remember from Shibuya — racing games, VR, machines everywhere. Tokyo’s arcades are free to walk into and cost a few hundred yen a go. If your children liked Round1 in Osaka, this is the Tokyo version. Round1 Osaka
Day 3 — Meiji Shrine, Harajuku and Tokyo Tower
Meiji Shrine in the morning. The approach through the forest is the point — a wide gravel path under enormous torii gates, in the middle of the city, and it is quiet in a way nothing else in Tokyo is. Free, and it works with children because it is a walk rather than a museum.
Harajuku and the manga shops straight afterwards, because they are next door and the contrast is the fun of it: from silent forest to Takeshita Street in ten minutes.
Tokyo Tower to finish. We wanted to go upstairs, but we came really late, and we just had some walk around and took beautiful pictures.
Day 4 — get out of the city
Option A — Nikko. A day trip north into the mountains, UNESCO shrines, forest. You have already written it, it is covered by the JR Pass, and it makes Day 4 a genuinely different day rather than more Tokyo. This is what I would do. Nikko day trip from Tokyo
Option B — Asakusa and the old east side. Senso-ji, the market street, the river. Stays in the city, lower effort, and a complete change of register from Shibuya and Harajuku.
The B Ochanomizu, Tokyo
Our base for the four days below. On the JR Chuo–Sobu line, which is what kept the daily travel times short.
Check pricesChoosing an area first? See where to stay in Tokyo with kids. Affiliate link — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Getting around Tokyo with kids
- The metro is stroller-friendly — lifts at most stations, though not always at the exit you want. Allow extra time.
- Get IC cards (Suica or Pasmo) on arrival. Tap in, tap out, no tickets, no change.
- The JR Pass does not cover the Tokyo metro. This catches people out constantly — your pass gets you between cities and on JR lines, not around Tokyo underground. Is the JR Pass worth it?
- Rush hour is real. Avoid 7:30–9:00 and 17:30–19:00 with children if you possibly can.
What I’d change
- I would not book teamLab for the arrival day again. It worked, but it made a long day longer and left us carrying luggage around a museum.
- I would add one deliberately slow morning. Four days of Tokyo with children is a lot of walking and a lot of stimulation.
- I would do Day 4 out of the city on purpose, not by accident.
Where to stay in Tokyo
We stayed at The B Ochanomizu — central, three minutes by metro from Tokyo Station, and cheap enough to leave money for the rest of the trip. Full review: The B Ochanomizu hotel review
Check what’s available on your dates. Central and on a metro line matters more in Tokyo than the hotel itself — you will be on the trains constantly.
This section contains affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend places we’ve actually stayed.
The rest of our Japan trip
- teamLab Borderless Tokyo review
- Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
- The B Ochanomizu hotel review
- Nikko day trip from Tokyo
- ITA Airways Barcelona to Tokyo review
- Is the JR Pass worth it?
- Japan with kids — our full 19-day trip
Frequently asked questions about Tokyo with kids
Is 4 days enough for Tokyo with kids?
Yes, if you plan one area a day and accept you will not see all of it. Four days covers a first-time visit — an immersive museum, Shibuya, Meiji Shrine and Harajuku, and a day trip out of the city — without spending the whole trip on trains. Tokyo is large enough that trying to combine two districts in a day mostly buys you transit.
What should you book in advance for Tokyo with children?
teamLab is the one thing to book before you fly, ideally about a month ahead, because timed slots sell out. Almost everything else on a first Tokyo trip — Meiji Shrine, Shibuya Crossing, the arcades, Harajuku — needs no ticket at all.
Does the Japan Rail Pass cover the Tokyo metro?
No. The JR Pass covers JR lines, including the Shinkansen between cities and the JR Yamanote line within Tokyo, but not the Tokyo Metro or Toei subway lines. Get a Suica or Pasmo IC card for getting around the city.
Is Tokyo easy to get around with a stroller?
Mostly yes. Most stations have lifts, though not always at the exit you want, so allow extra time to find them. The bigger issue is rush hour — between roughly 7:30 and 9:00 and again from 17:30 to 19:00 the trains are genuinely too full for a pushchair.
Do you need a SIM card for Tokyo?
A data SIM is close to essential, because navigating the rail network without live maps is much harder than it needs to be. We bought a 31-day data-only SIM at the airport — no phone number, just data, which is all you need for maps, translation and tickets.
What is there to do in Tokyo with kids that isn’t temples?
Plenty, and this is where Tokyo is much easier than Kyoto. Immersive digital art, arcades on almost every corner, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, Shibuya Crossing and the manga shops in Harajuku all work well with children, and none of them need much planning beyond turning up.
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