If you are headed to Japan with teens, here’s an itinerary that’s sure to please everyone! Whether your trip is only 5 days or 2 weeks long, we’ve got an itinerary for you.
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5 Days in Japan with Teens
If you can only travel for a week, then you will only have 5-6 days in Japan since you lose 2 days to travel. That’s OK – you can have a great vacation in Japan with teens in only one week. I suggest staying in Tokyo the entire time. There’s plenty to do in the capital city, and you can always plan 1-2 day trips during your week to mix it up a bit. Here’s how I suggest spending your time.
Day 1: Tokyo DisneySea
I think the most exciting way to introduce teens to Japan is by visiting one of the Tokyo Disney Resort parks. Most Americans have a connection with Disney. We grew up watching Disney movies, singing Disney songs, and visiting Disney theme parks. It’s easy to consider Disney distinctly “American.”
It’s extremely interesting to experience a different culture in a familiar setting. You see how locals may dress differently. They may interact with characters in unexpected ways. They may value different things than a typical American. This will be a comfortable introduction to Japan for your teens and can be the start of their awareness of Japanese cultural similarities and differences.
There are two parks at Tokyo Disney Resort, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Because Tokyo Disney is very similar to American parks, I recommend you spend your day at Tokyo DisneySea. It’s a completely unique theme park that has no comparable park anywhere in the world.
Day 2: Historical Sites & Shopping
Your second day in Tokyo will take you to all the must-see historical sites. But it also includes some terrific gardens and opportunities to shop at all the places your teen has seen on TikTok!
Morning
Start your morning at Senso-ji Temple. Tokyo’s oldest and most famous Buddhist temple located in Asakusa. The earlier you go, the less crowded it will be. After seeing the temple, spend some time on Nakamise Dori, the street approaching Senso-ji Temple. It’s filled with Japanese souvenirs and treats and is a great place to grab some breakfast. Most shops and stands open between 9-10 a.m.
Next, you’ll head to Meiji Jingu Shrine where you can spend about an hour wandering through the lush forest of this Shinto sanctuary. Make sure to see at least one of the traditional torii gates and the decorative sake barrels.
Harajuku’s Takeshita Dori is up next. This shopping street has adorable shops filled with vintage clothing, quirky snacks, and animal cafes.
Afternoon
If you aren’t full of Japanese treats and snacks after visiting Nakamise Dori and Takeshita Dori, grab lunch in Shibuya. Honestly, even if you aren’t that hungry, you probably want to sit down for a few minutes and rest! Good options for lunch include Uobei Sushi or Ichiran Ramen.
Now you can spend a few hours shopping at all the stores your teens love. Items in Japan usually cost less than in the United States, and sometimes they are of a higher quality. So it is a good time to do necessary back-to-school shopping!
When you are ready for another break, head to the Tsutaya building to see Shibuya Crossing. You can see the crossing from the second floor Starbucks (you must purchase something to get in) or try the fourth floor Shibuya Tsutaya Share Lounge ($11 per person, includes drinks and snacks).
In the late afternoon golden hour, visit Shinjuku Gyeon National Garden. This renowned garden has Japanese, French, and English style landscapes.
Evening
Once the sun goes down, definitely pay a visit to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. This twin-tower structure in Shinjuku has free observation decks where you can take in the city views at night. There’s also a projection mapping show on the building that occurs daily every 15 minutes between 6-9:30 p.m.
If you still have energy, dinner at the Alice in Picture Book themed restaurant would be fun. But if you are wiped out (and with jet-lag, you probably will be!), I suggest grabbing something from 7-Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart. These stores have a wide variety of packaged foods that are delicious and easy after a long day. Simply buy what you want and take it back to your hotel room. Then you can collapse right after you eat!
Day 3: Day Trip
Today is dedicated to a day trip outside of Tokyo. Here some great options in Japan with teens.
- Fuij-Q Highland – this amusement park is located at the base of Mount Fuji and features record-breaking roller coasters, anime-themed attractions, and a spooky hospital.
- Hakone – ride a ropeway over an active volcano, soak in hot springs, and see Mt. Fuji from a pirate ship.
- Nikko National Park– UNESCO temples, outdoor adventures, and the Edo Wonderland cultural park.
- Kawaguchiko – see iconic viewpoints, take a serene lakeside walk, visit traditional craft villages and museums, and enjoy panoramic views of Mount Fuji.
- Enoshima & Kamakura – see the Great Buddha, take a scenic ride on the historic Enoden train, visit historic shrines, and stroll along the vibrant Komachi Street, offering a blend of cultural, historical, and coastal experiences.
Day 4: Interactive Activities
Today, you will spend the day enjoying all of the fun interactive activities that Tokyo has to offer! There’s so many options to choose from. You will likely have time to do up to four of these activities during your day:
- TeamLabs Planets & TeamLabs Borderless – immersive digital art museum with interactive light and water installations.
- Akihabara – district in Tokyo filled with anime and manga shops, electronic stores, and arcades.
- Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City – this entertainment and shopping complex features an observation deck, aquarium, planetarium, indoor theme park, Pokémon Center, and many restaurants and shops.
- Ninja Trick House – discover your inner ninja while you learn sword techniques, practice shuriken throwing, explore ninja traps, and pose for photos after interactive demonstrations and hands-on training.
- Onsen – teens who love a bit of pampering will enjoy soaking in hot spring water brought in daily from the volcanic areas of Hakone and Yugawara; the onsen also has opportunities to try on yukata robes and enjoy traditional Japanese food.
- Tea Ceremony – don a traditional Japanese kimono while you learn about the ritualized practice of preparing and serving matcha.
- Samurai Ninja Museum & Experience – view exhibits of ancient artifacts, try on armour, and learn swordsmanship and other ninja techniques.
- Tokyo Mystery Circus – this “mysterious theme park” offers interactive escape rooms, live-action games, and mystery-solving adventures.
- Animal Cafes – you can find cafes offering interactions with cats, dogs, owls, micropigs, otters, hedgehogs, capybara, and many other creatures!
- Sumo Show – learn about the exciting world of Sumo wrestling, Japan’s national sport.
- Go-Kart Tour – ride a go-kart through the streets of Tokyo wearing a costume of your favorite character.
- Inokashira Park – rent swan boats on the lake and explore the quirky Ghibli-like atmosphere.
Day 5 – Choose Your Own Adventure
On your final day in Tokyo, you have many options. You might want to do more interactive activities listed above. Or take another day trip. Or even spend an additional day at Tokyo Disney Resort!
Museums
This is also a good day to visit a few of Tokyo’s outstanding museums. The Tokyo National Museum is Japan’s oldest and largest museum filled with art, artifacts, and cultural treasures spanning the country’s history. For even more history, visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum showcasing Tokyo’s history from 1603 to modern times.
Teens will enjoy the Ghibli Museum. Here you are immersed in the whimsical world of Hayao Miyazaki’s films through interactive exhibits, films, and architecture. And contemporary art lovers show visit Mori Art Museum. You go for the contemporary art and stay for the amazing panoramic views of Tokyo from the museum’s observation deck.
Shopping
If your teens love to shop, allocating another half or full day to it is easy in Tokyo! Go to Shinjuku for major department stores and electronic stores. The Ginza area features iconic department stores, high-end brands, and chic boutiques.
If your teen loves to cook, make sure to stop by Kappabashi, a district within Tokyo that supplies restaurants. Here you can find useful souvenirs such cookware, dishes, and knives while you marvel at the plastic and wax food samples often displayed in restaurants!
No matter where you are shopping, look for these stores your teen is sure to love:
- Daiso – sells a wide variety of items, snacks and souvenirs for just 100 yen each.
- Loft – lifestyle store offering home goods, stationary, gadgets, and Japanese design products.
- Don Quijote – discount megastore that sells just about everything in a vibrant and chaotic atmosphere.
- Itoya – legendary Tokyo stationery store offering multiple floors of premium pens, paper, art supplies, and innovative office and gift products.
7 Days in Japan with Teens
If you can expand your trip another few days, you can explore a bit more of the country. First, follow the itinerary above for 5 days.
Day 6: Nara Park
Then make your way to Kyoto on the Shinkansen bullet train. Plan to depart around 8 a.m. so that you can arrive in Kyoto around 11 a.m.
When you arrive in Kyoto, simply store your bags in one of the lockers (lockers cost about 400-600 yen and you can pay using your IC card) to retrieve them when you return, and then jump on one of the local trains. Take the Kintetsu Limited Express to Kintetsu-Nara Station.
You can then spend half a day exploring Nara Park. I highly recommend that Japan trips with teens include a visit to Nara Park. Nara is the site of Japan’s first permanent capital and is the birthplace of Japanese culture. And this is all well and good, but most people want to go to Nara to experience the 1,000+ freely roaming sika deer that live in Nara Park. The deer along with some of Japan’s oldest and significant temples and gorgeous scenery make Nara Park a must-do on your Japan itinerary, especially with teens!
Day 7: Kyoto
Today you will spend the entire day touring Kyoto. Now Kyoto is best explored over 2-3 days. But since your time is limited, you will need to pack it all into one day. You can either choose the five sites you most want to see, or you can book this 10 Must-See Spots in Kyoto private tour. This isn’t cheap, but it provides you with a private guide that you simply follow around all day. Your guide will navigate you through public transportation and taxis, have you stand in the right lines, tell you want to look at and why it’s important, etc. It’s the most efficient way to tackle Kyoto on your Japan trip with teens.
9 Days in Japan with Teens
If you can squeeze a few more days into your trip to Japan with teens, I encourage you to go to Osaka for your final two days. You can follow the itinerary above for your first 7 days.
Day 8: Osaka
Since you only have one day to spend in Osaka city, I suggest purchasing the Osaka Amazing Pass. Currently it costs about $23 and includes entry to over 40 attractions as well as unlimited rides on buses and trains. This is a great deal! Then simply choose the 4-6 things included in the pass that you definitely want to visit.
On the morning of day 8, take a regular train from Kyoto to Osaka Station. Store your luggage at the station and make your way to your first site.
My Experience Using the Amazing Pass
When I followed this itinerary recently on my trip to Japan with teens, we started at Umeda Sky Building. After enjoying the views, we visited the Koji Kinutani Tenku Art Museum. This is located on the 27th floor of the West Tower of the Umeda building. Then we had lunch at the charming retro food alley called Takimi Koji located in the basement of the building.
After this, we made our way over to Osaka Castle. We explored both the castle interior exhibits and the Nishinomaru Garden. There was time to take a ride through the moat on a golden Gozabune (traditional Japanese boat) which is also included in the Amazing Pass. We skipped this since we planned another boat ride later in the day.
Next we made our way over to the Dontonbori District. On the way there, we walked through the Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade, stopping in a few of the shops. In Dontonbori, we checked out the Don Quijote and planned to take a spin on the Ebisu Tower oval Ferris wheel. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be operating. But we did use our Amazing Pass to take a river cruise, which is the best way to see the area’s animated 3D signs and neon lights.
We ended our day with a spin on the HEP Five Ferris Wheel, which is near Osaka Station. We retrieved our luggage and made our way to the hotel from there. But we could have fit 1-2 more activities into our day. The Osaka Amazing Pass makes it extremely affordable to have a great day in Osaka full of activities.
Day 9: Universal Studios Japan
If you want to experience more activities in Osaka City, then you can opt for the two day Amazing Pass. It’s only $33 for two days. But I think on a trip to Japan with teens, you must experience Universal Studios Japan (USJ). While it is very similar to Universal theme parks in the United States, there are so unique rides and experiences only found in Japan. There are ten themed lands including Hollywood, New York, San Francisco, Jurrasic Park, WaterWorld, Amity Village, Universal Wonderland, Minion Park, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Hogsmeade), and Super Nintendo World.
You will find that tickets to USJ are cheaper than tickets for Universal parks in the United States. However, I highly recommend that you also purchase the Universal Express Pass. On the English version of the website, you can purchase a variety of Express Passes for 4 or 5 attractions. With Klook, you can purchase Express Passes for 7 or 8 attractions. On the Japanese version of the website, you can purchase a Premium Express Pass that includes 14 attractions.
I purchased the Premium Express Pass so that we could walk on to almost every attraction in the park. I used Google Translate on my computer to translate the Japanese language website. It translated most things, but I did have to guess what information to enter in for my credit card. And only some credit cards will work on the website. Word of warning – the Premium Express Pass was expensive! I paid about $375 per person for a 1 day ticket with Premium Express Pass. But it was worth it – we got to do everything in a single day and didn’t have to spend much time in line.
10+ Days in Japan with Teens
If you have 10 or more days to spend in Japan with teens, I suggest that you add 1-2 extra days in Kyoto and/or 1-2 additional days in Osaka. If you have longer to spend in Kyoto, you can visit the must-see sites at a more leisurely pace. With extra days in Osaka, you can take advantage of the 2 day Osaka Amazing Pass, or spend an extra day at Universal Studios Japan and forego purchasing the Express Pass (but only if you have patient teens who are willing to stand in long lines!).
Where to Stay
American families are often shocked to discover that very few hotels in Japan accommodate more than 2-3 people. But there are hotels with family rooms which can accommodate a family of four. Here is my recommendation on where to stay throughout your trip:
- Tokyo Bay – if you plan to visit Tokyo Disney Resort for more than one day, I think it’s best to spend 2-3 nights in this part of Tokyo. The Toy Story Hotel, Hilton Tokyo Bay, and Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay can all accommodate 4 people.
- Tokyo – Hotel Monterey Ginza offers family rooms and is in a central part of Tokyo with subway access to everywhere you want to go.
- Kyoto – Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto – Kiyomizu Gojo – this hotel is within walking distance of Kyoto Station. It offers very reasonably priced family rooms which are actually two hotel rooms (with two bathrooms) and a connecting door.
- Osaka – the Park Front Hotel, as its name suggests, is right at the front of the Universal Studios Japan park entrance! If you want to stay in Osaka city central instead, the LIvely Osaka Honmachi is a good option for families.
How to Get Around
Arrival
If you can, try to fly into Tokyo Haneda Airport. It’s the closest international airport to the city. But if can’t find a reasonably priced flight, Tokyo Narita Airport is OK. It will just take longer and cost a little more to get to your hotel. Once you land, take the Airport Limousine Bus to your hotel. This is the easiest and most cost effective way to go to and from the airport. You don’t need to book in advance. Just show up, pay, and take the next bus!
Between Cities & Sites
Between Tokyo and Kyoto, you will take the Shinkansen bullet train. You don’t necessarily have to book the tickets for this in advance, but you can. Unless you have large luggage (luggage pieces whose height, width and depth add up to more than 63″), you will be OK booking regular seats. I suggest packing in carry-on size suitcases and large backpacks. Many hotels have laundry facilities, so you don’t need to bring much with you.
All of the rest of your ground transportation can be done using Japan’s extensive system of trains, subways, and buses. It may seem intimidating at first, but it is actually very easy to get around once you get the hang of it. And when in doubt, ask someone. While not everyone is comfortable speaking to you in English, they usually can understand what you are saying and find someone who can talk you through it.
Departure
Finally, for this itinerary, I recommend you fly out of Osaka Kansai International Airport. Usually tickets into Tokyo and out of Osaka don’t cost that much more. And you can avoid having to take the time (and incur the added cost) of the bullet train ride back to Tokyo from Osaka. From your Osaka hotel, you can take the Kansai Airport Bus to the airport. You don’t need to book tickets in advance, but you may need cash to purchase your ticket at some bus stops.
What’s on your Japanese trip itinerary?
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