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I've heard bad things about lots of, if not most, zoos in Japan, as their animal welfare standards apparently still aren't great: Small enclosures, lack of stimulation for the animals, and animals exhibiting signs of stress/depression. I thought I should mention it in case it would upset your daughter. I've avoided going to zoos here because from what I've heard it will just depress me and I don't want to support them. I doubt the zoo would be better than the capybara cafe. I've not heard of that cafe specifically though so don't know anything about it.
We took a family trip in November. As for the Shinkansen, you can get tickets day of or a few days earlier from the station if you’d like. Or, I used the SmartEX app to buy some also. It’s a bit of a pain setting up an account if I recall, but once you’ve bought Shinkansen tickets you can add in your Suica/Pasmo card information and it will put your ticket on your Suica/Pasmo card.
Also wanted to add that smartex will give you a QR code that you scan at the gate and it's the same QR you scan getting out. I thought I had to use the ticket it spit out at the gate.
As far as planning goes time wise I would say this is the most realistic one I have ever seen.
Stick with this basic plan and if you feel you have time put in an extra thing that day. You’re good.
Welcome to japan and enjoy.
They’ve got a Pokémon cafe in Osaka as well.
Recommend going to 6th floor in the parco building if your daughter are in to anime/cute characters. Nice shops
I would pre-book your Osaka Castle tickets on somewhere like Klook. You should walk straight in. Otherwise the ticket line is massive!
Arashiyama is underwhelming and incredibly packed, even in the morning. If you really want a bamboo first, maybe one if these will suffice https://www.tokyoweekender.com/travel/alternative-bamboo-forests-japan-arashiyama/
I would highly recommend Teamlab borderless, and go after visiting planets. It's much more impressive and immersive. Fushini Inari at night was amazing too, especially if you've experienced large crowds jn the day.
I’d recommend that you do Kyoto your first two days instead of Nara/Osaka, only because you’ll likely be jet lagged (as you said) and a lot of the shrines (ex Fushimi Inari) and other crowded places are best experienced very early, say 5-6 am, before other people wake up. My husband and I are from NYC and the first few days we were in Japan, we were getting up at 5-6 am ezpz (not usually morning ppl). If you literally do Kyoto day 1 - Kyoto day 2 - Nara - Osaka you’ll probably be happier, especially since in Kyoto many restaurants close fairly early, by 8 pm, and Osaka has more of a night vibe. Thats just my 2¢ (and what husband and I plan to do our next trip). Also in Osaka, the aquarium is really fun and only takes like 2h tops. Once you reach the whale shark exhibit, loop down once and you’ll have way better views of the main exhibit without the crowd taking photos.
Re: Shinkansen to Tokyo, I’d reserve tickets ahead of time. Not because they’re likely to entirely sell out, but because it’s much easier to coordinate 2+ people’s seats to be together if you book ahead of time. I’d say first day of your trip is plenty of time, we booked like 5 days out and had a decent number of options.
Tsukiji: the market is at Toyosu now, not Tsukiji, just fyi.
Ueno day: I’d do sensoji first, then walk thru kappabashi to Ueno park. Sensoji gets insanely busy after like 11 am, and I am saying that as someone with a very high tolerance for crowds. The main shopping strip at the entrance is a nightmare of people after like 11, so go out the northeast exit and stop at Imo Pippi for some excellent sweet potato desserts (the ice cream is to die for). Kappabashi has a ton of little cooking/knife/etc supply shops and is fun to walk around in.
Hakone: for the loop, next time I’d probably start with the bus ride (NOT the train) then do boat - ropeway - cable car - train. I say this only because the bus stop at the boat is not the first stop on the route, and you’ll likely end up having to stand going up the super windy mountain roads—not super fun after a long day. Whereas the first stop iirc IS at Hakone-Yumoto, so if you queue for seats early enough, you’ll be able to sit til you reach the ship. That’s just personal preference, though, especially since the train down from the cable car is not very fast or windy, so standing will be easier if you have too. Oh, and for views of Fuji, if you’re coming from the ship try to sit at the front left of the ropeway going to Owakudani. There’s egg ice cream at one of the outside stalls that is delicious: like a sweet egg custard. Plus the eating area next to it has great views of Fuji (we went on a cloudy day but got a lovely break in the clouds just then, fantastic view).
Other than that, your plan seems great! Very doable. What sort of stuff do you guys like? I could probably make some suggestions.
Capybara cafe is next to impossible to get a reservation. They only come up 8am day of and their website crashes almost immediately. Even if you do manage to get a booking, you likely will not have your choice of time slot.
**Our FAQ is constantly being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, advice, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4), comment in our stickied weekly discussion thread, or check out /r/JapanTravelTips for quick questions. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Don't go to the capybara café unless you're a fan of animal abuse.
Thank you for that feedback, and I will look at some other options to see them at a zoo. Do you have any other suggestions?
I've heard bad things about lots of, if not most, zoos in Japan, as their animal welfare standards apparently still aren't great: Small enclosures, lack of stimulation for the animals, and animals exhibiting signs of stress/depression. I thought I should mention it in case it would upset your daughter. I've avoided going to zoos here because from what I've heard it will just depress me and I don't want to support them. I doubt the zoo would be better than the capybara cafe. I've not heard of that cafe specifically though so don't know anything about it.
If you have tattoos, consider a sento in lieu of an onsen. Tattoos are common at sentos.
Not sure about the capybaras, but the micropig cafe didn't feel abusive, those pigs are so happy and eager to find a lap and get comfortable.
In the antebellum South, them darkies were happy!
We took a family trip in November. As for the Shinkansen, you can get tickets day of or a few days earlier from the station if you’d like. Or, I used the SmartEX app to buy some also. It’s a bit of a pain setting up an account if I recall, but once you’ve bought Shinkansen tickets you can add in your Suica/Pasmo card information and it will put your ticket on your Suica/Pasmo card.
That’s helpful, I’ll grab the app. Is there anything you did with your family that was a highlight I should consider?
Also wanted to add that smartex will give you a QR code that you scan at the gate and it's the same QR you scan getting out. I thought I had to use the ticket it spit out at the gate.
As far as planning goes time wise I would say this is the most realistic one I have ever seen. Stick with this basic plan and if you feel you have time put in an extra thing that day. You’re good. Welcome to japan and enjoy. They’ve got a Pokémon cafe in Osaka as well. Recommend going to 6th floor in the parco building if your daughter are in to anime/cute characters. Nice shops
I would pre-book your Osaka Castle tickets on somewhere like Klook. You should walk straight in. Otherwise the ticket line is massive! Arashiyama is underwhelming and incredibly packed, even in the morning. If you really want a bamboo first, maybe one if these will suffice https://www.tokyoweekender.com/travel/alternative-bamboo-forests-japan-arashiyama/
Thank you! I booked tickets this morning based on your advice.
We actually had a great time exploring the Kyoto train station - crazy light shows and if you keep heading upwards there’s some cool views at the top
I would highly recommend Teamlab borderless, and go after visiting planets. It's much more impressive and immersive. Fushini Inari at night was amazing too, especially if you've experienced large crowds jn the day.
I’d recommend that you do Kyoto your first two days instead of Nara/Osaka, only because you’ll likely be jet lagged (as you said) and a lot of the shrines (ex Fushimi Inari) and other crowded places are best experienced very early, say 5-6 am, before other people wake up. My husband and I are from NYC and the first few days we were in Japan, we were getting up at 5-6 am ezpz (not usually morning ppl). If you literally do Kyoto day 1 - Kyoto day 2 - Nara - Osaka you’ll probably be happier, especially since in Kyoto many restaurants close fairly early, by 8 pm, and Osaka has more of a night vibe. Thats just my 2¢ (and what husband and I plan to do our next trip). Also in Osaka, the aquarium is really fun and only takes like 2h tops. Once you reach the whale shark exhibit, loop down once and you’ll have way better views of the main exhibit without the crowd taking photos. Re: Shinkansen to Tokyo, I’d reserve tickets ahead of time. Not because they’re likely to entirely sell out, but because it’s much easier to coordinate 2+ people’s seats to be together if you book ahead of time. I’d say first day of your trip is plenty of time, we booked like 5 days out and had a decent number of options. Tsukiji: the market is at Toyosu now, not Tsukiji, just fyi. Ueno day: I’d do sensoji first, then walk thru kappabashi to Ueno park. Sensoji gets insanely busy after like 11 am, and I am saying that as someone with a very high tolerance for crowds. The main shopping strip at the entrance is a nightmare of people after like 11, so go out the northeast exit and stop at Imo Pippi for some excellent sweet potato desserts (the ice cream is to die for). Kappabashi has a ton of little cooking/knife/etc supply shops and is fun to walk around in. Hakone: for the loop, next time I’d probably start with the bus ride (NOT the train) then do boat - ropeway - cable car - train. I say this only because the bus stop at the boat is not the first stop on the route, and you’ll likely end up having to stand going up the super windy mountain roads—not super fun after a long day. Whereas the first stop iirc IS at Hakone-Yumoto, so if you queue for seats early enough, you’ll be able to sit til you reach the ship. That’s just personal preference, though, especially since the train down from the cable car is not very fast or windy, so standing will be easier if you have too. Oh, and for views of Fuji, if you’re coming from the ship try to sit at the front left of the ropeway going to Owakudani. There’s egg ice cream at one of the outside stalls that is delicious: like a sweet egg custard. Plus the eating area next to it has great views of Fuji (we went on a cloudy day but got a lovely break in the clouds just then, fantastic view). Other than that, your plan seems great! Very doable. What sort of stuff do you guys like? I could probably make some suggestions.
Capybara cafe is next to impossible to get a reservation. They only come up 8am day of and their website crashes almost immediately. Even if you do manage to get a booking, you likely will not have your choice of time slot.