How to Get Your Kids Excited for a Trip to Japan
- Maria DiCicco
- 2 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Let's face it - some kids like to whine about everything. You could be taking them to a theme park, walking on all the rides, buying them all the candies, and they would still find something to complain about (been there, done that).
When it comes to travel, as a parent I can understand the apprehension taking your kids on a 14 hour plane ride to get to Japan. I get that you may be overwhelmed with the travel time, the language barriers, and maybe even the fear that your kids may not eat well. It's warranted. I get it.
However, that stops now. With you. Right here. Because - your kids need to see you amped up, and they'll get amped up too.
It's really that easy. Amp your kids up for their trip to Japan the same way you get yourself psyched. Forget the fears - leave them behind. Because this trip is going to be the most memorable, most EPIC adventure they've been on yet.
Let's get into a few things below that you'll need to pack for the journey, ways to get excited for their trip to Japan at home, and more.
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Traveling with Kids to Japan: The Essentials
From kids travel activities and airplane games, to printables for your purse at dinner time, there are three objectives to getting your kids excited for Japan:
Educate
Entertain
Engage
Educate
Some kids may not know anything about Japan. I took my daughter there when she was 3.
We introduced her to everything we could in advance:
We ate Japanese food
We talked about Japanese culture
We watched movies
We wore kimonos at home (from previous Japanese trips!)
We visited Epcot's Japan pavilion at Disney World
Practical Preparations
Learning about Japanese etiquette in advance is a good idea. They love children in Japan, but you can prepare your kids for the humbler, quieter culture.
Depending where you are in your potty training journey, it may also be necessary to prepare your kids for 'squatty potties' and bathroom slippers in Japan. You'll thank yourself later so you don't end up doing your first squat pee with them unprepared. Ha!
Getting Them to Eat
This part of your educational routine must start early.
Getting your kids to eat Japanese food may be challenging for some parents (luckily my kid eats everything), but this is wholly on you as a parent. Find foods and get your kids intrigued by them. 'Chicken in a sweet sauce' goes down easier than 'teriyaki chicken', or even chicken 'nuggets' for karaage and chicken 'cutlet' for katsu go over well.
Play with food names and show how much you enjoy the food yourself.
Japanese food for kids is very approachable. You may find things like yakitori (my child loved wagyu on a stick - yay for her but boo on my wallet), and candied strawberries or dipped bananas on a stick.
Sometimes when I need to impress upon my daughter that things are kid-friendly, I'll Google photos of what I am looking for like "kids eating sushi". When she sees pictures of other kids doing it I see her face light up with an 'ohhhh' type of reaction.
Dumplings are an easy sell too.
Cute bao buns (found in Yokohama or Nagasaki Chinatown!) are easy to find and filled with sweet bbq meat.
Even kids sushi platters in Japan are approachable and full of easy to promote items like steamed shrimp (ebi) or egg custard (tamago).
Fun Ideas for Home
It's a fun thing to buy them some kid's chopsticks (they sell them at local Asian grocery stores) or, these little individually wrapped chopstick holders - I put a bunch of them in my purse before we traveled (I collected them every time we went out to sushi!) so they can proudly practice and eventually put to good use eating with them in Japan.
You could even throw a themed sleepover night in the living room and sleep on 'tatami mats' (sleeping bags will do the trick) so they can get the Tokyo ryokan experience before ever leaving home.
At the time, my daughter was really excited to make Japanese food too. A Japanese girlfriend of mine introduced us to inari - tofu pockets filled with sushi rice. It is so incredibly easy to make, and they are excellent introductory snacks for a themed night.
We also made kid-friendly sushi that night, but I found it to be a lot more work than it was worth, and as you can see in the photos -they didn't turn out all that pretty.
I've seen cute candy sushi recipes online that involve rice krispies, swedish fish and fruit roll ups, which is a fun way to do a sushi theme, but there are also ready-made (and oddly scientific) kits at the local Asian grocery stores near me called Popin' Cookin' Sushi Candy Kits.
After I started getting into the education bit, I realized I needed to provide something more concrete to 'bring it home' for the journey ahead. I bought books and toys on Amazon for the job...
Entertain
This is where the essentials came in - she was three, so I got her things like a sushi cat Polly Pocket Purse and a velcro plastic sushi set for her playroom diner.
I got her sushi pajamas (which became her all time fave for pajama days at daycare) and got her this "Let's Learn About Japan: Activity and Coloring Book". Then it hit me. I'm a writer. I can make my own educational and entertaining book about Japan for my daughter.
So I did just that!
The second book in a series of four that I have written so far, I published "Scavenger Hunt Japan", also available on Amazon.
It acts as a scrapbook for memories (ticket stubs, flower petals, candy wrappers, etc) and then it is also a journal and activity book.
Engage
Then, it was show time. We had done all the pre-work of watching themed movies, having themed meals, but now we needed to prep her for the reality of what was to come.
Packing
One thing that gets my daughter excited is the ability to pack her own 'fun bag'. I let her pick one stuffed animal, a few relevant toys or books, and she is part of the selection process when I pick out her clothes.
Her favorite part, however, is her little ride-on suitcase. I have seen that kid battle jet lag with glee when she gets to ride her little suitcase off the plane. While the rest of us are slogging it, she's having a blast.
You can find these at stores like Marshall's (we got our in Spain at Carrefour) but Amazon also has a great selection of ride-on suitcases for kids. The Trunki brand is the most popular.
Preparation for Your Flight
For most Americans, it's a long flight. We purposefully booked an overnight stop in Montreal to break up the flight into two days. I highly recommend this.
Having the overnight layover allowed us to regroup, recharge, and get the vacation started at a slower pace.
On the Flight
On the flight, we packed only a few things (my favorite toddler tips for airplanes here) and made sure our daughter was comfortable. Clothes needed to be lightweight, un-restricting, and cozy.
Encourage napping, bring plenty of snacks, and say 'yes' more than you say no.
Avoid mid-air fits.
When You Arrive in Japan with Your Kids
My favorite trick for engaging with your kids, and having your kids engaged with Japan is to get them on the hunt.
This is where two of my personal creations come in - the Scavenger Hunt book mentioned above, and a cute little spin-off that I created - a Japan Bingo game made in the same style!
The reason scavenger hunt style activities work so well is because kids get wide-eyed and open to adventure. With a pen and book or bingo in hand, your kids will be actively seeking out the next cultural whatever, or trying the next food just to 'cross it off the list'.
We as adults act this way with our errands and to-do lists!
With my Japan Bingo Game, for instance, there are two separate games - one for food and one for culture (and an extra blank game that you can populate with your own itinerary items). But essentially, kids are on the lookout for things like:
Geishas
Sumo Wrestlers
Origami
Japanese Flags
Samurai
etc.
Then, in restaurants, avoid the 'no way am I eating that' face by dangling a little prize for winning bingo - they'll be more apt to try things on the bingo game like:
Mochi
Miso Soup
Tempura
Yakitori
Even sushi!
Anything is possible when you make it a game.
When you get to Japan, have your kids pick out their own food in the grocery store or 7-11 too. Everything is labeled with adorable characters, making the food much for approachable to smaller children. Mine tried things she likely wouldn't have just because the packaging was cute!
Keep the food and culture engagement going with the fuller version of bingo - the Scavenger Hunt Japan book. Older kids will spend time documenting their journey, doodling, and completing little activities in addition to the scavenger hunts.
With the book and the bingo game, you've got a surefire successful start to your Japan trip.
Then, they'll discover the Daiso and 100 Yen Stores and all bets are off. You'll be buying souvenirs like crazy, and
the kids will have forgotten the jet lag, the 'weird' foods, and that they are thousands of miles from home.
Itinerary Ideas: Best Places to Visit in Japan With Kids
There are the obvious theme park draws like Universal Studios Japan in Osaka or Tokyo Disneyland, but coming from Orlando my family is kind of immune to this. Instead, focus family travel in Japan on cultural sites, animal encounters, and unique dining experiences.
Consider places like Miyajima Island to walk among roaming Nara deer, or of course there is also Nara for seeing Nara deer, but I prefer Miyajima because of the ferry ride and the shopping!
Museums in Tokyo are always a hit, and places like Studio Ghibli or Sanrio stores are popular.
I understand Studio Ghibli tickets are hard to get so definitely buy tickets for anything you do in advance.
Klook is one of the largest trusted ticket sellers in Asia.
In Tokyo, Akihabara is a definite draw for older kids, especially boys 12-14 that are into manga, comic books and Japanese anime. You'll also find all things video gaming here. Prepare for more shopping, probably an arcade or two, and some expensive toys to come home.
Harajuku is a popular street for browsing shops and getting sweet treats, and it's adjacent to one of Tokyo's most renowned temples and shrines, the Meiji Jingu Shrine.
More Itinerary Ideas from Me
While these barely knick the threshold of what you can do, find more Japan itinerary ideas here:
...and more in my Japan and Asia category!
Top Takeaways for Traveling to Japan with KidsPrep your kids for an amazing vacation with three main objectives in mind:
Purchase some activity books in advance, like Scavenger Hunt Japan, or print out bingo style interactive games for handy fun on the go. Have theme nights at home, watch relevant movies and tv shows, and let them pack some of their own items for the trip. Introducing Japanese culture and food to your kids before you travel is a surefire way to get them excited for the best vacation EVER. |
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