9 Breathtaking Tokyo Secrets: Our Unforgettable Family Adventure
Exploring the Capital of our Favourite Country
Exploring Tokyo is an experience like no other, especially when it is your first long vacation as a family. In March 2020, our planned trip to Japan was cancelled due to the pandemic lockdowns. 3 years later, in May 2023, we finally made it to the Land of the Rising Sun. This time, we were accompanied by our 1.5 year old daughter. While we were nervous about traveling with a toddler, Tokyo proved to be a magical destination for all of us. If you would like to read tips to follow before visiting Japan, visit our blog here.
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Arriving in Tokyo
- Via Train & Bus: Tokyo is the ultimate transit hub of Japan, offering seamless connections to Yokohama, Hakone, and Kyoto. Whether you’re looking for the speed of the Shinkansen or the affordability of a highway bus, you can compare schedules and secure your seats through 12Go Asia here.
- Via Flight: Most travelers arrive at Narita (NRT), which handles the bulk of international long-haul traffic, or Haneda (HND), which is closer to the city center and serves both domestic and premium international routes. To find the best airfare across both major hubs, search and book here.
Planning Your Tokyo Trip
- Where to Stay: Finding the right base is key for families. Book a hotel here.
- Connectivity: Stay connected as soon as you land with a local eSIM. We recommend:
- Airalo for budget-friendly and basic plans. Get your Airalo eSIM here.
- Yesim for unlimited data needs. Get your Yesim eSIM here.
- Getting Around:
- Taxis & Private Transfers Secure a reliable, fixed-price ride with professional drivers. Avoid the airport queues by booking in advance. Book your taxi/transfer here.
- Car Rentals Enjoy the freedom of the open road. Compare the best rates from top brands to find your perfect vehicle here.
- Public Transport Travel like a local and save money. Skip the station lines by securing your train and bus tickets here.
Day 1: Arrival
After almost 24 hours of travel, we finally landed in Tokyo. The flights were mostly extremely relaxing but the landing felt a little rushed and our daughter kept on making faces due to the sudden change in altitude. We were thrilled when we saw the Welcome to Tokyo sign and were taking pictures next to it when our daughter started showing agitation.
As soon as we walked near the quarantine section, she vomited. The airport medical team came rushing towards us to check our temperatures and thankfully we had no fever. As we were trying to clean the vomit, she vomited some more. What is now a hilarious memory was an extremely stressful time then. The poor child was throwing up due to the rough landing and stopped only when her stomach was empty. We were so disoriented by this whole experience and totally out of emergency clothes that we rushed to our hotel by picking up a taxi.
Once at the hotel, we ordered some food and enjoyed a well deserved hot meal before sleeping for 12 hours.
Day 2: Ghibli, Suginami, and Shibuya
Ghibli Museum
We started our exploration of Japan at Ghibli Museum. This was the best location to start as it does not get any more Japanese than this. The ticket was worth ¥1000 and had to be reserved online in advance. The museum was huge and went into detail of animations of different movies produced by Ghibli Studios. We spent 2 hours at the museum and had alot of fun. There was a soft play area for kids as well where our daughter enjoyed a lot.
Suginami Animation Museum
The second destination of the day was Suginami Animation Museum. The entrance to the museum was free and we spent an hour there. This was another site that displayed a lot of information about the history of Japanese anime and animated movies. Mehran has been an anime fan since childhood and also introduced me to them after we got married. He had a lot of fun going through this animation museum.
Mugiwara Store Shibuya
After Suginami Animation Museum, we stopped to quickly have some lunch and then arrived at Mugiwara Store Shibuya. This is a whole store dedicated to the Anime/Manga One Piece. Recently, there has also been a Netflix show of this series. One Piece is Mehran’s favourite ongoing anime and he has been following the story for years. Visiting this store was on his bucket list and it made me so happy to see him going around the store picking up things to buy. We spent 45 minutes at the store and walked out with our hands full of merchandise.
Shibuya Crossing
Shibuya Crossing is the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. It can be seen from the windows of Mugiwara Store Shibuya. As we walked out of the mall containing the store, we stopped at the crossing. This was a very busy crossing and a major tourist spot. We only stopped to take some pictures and afterwards went for dinner and then back to our hotel.
Day 3: Senso-ji and Tokyo Skytree
Senso-ji
We started the day with a visit to Senso-ji and we spent 4 hours there. Senso-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Our visit was during the month of May on a Sunday and we noticed that there was a huge crowd at the temple. We saw people dressed in special garments going around the temple in processions. It turned out that we had coincidentally visited on the last day of Sanja Matsuri (Sanja Festival).
We had a blast going around the temple and its nearby areas watching the special performances during the procession. The nearby stalls held a lot of souvenirs and delicious sweets. Overall, our visit to Senso-ji was a great experience in terms of both culture and food.
Tokyo Skytree
Since we had missed a good view of Mount Fuji, we left no stone unturned to catch a glimpse of it. For that purpose, we decided to visit Tokyo Skytree and bought the full ticket for ¥3100. While we were waiting for our slot, we went to the nearby shopping area and did some souvenir shopping and indulged in ice-cream. Tokyo Skytree is the tallest structure in Japan and provides awesome views of Tokyo city. We had a great experience enjoying the panoramic views of Tokyo. However, we could not spot Mount Fuji due to clouds. Nevertheless, Tokyo Skytree was a great addition to our already perfect planned itinerary.
Pro-tip: Secure your ticket in advance to get ahead of the long waiting queues.
Day 4: Pokemon and Geek Heaven
Pokémon Center Tokyo DX, Nihonbashi
This was our last full day in Japan. We had started our trip in Tokyo and after spending a few days in other cities finally returned to Tokyo. We started it by visiting a Pokémon Center since all of us are big Pokémon fans. We were carrying a huge backpack just for our shopping adventures. We ended up buying a lot of different things at the Pokémon Center for ourselves and our daughter. The Pokémon Center was huge and we all had a great time going through the items available for purchase.
Exploring the Heartland of Akihabara
We spent the rest of the day at Akihabara. This was a geek heaven and we were there for 5 to 6 hours and only left the area shortly for food. The names of places Mehran had written down to visit were Mandarake, Kanda Myojin shrine, Kotobukiya and Chabara aki-oka Marche. We ended up buying lots of Pokémon Cards, Yugi-Oh Cards, Anime Figures, Manga and more. This was the perfect last location to visit before heading home and we all had a blast at Akihabara.
The Ultimate Tokyo Halal Food Tour
Our dining experiences were a major highlight of the trip. To read our detailed review of Halal restaurants in Japan, visit the link here. Here are the spots we recommend:
- Halal Wagyu Yakiniku Gyumon Shibuya: A 100% Halal restaurant offering an authentic Wagyu Yakiniku experience. The meat quality was superb and the service was awesome.
- Ayam-ya Halal Ramen Tokyo: We visited twice for their Spicy Tori Ramen Shoyu, Karaage and Fried Gyoza. Everything was extremely delicious.
- Asakusa Sushi Ken: The first ever Halal certified Sushi restaurant in Japan. The fatty tuna was incredibly creamy and divine.
- Moses Kebab AKIBA Sta.: A great spot for a quick bite of Doner Kebab and Long Potato while in Akihabara.
- Halal Wagyu Yakiniku Panga: We ordered the Wagyu Premium Set and Bibimbap for our daughter. The high quality Wagyu was worth every yen.
- Kineya Mugimaru (Narita Airport T1): We enjoyed Udon Noodles with Beef and Tempura before our flight. The light broth was perfect for travel.
Final Remarks
Our trip to Japan was the longest we had stayed at a country for tourism purposes. The trip was filled with activities and hopping from one city to the next. Yet, we did not get tired of the routine. We fell in love with the city vibe of Tokyo and the FOOD it offered was just delicious. If you are visiting Japan, make sure you spend a few days in Tokyo.
Enjoyed reading about our exploration of Tokyo? We’d be happy to build a personalized itinerary just for you! Head over to our Custom-Plans page to get started.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tokyo child-friendly for a 1.5 year old?
Absolutely! From soft play areas in museums to excellent public facilities, Tokyo is very welcoming for families with young children.
How do I find Halal food in Tokyo?
Areas like Shibuya, Asakusa, and Akihabara have excellent 100% Halal-certified options. Many restaurants now offer digital ordering systems for convenience.
Do I need to book Ghibli Museum tickets in advance?
Yes, tickets must be reserved online in advance and they sell out very quickly.
