I Was Stunned by How Child Pleasant Tokyo Is

• Japan holds a particular place in my coronary heart as a result of I taught English straight out of faculty.
• My spouse and I took our children to Japan for a marriage.
• We realized that Japan is a superb vacation spot for little children.

One of many best joys of my life has been touring with my household, particularly to different international locations. Japan has an particularly necessary place in my coronary heart — I lived in Japan and taught English there for my first job out of faculty, and I nonetheless have great mates in Tokyo. Japan has additionally given my household a few of our happiest journey recollections.

In October 2017, my spouse and I traveled to Tokyo for the marriage of two of our Japanese mates. We introduced our two children, who have been ages 9 and seven on the time. Earlier than the journey, I apprehensive that the crowds and bustle can be intimidating for younger children underneath the age of 10.

However I used to be unsuitable — Japan is perhaps the right journey vacation spot for households with younger children.

Listed below are just a few of the happiest recollections from my household’s travels in Japan.

Tokyo is a kid-friendly metropolis

Tokyo is a captivating, large, futuristic, neon megalopolis, but it surely’s additionally secure, clear, peaceable, orderly, and enjoyable for teenagers to discover. Japan is so secure that younger kids usually experience the subway alone whereas going to and from college.

Our children felt comfy in Tokyo. They beloved the fascinating, colourful Japanese merchandising machines allotting scorching tea or chilly lemonade bottles. They loved selecting sushi rolls and baked items from Japanese comfort shops (“Konbini”). They beloved Japanese arts and crafts, toys, and memento treasures at native retailers within the neighborhood of Shinjuku the place we stayed. We beloved strolling as a household in Tokyo’s beautiful parks and shrines, like Meiji Jingu, providing sanctuary and quiet areas.

Tokyo is simple to navigate, with nice public transit

From our first practice journey into town on the “Narita Categorical” from Tokyo Narita Worldwide Airport, our children have been fascinated by the easy-to-use, on-time Japanese practice techniques.

It was enjoyable giving our children their very own little tickets for every subway experience, displaying them the advanced internet of Tokyo subway maps, and serving to them pay attention for the identify of every cease to be referred to as out in Japanese on the subway intercom.

Tokyo has a lot of cute locations to go to

Japanese tradition has created so many widespread imaginative universes, like anime and Hey Kitty. The perfect of Japanese popular culture is well inside attain whenever you journey to Tokyo, with enjoyable spots just like the Ghibli Museum for followers of films like “Spirited Away” and “My Neighbor Totoro.”

Our favourite place for teenagers in Tokyo was KidZania, an immersive, impressively detailed kids’s museum and “child metropolis,” the place children might do varied real-life “jobs” like bread baker, magician, firefighter, or Tokyo Gasoline engineer. Our youngsters met and performed with many Japanese children their age and have been guided by pleasant, English-speaking Japanese employees. Better of all, KidZania had an in-house café the place mothers and dads might loosen up with a cup of espresso.

Japanese hospitality tradition is heat and welcoming

Each meal in Japan was scrumptious! Our youngsters particularly loved conveyor belt sushi (“kaitenzushi”), the hole-in-the-wall ramen store that our mates took us to, and the izakaya restaurant the place we might all select a number of small plates (sort of like Japanese tapas) and eat family-style. We felt well-fed and effectively cared for at each meal in Japan.

Japan is a magical place of thrilling sights, great meals, and friendship. It was an honor to see It with my household, vicariously via the eyes of my kids and nostalgically via the eyes of my very own youthful self. I hope to go to Tokyo once more someday quickly within the subsequent few years.