At first glance you may think that travelling to Tokyo with kids may not be the best place but you’d be surprised by how much there is to do for families and children in specific. Whether your children enjoy animals, theme parks or views, there is definitely something for every child to enjoy. Here’s 6 things to do in Tokyo with kids but trust us there are hundreds more which did not make the shortlist!
Activities to Do in Tokyo with Kids
1. Ueno Zoo
Located in the Ueno Park in Tokyo, the Ueno Zoo is Japans largest and oldest zoo with it first opening in 1882. Ueno Zoo is easily accessible to travellers with being only 6 minutes on foot from Tokyo Metro Ueno Station. This large, exotic zoo is home to over 460 species of animals from all over the globe including giant pandas, elephants, giraffes and penguins! Ueno Zoo is split into two areas – east and west- which are connected via monorail. In the west are there is also a children’s zoo with goats and sheep.
Did You Know… Every year the staff at Uena Zoo hold an Emergency Animal escape drill. This year it was held on February 2
nd where a member of staffed dressed as a
Zebra escaped from its enclosure and over 150 staff were brought together to catch the animal. This drill is used to allow the staff to practice how to re-capture animals. In previous years there have been emergency escape drills for gorillas, rhinos, lions and orangutans!
2. Legoland Discovery Center
Whether you are a die-hard fan of Lego or not, Legoland is a must visit when you’re in Tokyo with kids. Filled to the brim with hands-on attractions for kids of all ages, the Discovery Center located within Decks Tokyo Beach Mall is definitely somewhere where you could easily spend a rainy day. Attractions include a 4D Cinema, Miniland which is basically all of Tokyos famous landmarks made out of Lego, rides and themed areas for children to build Lego. Legoland is very popular so if you are planning a visit be sure to
book your tickets in advance to avoid any disappointment.
3. Tokyo Tower
What better way to get a 360 degree view of Tokyo than visiting the Tokyo Tower. Tokyo is such a beautiful city whether it is snowing or its cherry blossom season, you and your children are bound to be blown away. With a striking resemblance to the Eiffel Tower, the Tokyo Tower is 333m in height and coloured in Japans lucky colour, red. From the observatory you can expect to see famous sights such as Mt Fuji and Mt Tsukuba. The Tokyo Tower is more than just a national landmark, it also monitors the condition of the air above and the traffic conditions in the city below and all nine television and four FM radio stations are transmitted from the tower.
4. Tokyo Disneyland
A visit to Tokyo with kids would not be complete without visiting Tokyo Disneyland. The magical kingdom was the first Disneyland to be built outside of the United States. The design of the theme park was created to almost replica that of Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida. There are seven lands in the park which include World Bazaar, Adventureland, Frontierland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Toontown and Tomorrowland. Experience the magic of Disney at Tokyo Disneyland and if that’s not enough Disney for you then you may also want to visit DisneySea! Both located just out of Tokyo, you can travel to the theme parks via train or bus which will roughly take you around 15 to 35 minutes.
5. KidZania
Probably one of the most bizarre places on the Tokyo with kids list, KidZania is a city for children to role play working and earning money. This 2/3 life sized children’s city is aimed at children between ages 4 to 15 and allows them to experience working in a range of jobs including a chef, bank teller and police officer. With over 60 careers available, children put on their work uniform and get to work, when they begin their experience they are given 50 kidzos (KidZania’s currency) and are encouraged to spend wisely, whether they chose to deposit it in the bank or spend on food, its all in their hands. KidZania is a strictly adult free zone so children are tagged with radio-frequency tags to ensure they cant leave without an alarm going off. With 16 KdZania’s across the globe, this is a great activity which should be experienced during your trip.
6. Kiddyland
Also known as the Best Toy Store in Tokyo, Kiddyland is four floors of pure toy heaven. Becoming more and more popular with adults, this children’s toy store is on another level. Expect to be surrounded by Hello Kitty, Puca and other cute Japanese characters whether they are in plush or bento box form, finding something to spend your money on won’t be too much of a challenge. It’s also known that the latest gadgets are sold here long before they reach any other country so keep your eyes peeled for cutting edge camera, computers and high definition TV’s.
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