Family adventures in Tokyo

When I think of traveling in Japan, I picture the perfect day. I wake in the morning, go for a run, grab a quick breakfast, and then set out on foot, camera slung around my shoulder. Wandering from place to place, I take metros and trains, but mostly walk. At the end of the day, a cold beer and a bowl of noodles is all I need before I slip off to deep sleep.

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The only exceptions to the never-ending feeling of lightness and mobility are the start and end of the trip. Toting heavy bags changes everything. Straight lines become zigzags as I string together curb cuts, ramps, escalators, and elevators. Squeezing into rush hour trains can be nearly impossible.

Nowadays, with two children in tow, Japan trips are different. Pushing strollers feels as if we are dragging heavy bags for the entirety of the trip. Restaurants are chosen, not for their novelty or authenticity, but for convenience. And, of course, attractions are selected for their family friendliness.

In Japan, that’s not actually a compromise. Quite a bit of what I’ve visited as an adult heavily caters to children. Much of what we’ve chosen with our kids in mind has been enjoyable to us as well.

Railway museums

Rail is the method of travel I prefer above all else. It possesses nearly all the drama and grandeur of air travel, but none of its inconveniences. Often, it’s even faster.

I traveled by rail as a child in India, charmed by the fold-down sleeper bunks. The trains themselves are not much to speak about — rusty and noisy, but they get the job done.

In China, I’ve traveled by high-speed rail. The trains, though quite varied in their designs, are all painted identically, emblems of Chinese uniformity.

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Japan is the land of the rail fan. The railways are run by a network of independent companies, many with their own proprietary trains. Case in point are the Shinkansen. The name might suggest a single type of train. But, each region (and even each individual separate service on a line) features different, colorfully painted trains.

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This infinite complexity of the Japanese train system provides plenty of fodder for rail enthusiasts. I glimpsed them on my first trip as we rode the Romancecar from Tokyo to Hakone. Several crowded at a tunnel entrance, snapping shots on their DSLRs.

It should be no surprise that there are several world-class railway museums within day-trip distance of Tokyo.

The Railway Museum

If there is one museum worth visiting near Tokyo, it has to be the Railway Museum in Omiya. It’s a full rundown of rail technology in Japan, spanning from the earliest steam trains to the latest bullet trains. It’s housed in a massive building nestled between multiple busy train lines. While dining at the restaurant, we watched the colorful trains from the Hokuriku, Joetsu, and Tohoku Shinkansen lines zipping by. From outdoors, we saw countless commuter and freight trains.

This museum has something for everyone. Adults may enjoy the train showcase featuring meticulous scale models, photographs, and descriptions of nearly every train used throughout Japanese history. There is also a history exhibit divided into major eras of train travel, each entered through a period-correct turnstile. There’s also a culture section with a wall full of books, films, and novels featuring trains and a display with dozens of Ekiben.

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For true enthusiasts, there is a whole range of simulators of differing difficulty levels. For younger children, there is a mini museum with a café, Plarail play area, and make-believe kitchen for Ekiben. Right behind is my favorite section, a model railway on which I was able to drive (with my two kids behind me) in a tiny railcar complete with accurate controls. We drove from station to station, obeying simulated signals as we went.

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The centerpiece is the central hall within which more than a dozen trains sit, some accompanied with period-correct platforms and others open to the public. There is also a dedicated hall celebrating the development and first day of the original Shinkansen.

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SCMaglev and Railway Park

The SCMaglev and Railway Park is conveniently located on the way from Tokyo to Kyoto along the Tokaido Shinkansen. This bullet train line is both the oldest and most heavily used of the many Shinkansen lines. Roughly following the path of the historical Tokaido highway, it joins many of Japan’s most populous cities.

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The SCMaglev is the next iteration of this train line, comprising entirely new track and a futuristic magnetic levitation train. When finished, it will be called the Chuo Shinkansen and will reduce the travel time between Tokyo and Nagoya from one and a half hours to forty minutes.

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Though more limited than the Railway Museum, this museum’s dedication to Shinkansen technologies and the newer magnetic levitation system makes it worth visiting. My favorite details were the explanations of how the continuously welded track is replaced and how the system deals with the two incompatible electrical grids in Japan.

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Children would love the observation deck and the A-Train Zone with hands-on activities and games.

Factories

My family has a deep fascination with factories and seeing how things are made. As a child, I would watch Mister Rogers and would always hope that Mr. McFeely would stop by with a VHS tape featuring a factory tour. These days, my children love to watch “How It’s Made.”

Japan, being a leader in manufacturing and technology, is dotted with factory tours. Most, like the car factories or distilleries, are quite far from Tokyo. However, we have enjoyed a few within day-trip distance of Tokyo.

Mentai Park

Mentaiko is spicy cod roe, a food originating in Korea that is now common across all of Japan. There are numerous Mentai Parks around the country, generally located within easy access for those traveling by car. Though we visited the location in Gunma prefecture, there is one in Tokoname, about an hour and a half from Tokyo via public transit.

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Each Mentai Park follows roughly the same equation. There is a self-guided tour of the factory, where each step of the process of creating mentaiko can be seen through windows. A small museum features interactive exhibits explaining the history and process. For restless children, there are numerous play areas, both inside and outside.

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A shop sells various grades of mentaiko and mentaiko products like chili oil and chocolate. There are also prizes and games awarded based on the total spent. A small café serves up mentaiko-based dishes including classics like pasta, onigiri, and more unusual options like mentaiko soft-serve ice cream. Dispensers across the building feature free water and tea — ensuring that visitors stay hydrated and can wash away any lingering tastes after sampling mentaiko.

Kikkoman Factory

Though soy sauce may seem like a rather ordinary food to investigate, once we began learning about it, we couldn’t stop. Kikkoman is the world leader in soy sauce production, and their factory in Noda is open to the public. In it, we saw their industrialized version of the traditional process that was honed over centuries.

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All the while, we played a stamp game (quite common in Japan), where we sought out stamps to complete a stamp book. In return for completing the challenge, we were given complimentary prizes to take home. Through the process of smelling and tasting soy sauce, we learned first-hand how the flavor of soy sauce breaks down after opening.

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The store, while modest, offered some exclusive items, like a soy sauce dispenser that we simply had to take home. We also tried out the Japanese tradition of toasting mochi over fire and brushing them with soy sauce.

Children’s museums

Over the years, we’ve learned the full range of what the term “children’s museum” can encompass. Some are simply indoor playgrounds featuring toys and activities that we presumably could buy at home. Some are comprised of numerous simulated places where children can role-play activities like shopping, musical performance, and constructing houses. Others are truly museums, with dedicated themes, but geared mostly to children and families.

ASOBono!

ASOBono! ranks among the best children’s museums we have experienced. It is quite accessible as it is housed within the vast entertainment complex including Tokyo Dome City.

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We reserved our tickets in advance as the limited capacity usually fills up by the day of. In iconic Japanese fashion, everything from stroller parking to lockers and the shoes-off policy were clearly marked and enforced.

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My older child had a marvelous time diving through the massive ball pit. My younger one enjoyed the extensive town area, including a supermarket and street vendors, among others. An expansive Plarail train area featured so many working trains and train tracks that I never witnessed a single instance of children competing over limited resources. Given the restricted admission numbers, no other area ever felt crowded either.

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After playing for a few hours starting at opening, we walked to nearby restaurants to find a suitable lunch spot for both the four of us and the three family members we met up with. We ended up going to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., which proved to be the perfect place for our large group and my energetic, vocal children.

Tokyo Toy Museum

Unlike some other venues, the Tokyo Toy Museum can be thoroughly enjoyable for both children and adults. Housed in an old school in Shinjuku, the building was fascinating to me given the number of times Japanese schools appear in anime and films.

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The entire facility is dedicated to play. On the first floor is a vast library of board and puzzle games, most meticulously crafted from wood. If I didn’t have my children with me, I could have easily spent half a day there playing. On the second floor are even more rooms.

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There is a wooden playground for older children, complete with a treehouse and a ball pit made entirely of balls and eggs carved from solid wood.

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There was also a room for babies complete with storage for diaper bags and easy access to nursing and changing rooms. In the craft room, staff guided us in creating our own handmade toys.

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Given the heavy use of wood, this museum creates a very different aesthetic experience compared to the plastic-heavy toys found elsewhere.

Immersive experiences

Beyond the playground experience to be found at children’s museums lies the world of immersive experiences. Some, like the Color Factory, are not just a treat for the senses, but also provide ample opportunities for photography. Japan has its fair share of immersive experiences, a few of which we have tried over the years.

KidZania

KidZania is an international chain of theme parks where children role-play different professions in as much detail as would be possible. Each one is completely localized with sponsors lending their corporate branding to the logos, uniforms, and vehicles seen throughout the park.

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The Japanese location, though primarily designed for domestic visitors, did feature both a written guide in English and several staff members who circulated ready to answer any questions we may have had.

The park revolves around a currency and some slightly convoluted rules governing how children can sign up for jobs. Children can then perform these jobs (e.g., flying an airplane for ANA, or delivering packages for Yamato Transport), earning KidZos along the way. They can then redeem their money for goods and services.

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My oldest child attended when he was three years old. Even though the minimum age is two, we felt he was a little bit too young. He certainly thoroughly enjoyed delivering packages, riding vehicles, and putting out fires. Though, he wasn’t able to fully comprehend the system, requiring us to help with reservations.

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Both my wife and I felt a bit of pressure given that we had a limited amount of time we could stay at the park and given that we had to think of and apply some tactics to ensure that my child’s time was spent on the activities he wanted.

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Given our children are a bit older now, we’d love taking them to this or another KidZania location around the world.

teamLab Planets

I first heard of teamLab when I explored their small installation held in conjunction with Pace Gallery in Menlo Park nearly a decade ago. Though quite limited in scope, that first iteration contained much of what is now presented on a massive scale at teamLab’s current experiences. Located quite near KidZania on the reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, teamLab Planets is one of two teamLab experiences in Toyosu.

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As we arrived at the complex, we discovered the sheer scale that teamLab is now operating on. Hundreds of other visitors waited, some in an outdoor café and garden space. We were quickly corralled with other ticket holders into the building where our experience commenced. There are numerous different experiences divided up by locker rooms where we could store our bags and other unneeded items.

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Though small children are allowed, they have to be held in certain sections if they aren’t able to walk independently.

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The multi-sensory experiences didn’t merely offer a chance to revel in aesthetic pleasures, but also gave me plenty of opportunity to contemplate some of life’s larger questions.

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All of us, from our youngest child to my in-laws, found ourselves completely enveloped.

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A family-friendly city

Tokyo is, by and large, far more family-friendly than cities such as New York or London. All public transport is accessible via elevator, and most metro cars have dedicated spaces for strollers. Restaurants usually feature children’s menus and plates and cutlery for young ones.

Parks are numerous, most with on-site bathrooms and even sometimes with changing rooms.

Of course, the attractions are what truly make Tokyo worth visiting with children. Tickets are often generously subsidized. Stamp rallies and dedicated play areas offer a layer of enjoyment for children on top of other activities that attract adults.

If you live far from Tokyo, but can weather the long flight and jet lag with your children, Tokyo will reward you with memories for a lifetime.

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