2-Week Japan Itinerary For First-Timers (Family-Friendly)

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If you’re planning to spend two weeks in Japan with kids, this detailed 14-day Japan itinerary is our exact Japan itinerary for our first visit as a family. It’s jam-packed with tips, alternative sightseeing options and all the essentials you need to know before you plan a family trip to Japan!

Japan is a destination we’ve always wanted to visit. Some of our closest friends visit often so it was always a matter of time before we made the trip ourselves.

2 weeks in Japan is not enough time to experience this incredible country. But it’s the perfect taster (especially if you’re visiting Japan with kids) for first-time visitors.

Don’t be put off though… this itinerary works for all ages and includes a great mix of bucket list Japan attractions and some of the lesser-known places and experiences too, to help you fall in love with Japan in 2 weeks too.

How To Get Around Japan

The easiest way to get around Japan is by public transport. They have a well-connected train system known for being efficient and on time. Within cities, the Metro system is easy to navigate and affordable.

Download Google Maps before you leave. It will tell you exactly what station to go to, including the platform number, how many stops, and even the best carriage to ride on for the quickest exit.

If you are following our itinerary below, you likely won’t need a Japan Rail Pass, however, if you are going beyond this route, it is worthwhile checking out the options and seeing if it will save you money overall.

With a JR Pass, you don’t need to prebook (they have non-reserved seats for pass holders) and you can hop on and off as needed.

Stay connected during your Japan trip with an eSim from Airalo. You can set it up before you leave home and have coverage as soon as you land!

Our Complete 2-Week Japan Itinerary

This two-week Japan itinerary with kids is aimed to help you plan your own itinerary, either doing it exactly like we did or using it as a basic guide to help you put together your own perfect trip.

We stayed 2 or 3 nights minimum at each destination to avoid moving around too often, preferring to go at a slower pace when travelling as a family.

Day 0 – Transit Day

We arrived at Narita Airport in Tokyo around 7 pm from Brisbane, so we didn’t count this day as part of the itinerary. If you’re lucky enough to arrive earlier in the day, you might get a little head start on your sightseeing or simply use your first night to get yourself prepared for the coming days.

Make sure you read these things to know before you visit Japan for the first time, to help you prepare before your trip!

Getting To Your Tokyo Accommodation

Narita Airport is a little further from the city than Tokyo’s other major airport, Haneda. Both are international airports with plenty of transport options.

• Taxi or Private Transport: These are the easiest and most direct options, but also the most expensive by far. It was around 22,000 yen for our Narita to Disney Resort private transfer but an easy option when arriving late.
• Limousine Bus: If you arrive earlier in the day, the limousine bus is a great option to reach popular areas of Tokyo, including Tokyo Disneyland Resort and the city centre. It’s around 1800 yen for adults and 900 yen for kids one way and saves you navigating trains when you’re tired from travel and you can book online via Klook. They only run until around 6 pm though.
• Train: The train is the most popular option and it’s quite easy to navigate and fairly affordable for the Tokyo Metro. A Tokyo Subway pass is a great option for ease and you can get 24, 48 and 72-hour passes that give unlimited Metro use. Or just buy single-use tickets.
• Hire A Car: If you’re feeling adventurous and don’t mind driving in another country, hiring a car is another alternative to public transport and might end up cheaper overall if you’re doing a fair bit of travel.

Travel Tip: Pick up an IC Card before you leave the airport. A Suica Card or Pasmo card are the most well-known and you can get a Welcome Suica at the airport that is valid for 28 days. It’s a rechargeable transport card that allows you to tap and go. There is also a version for kids that has the discounted ticket pricing automatically too. Alternatively, can also install the Suica card on Apple phones before you leave home.

Day 1 – Tokyo Disneyland

Accommodation: Toy Story Tokyo Disney Hotel

We were crazy enough to kick off our Japan itinerary with Tokyo Disneyland. If you’re not keen on doing the Disney thing, you can jump ahead to day 4 of the itinerary instead!

For convenience, we decided to do a 2-night, 3-day Tokyo Disney Vacation Package. This is by no means the cheapest option for visiting the theme parks, but it did come with some perks that we decided were worth it.

We booked an extra night at the same hotel – the epically themed Toy Story Hotel – for our arrival night so we did our vacation package check-in upon arrival and headed straight into Tokyo Disneyland for ‘Happy Entry’ (15 minutes early entry for hotel guests).

They also have a 1-night, 2-day package option if you’re keen on Disney but not quite so much Disney!

The vacation package includes several premium passes each day so you can skip the queue to some of the most popular attractions, like the Beauty And The Beast ride, which often has a 2-hour wait otherwise.

Some of the other rides do have the option of booking free express passes (40th anniversary pass) inside the Tokyo Disney APP so make sure you download it before your visit.

But if you’re not sure the Disney Vacation package is worth it for you, check out Hilton Tokyo Bay or Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel instead. They both have swimming pools.

We crammed so much into our Disneyland day and it was incredible! Having only been to California Disneyland Resort before, it was exciting to tick another park off the bucket list!

Day 2 – Tokyo DisneySea

Accommodation: Toy Story Tokyo Disney Hotel

Our second full day was spent at DisneySea. If you’re a bit of a Disney Park fanatic, this is said to be one of the most unique Disney Parks in the world.

When you step through the gates, you will think you just arrived in Europe with the rustic buildings and waterways, with the Roman Forum in the background. The theming at DisneySea is next level!

So if you’ve done a lot of Disney Parks before and only want to spend one day at the parks, DisneySea might be the better option. If it’s your first Disney Park visit, choose Tokyo Disneyland.

The best part of the day was visiting Fantasy Springs. This is a newer area focused on Frozen, Rapunzel and Peter Pan and since its opening in June 2024, it has been in high demand.

This was the big reason we went with the Disney Vacation Package – it included entry into Fantasy Springs!

Day 3 – Tokyo DisneySea & Asakusa

Accommodation: Mimaru Asakusa Station

We spent the first half of our final day in Tokyo Bay at DisneySea (we didn’t get to choose… it was the way our vacation package was created since DisneySea is a much larger park.

After lunch, we grabbed our luggage from the hotel storage and caught a taxi to our next hotel. Quicker and easier than the 3 trains we needed to catch, even if it was an expensive option.

Mimaru Asakusa Station is around a 30-second walk to Asakusa Station to catch either the Asakusa or Ginza metro lines. Perfect for exploring greater Tokyo! Plus it was the largest hotel room we had of all our stays – amazing for families!

On our first afternoon, we visited Senso-ji (just 190 metres from the hotel). We wandered around the temple grounds and surrounding gardens then took a (rather long) walk over to Tokyo Skytree Shopping Centre.

Catch the bus or train to save your legs!

This is also the perfect time to check out the views from the Tokyo Skytree Tower as the sun is beginning to set.

The kids really wanted to visit a Pokemon Centre so they ticked off something from their Japan bucket list and it was a cool area to explore before heading back to our hotel to relax after all that Disney time.

Day 4 – Shibuya & Asakusa

Accommodation: Mimaru Asakusa Station

We kicked off our day with our first metro ride and an early visit to Shibuya Scramble Crossing. It was before 10 am on a Sunday so not all of the shops were open yet and it wasn’t quite as hectic as it is later in the day. It’s cool to say you’ve been there, done that!

We did a bit of shopping, mostly because it was 35 degrees Celcius and we were melting. Air conditioning was our motivation! But we did visit the 7-storey Mega Don Quixote and stocked up on some flavoured KitKats, Pocky and other randomness.

This was my least favourite day of the trip, simply because it was so hot and crowded. A better plan might have been to go do Teamlab Borderless or Teamlab Planets, indoors in air-conditioning!

In the afternoon, we headed back to the Senso-ji area until after sunset. The temple and pagoda were even more beautiful at night. There were market stalls all along the path to the temple and food stalls in the side streets, making it a great option for dinner and a bit of shopping too.

Travel Tip: The 8th floor of the Asakusa Tourist Information Centre also has a free observatory with fab views over Senso-ji.

Day 5 – Harry Potter Studios & Tokyo Station

Accommodation: Mimaru Asakusa Station

Our 5th full day in Japan was another big one, doing the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios Tour. It’s located in Nermia City, in the middle of a residential area. The nearest station is Toshimaen with a bit of a walk to reach the studios, but so very worth it!

We loved this experience!

Even Simon enjoyed it and he isn’t really a Harry Potter fan. The behind-the-scenes tour is really fascinating, especially since our eldest insists she wants to be an actress. They show you how a lot of the movie magic was created and have some creative interactive experiences to get you involved.

It took us 3 hours going at a moderate pace. You could easily have spent more time here, especially if you stayed to eat lunch in the Great Hall.

We headed into Tokyo for lunch and then visited Tokyo Station. The train station itself is a beautiful big building but inside you will find heaps of shops, including another Pokemon Store.

There is Character Street, which includes a variety of different stores related to popular characters – Sanrio, OnePiece, Marvel, Mofasand, Pokemon and other anime. A fun place to explore with the kids if they are fans of any of these characters.

Day 6 – Hakone

Accommodation: Onsen Guesthouse Hakone Tent

We left Tokyo fairly early to head to Shinjuku, ready to head to Hakone for a break from the big cities for a couple of days.

The Hakone Free Pass is a must for this part of your Japan itinerary! It’s a special tour ticket that gives you unlimited rides on local transport, including the ropeway, cable car, buses and cruise ship. It also includes a return train ticket from Shinjuku Station to Odawara Station.

We got the 3-day Hakone Freepass so that we could use it to get back to Odawara before heading to Kyoto.

We upgraded our Hakone Free Pass to the Romance Car which is a limited express train with reserved seats so you can do the trip in extra comfort. You do this in the information centre when picking up your Freepass tickets.

This also takes you to Hakone Yumoto where you can catch the Hakone Tozan Railway to Gora Station (which happened to be a 5-minute walk from our Ryokan-style hostel. The railway is steep, so it has 3 switchbacks along the track during the scenic ride.

Since we were a little early, we dropped our bags off at the hostel and headed to Hakone Open Air Museum. This is a really cool place to visit for the whole family. As the name suggests, it’s all outdoors – an outdoor art gallery. There are many exhibits you can interact with and it’s a fun spot for some very cool family pics!

You also get a small discount at the museum as Hakone Freepass holders.

For dinner, we headed to Gora Brewery and Grill. This was fantastic! The food was quite possibly the best of the trip, cooked to absolute perfection, right in front of you in the open kitchen. There were also beautiful views at sunset.

Day 7 – Hakone

Accommodation: Onsen Guesthouse Hakone Tent

Hakone is a popular day trip destination (using the Hakone Free Pass), but we didn’t want to rush through, so for day 7, we did most of the ‘Hakone Loop‘.

We caught the cable car from Gora Station and then the Hakone Ropeway. There are several stops you can get off and explore along the Ropeway, sometimes with views of Mount Fuji on a clear day (no luck for us). The best stop is Ōwakudani.

Ōwakudani is a volcanic valley with active sulphur vents (that can get pretty smelly) and hot springs. The view from the Ropeway is pretty awesome, with smoke billowing from the hot ground.

You’ve got to get out and explore here. There are several restaurants, souvenir shops and lookout points to enjoy. There is also a hike if you’re feeling more energetic.

Plus, this is home to the famous Ōwakudani black eggs! The eggs are hard-boiled in volcanic hot springs and it turns the shells black. Eating one is meant to give you up to 7 years of extra life. Why not, right?

We all ate one and they tasted just like normal hard-boiled eggs, with a slight sulphur smell. The kids were a little reluctant but they didn’t want to miss out. You can get 4 eggs for 500 yen. Make sure you also try the curry bread here too. Yum!

Then catch the ropeway to Lake Ashinoko and enjoy the scenic cruise aboard a ‘pirate ship’. They have several ships running so cruises are typically every 30 or so minutes and the full scenic cruise takes just over an hour.

You can get off at other points to see the beautiful Hakone-jinja Shrine up close. You do need to catch a bus then walk 20 minutes though so we admired it by boat.

The other funny thing we noticed was they have these swan-shaped paddle boats you can hire and many people were hiring these and paddling out to the shrine. I’m sure the huge line of people getting their Instagram shots weren’t too impressed about the colourful swans in the background…

We headed back to Gora and did a quick walk around Gora Park. This is discounted with your Hakone Free Pass, although to be honest, it was not overly exciting for the kids and unless you love gardens, you could easily skip this.

Simon and I finished off our day with a private onsen at our Ryokan.

Hakone was the perfect change of pace for a family trip to Japan after theme parks and city crowds.

Day 8 – Kyoto

Accommodation: BON Kyoto Station

We had a 10:30 am Shinkansen (bullet train) from Odawara Station to Kyoto Station. This was by far our biggest transport expense, coming in at around 41,000 yen (around $420 AU) for the four of us, with reserved seating.

Train Tip: If you book your Shinkansen tickets on Klook, you have the option of choosing Mt Fuji views for no extra cost.

Each of the bullet train stations has bento boxes to purchase before your departure and make sure you do as there are no food cart services onboard. The bento options at Odawara weren’t great, but it is a smaller station.

The journey to Kyoto was around 2 hours and 20 minutes and even though we booked on the Mount Fuji view side, no luck. The summit was being shy again. Bummer.

It was a late hotel check-in at 4 pm so we dropped our suitcases at Bon Kyoto Station (around a 15-minute walk) and then headed to Aeon Mall. This was a 5-minute walk away and we enjoyed exploring the shopping centre until check-in.

Knowing we had a huge day tomorrow, we picked up dinner and snacks from the supermarket at the mall and gave ourselves some much-needed rest.

Day 9 – Kyoto

Accommodation: BON Kyoto Station

This was one of our biggest (non-theme park) days. We got an early start to try and beat the crowds at Fushimi Inari Shrine. This was one of the things I most wanted to see on the trip and while the kids weren’t as impressed, I think it’s beautiful to visit and you really must make the time!

We walked 3/4 of the length of the tori gates but even at 9 am, it was sweltering hot so we jumped back on the train to Kyoto, then to Saga-Arashiyama Station on the JR West Line to visit Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.

It was already really busy here, despite being early still and it was just so hot. The forest is pretty but the kids were more motivated to see wildlife!

Our next stop was the trek up the mountain to Arashiyama Monkey Park. It’s not too far from the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove but ideally, if you can go on a cooler day, do it because sheesh, that climb was rough!

Worth it though! The monkeys are so freaking cute! We spent about an hour or more watching them interact around the park.

It’s more of a reserve. The monkeys aren’t fenced in and can roam freely. There is a feeding ‘cage’ for the humans to stand inside and offer fruit and nuts through the wire to the monkeys. We loved this so much. One of the monkeys even shook its head when my daughter offered him a peanut, preferring the apple I had instead.

Afterwards, we wandered around the area, visiting some of the local shops and enjoying the pretty scenery in the area before heading back to our room to rest our over-used feet.

If you’ve still got energy (and it’s not crazy hot), our original plan was to make it a full day and spend the afternoon visiting the Golden Pavillion (Kinkaku-ji temple), with our plan to catch a taxi there to speed up the transit time.

Or you could also stay within the same area and do the Sagano Romantic Train journey (if you aren’t all ‘trained out’ yet). This is an open-style train that takes in the scenery of the Hozu River.

Day 10 – Kyoto

Accommodation: BON Kyoto Station

Today’s main attraction is Kiyomizu-Dera Temple. We headed off early again, expecting to beat the crowds. Everyone else had the same idea but it’s no wonder why. This is a spectacular temple and worth the hike up the hill from the train station (we would have caught a taxi if we saw one).

Kiyomizu-Dera is a Buddhist temple in Eastern Kyoto and it’s part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has been beautifully maintained with some restoration work going on while we were there on one of the external buildings.

It’s around 500 yen for adults and 200 yen for kids for entry. Well worth it!

The grounds are huge with quite a few stairs if you want to explore beyond the main temple. One of the reasons it’s so popular is because of the stunning views over Kyoto. Although it’s images of the temple itself during Autumn that might be most familiar.

Even though it was Autumn during our visit, the weather was still very much Summer so no Autumn leaves to see.

After exploring the temple grounds, take some time to wander through the many souvenirs and treat shops set inside traditional wooden buildings along Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka Streets before making your way into Gion.

It’s not too far to walk to Gion from here and you will find plenty of lunch options here, such as udon or soba noodles or katsudon. With full bellies, take a leisurely walk through Gion. Shirakawa Canal is a pretty spot with restaurants lining the canal banks.

This is Gion’s famous Geisha district, although you might have a higher chance of seeing a Geisha in the evening. Otherwise, find yourself some local souvenirs or try some yummy food along the way.

Not too far from here is Yasaka Shrine if the kids aren’t too over cultural sites for the day. This is a vibrant-coloured shrine with a beautiful entrance gate and gardens. This is a popular attraction in the area but with plenty of space to enjoy the pretty gardens.

If you’ve got the energy, do dinner in Gion before heading back to your hotel.

Day 11 – Nara & Osaka

Accommodation: Hotel Universal Port Vita

One of the toughest things about our visit to Japan was how hot it was. It was mid-September and even towards the end of our trip, the temperatures were still very high so it meant we had to cut some of our days short just to take a break from the hot sun.

For this reason, we decided to turn our transit day from Kyoto to Osaka into a day trip to Nara.

One of the best things about Japanese train stations (and many shopping centres too) is that they have luggage lockers. We put our suitcases into lockers at Kintetsu-Nara Station for a few hours to explore the city.

You can go to either Kintetsu-Nara Station or Nara Station. Nara Station is on the JR Line, while the other is not. It’s also a further walk to Nara Deer Park, hence why we chose the other. Either way, they’ve both got luggage lockers that are between 300 and 900 yen for the day.

It won’t take long before you start spotting deer in town. We were actually shocked! I was so worried Nara would be one of those over-rated tourist attractions but it was such a fun day. Even with it being a rainy day!

We threw our ponchos on and went in search of deer and could not believe how many there were! Of course, they are more concentrated in certain areas near where the tourists can purchase crackers to feed them.

The crackers are 200 yen for 10 and you can break them into smaller pieces to feed to deer. If you bow to them, they will bow back and then you can offer them some cracker.

The feeding experience is one that you don’t need to have to enjoy seeing the deer.

They are lovely until you get crackers, and then they become a bit feisty. We are fairly confident with wildlife and kept our crackers hidden in the bag between feeding to deter being chased by too many deer at once, but sometimes you’ve got to put a bit of space between you and the deer. They surround you pretty quickly when they see that food!

Nara is also home to Tōdai-ji Temple complex which was once one of the Seven Great Temples, making it historically significant in Japan.

The main attraction here is the enormous Great Buddha statue. It was once the largest indoor Buddha statue, almost 15 metres tall. It’s quite impressive to see!

In saying that, while the gardens and various shrines are beautiful here, we did not find a great deal else to see so if you’re not super keen on seeing this impressive statue, or you’re visiting with small kids, you might like to pass on it. It cost us around 24,000 yen total for a family of 4 to go inside.

There are other museums and galleries in Nara that might be more your style!

Alternatively, you can also do a guided afternoon tour that includes Nara Park, Todai-ji Temple and Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

It was then onto our hotel across from Universal Studios, so we walked across to Universal City Walk for dinner and a look around after checking in.

Day 12 – Osaka

Accommodation: Hotel Universal Port Vita

Today was very much our Japanese food bucket list day! We kicked off at Shiabashi Shopping Street, although a lot of the shops don’t open until 10:30 or 11 am so don’t go too early!

Here we wandered down the shopping street until we reached the extremely crowded heart of Dotonbori. This felt even more crowded than our Shibuya Crossing experience!

We found the iconic Glico Running Man. Such a strange attraction, but in case you’re keen to see it, this is your chance, as you exit the end of the shopping arcade.

We also rode the Ebisu Tower Ferris Wheel which is on the Don Quiote Building in Dontonbori.

It was the world’s first oval-shaped Ferris wheel and it made our youngest a bit nervous as she hates heights. 600 yen per person to ride and line up about 20 minutes before opening if you want to avoid the long line. Make sure you have cash!

It creaks a bit and the views aren’t exceptional during the day though, but a fun experience.

Kuromon Ichiba Market is the perfect spot to try some of those famous Osaka dishes and this was our foodie dream day! We sampled takoyaki, okonomiyaki, candied fruit and mochi. Although I think my favourite was the 10 yen cheese coin.

If you’d told me a firm pancake with cheese in the middle would be so delicious, I’m not sure I would have believed you! Worth the hype! Oh so stringy…

And because apparently we had second stomachs that day, we headed back over to Universal City Walk for a Japanese BBQ. An all-you-can-eat BBQ restaurant where they bring you unlimited meat and veggies to cook on your own table BBQ for 90 minutes. We were stuffed after dinner!

We would have loved to do an Osaka street food tour but left it too late to book one, so we had to do the DIY version, however, this food tour with local guide is the one we were looking at.

Osaka is the place for foodies in Japan!

Day 13 – Universal Studios Japan

Accommodation: Hotel Universal Port Vita

Our final full day in Japan, and a heck of a way to end our two weeks – we spent the day at Universal Studios in Osaka.

This was our first visit to Universal Studios anywhere in the world and it was a fun day out. We did a bit of research and everyone said that without express passes, you will just be lining up all day, so we got our studio passes and Express Pass 4 tickets on Klook.

Express Pass 4 gives you express access to 4 attractions. In our case, this was Minions Mayhem, Jaws and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey plus entry into Super Nintendo World and express for Mario Kart Bowsers Challenge.

There is also an Express Pass 7 which sells out soooo fast! These include more thrill rides, with a few variations available.

These rides mostly had over 1 hour waits throughout the day so we saved a lot of time. It does make the day expensive though, especially once you add in food and drink as you cannot get a re-entry pass for USJ usually.

We managed to fit in a few other rides and honestly would have been done for the day around 4 pm maybe, not willing to wait for more lines except we happened to be visiting during Halloween Horror nights that run from early September until early November.

There were zones all around the park dedicated to Halloween, with crew dressed up as horror characters giving guests frights, horror walk-throughs and cute Halloween dance parties and trick-or-treating for the kids earlier in the day.

We really loved being able to enjoy this special event for our visit and thankfully our kids are older and didn’t get spooked by all the scary stuff.

Day 14 – Tempozan & Fly Home

For our final day, we didn’t fly out until almost 10 pm so we stored our suitcases in the free lockers at Hotel Universal Port Vita and headed across to Tempozan Village.

Our original plan was to start with Osaka Castle, however with our youngest feeling a little off, we sadly had to skip it.

We got a little confused trying to work out where the ferry was to get to Tempozan and ended up walking about 20 minutes to the free shuttle ferry that crosses the river. It’s in the middle of an industrial park and you think you’re in the wrong place until you find the hidden ferry terminal.

The alternative and much quicker option would be the Universal Studios ferry that docks right next to the Osaka Aquarium. Except it’s definitely not free! It would have cost us 2400 yen for a one-way ferry trip instead of our free ferry with a walk.

Our youngest wasn’t feeling the best so we wandered around Tempozan Marketplace and picked up a few last-minute souvenirs and Japanese treats to take home.

Otherwise, we would have ridden the Tempozan Ferris Wheel. This is the second largest Ferris wheel in Japan (the other is also in Osaka). It’s only 600 yen to ride.

The other great option would have been to visit Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN. This is the world’s largest aquarium and it did look massive! It is meant to be incredible.

Or for LEGO fans, there’s a Legoland Discovery Centre here too. There is plenty to fill in your day in Tempozan Village!

Then it was time to grab our luggage and catch the limousine bus from Universal Studios transit area to Kansai International Airport. This took around 1 hour and 10 minutes and cost 1800 yen per adult and 900 per child.

What We Would Have Done Differently?

We loved our trip to Japan. It’s not hard to fall in love with the country, the people, the culture and the food. But that doesn’t mean our itinerary was perfect!

The first thing I would have changed is not going in September! It was so hot. We are from Brisbane in Australia which is a hot place and it felt like the middle of our Summer. The high humidity can really take it out of you. So I’d avoid any of the hot months.

I might also have switched our Shibuya day for something more cultural as I don’t feel like we experienced the best of Tokyo’s history and culture.

As for our next Japan trip, we want to get off the highlights route and go beyond the 3 main cities – to Hiroshima and Miyajima, Hokkaido and Okinawa. We would also love to see the cherry blossoms next time or the Autumn leaves. I’d also happily visit Kyoto again to see the main attractions we missed.

In Summary – 2 Weeks In Japan

We hope our 2 week Japan itinerary helps you plan your own epic Japan family trip. One of the things that surprised me (and overwhelmed me a bit) was the fact that Japan is a destination that does need a bit more planning. Japan can also be expensive!

We are the type of travellers that like to wing it a bit and see where the days take us, but with how popular some of the Japanese attractions are, you need to book ahead of time or risk missing out. This includes places like Disney packages, theme park express passes and popular attractions like Shibuya Sky, Teamlabs Borderless or Harry Potter Studios.

The fact that there are so many incredible places to visit in Japan also makes it hard to narrow down the must-visits! There’s no doubt that 2 weeks in Japan only gives you the highlights of Japan and there are so many other itineraries you could create beyond these popular cities. But when you’re travelling with kids, you do need to pace yourself more!

We can’t wait to explore more of this incredible country next trip and you can bet there will be more Japan trips soon!

What is at the top of your Japan bucket list? Tell us in the comments below.