Japanese families also often go out with their families on holidays. They often travel together, especially when their children are young. The experiences of traveling have a great impact on the children’s future lives. The memories of the destination will be a lifetime memory for the whole family. The choice of purpose and destination is important.
This page introduces some of the most popular places in Japan that Japanese people visit with their families. These destinations have been carefully selected by our staff based on word-of-mouth information from many Japanese families to ensure that they are truly family friendly. Please use them as a reference when choosing a destination for your family’s visit to Japan.
Popular Spots for Japanese Families to Visit on Holidays
We have selected the top rated tourist destinations to visit with children, based on reviews by Japanese families.
Please see them together with YouTube videos that are easy to understand for people from overseas.
Hitachi Seaside Park
The park is a hot topic on social networking sites such as Instagram. The park is filled with seasonal flowers, and is especially crowded with tourists from Japan and abroad when the nemophila in spring and kochia in fall are at their best.
There is a seaside train that circles the park (a 40-minute ride), an amusement park, an open lawn area where visitors can enjoy various activities, an “egg forest” with nine colorful eggs in a pine forest, and a water playground open only in summer. You can enjoy the whole day with your children to the fullest.
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Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise
A complex entertainment facility surrounded by the sea 360 degrees. Approximately 120,000 creatures of 700 species are on display at “Aqua Resorts”, which includes the “Aqua Tube” escalator that makes you feel like you are walking in the sea, and the “Dolphin Fantasy” where dolphins swim freely in an arch-shaped aquarium. You can see sea creatures up close. At Pleasure Land, you can enjoy roller coasters that protrude into the sea, as well as other attractions such as boat rides on the real ocean.
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Ghibli Museum Mitaka
A large Totoro welcomes you as you enter the museum, and you enter the world of Ghibli, a must-see for anyone who loves Studio Ghibli’s animation works. A must-see for anyone who loves the animated works of Studio Ghibli, this museum opened in October 2001 and has remained popular ever since, becoming one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist attractions.
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Funabashi Andersen Park
This vast park is ranked No. 3 on a travel review site’s list of “Popular Theme Parks in Japan. The park has a variety of unique facilities, including one of the largest field athletic fields in Japan, a water plaza where you can get wet and play, and a photogenic fairy tale hill with a large windmill, making it a fun place to spend the entire day. Visitors are free to bring their own food and drink.
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Tobu World Square
A theme park that reproduces 102 world-famous buildings, including 46 World Heritage Sites, in 1/25th scale. The park is divided into six zones: “Modern Japan Zone”, “America Zone”, “Egypt Zone”, “Europe Zone”, “Asia Zone” and “Japan Zone”. You can feel like you have traveled the world in one day. The Japan zone will feature historical Japanese buildings, while the Modern Japan zone will focus on Tokyo buildings. You will be amazed by the lifelike building.
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Mishima Skywalk
Japan’s longest 400m pedestrian suspension bridge opened in December 2015. Located between Izu and Hakone, from the top of the bridge, the superb view of Suruga Bay and Mt. Fuji is a perfect photo spot. It will be a photo of your family memories.
There are entrance gates on the south and north sides of the bridge, and there are souvenir shops and cafes around the gates. You can also enjoy activities such as long zip slides.
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Asahiyama Zoo
A zoo that is very popular for its “behavioral exhibits” where you can see lively animals. One of the most popular is the Cylindrical Aquarium, where you can observe the characteristic swimming style of seals. Curious seals come and go in the cylindrical aquarium many times, and they approach visitors with curiosity.
In winter, polar bears and other animals born in cold climates roam around energetically. The “Penguin Walk”, which started as a way to relieve the lack of exercise in winter, is now a major winter event at Asahiyama Zoo.
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Fujiko F Fujio Museum
A museum exhibiting the works of manga artist Fujiko F. Fujio, creator of Doraemon, Perman, and Kiteretsu Encyclopedia. Playful exhibitions where you can meet cartoon characters are popular.
Also, at the café where you can enjoy your meal while looking out at the rooftop garden, the menus associated with the characters are fun. Don’t miss the museum shop, which is lined with original goods. Museum limited products such as “Dorayaki” and “Ankipan Rusk” are popular.
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Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
The aquarium has the highest number of visitors in Japan. It is located in the northern part of Okinawa, about a two-hour drive from Naha Airport. In addition to the whale shark, which is currently breaking the record for the world’s longest breeding record, visitors can observe a variety of creatures living in the Okinawan sea in 77 tanks of various sizes.
Outside the aquarium, there is the “Oki-chan Theater” where you can watch dolphin shows, the “Sea Turtle Pavilion” and the “Manatee Pavilion. Some of these can be enjoyed with free admission.
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Koiwai Farm
Japan’s largest private ranch. Established in 1891, the farm has a rich history, and the 21 farm buildings, including cowsheds and silos, are designated as national important cultural properties.
In the park, you can spend the whole day interacting with the animals, playing on the trampoline, enjoying farm gourmet foods such as Genghis Khan and soft-serve ice cream, and even buying souvenirs. You can also join a guided bus tour to visit areas that are not open to the public and historic buildings. Winter illumination held from late November to early January is one of the largest in Tohoku. Ski resorts are also nearby.
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Shiroi Koibito Park
An entertainment facility where you can experience the “world of chocolate” operated by Ishiya Confectionery, the manufacturer of Hokkaido’s representative sweets “Shiroi Koibito”. You can enjoy the charm of various sweets, not just Shiroi Koibito.
There are two tour courses. In the “Factory Course”, you can observe the manufacturing process of “Shiroi Koibito”. In the “Premium Factory Course”, you can participate in a 30-minute tour, and there is also a corner where you can learn the history of chocolate from a chocolate-loving doctor through projection mapping. In addition, there are attractions, restaurants, shops, etc., which can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. The illuminations are especially impressive in winter, from November to the end of March.
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Nara Park
Close to Kintetsu Nara Station. A vast park measuring about 4 km from east to west and about 2 km from north to south. This is one of the few parks in the world where you can interact with friendly wild deer. The park is full of Japanese historical heritage such as the World Heritage “Todaiji Temple (Great Buddha of Nara)”, “Shosoin” and “Kofukuji”, as well as “Kasuga Taisha Shrine” and “Nara National Museum”. It’s close to Osaka and Kyoto, so it’s a place you definitely want to visit.
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National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Miraikan
A science museum that introduces cutting-edge science and technology in an easy-to-understand manner. The permanent exhibition consists of three themes: “Connecting with the Earth,” “Exploring the World,” and “Creating the Future.” The natural and powerful image experience by the 3D system is also popular.
The restaurant “Miraikan Kitchen” on the 7th floor overlooks Odaiba and Tokyo Tower, and you can enjoy a unique menu while admiring the scenery.
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Kamogawa Sea World
This famous aquarium opened in 1970. It has always been popular due to its proximity to Tokyo, and more than 10,000 sea and river creatures are kept and exhibited here. The aquarium is famous for its performances by marine animals. Every day, there are performances by a total of four types of animals: beluga, dolphin, killer whale, and sea lion. The beluga and orca performances are especially worth seeing.
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Tokyo Skytree
It is a tower with a height of 634m with two observation decks. The observation deck offers a 360-degree panoramic view. There are also cafes and restaurants on the observation deck where you can dine while admiring the superb view. In addition, the “Sumida Aquarium” and the planetarium “Tenku”, which are popular for their unique exhibits, are also popular. There are many sightseeing spots in Tokyo in the surrounding area, but you can’t miss this place.
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Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama
This is a hands-on museum where you can make your own original cup noodles. Through exhibitions and hands-on experiences related to instant noodles, you can learn about the history and concept of cup noodles while having fun.
In the popular original cup noodle making experience, you can make your own one and only cup noodle in the world by putting your favorite ingredients and soup in a container of your own design. Also, at the noodle bazaar inside the museum, you can enjoy noodle dishes from 8 countries, mainly in Asia, such as Mie Goreng from Indonesia. The noodles are served in small bowls, so you can try different kinds of noodles from around the world.
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The Hakone Open-Air Museum
It is the first open-air museum in Japan. About 120 masterpieces are on permanent display in the vast green garden overlooking the mountains of Hakone. There are also five indoor exhibition halls, including the Picasso Pavilion, as well as a natural hot spring footbath.
The famous “Happiness Symphony Sculpture” is a tower with a height of 18 meters and an inner diameter of 8 meters. The entire space is covered with stained glass, and the light from outside creates a fantastical world.
There are sculptures that children can enter and play with, called Play Sculptures. The purpose of this museum is to discover the beauty of color and light, and the fun of modeling, through play.
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Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
8 floors above ground, the world’s largest aquarium. It was also selected as the number one aquarium in Asia on a travel review site.
Take the escalator up to the top floor, and you’ll find a variety of attractions such as the “Pacific Ocean,” a giant tank where giant whale sharks swim, the “Antarctic Continent,” where three types of penguins are on display, and the “Aqua Gate,” a transparent undersea tunnel where brightly colored tropical fish swim. The style of descending gradually while looking at the elaborate exhibition space is innovative.
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Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology
A museum operated by the Toyota Group that can be enjoyed by both adults and children. The museum introduces Toyota’s history and technology in an easy-to-understand manner by dividing the museum into two sections: the loom section and the automobile section. The spacious facility also includes a museum café, restaurant, Technoland for children, and various other facilities. You could spend a whole day here and not get bored.
Nearby is Noritake no Mori, a ceramics-related complex on the grounds of Noritake’s headquarters, the birthplace of the modern ceramics industry, which also offers a special shared admission ticket. Please visit both places at the same time.
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The Railway Museum
Commonly called “TEPPAKU,” this museum is full of fascinating railway-related history, technology, and mechanisms, satisfying both adults and children. Actual vehicles, from steam locomotives (SL) to bullet trains, are on display. In the outdoor park zone, visitors can actually experience driving miniature trains and mini shuttles. Visitors can also look down on the actual Shinkansen tracks from the “Panorama Deck” on the rooftop.
Inside the museum, there is a restaurant and a café with a motif of a dining car that was connected to the Shinkansen and sleeper trains. In addition, visitors can purchase ekiben (boxed lunches) at the store or bring their ow
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Now, make good preparations to spend your vacation with your family in Japan.
