Why Japan has become the most praised family destination of the last decade and how to create a one-week itinerary that works for ages four to fourteen.
Why Japan has become the most praised family destination of the last decade and how to create a one-week itinerary that works for ages four to fourteen.
Japan is currently the family destination with the least operational friction in the world: punctual trains, safe streets, clean bathrooms at any station, and kid-friendly food.
The best cost-benefit age range is eight to twelve years. Below four, stroller logistics complicate things. Above fourteen, it becomes a nerdy teen trip, which is also great.
A well-balanced seven days are four in Tokyo and three in Kyoto, with Shinkansen in the middle of the itinerary and luggage sent door-to-door via takkyubin.
Reserve teamLab Planets, Ghibli Museum, Disneyland, and KidZania thirty to sixty days in advance. Without a reservation, you can't enter.
Children up to five years old travel for free on the Shinkansen on a parent's lap. From six, they pay half fare. Reserving seat E guarantees a view of Mount Fuji between Tokyo and Kyoto.
Why Japan has become the most praised family destination of the last decade and how to create a one-week itinerary that works for ages four to fourteen.
