4 days in Tokyo
Written September 2026
Picture it: you step off the train at Shinjuku with a stroller, a carry-on and a four-year-old, and 3 million other people are doing the same thing that day. Tokyo is huge. The trick with kids is to stop treating it like one city, because it's really a bunch of neighborhoods stitched together by trains. So this plan takes one side a day: Ueno and the Skytree in the east, the bay at Odaiba, Harajuku and Shibuya in the middle, and the parks and the Ghibli Museum out west. You ride the train in the morning and then walk, and you never cross town twice in one day.
And honestly? It might be the easiest big city in the world to do with kids. It's clean, it's calm, the trains run on time, and there are bathrooms everywhere (a lot of them with a little seat for your toddler built right into the stall, which is genius). Your kids will also find more tiny, excellent snacks than anywhere else you've taken them.
It assumes four nights and a kid anywhere from stroller age to about ten. Every place named is a listing, so the changing table, the way in with a stroller and who it suits all live on its own page, with a date on them (not remembered from a trip years ago).
Where to stay
Stay near a big station on a line you'll use every day, and the whole trip gets easier. Ueno and Asakusa put day one at your door and are the calmer side of town. Tokyo Station is the pick if you're moving on by bullet train. Shinjuku is the transit answer for days three and four and has the big hotels, but it's also the busiest station in the world, so pick one that's an easy walk from it.
Heads up: Tokyo hotel rooms are small. Look for apartment-style rooms and rooms for four, which are made for people traveling with kids and more common than you'd think.
MIMARU Tokyo Ueno Okachimachi
Apartment-style rooms with bunk beds and a kitchen, a short walk from Ueno Park. The easiest base for day one, with room for everyone's stuff (so much stuff).
OMO3 Asakusa by Hoshino Resorts
Rooms for four in the middle of Asakusa, with laundry and a lounge that's open all hours. Super handy when jet lag has everyone up at four in the morning.
karaksa hotel TOKYO STATION
A few minutes' walk from Tokyo Station, with connecting rooms. Pick it if the trip goes on by bullet train, or to Disney.
Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo
The one-base-for-everything pick: a big, old-school Shinjuku hotel with kid services and bigger rooms than most, a short walk from the station.
Pool
Hotel Gracery Shinjuku
The one with the giant Godzilla head on the terrace. The rooms are compact, but your kids won't care.
Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel
Family rooms and a big bath, east of the center, right on the line to Disney. Pick it if the trip ends with a park day.
Some booking links here pay Play Day a commission. It does not change which hotels are named or the order they are in.
At a glance
- Walking
- 3 to 5 miles a day, most of it inside stations and along wide, flat sidewalks. The stations are the long part: the elevator is always there, it's just not always near the exit you want.
- Ages
- Stroller age and up. Every day has a swap for a toddler and one for a big kid, and day four is the one to save if your kids have seen a Ghibli film.
- Season
- Spring and autumn are the easy weeks. Summer is hot and sticky, so plan indoor afternoons, and the rainy season in June is what the indoor list at the end is for.
Getting around
Get everyone an IC card, Suica or Pasmo, and tap in and out of every train and bus. It works in convenience stores and vending machines too, which with kids is half the point. There are kids' versions, so ask at a station ticket office on day one.
Every station has an elevator, but it's often at one exit and not the others. Look for the elevator signs as soon as you get off the train rather than heading for the nearest stairs, and give yourself extra minutes at the big stations (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo). And skip the trains at rush hour, roughly 7:30 to 9:30 in the morning. The cars get packed tight enough that a stroller is a real problem, and it's easy to plan around: start each day a little later.
You won't need a car. Taxis are easy to find for the day you just can't face one more station. Getting in from Narita or Haneda with car seats, luggage and a tired kid has its own guide: getting from the airport into Tokyo.
Ueno, the Skytree and Asakusa
Today is the old east side. A zoo and a dinosaur museum in the same park in the morning, then a few stops east to the Skytree, with an aquarium in the same building, and the old temple district across the river for the evening. It looks like a lot on paper, but the hops are short and the whole afternoon is indoors.
- MorningGive it about two and a half hours
Ueno Zoo
Japan's oldest zoo, right inside Ueno Park, with elephants, giraffes and hippos spread across two sides of a hill. Go at opening time, when the animals are up and the paths are empty. It's hilly in places, but paved the whole way, and there's plenty of shade.
Ueno Park itself is the run-around space afterward: a big pond, wide paths and space to eat a konbini picnic.
- Restrooms
- Yes
Also here: Ueno Park
- Late morningGive it about two hours · 0.4 mi from the last stop
National Museum of Nature and Science
A short walk across the park, and the indoor stop your kids will actually talk about later. Dinosaur skeletons, a life-size whale out front, and whole floors of animals, rockets and machines. There's a hands-on discovery room built for the littlest ones, too. It's big, so pick a couple of floors instead of trying to see it all (you won't, and that's fine).
- Restrooms
- Yes
- AfternoonGive it about an hour and a half · 1.9 mi from the last stop
Sumida Aquarium
Ride the train a few stops east to Oshiage, where the aquarium sits inside the Skytree complex. It's small, calm and dimly lit, with penguins you can watch from right at the edge of their pool and a tank of garden eels poking out of the sand that toddlers could stare at all day. Perfect for tired legs.
Kirby Café is in the same building, for a snack your kid will photograph before eating. How to book is on the listing.
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Nearest food on this plan
- Kirby Café TOKYO, 0.1 mi
Also here: Kirby Café TOKYO
- Late afternoonGive it about an hour and a half
Tokyo Skytree
The tallest tower in Japan, and the view is the whole city, flat to the horizon in every direction. Go up in the late afternoon and you get daylight and then the lights coming on. On a clear day, look west for Mount Fuji. There's a glass floor, and your kids will stand on it way longer than you will.
- Nearest food on this plan
- Kirby Café TOKYO, next door
Asakusa is about a 20-minute walk from the Skytree, across the Sumida River. Walk the shopping street up to Sensō-ji, the big red temple, once the day crowds thin out. The lanterns are lit and the snack stalls are right there.
Toyosu and Odaiba, on the bay
Today is out on the islands in Tokyo Bay, on the Yurikamome, a driverless train that runs above the water. Sit in the very front car, where the window is the whole front of the train. For some kids, that alone makes the day. Start at teamLab in Toyosu, ride over to the science museum, then give the afternoon to the beach and the indoor stuff at Odaiba.
- MorningGive it about an hour and a half
teamLab Planets
An art museum you walk through barefoot, sometimes wading in water up to your knees, with light and color moving all around you. Kids get it immediately. It's way more play than art gallery. Dress everyone in shorts or pants that roll up, and bring a small towel.
How to book is on the listing. Book the first slot of the day, before the crowds build.
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Late morningGive it about two hours · 2.2 mi from the last stop
Miraikan
Tokyo's science museum, a few stops along the Yurikamome, with robots, space and a huge glowing globe hanging in the atrium that shows the Earth as it is right now. Big kids go straight for the robots. This is the stop that pays off with a school-age kid, and it's a good place to be indoors in the heat of the day.
- Wheelchair accessible
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- LunchGive it about an hour · 0.7 mi from the last stop
Eggs 'n Things Odaiba
Pancakes piled with whipped cream, facing the water and the Rainbow Bridge. It's the easy lunch on Odaiba: food everyone will eat, and a view for you.
bills is a few steps away, for ricotta pancakes and a calmer room.
- Wheelchair accessible
- Yes
Also here: bills Odaiba
- AfternoonGive it about an hour · 0.2 mi from the last stop
Odaiba Marine Park
A sandy beach right below the restaurants, with the bridge and the skyline across the water. It's for digging and paddling at the edge, not swimming. Bring a spade and a change of clothes (trust me) and let them go.
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Nearest food on this plan
- Eggs 'n Things Odaiba, 0.2 mi
Late afternoonGive it about an hour and a half · 0.2 mi from the last stopLEGOLAND Discovery Center Tokyo
An indoor LEGO play center inside the mall on the waterfront, with building tables, a small ride and Tokyo built out of bricks. It's made for little builders, so a big kid is better off with another hour at Miraikan.
The Trick Art Museum is in the same building, and it's a great rainy-hour swap for older kids.
- Nearest food on this plan
- Eggs 'n Things Odaiba, next door
Also here: Tokyo Trick Art Museum
Stay for dusk, when the Rainbow Bridge lights up. The Yurikamome back across it is the best view of the day. Got a robot fan? The giant Gundam outside the DiverCity mall is a short walk south.
Harajuku and Shibuya
Today is the middle of the city. Start in a big park, walk down the toy-shop street, eat sushi off a conveyor belt, and end up in Shibuya, where Nintendo and Pokémon share a floor. It's the busiest day on this plan, so do it on a weekday if you can.
- MorningGive it about an hour and a half
Yoyogi Park
A big city park with lawns, trees and tons of space to run before the afternoon crowds show up. Bring a ball or a picnic and let the kids go.
Meiji Jingu, the shrine in the forest next door, is a beautiful walk under huge trees. Heads up, though: the paths are thick gravel, and strollers hate it.
- Late morningGive it about an hour · 0.7 mi from the last stop
Kiddy Land Harajuku
A toy shop stacked over several floors on Omotesando, with a floor each for Snoopy, Hello Kitty, Studio Ghibli and whatever's big this year. Set a budget before you walk in, because this is where the souvenir money goes (all of it).
- Nearest food on this plan
- AFURI Harajuku, next door
- LunchGive it about an hour · 0.1 mi from the last stop
Kura Sushi Harajuku
Conveyor-belt sushi, ordered from a touchscreen, with plates that zoom up on their own little track. Every few plates you slide into the slot at the table spins a prize game on the screen, and your kids will keep eating just to see it. Not a raw fish kid? There are noodles, fries and desserts on the belt too.
AFURI, around the corner, does a light yuzu ramen for anyone who'd rather have noodles.
Also here: AFURI Harajuku
- AfternoonGive it about an hour and a half · 0.6 mi from the last stop
Nintendo TOKYO
Nintendo's own shop, up on a high floor of the Shibuya Parco building, with Mario and friends everywhere and games set out to play. Pokémon Center Shibuya is on the same floor, with a life-size Mewtwo in a tank, so that's two big wishes in one elevator ride. It's a 20-minute walk from Harajuku, or one stop on the train.
The Capcom shop is on the same floor too, if you have a Street Fighter or Monster Hunter fan.
Also here: Pokémon Center Shibuya, CAPCOM STORE TOKYO
The Shibuya scramble, the famous crossing, is a 5-minute walk down the hill. Watch it from above first, from the station building, then cross it together holding hands. It's the thing they'll tell their friends about.
Kichijoji: the Ghibli Museum and the parks out west
Today is the slow one, about 20 minutes west of Shinjuku on the train. Kichijoji is a leafy neighborhood built around a park with a pond, and the Ghibli Museum sits at the far end of it. Walk there under the trees, then give the afternoon to a little zoo and a really big lawn.
- MorningGive it about 45 minutes
Inokashira Park
The walk from Kichijoji station to the museum goes straight through this park, along the pond, and it's such a lovely way to arrive. There are rowboats and swan-shaped pedal boats out on the water. Save those for after the museum, when nobody's watching the clock.
- Late morningGive it about two and a half hours · 0.5 mi from the last stop
Ghibli Museum
Hayao Miyazaki's museum, and honestly, it's nothing like a normal museum. Think spiral staircases, tiny doors, a giant plush Catbus that small kids can climb and a short film you can only see here. Up on the roof, the robot soldier from Castle in the Sky stands in the garden. There's a café on site for lunch.
Sort out tickets for this one before anything else on the trip, flights included if you can. How to book is on the listing.
- AfternoonGive it about an hour · 0.3 mi from the last stop
Inokashira Park Zoo
A small, quiet zoo on the north side of the park, with a path where squirrels run around your feet and a corner of guinea pigs and other small animals. Take it slow. It's just the right size for a toddler after a big morning.
Crayonhouse, the kids' bookshop, is on the walk back to the station, and it's the best souvenir stop of the whole trip.
Also here: Crayonhouse Tokyo
- Late afternoonGive it about an hour and a half · 3.1 mi from the last stop
Koganei Park
A short bus ride northwest, and one of the biggest parks in Tokyo. Huge lawns, playgrounds and a grassy hill that kids slide down on plastic sleds. Bring a picnic blanket and let everyone collapse on the grass.
The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is inside the park, with old houses, shops and a bathhouse that kids can walk right into. That's your big kid swap.
Also here: Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
From Koganei it's the bus back to a station and then the Chuo Line straight into Shinjuku, about half an hour. Kichijoji has lots of easy dinners around the station if you'd rather eat before the ride.
Two nights at Mount Fuji
Seeing Mount Fuji for real, huge and right out the window, is something your kids will remember. But fair warning: it's not a day trip from Tokyo. It's about two and a half hours each way, and getting there takes a little planning, so treat it as its own stop at the end of the trip, not a fifth day of this plan.
The easy way: an Odakyu highway bus goes from Busta Shinjuku, the big bus terminal at Shinjuku station, straight to the hotel's door. No transfers, no taxi at the end. There are only a couple of departures a day, so book your seats as soon as you know your dates (with kids, you want to sit together). With a car it's about two hours, and you can pull over wherever the view is good.
Where to sleep? The Fuji Speedway Hotel, a Hyatt right next to the racetrack in Oyama, on the southeast side of the mountain. We did two nights and it was the perfect amount: one day to get there and settle in, one full day there, and no rushing. The Fuji Motorsports Museum takes up the first two floors of the building, with real race cars on display, and a car kid will be happy just watching whatever's running on the track.
The big one for a car kid: you can book a session on the actual track through the hotel's website, and when we went, kids over six could ride along. Bring your own car seat for it, because they don't have one for you. And look at the forecast before you go. Fuji hides in cloud a lot, especially in summer, and the clearest mornings are in the colder months.
If it rains
Good news: Tokyo does indoor so well. ASOBono! at Tokyo Dome City is an indoor play space with a ball pool and a pretend town, and it's great when your kids are different ages. The Tokyo Toy Museum in Yotsuya is an old school building full of wooden toys you can actually play with. KidZania Tokyo in Toyosu lets kids run a city of their own for the day, working jobs and earning pretend money, and big kids love it. And Sunshine Aquarium, up on the roof of a tower in Ikebukuro, has sea lions and penguins that look like they're flying over the city.
With a toddler
Keep the mornings and cut the afternoons short. Ueno Zoo and the Sumida Aquarium are perfect for the littlest kids, teamLab works fine if they can wade, and the Inokashira Park Zoo is just the right size. Swap Miraikan for the Odaiba beach and a long lunch, and swap Shibuya for Kiddy Land and a nap. Honestly, the baby carrier beats the stroller on all the stairs you'll run into.
With big kids
Give Miraikan the whole morning, add the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum on day four, and let them loose in Akihabara for an afternoon of arcades and games. The Ghibli Museum and two nights at Mount Fuji (with a lap of the track) are the two things a ten-year-old will bring up for years (and years).
What to skip
The trains at rush hour, when there's no room for a stroller and nobody's having fun. Robot and character restaurants that you haven't booked well ahead, since the walk-in line is where the afternoon goes. Trying to fit Disney into a sightseeing day: it's a whole day on its own, and there's a separate plan for it. And the tuna auction at Toyosu at dawn with little kids. It's a great morning for adults, and your kids will sleep through it in the stroller. Honestly, we would trade every one of these for a second slow morning in Kichijoji.
Questions
How many days do you need in Tokyo with kids?
Four is a good start. You get one side of the city a day, which is the pace this plan keeps, and the train rides stay short. Add days for Disney or Yokohama, or two nights at Mount Fuji.
Is Tokyo stroller friendly?
Mostly, yes. The sidewalks are wide and flat and every station has an elevator. It's just not always at the exit you want, so follow the elevator signs as soon as you get off the train. Avoid rush hour, and bring a carrier for temples and gravel paths.
What is the best area to stay in Tokyo with kids?
Ueno and Asakusa for day one and a calmer neighborhood, Tokyo Station if you're moving on by train, and Shinjuku for everything else. Six hotels that work with kids are under Where to stay.
Do you need to book the Ghibli Museum in advance?
Yes, and it's the first thing to book for the whole trip. How to book is on the listing.
Do you need a car seat in a Tokyo taxi?
It's covered in detail in getting from the airport into Tokyo. In the city you'll mostly be on trains anyway.
Can you see Mount Fuji from Tokyo?
On a clear day, yes, from the Skytree and other high floors, and the colder months give you the best chance. To see it up close, give it two nights. There's a direct highway bus from Shinjuku to the hotel, about two and a half hours, and Two nights at Mount Fuji has the details.
Photos
Tokyo Skytree: Dick Thomas Johnson (BY 2.0) · Ueno Zoo: pelican (BY-SA 2.0) · National Museum of Nature and Science: Daderot (CC0 1.0) · Sumida Aquarium: *_* (BY 2.0) · teamLab Planets: Sasa0403 (BY-SA 4.0) · Miraikan: Jun Seita (BY 2.0) · Odaiba Marine Park: Dick Thomas Johnson (BY 2.0) · LEGOLAND Discovery Center Tokyo: Tzuhsun Hsu from Taipei, Taiwan (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Yoyogi Park: fakelvis (BY-SA 2.0) · Kiddy Land Harajuku: DocChewbacca (BY-SA 2.0) · Nintendo TOKYO: Ian Muttoo (BY-SA 2.0) · Inokashira Park: Dick Thomas Johnson (BY 2.0) · Ghibli Museum: bm.iphone (BY 2.0) · Inokashira Park Zoo: User:(WT-shared) ResTpeTw (BY-SA 4.0) · Koganei Park: KimonBerlin (BY-SA 2.0) · MIMARU Tokyo Ueno Okachimachi: Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan (CC BY 2.0) · karaksa hotel TOKYO STATION: KΛNΛTΛ (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo: Aimaimyi (BY-SA 3.0) · Hotel Gracery Shinjuku: ddmacgre (BY 2.0)
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