How to prepare for Tokyo with your toddler: why it's trickier than you think

This article is based on my personal experience as a Japanese mum travelling with my 4 year-old in Tokyo in February 2025. It by no means reflects the experience of all travellers with toddlers. I share my thoughts to help families with small children better prepare and navigate their trip to Tokyo.

I’ve just returned from 2 weeks in Tokyo with my 4 year-old son. This was his first visit to Japan and my first time going there as a parent. We had an amazing trip and came back with loads of memories. For me, the best part was seeing my son chatting away to his grandparents in Japanese.

However, the trip was far more taxing than I had expected. In so many ways, Japan is an ideal travel destination for families with small children — it’s clean, safe, fun. But Tokyo is crowded, exhaustingly stimulating, and decidedly less toddler-friendly than one might imagine.

It’s this gap between my expectation and experienced reality that inspired me to write this article. My aim is not to deter families with toddlers from visiting Tokyo, but rather to help them prepare their visit with a better understanding of what to expect.

Planning our trip

Taking my son to my homeland for the first time, I wanted him to absolutely love it. I wanted him to experience first-hand all his passions that, up to now, were confined to books, toys, and videos — shinkansen, trains, robots, dinosaurs, Pokemon… I wanted to expose him to all the wonders and quirks that make Japan so special. I wanted to immerse him in the culture and language of what is also his heritage.

Preparing my trip, I asked Japanese mum friends for ideas of what to do there. Instagram rapidly caught on and flooded my feed with many more. This enthusiasm was shared by my parents, who sent tourist guides and prepared a schedule based on my son’s interests. They even scouted some of the spots to make sure they were up to par. After checking out the Tokyo Trick Art Museum, my dad wrote, “it’s quite small, but you should be able to take some fun photos”.

I did feel that the schedule was pretty heavy, but most of the plans weren’t fixed so we could play it by ear and ensure plenty of down-time for my toddler. Easier said than done, of course, when you have limited time in such an exciting place.

Be prepared for crowds

Tokyo is a very crowded city, both with locals and tourists. Having interned in Tokyo for a summer, I have a vivid memory of the relentless stream of dark-cladded workers filling the train stations during rush hour. It was very civil, but just so crowded.

In preparing for our trip, I made sure to explain this to my son. We practiced holding hands tightly in public and I stuck labels with my dad’s mobile number on his belongings. We made sure to avoid rush hour crowds.

The thing is, though, some parts of Tokyo, like popular tourist attractions, are always crowded even outside of rush hour. This meant:

It can be stressful navigating crowds in an unfamiliar city while tending to a toddler who, inevitably, gets hangry or urgently needs the loo.
There are long queues, especially on weekends and bank holidays when the locals join the tourists. You can bite the bullet and line up or handle your toddlers’ disappointment. I often found myself opting for the latter out of overwhelm.
In one instance, the Railway Museum, we couldn’t enjoy most of the experiences. By force of circumstance, we visited on a Sunday. Given the enormous number of visitors, the museum had put in place a lottery system with a 7% to 38% chance of winning, depending on the ride and time slot. The queue for other parts — even to buy lunch or make a purchase at the museum shop — was at least 30 minutes long. We left much earlier than anticipated, resulting in a lot of disappointment to handle.
I found myself constantly reprimanding my son, asking him to keep moving, walk faster, be more quiet, take up less space, be mindful…Things that are difficult for a toddler, especially in a new environment. Perhaps I felt an expectation of me, and by extension my son, to behave as a “proper” Japanese. In any case, I felt that public spaces are generally less toddler-friendly than in Europe.

Be prepared to say “no” a lot

Starting from the flight there, there my son was offered lots of freebies. Little toys, balloons, key-chains, tissue packs, flyers…If you don’t want these knick-knacks, be prepared to decline them on behalf of your child.

The other, bigger challenge I found was helping my toddler resist temptation. Everything, from clothes to candy to plasters is available in a toddler’s favourite theme. Within minutes of entering a drugstore, my son had grabbed Pokemon plasters, shinkansen plasters, Pokemon toothpaste, and a dino snack.

Another example is gacha-gacha or gachapon, the ubiquitous capsule toy distributors. They’re impossible to avoid in Tokyo; they’re at most tourist attractions, train stations, stores, even at the entrance of my parents’ neighbourhood pharmacy. In addition to their number, their diversity is also impressive — they cover every cartoon character and topic. Oh, and they’re just the right height for toddlers. They may look cute, but their randomised nature makes them akin to gambling.

While I found this environment great for teaching my son to hone in on his tokimeki and choose only what truly sparks joy, it was also an exhausting uphill battle.

Be prepared for loads of sensory stimulation

The above-mentioned crowds, gachapon, screens in trains (and taxis!) advertising energy drinks, exuberant voices repeatedly announcing offers of the day in crammed stores, bright and colourful everything…Tokyo can quickly feel overwhelming even for an adult.

We had to consciously look for quiet spots like small parks for some breathing space and to get away from the constant stimulation. Actually, one of my son’s favourite moments was riding the near-empty suburban bus for 47 minutes on its full, circular route.

Above all, be prepared for an amazing trip

I realise that the above might make you question Tokyo as a travel destination for you and your toddler. But please don’t doubt!

Tokyo is an incredible destination that ticks many boxes for families with small children. It’s safe and has good infrastructure. People are kind and helpful. The toilets are clean and some even have toddler-sized toilets/urinals and sinks.

My son and I truly enjoyed our two weeks in Tokyo, including:

Staring up in awe at the dinosaur fossils at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno.
Being served lunch by robots at the Haneda Innovation City.
Walking along the Tamagawa river, from where you can see Mt Fuji on a clear day. There was a small park with plum flowers blossoming when we were there; there’s also a stretch full of cherry trees.
“Driving” the Yurikamome Line monorail that runs along Tokyo bay, including under the Rainbow Bridge.
The quaint dinosaur park or Kodomo no Mori Park.
Seeing more shinkansen than we could count at Tokyo Station.
The incredible variety of food!

Just make sure you plan ahead to minimise being caught in crowds and build in plenty of down-time. Tokyo is fast-paced, but pockets of quiet exist — a temple garden, a small neighbourhood park, or simply watching trains together.

Just as we don’t need to own everything to be happy, we don’t need to do everything to enjoy Japan. A slow morning at a quiet park might create more joy for you and your child than battling crowds and rushing between multiple attractions.

My advice for parents travelling to Tokyo with a toddler

Keep plans to a minimum. It’s easier to fill your schedule than reduce it.
Stay close to the area(s) you want to visit most, as commutes can be long and involve several bus/train changes.
Avoid taking public transport during peak hours if at all possible.
Book attractions online to avoid queues.
Seek out parks and other quiet spaces to take refuge from the sensory stimulation.
Remind yourself that your child’s brain is already really stimulated by the new city. Everything is exciting, even walking down the street or visiting a park. Instead of asking yourself, “what do I want my child to see/do in Japan?”, ask “how do I want them to feel?“. After all, at this age, they are more likely to remember emotions than sights.
You really don’t need to do it all. I often remind myself, both while travelling and at home, that my children don’t really know what options exist. If you don’t want to take them to a massive Pokemon store, find a smaller one or don’t present the idea at all. Make things easier for yourself and your child.

Final thoughts: a simpler approach to Tokyo with a toddler

Travelling to Tokyo with a toddler is an adventure — one filled with wonder, excitement, and, at times, overwhelm. The key to truly enjoying the experience is embracing simplicity.

Instead of trying to fit everything in, focus on a few meaningful moments. Instead of buying souvenirs, create memories. Instead of hitting all the trendy spots, find a rhythm that works for your family.

Some of our best moments in Tokyo weren’t the big attractions but the quiet ones — playing in a park, spotting plum blossoms, or watching my son absorb his Japanese heritage through all his senses.

So if you’re planning a trip to Tokyo with a little one, remember: you don’t need to do it all to make it special. Keep it simple, stay flexible, and let the experience unfold naturally.