Tokyo is a great place to enjoy both abundant nature and many places where you can enjoy the latest exhibitions without worrying about the weather, making it an ideal city when planning a day out with children. These ten places around the city offer great things to do with kids for both Tokyo residents and those traveling to Tokyo with children!
1. Experience the spectacle of teamLab Planets
teamLab is a Japanese art collective whose works have been exhibited in museums around the world, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Located just a minute’s walk from Shin-Toyosu Station, visitors to this huge museum go barefoot and immerse themselves in the artwork along with other visitors. Only at teamLab Planets can the work change in tandem with the user’s own movements, and the colours, shapes, and interactivity make it ideal for kids of all ages. The recently-reopened teamLab Borderless in Azabudai Hills is well worth visiting too.
6-1-16 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo
👤 Suitable for ages 4+, children aged 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult at least 18 years old.
2. See the creations at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Tokyo
An indoor attraction decorated with over 3 million LEGO® bricks makes this an ideal day out with kids. A wide range of attractions are available, including “Miniland,” a miniature-sized diorama recreated using more than 1.6 million LEGO® bricks, and “Merlin Apprentice”, where visitors can pedal and enjoy the sensation of soaring high into the sky.
3F, Island Mall, DECKS Tokyo Beach, 1-6-1 Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo
👤Admission is free for children aged 2 years old and younger. Kids aged 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
3. Feel like a giant at Small Worlds Tokyo
Small Worlds Tokyo is one of the largest miniature museums in Asia. It consists of a total of eight areas with different world views, including the Space Center Area, the World City Area, and the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Area. PET Day, held on the 11th and 22nd of each month, also allows visitors to enjoy the miniature world with their pets.
Ariake Logistics Center, 1-3-33 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo
👤Visitors are required to be age 4+
4. Explore Kasai Rinkai Park
The park was created with five zones on the theme of interaction among greenery, water, and people in Tokyo Bay, where the deep blue sea stretches out before you. In 1994, an aviary zone was opened, followed by the observation rest house “Crystal View” in 1995, and in 2001, the Ferris wheel, which is 117 meters high and offers a 17-minute trip in the air. Located a short distance from the city centre, it is recommended for families who would prefer to avoid crowds and have a slightly quieter day out.
6 Rinkai-cho, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo
5. Gaze at the universe at Cosmo Planetarium Shibuya
A wide variety of projection programs are available, including “Kids Time” for small children, the “Starry Music Series” of healing programs, and the “Starry Tour for Tonight” in which visitors can enjoy unique commentaries on constellations. Eight starry sky interpreters will be in charge of random daily projections.
23-21 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku
6. Head underwater at Sumida Aquarium
The aquarium is located in Tokyo Skytree. The theme of the exhibit is the Ogasawara Islands, and includes the “Ogasawara Large Aquarium,” where colourful fish swim in schools, one of the largest open tanks in Japan, where visitors can feel the breath of penguins and fur seals up close, and the “Big Petri dish,” a fantastic basin-shaped tank where about 500 water jellyfish float in the water. When visiting, we recommend that you purchase tickets in advance via the web, which allows you to smoothly enter the museum on the date and time of your choice.
Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi 5F, 6F, 1-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan
7. Wander round National Showa Memorial Park
A national park straddling Tachikawa City and Akishima City. There is a swimming pool and BBQ area on the grounds, as well as a vast “everyone’s field” and dog run, so you will never get bored no matter how many times you visit. There are many gates to enter the park, but it is about an 18-minute walk from Tachikawa Station to the Tachikawa Gate.
Midori-cho, Tachikawa
8. Climb to the summit of Mount Takao
A little beyond the Tokyo wards, in Hachioji City, you’ll find Mount Takao – which has the unusual designation of a “three-star mountain” from the Michelin guide, along with Mt. Fuji. From the foot of the mountain, you can take a cable car or lift up to sea level halfway up the mountain. All of the trails to the summit take about 1 hour and 30 minutes on foot, so even beginner climbers with children can easily enjoy them. It is also known as the mountain with the most climbers in the world, so weekdays are recommended if you want to avoid crowds. The fastest time from Shinjuku Station to Takaoyamaguchi Station on the Keio Line is 47 minutes.
9. Spend some time at the Takao 599 Museum
If you have a chance to climb Mt. Takao, you should visit this museum on the same trip. Takao’s rich ecosystem, history, and culture are presented through unique images and exhibits in comfortable spaces such as the café and terrace, which symbolize the spatial design that links the inside and outside of the building. Admission is free, making it one of the cheaper things to do with kids around Tokyo.
2435-3 Takao-cho, Hachioji City, Tokyo
10. Feel the magic at the Ghibli Museum
This museum allows visitors to immerse themselves in the world of Studio Ghibli. Inside the building, which looks like something out of a Hayao Miyazaki movie, you will find the permanent exhibition room “The Place (Tokoro) Where Movies Are Made” and a cat bus for elementary school students and younger kids only. Meanwhile, “Saturn” features original animated shorts and other quality animated films recommended by the Ghibli Museum. Admission tickets must be reserved by date and time.
1-1-83, Shimorenjaku 1-chome, Mitaka-shi, Mitaka