One week in Japan with kids - Tokyo & Kyoto
The classic first week: four nights in Tokyo and three in Kyoto, linked by one easy bullet-train hop. Enough to feel both the modern and the traditional sides of Japan without rushing children between cities.
7 nights · balanced pace · best for toddler, primary, teen
The route, leg by leg
Family highlights here
Where to stay
Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel · Maihama, Urayasu (Chiba) - Check availability on Booking.com · more family stays
To Kyoto: ~2h 20m by shinkansen · Japan Rail Pass eligible - Tokaido Shinkansen. Reserve seats together for families; oversized-luggage seats need advance booking.
Family highlights here
Where to stay
Hotel Granvia Kyoto · Kyoto Station - Check availability on Booking.com · more family stays
Arrival & rest days
Keep day one in Tokyo gentle - clear immigration, pick up IC cards and pocket Wi-Fi, and do something low-key near your hotel rather than a headline attraction while everyone is jet-lagged. Over 7 nights, build in a slow morning or a pool/park afternoon every second or third day so the trip doesn't run the children down.
If it rains - and what not to combine
Don't chain two big-ticket days back to back (e.g. a full theme-park day straight into a long shrine walk). Keep a wet-weather swap per city - an aquarium, a hands-on museum or a covered arcade - so a rainy morning doesn't derail the plan; the planner suggests indoor alternatives by your dates and your children's ages.
Book these before you lock in dates
Several family favourites on this route sell out well ahead and some release on a fixed date and time. Check the attraction booking calendar and work your dates around the hardest ticket, then reserve shinkansen seats together (and any oversized-luggage spaces) once your legs are set.
Adapting the pace: with under-5s, add a slow morning or a pool afternoon every second day and don’t chain two big-ticket days together; with teens you can tighten transfers and add an extra evening out. The planner rebalances nights, pace and each day’s plan around your children’s ages - this template is the starting point, not a fixed schedule.