Family TravelTakayama for Families Who Love Food Family TravelTakayama for Families Who Love FoodTakayama wasn't on our original Japan plan. A friend who'd been the year before insisted we add it, and we're so glad…Read the guide →
Family TravelJapan on a Family Budget Family TravelJapan on a Family BudgetJapan has a reputation for being expensive. It's not entirely wrong — a kaiseki dinner or a night at a premium ryokan…Read the guide →
Family TravelBest Time to Take Kids to Japan Family TravelBest Time to Take Kids to JapanThe honest answer to "when should we go to Japan" is: whenever your kids are out of school and you can afford…Read the guide →
Family TravelJapan With a Toddler Family TravelJapan With a ToddlerPeople told us we were crazy for taking a toddler to Japan. The flights, the jetlag, the food, the crowds — every…Read the guide →
Family TravelOur Two Week Japan Family Itinerary Family TravelOur Two Week Japan Family ItineraryWe spent three months planning our Japan itinerary and then changed half of it in the first week. That's normal. Japan rewards…Read the guide →
Family TravelSurviving the Flight to Japan With Kids Family TravelSurviving the Flight to Japan With KidsThe flight to Japan from the US is long. There's no getting around it. Ten to twelve hours from the West Coast,…Read the guide →
Family TravelDeer and Giant Buddhas in Nara for Kids Family TravelDeer and Giant Buddhas in Nara for KidsOur kids met their first Nara deer thirty seconds after stepping off the train. It bowed. They bowed back. Then it tried…Read the guide →
Family TravelPirate Ships and Volcanos in Hakone for Families Family TravelPirate Ships and Volcanos in Hakone for FamiliesHakone is the day trip from Tokyo that delivers everything: a pirate ship on a crater lake, volcanic steam vents that smell…Read the guide →
Family TravelWhy Kids Love Osaka Family TravelWhy Kids Love OsakaIf Tokyo is the serious older sibling, Osaka is the loud, funny one who makes you eat too much. Our kids preferred…Read the guide →
Family TravelKyoto With Kids Family TravelKyoto With KidsKyoto did something to our kids that no amount of screen time or theme parks ever managed. Our seven-year-old came home and…Read the guide →
Family TravelBamboo and Monkeys in Arashiyama With Kids Family TravelBamboo and Monkeys in Arashiyama With KidsArashiyama was the part of Kyoto our kids talked about the most afterwards. Not because of the famous bamboo grove (though that…Read the guide →
Family TravelKid-Friendly Ryokans in Japan Family TravelKid-Friendly Ryokans in JapanA ryokan night was the thing we almost cut from the itinerary to save money. We'd looked at the per-person prices, done…Read the guide →
Family TravelIs Universal Studios Japan Worth It for Kids Family TravelIs Universal Studios Japan Worth It for KidsUniversal Studios Japan nearly broke us. Not emotionally — financially. By the time we'd bought tickets, Express Passes, Power-Up Bands, butterbeer, themed…Read the guide →
Family TravelIs the Japan Rail Pass Worth It for Families Family TravelIs the Japan Rail Pass Worth It for FamiliesWe spent more time debating the JR Pass than any other decision on our Japan trip. More than hotels. More than which…Read the guide →
Family TravelWhat Kids Actually Eat in Japan Family TravelWhat Kids Actually Eat in JapanJapan is easier to feed kids in than most of Europe. That sounds wrong until you get there and realise that rice…Read the guide →
