I'm traveling to Japan for the first time with family (wife and 4 years old) in 2nd week of September (12th to 23rd), can anyone suggest few things to do with a young kid in Kyoto and Osaka or should I ignore that region because of Typhoon Jebi,
I got Tokyo pretty much sorted and lil bit of Osaka, I got 2 days in Kyoto was wondering if it's worth going there.
Thanks
Update: OZBargain is a blessing. Thanks People
Thanks Mate, Was just wondering if I just increase my days in Osaka or just releax in kyoto
your kid would love a place called asobonno they have a few places throughout japan…
it is a giant indoor play centre. but not like any in Australia, PM if you want more details
I have been to Japan twice and have travelled to Kyoto both times. Kyoto is definitely my favourite part of Japan. You can visit many places including Arashiyama to visit the bamboo forest and monkey park, the Golden Pavilion and Fushimi Inari (red tori gates). You can also go to Gion (old geisha town) to visit Kiyomizu-Dera (a large temple), although it does get quite packed in the main areas. My favourite experience would be exploring the endless back streets of Gion as they are less crowded and are just so beautifully quiet and the old Japanese architecture is amazing.
I have also been to Osaka on my first trip and stayed there for about a week with day trips to Kyoto, so you could also do that. Although I would personally recommend actually staying in Kyoto. Osaka is great for Dotonbori (main shopping area with heaps of food places), but I just feel like Kyoto has a lot more to offer!
That sounds amazing, Thanks Anait
I lived in Japan for 4 years and am taking my kids there next week for our third trip in 3 years. I'll be heading to Kyoto and Osaka and then Tokyo.
Kyoto - there is an international anime festival happening on the 15th/16th - maybe not fun for a 4 year old. it's really a lot of temples. but also if you head out a little of the city then there are some beautiful walks through forests. (out past Arashiyama)
I used this site as a guide for our last trip and will be doing some of the other activities this time
Osaka - Universal studios. trip advisor provides this guide for osaka with kids
when we first went to Japan my kids just loved looking at uniquely Japanese things - e.g. visiting supermarkets to look at food, watching food preparation, people watching.
Also my kids just enjoyed being kids so we would stop at random playgrounds and they'd play and make friends with locals.
hey, while you are in Japan if you see a tall aussie bloke with 3 daughters then say hi, it could be me. I ran in to ozbargain member mskeggs in a department store in beijing 2 years ago.
enjoy your trip
Hello Altomic, When are you heading to Japan??
Next Thursday.
Kool. I'm going on Wednesday. if u see a brown guy with wifey and a daughter.. say holla
Really depends what you're in to.
Osaka is a big, modern food-centric/cultural city, Kyoto is smaller older cultural centre.
Both have their charms.
There's probably a fast train that connects both right?
yep
20 minutes by shinkansen
or 40 minutes by local trains
A lot of the typhoon cleanup gets top priority and there should be no issues for you in a weeks time. roads will be open and business will return to normal as soon as possible. do check the kansai airport website (theres english) and see if theres anything that will affect you if you are flying through.
Most train stations are big, and they have an underground. because they are central to most cities, they have something for everyone. As the above posts (esp. Altomic) check out the random playgrounds. you can find them on google maps.
Only Universal Studios Japan (USJ) will say if they are open or not during that time. Theres a public holiday on Monday 17th and 24th Sept, so there might be a lot of students out and about.
P.S. Fluffy pancakes are in at the moment, and Kyoto has plenty of matcha cafes and foods. enjoy it all!
Only Universal Studios Japan (USJ) will say if they are open or not during that time. Theres a public holiday on Monday 17th and 24th Sept, so there might be a lot of students out and about.
thank you so much, I didn't even check. was planning on going on the 17th. will go on 18th.
my #1 Japan travel rule - never ever go to a Japanese amusement park on a weekend or public holiday.
no worries. check the weather too
Avoiding the amusement park on busy days is a good idea, but I have visited a Japanese amusement park during a week day and the place was dead. The workers vastly outnumbered visitors and the place just had no atmosphere at all
i'd prefer that over only being able to do 3 rides at tokyo disneyland because there was 50000 people there anyday.
Osaka aquarium, I would go down to nara and go on a stroll at the nara deer park
Man, those deer are vicious!
Yamazaki Distillery ;)
Look at getting this "amazing" pass while in Osaka, it will be all you need while there. they provide lots of coupons for places around Osaka, you won't even be able to cover everything when with a child.
That is Amazing, Thanks man
The Japanese are ridiculously efficient in cleaning up after a typhoon. I was in Tokyo a few years ago when it was hit by its biggest typhoon for several years. When we went out at 8am the next morning, there was no debris to be seen and all public services were operating as normal… it was pretty amazing.
I think the Kishiwada danjiri matsuri is happening when you're in the area… it's a great festival with these huge wooden floats that historically raced through the streets, causing a fair bit of carnage. It's been toned down when I was there, but it's still a blast.
For kids, I highly recommend Toei Kyoto Studio Park, 13 minutes on the Sagano line (200Y fare). Entry is is 2200Y for adults 1100-1300Y for kids. It's a samurai/ninja movie theme-park. There area ninja mazes, samurai sword fighting, dress ups etc. Go during a week day, when we went there was only a handful of people there.
I'm going to try this thanks..
Kyoto was lovely. Loved the vibe
Not a meteorologist so I've no idea how disruptive the typhoon might be, but for Kyoto, most people will go there to visit the temples which are basically its hallmark. Last time I was there was too long ago so I can't remember which ones I visited, but:
https://www.insidekyoto.com/best-temples-in-kyoto
It may not be that suitable for a young child, but I don't think anyone's too young to go visit large shiny cultural/historical monuments.