Why Japan works with young children: 10 reasons to take the children to Japan

‘Omiyage’ gifts & the Kindness of Strangers in Japan: 

‘Omiyage’ gifting culture:

Expect your heart to be warmed by greetings of “Kawaii! (‘Cute!’) Have a good trip!” as a passer-by ruffles your kid’s hair and hands them a little trinket. Izakaya (‘pub’) owners may hand your children a gift as you leave, and we even had a petrol pump attendant present a hand-made golden treasure chest for our boys to choose presents from. These selfless, uplifting acts exemplify the kind, considerate, welcoming spirit of the nation.

Social lubricant:

While Japanese people are known for their quiet reserve, children act as a social lubricant and can trigger many jolly conversations. Thanks to the kids, we had entire restaurants wave us goodbye (hopefully from a sense of mutual cultural interaction rather than of relief…) and izakayas full of locals providing animated commentary on games of Uno.

Considerate behaviour:

The ethos of consideration for others is the backbone of Japanese society. Everyone we met displayed exceptional kindness and thoughtfulness as a matter of course, be it volunteering their seats on public transport, offering us their own fly swatters at an onsen, sharing their home-grown produce with our boys, or accompanying us personally for significant distances when we asked for directions.

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Laundry in Japan:

• When moving from place to place on sabbatical, the fewer clothes you need to take, the better. Japan comes up trumps here too – many hotel rooms are equipped with washing & tumble-drying machines, with in-built detergent. You can pack for a week but travel for many.

Public toilets in Japan:

• There’s no risk of your children being caught short in Japan. Free public toilets are widespread, not only in towns and cities but even along remote countryside roads. If you can’t see a public toilet, ubiquitous convenience stores such as Seven Eleven have them. Facilities are generally spotlessly clean and well stocked with toilet paper, although hand dryers / towels are limited.
• Nearly every facility has a cubicle with a wall-mounted toddler seat, and baby changing in both the Ladies’ and the Gents’, with mini urinals for the little boys in the female toilets. The only drawback is trying to stop the kids using the toilets’ bidet functionality!

Japan is one of the safest countries in the world:

• There is no society safer than in Japan. Cyclists leave their bicycles unchained even in city centres. Bathers leave all their possessions unguarded on the beach as they swim or pop to get some lunch. Property is respected, graffiti non-existent, and anti-social behaviour is a foreign concept.
• There is even an entire Tokyo police department dedicated to misplaced items. Having left my son’s rucksack in a taxi in Shinjuku (purely in the interests of research…), we made a trip to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Lost & Found centre ourselves. A kind officer filled out a form on our behalf and went to search their extensive storage for our bag. As we waited, a steady stream of Tokyoites retrieved wallets complete with credit cards and cash, digital watches and handbags, all carefully wrapped, from deferential policemen. At the time of writing, the fate of my son’s rucksack is yet to be determined, although the friendly officer expects it to arrive when the taxi companies complete their cycle of handing in mislaid objects, and will mail it to us in England!

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Food for children in Japan:

• Some dishes, or the less than appetising translations thereof, can leave even adventurous eaters a little green. While squid intestines, grilled offal and cartilage soup may not be to everyone’s taste, there is always something the kids can eat. Katsu curry, gyoza dumplings and chicken ramen were our standard go-to, but Western food such as French fries are widespread, and fried chicken is served nearly everywhere.
• Food comes with a lot of theatre in Japan. Whether it’s frying your own ‘Genghis Khan’ dish over a flame at your table, choosing the cuisson of your wagyu beef on the hot plate before you, watching the experts flip okonomiyaki pancakes, or simply trying to master chopsticks, mealtimes are certainly entertaining.
• You may get some grumbles due to the lack of desert options. However, ice cream is never far away and Japan is famous for the quality of its soft serve (which is truly very good, even in the least promising of eateries). Flavoured shaved ice in hotter months is a refreshing treat, sometimes arriving as a veritable mountain served on an actual block of ice.

Food in Japan: quick, clean & readily available

• Food service in restaurants and izakayas (‘pubs’) is quick. There’s no waiting around while the kids get hungry. Dishes normally come in the order they’re ready so be prepared to dig into each other’s if you’re hungry.
• Establishments are clean and you don’t need to worry about dodgy tummies. Food is always accompanied with a wet wipe or even a hot towel to accommodate sticky fingers. For foreign children, restaurants automatically bring out a plastic bowl, fork and spoon (and can provide the latter for chopstick-challenged adults as well!)
• If your itinerary is tight, grabbing an onigiri rice ball or a freshly prepared meal from one of the many convenience stores (Seven Eleven, Family Mart) is a quick way to keep bellies from rumbling. Just remember eating while walking is frowned upon, and to take a bag with you for your waste as there are few bins.

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Freebies for children in Japan:

• Children 5 years old and under enjoy free entrance and travel everywhere. This includes on shinkansen bullet trains, if they sit on your lap. Under 12s are half price everywhere.

Cultural Scavenger hunts in Japan:

• With so many interesting cultural differences, give the children something to look out for in every new place you go to. For example, we looked out for blue traffic lights, the most wacky snack in the convenience store, and the colourful local designs on the drain covers that reflect the essence of the town.

Activities for Children in Japan:

Explore Nature:

Activities in Japan work for both adults and children. You can avoid the theme park options and contrived child-oriented activities in favour of explorations in nature and interactive cultural experiences, which all will appreciate equally. Enjoy the outdoors by hiking to billowing sulphurous volcano vents, swinging over forests in a cable car, plunging into waterfall pools and bathing in milky onsen springs.

Samurais & cities:

Fire the imagination with a samurai workshop led by a genuine warrior cast ‘sensei’, stimulate the senses in the bright lights of the cities, and go local with tatami mats and futons at a traditional ryokan.

Temple visits:

Even wandering around temples can be fun for the kids: hearing the chanting, learning temple etiquette and even receiving their own temple fortune – and, as local custom dictates, discarding it in favour of a better one if necessary!

Soft adventure:

Unlike places such as Costa Rica, Japan is not a hub for adrenaline-fuelled activities. Beaches can offer kayaking and Stand Up Paddling, but ziplines are quite rare and gorges are generally devoid of white water rafts. There are good hikes – well demarcated and often paved – and pilgrimage routes to mountain temples, which will challenge and inspire. You will not feel like you are missing out on the adventure in Japan by taking young children. They can enjoy the outdoors with you.

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Anime in Japan

• If your children are fans of Pokemon, or any anime, they will find much to entertain them everywhere they look. In cities, dedicated stores stock floor to wall galleries of Pokemon cards, where prices for individual items range from under a dollar to tens of thousands.
• Vending machines abound, selling surprise plastic eggs of toys (although good luck with assembling the characters…), as do gaming arcades and teddy grabbing machines. Pester power may result in a few additions to your luggage.