Fall is my favorite time to go to Tokyo as its not too hot nor is it too cold. The weather is still nice enough for you to walk around and not freeze. My family and I travel to Tokyo every Fall due to my husband’s business. I LOVE going to Tokyo. As a foodie and someone who is OCD, it’s the perfect place to visit as the Japanese are perfectionist in every sense of the way and the presentation of their food is just simply beautiful. It’s also a place where I know my son will have a great time and I can enjoy myself.
We took our son to Tokyo for the first time back in 2016 when he was only 8 months. Since then, he has been back three times and every time I have found different things for him to do. Especially now that he is at an age where he loves being outdoors. This past summer I took him to the Tokyo Zoo. It’s actually quite a large zoo and you get to see Pandas!
Since we have been back many times, I had to find new things for him to do this past trip. Our home away from home in Tokyo nowadays is the Shangri-la hotel. I love it for it’s location and also the service. Hotels in Japan are extremely kid friendly. The Shangri-la has always been able to accommodate my needs for my son. The hotel sits right above the Tokyo station which is a haven for shopping and eating. At the basement level, there are plenty of restaurants and food stalls for you to get something great to eat. I personally love the basement of Daimaru. It is literally a haven for foodies. They have great takeaways that you can take back to your room when you get sick of room service or even to eat while you walk around Tokyo. My little man also loves the basement as his favorite toy store is down there. If you have a little boy who loves trains and cars, this is the place to be. Takara TOMY has their Tomica cars and Plarail train stores right downstairs not far from the Daimaru basement food hall. My little guy can spend hours down there. If you have little girls, they have Sanrio and many other toy stores catered to girls. Another great thing about shopping downstairs is that most of these stores participate in their TAX FREE shopping. You will need to go to the first level to apply for the Tax Free before benefiting from the Tax Free shopping. Make sure you do this first and it has to be done daily.
Food hall at Daimaru B1 
TOMY Tomica Cars 
Shangri-la Suite Living room
Shopping is also something that I do quite a bit while I’m in Tokyo. One place that I always venture to besides the shopping malls and boutiques in Ginza is Bic Camera. The name is somewhat deceiving. It not only a camera store, it literally sells everything. It’s like a Costco and Target in one!!! If you are traveling here, this is the one place you can get large diapers for those big American kids! I could not find diapers large enough to fit my 37 lb 2-year old except at Bic Camera. Plus you can get almost everything here Tax Free! I even bought a lot of his toys here! And if you are looking for Sony Cameras, this is the place to go! Another place I love to venture to is Tokyu Plaza. This building houses some local designers that I love.
Evening in Ginza 
Shopping in Ginza 
Chanel store in Ginza
Did you know you can walk for miles from Tokyo station to Ginza without ever coming above ground?
I’ve been on a digital art kick this past year and have been taking Michael to digital art museums all over the world. Prior to coming to Tokyo this time, a friend of mine had just visited the MORI building TeamLab Borderless Tokyo and told me I had to take Michael. It’s located in Palette town and easily accessible by subway (Aomi station, Odaiba). On his suggestion, I decided to take him there! Boy was I glad…this place is perfect for both adults and kids. This was very different from L’Atelier des Lumieres in Paris. Once you get off the subway station, its just a short walk to the museum. The MORI building TeamLab Digital art museum is comprised of many rooms for people to explore. My favorite part was where they had kids and of course adults color different fish, flowers, and other animals and once completed, they were scanned them onto the walls and floors and the kids can follow the images! I colored an aligator and shark and placed Michael’s name on it so we can follow it around the room. It was a great place for little ones to run around!
One of the playrooms for the kids 
Following Michael’s shark! 
I discovered on this trip that there is quite a bit to do at Palette Town for little kids. In addition to the digital art museum, there is also a Toyota City Showcase, and a little indoor playground call Aneby Trimpark. This is all within the shopping area call Venus Fort. The mall has plenty of shopping and restaurants if you are looking to do that. After the digital art museum, Michael wanted to play more so I took him to Aneby Trimpark to play. I love this indoor playground. It’s got about 4-5 different sections for all ages to play in. While I was there, there was a bike class going on for little toddlers. My little man wanted to join in but he was too young. They even have go-carts for the older kiddos!
Playground for all ages 
Play area for younger ones 
Go cart and bicycle area
In addition to finding things for Michael to do, I always have to make sure we eat well. Calories ingested are not to be wasted! There are three places I always have to eat at while I’m in Tokyo. As we are in staying within the Ginza area, I always go to Sushi Seamon for sushi and Anzu at the Mitsukoshi Ginza for Pork Katsu. Both places have great food at a reasonable price. As many of you may know, in Japan, Sushi is cheaper at lunchtime so if you want great sushi and not pay $250 for omakase, I recommend going for lunch where you can have omakase for around $50 or more which is a great value. Anzu has amazing pork katsu (cutlet). This place is famous and does not take reservations. I tend to go for a late lunch so I don’t have to wait in line. If you are concern about taking a little one to Sushi Seamon, don’t be. They have small rooms where you can have a meal with the little one. Anzu is casual so little ones are welcomed! They even have set meals for the little ones.
Another restaurant that I always try not to miss is Tofuya Ukai. I love this restaurant not only for the food but also the atmosphere. It’s got a beautiful Japanese garden courtyard, beautiful tatami rooms, and a view of the Tokyo Tower! The restaurant has private tatami rooms for the diners so it’s prefect for little kids. The first time I took Michael he was 8 months and they had a bassinet in the room for me! The rooms are perfect to confine the noise caused by loud little toddlers!
Seamon Ginza 
Sushi at Season Ginza 
Pork Katsu 
Tofu soup! 
Courtyard of Tofuya Ukai 
View from Tofuya Ukai
I have many more things to share with you when it comes to visiting Tokyo but will save more for another time! As we typically go to Tokyo in the Fall, we always head out to Kyoto to enjoy the Fall foliage. I will be sharing this in Part II of this post. Please look out for this in the next posting!
Please always feel free to message me about visiting Tokyo or anywhere with little ones. I am always happy to share my experience and advice with all of you!
