🗾 Japan Family Adventure

2 adults + 2 kids (9 & 6) · 17–31 May 2026

Book before you fly

  • teamLab Planets — book the Wed 20 May slot at planets.teamlab.art.
  • Toei Kyoto Studio Park — fine to walk up, but online tickets skip the queue.
  • Shinkansen reserved seats — Tokyo→Kyoto (21 May), Osaka→Hiroshima return (26 May), Osaka→Tokyo (28 May). Use the SmartEX app.
  • Cup Noodle Museum Ikeda — same-day timed tickets; arrive early.
  • Ghibli Museum — currently no tickets. See long-shot options below.

Tokyo · Leg 1

17 – 21 May
&Here Tokyo Ueno4 nights · Ueno district

Kyoto

21 – 24 May
MIMARU Kyoto Station3 nights · Kyoto Station

Osaka

24 – 28 May
&Here Osaka Namba4 nights · Namba district

Tokyo · Leg 2

28 – 31 May
MIMARU Tokyo Ginza East3 nights · Ginza / Shintomi area
Your Ginza neighbourhood (Junko's local tips): within walking distance of the hotel: Marronnier Gate Ginza (Uniqlo, GU, Super OK grocery), multiple Sushi Zanmai branches, Tsukiji Honganji temple (with calm in-temple café), and Tricolore Honten (Showa-era kissaten, syphon coffee). Imperial Palace gardens 15 min on foot.

Long-shot Ghibli options

  • Cancellation refreshes: check l-tike.com/ghibli daily. Released tickets do appear.
  • Tour operators: Klook, Govoyagin (Magical Trip), JTB sometimes bundle Ghibli Museum tickets.
  • Hotel concierge: email MIMARU Tokyo Ginza East before you fly — chains sometimes have agency contacts.
  • Backup: the Donguri Kyowakoku Ghibli store at Tokyo Skytree Solamachi or Shibuya Hikarie has full merch. Mitsuka Inokashira Park walk is Ghibli-vibey on its own.

☕ Coffee guide by hotel

Melbourne/NZ-style specialty roasters within walking distance of each base.

Tokyo Leg 1 · near &Here Ueno

UP TO YOU COFFEE
Melbourne-trained owner. Award-winning latte art. ~10 min walk. 1 hr table limit.

Café Lapin
Opens 8:30am. Single-origin, excellent tamago sando. ~5 min. Closed Sundays

coffee murasaki
4.9-rated. Smooth lattes + purple sweet potato imagawayaki. ~10 min.

Kyoto · near MIMARU Kyoto Station

Kurasu Kyoto Stand
Famous roaster, 7:30am. Standing only, pour-overs. ~10 min.

COYOTE the ordinary shop
Vegan options (egg toast, banana bread) — good for vegetarian-leaning partner. Closed Mondays

Ogawa Coffee
Inside Kyoto Station, 7am. Handy for early train days.

Osaka · near &Here Osaka Namba

LiLo Coffee Roasters
20+ single origins. ~15 min through Shinsaibashi. Opens 11am.

Mel Coffee Roasters
Melbourne-style takeaway only. Excellent pour-over. Closed Mondays

Mill Pour Coffee
Tiny gem, espresso, opens 9am. French toast recommended.

Tokyo Leg 2 · near MIMARU Ginza East

Brewman Tokyo · Ginza
4.9-rated, no queues unlike neighbours. Single-origin light roasts. ~5 min. Insider pick.

Glitch Coffee Ginza
One of Tokyo's most respected roasters. Pick your own beans. Queue 30–60 min.

BONGEN COFFEE Ginza
Famous Bongen Latte Rich (double extraction). ~5 min. Queue 30+ min. Closed Tuesdays

Practical Japan tips for the family

IC cards

Buy Welcome Suica at the airport. Kids 6+ pay child fare; under 6 ride free. Skip JR Rail Pass — pay-as-you-go is cheaper for this route.

Takkyubin (luggage forwarding)

Yamato/Sagawa ship suitcases between hotels (¥2,000–3,000/bag, next-day). Every hotel arranges. Worth every yen — Shinkansen luggage racks are tiny.

Cash + cards

Card-friendly but small shops + temples + street food are still cash. Carry ¥20,000–30,000. 7-Eleven (Seven Bank) ATMs work with all foreign cards 24/7.

Konbini are your friend

Junko swears by: 7-Eleven smoothies, sandwiches and onigiri are far better than they have any right to be. FamilyMart's Famima Cafe is the best convenience-store coffee.

Picky kids

Safer bets: tempura, gyoza, curry rice (kare), tamagoyaki, ramen, conveyor sushi, tonkatsu, takoyaki, melon pan. Most chains have an お子様セット (kids' meal set).

Toilets

Train stations and konbini are reliable and clean. Pack tissues; some public toilets don't have paper.

Connectivity

Pocket Wi-Fi or eSIM (Airalo, Ubigi) at the airport. Download offline Google Maps for each city as backup.

Apps to install

Google Maps, Google Translate (offline + camera mode), USJ App, Tokyo Disney Resort App, SmartEX, NaviTime Transit.

Emergencies

110 police · 119 ambulance/fire · Japan Visitor Hotline (English, 24/7): 050-3816-2787.