Summary

A family of ten, including eight children, embarked on an adventurous one-week vacation in Japan, visiting Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Osaka, and found the experience enriching, manageable, and highly recommendable for families.

Abstract

The family's Japanese vacation was a remarkable adventure, filled with efficient travel via the Japanese Rail system, comfortable stays at Airbnb accommodations, and immersive cultural experiences. They navigated the country with ease despite having eight children, ranging from four months to 13 years old, and managed strict dietary restrictions by cooking their own meals. The trip included visits to significant historical sites, such as the Hiroshima Peace Museum and Osaka Castle, as well as modern attractions like Tokyo's TeamLabs digital art museum. The family found the Japanese people to be extremely kind and helpful, and they were able to pick up basic Japanese phrases during their stay. The children were particularly impressed with the culture's efficiency and politeness, and the family concluded that traveling to Japan with children, even with challenges, can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

Opinions

The family believes that if they could manage a trip to Japan with eight children, it is feasible for most people.
They found Japan to be a must-visit destination due to its unique blend of ancient and high-tech experiences.
The JR passes were considered a cost-effective and convenient option for tourists to explore the country.
The availability of lockers at train stations greatly eased their travel logistics.
Staying in Airbnb homes allowed them to live like locals and manage their gluten-free dietary needs.
They appreciated the cleanliness and efficiency of Japan's transportation and lodging, despite the absence of ovens and dryers in homes.
Osaka was perceived as having a vibrant nightlife and a more relaxed atmosphere, though it was considered less pristine than other parts of Japan.
The historical significance of Hiroshima made a deep impression on the family, particularly with the guidance of a local with personal wartime connections.
Kyoto was a highlight for its traditional Japanese culture and natural beauty, including the Kamo River and bamboo forests.
Tokyo's unique mix of ancient and futuristic elements, especially in the Odaiba area, was fascinating to the family.
The family found the Japanese language easy to pick up for basic communication and were charmed by the frequent use of phrases like "Kawaii," "Konnichiwa," and "

We Took Eight Children to Japan for Vacation and Lived to Tell About It

Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Osaka, in seven days or less

Japan is a remarkable country. It is the most exciting place that our family has ever been, and we have been to a lot of places. We took our eight children to Japan in the fall for vacation and had the adventure of a lifetime.

If we could do it with eight children, I would assume most people reading this could do it too. We were able to visit most of the big cities in one week. Japan is a place you want to go before you die.

Transportation

Once we got to Japan, we walked or took the train everywhere. The Japanese rail stations are high tech and clean. They play happy music every couple of minutes to keep the mood positive.

We took the train all over the country using the Japanese Rail passes, or JR passes. Tourist are the only people who can get these passes, and they are much cheaper than buying standard tickets.

You have to get them before you leave your country of origin and can pick them up at the airport upon arrival. We took the rail all over the country, and that included riding the Shinkansen or bullet train to Toyko from Osaka in two hours (It would take five hours to drive there).

Bullet Train Image by tikisada from Pixabay

Everyone was extremely kind and helpful with getting around. We had no problem navigating the rail system with our gang of eight children, as there were many signs in English.

At the time of the trip, our children were age four months through 13 years.

One thing that made traveling around Japan much easier with a big family is there are lockers at every train station. You don’t have to carry all of your bags and luggage everywhere. We often dropped our things off at the start of the day before we left to explore.

Lodging and Food

Air B&B is the place to stay in Japan. In Osaka, we rented a house that slept 10 and lived right among the locals. Every night our neighbor set up a little stand in front of her house selling meats on sticks. A huge market was across the street, and we could buy all of our food there.

My kids can’t eat gluten; we had to make most of our food from scratch, but we had everything right there.

In Tokyo, we rented a place called The Big House. It was an old inn with several separate pods that our children could sleep in. Each pod had its own iPad, and there were at least six bathrooms available.

It was right near the train station and grocery stores, and it was great to have those accommodations and be centrally located.

Another note about lodging is that no place we stayed had ovens. Most foods had to be cooked on a stovetop. Also, many homes had washers but not dryers. In their efficiency and energy conserving ways, the Japanese hang a lot of clothes to dry.

With ten people to dry clothes for- our racks were full! After we settled into our temporary homes we began to explore.

Osaka

Osaka is known as the rougher part of Japan. It’s the second-largest city and has a happening nightlife in Dontorobi. We took our kids there and we went on the night cruise, which was in English.

Osaka seems to be dirtier than the rest of Japan, but not dirty by most countries standards. Everyone was still lovely and polite. Osaka is also the home of the Osaka castle, and there is a lot of fascinating history connected to that.

Hiroshima

As a history major and homeschooling mom, we had to go to Hiroshima. The peace museum and the burnt-out remains of the nuclear bomb site were sobering.

While there, we had an English speaking Japanese guide whose father served in the war and was captured as a POW in China. His mother lived in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing.

We were speaking at the site with living history.

Kyoto

I wish we would have planned to spend more time here. Kyoto is more like ancient Japan. People love to dress up here in traditional kimono and dress. The Kamo River goes through the center of Kyoto, and here we took a riverboat cruise.

Kyoto is also the place of the famous bamboo forests and many ancient and beautiful temples. Our highlight of this area was the monkey sanctuary at the top of the mountain.

Tokyo

Tokyo is unique compared to all the other cities. It is the largest city in Japan. Some parts are ancient and other parts are incredibly high tech. The Olympics were gearing up near Teleport Train station in the Odaiba area, and we felt like we were fifty years in the future.

TeamLabs is a new digital art museum and a must-see with children.

The other section of Tokyo that we liked was the Asakusa area. Here we met sumo wrestlers and went to the Tokyo- Edo Museum to learn about the history of Tokyo and Japan.

The Language

It was mostly effortless for us to pick up the basics of the Japanese language while visiting. Several phrases we heard repeated often. Those included Kawaii, Konnichiwa, and Arigatou Gozaimasu. Kawaii means cute, and it was said often while the Japanese looked at my baby.

Konnichiwa is the basic greeting of hello. We found the Japanese to be very friendly, so everyone says hello. Arigatou Gozaimasu means thank you very much, and it’s said with a bow and respect.

Final Thoughts

Japan, with our eight children, was a blast. Everything was clean, and the people are so lovely. My children loved to learn about the culture and were impressed with how efficient and polite the Japanese people are. Even with strict dietary restrictions, we still were able to eat a lot of food by cooking at our house.

I would recommend if you have the opportunity to travel to Japan with your children you should take advantage of it. We did with our eight children, no rental car, and dietary restrictions and had the time of our life!