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If you are visiting Japan with kids, what is the best city? Finding a good destination is a fundamental and essential part of planning a family trip. However, if you have never explored a country before, it can be difficult to work out the best destinations.
In this article, we will share the best city in Japan for family travel. We are basing this article on our own personal first-hand experience, having traveled Japan extensively with our own kids.
The best city in Japan for family travel has a degree of subjectivity. Families travel to many destinations in Japan and have amazing trips. However, when it comes to family travel in Japan, there is one city which seems to stand out as one of the best. It is popular with many families, and it has a lot to offer in terms of accommodation, food, experiences, and activities. Keep reading to find out more.
GET EQUIPPED – Don’t miss our Japan Travel Guides if you are traveling Japan with a baby or exploring Japan with a toddler
What things make a city good for family travel?
When you’re trying to find a good city for family travel, you will need to consider a range of factors. In this article, we have considered the following things to select the best city for family travel in Japan:
- Availability of affordable family-friendly accommodation
- Activities and experiences for families
- Family-friendly facilities and amenities
- A good and affordable transport system
- A good range of family-friendly cafes and restaurants
- A good range of indoor spaces
- Availability of parks and green spaces
- A destination that is popular with other families so you can meet people on the road
What is the best city in Japan for family travel?
Ok, we’re not going to make you search through this article to find our answer. The best city in Japan for family travel is Osaka. This is probably one of the most popular cities in Japan for families and for good reason. In this article, we will share some of the reasons that Osaka is such a good option for families.
FIND OUT MORE – Osaka vs Nagoya – Which city is best to visit?
Family-friendly accommodation in Osaka
As a relatively large city, Osaka has a lot of options and choices in terms of areas to stay and accommodation. The large range of choice means that you are more likely to find something in your budget range that meets your needs. Osaka also has a very good range of city apartments. In addition to being a fun, novel experience, a Japanese city apartment is also a fantastic option for families. Many city apartments have facilities such as washing machines, bathtubs, and small kitchens. It is really helpful to have amenities like this if you are traveling with kids. You can also find some centrally located apartments for reasonable prices in Osaka, which means that it is easy to explore the city with your kids.
Some of the best places to stay in Osaka with kids
TOP TIP – Make sure you check the taxes and charges! For cheaper accommodation taxes and charges can double the price in Japan (eeek!)
1 Sankōpoyuu Nippombashi
Stylish, surprisingly spacious (can accommodate a family of 5) and very central – a short walk from Dotonburi and the Kuramon market. Good value for money for the location, space & style.
2 Guest House First Bless
Clean (no surprises there!) stylish and comfortable. Nice studio apartment – ideal for a small family (3 or 4 at the most). Great location near Tennoji Park and the TV tower.
3 DenDen Town
Amazing value for money and spacious – can accommodate up to 5 people. Studio apartment with great facilities. Excellent location in the Namba area. There is a small bath tub – great to clean grubby kids.
4 Zentis Osaka
Looking for a luxury family hotel? Zentis is a great choice. They have a large family suite – spacious, luxurious, stylish & very comfortable. Excellent location in the Umeda area.
Family-friendly activities in Osaka
Osaka is also packed with a lot of family-friendly activities. Consider Osaka Castle as an example. This beautiful castle is surrounded by a large green park with plenty of space for kids to run around and explore. There is also an extensive kids’ play park. You can explore the entire park for free without needing to pay for entry to the castle. It is also very easy to get to Osaka Castle (just take the subway to the Morinomiya stop on the Chuo line).
As another example, consider the cosmopolitan Dotonbori walking street. This is the perfect place to get that taste of Japan’s city life. Take a stroll up the walking street in the evening to see restaurants, street food, and street performers. You can even ride a Ferris wheel here. Also, make sure that you don’t miss Tennoji Park. This is a fantastic and underrated spot for families in Osaka. There is a beautiful pond (with a surprising amount of wildlife), a large zoo, and several indoor kids’ play spaces just next to the zoo. These kids’ play spaces are not well known, so this is a hidden gem for families. These are just a few examples of the wide range of family-friendly activities available in Osaka. You can even take a short train ride from Osaka to visit the iconic Nara Deer Park.
WHY NOT BOOK A TOUR? – If you’re exploring with kids book a tour so that you can explore with a local expert. No planning or navigation needed! Check out this awesome Osaka One Day Walking Tour on KLOOK (kids 0 – 5 years old are FREE of charge)
Indoor spaces in Osaka
Osaka also has an impressive range of indoor kids’ activities and spaces. One of the best indoor kids’ play spaces is the impressive Kids Plaza, which is situated right next to Ogimachi subway station. The Kids Plaza has a free outdoor play park and an extensive indoor play space and museum space. It has a wide range of practical and creative interactive activities to engage kids and empower learning.
Osaka also has a lot of indoor arcades. We highly recommend a visit, even if it is just for the quirky experience of seeing a Japanese arcade. For a unique and fascinating experience, why not visit the Osaka Umeda Sky Tower? You can go all the way to the top for free (although you do need to pay to go to the viewing deck at the very top). If you’re looking for an indoor cultural activity, then don’t miss the Kuromon Market. It is a little bit touristy and expensive, but a great way to engage with Japanese street food culture. We recommend that you budget for it as a cultural experience.
There are several BorneLund Playgrounds around Osaka. This is an innovative and creative indoor play space ideal for kids from 1-10 years old. There is one close to the entrance to the Osaka Castle Park, one on the southeast corner of Tennoji Park, and one situated near the Intercontinental Osaka IHG Hotel. Finally, don’t miss the epic Panza indoor playground (perfect for active kids 5-18 years old). This is situated at the southeast side of Tennoji Park, close to the entrance of the zoo.
If you are exploring Osaka in bad or extreme weather, there are several fantastic indoor spaces. Osaka has a surprisingly extensive subterranean shopping precinct; this means that you can walk long distances through the city centre without needing to get too hot, too cold, or wet.
Map of some awesome indoor play space in Osaka
Traveling around Osaka with kids
Osaka has an extensive and very impressive public transport system. Most of your travel around Osaka is likely to be on the subway system, which is excellently networked and relatively easy to navigate. Subway travel around Osaka is relatively cheap, with most tickets ranging between 200 yen and 400 yen, depending on the distance. There is also an extensive railway network around Osaka and the surrounding areas. Although it is true that Osaka has an amazing public transport system, if you are exploring the city, it is likely that you will do a lot of walking. With kids, make sure you have comfortable shoes. If you’re traveling with young kids, consider whether you are going to use a pram or baby carrier; each one has its own advantages.
The popularity of Osaka with families
If you learn an area is popular with families, you may want to run in the opposite direction as fast as possible. If this is you, then Osaka is probably not the place for you. You will be glad to know that it is easy to get off the beaten track in Japan. If you just visit a random town (preferably one that you have not researched online in advance), there is a good chance that you will be the only travelers in town, and you will probably only see Japanese people. For example, we lived in Tokoname for over a month and we barely saw any non-Japanese people.
However, there are a lot of advantages to visiting a popular family destination like Osaka. Firstly, Osaka is popular with families because Osaka is good for families. Secondly, Osaka is a fantastic place to meet other families on the road. If you love to meet other families when you are traveling, then Osaka is a very good choice.
Family-friendly cafes and restaurants in Osaka
Osaka also has a fantastic family-friendly food culture. In our experience, food in Osaka was a little bit cheaper than other areas of Japan that we traveled. There is also a very good range of options available. You can find plenty of amazing Japanese food, including ramen, tempura, sashimi, and sushi. You can also find an excellent range of international food, including pasta, pizzas, burgers, and much more. Osaka also has a lot of themed cafes, which can be a lot of fun with kids. We particularly enjoyed visiting an animal cafe in Osaka. This is a very fun and unique experience, which our boys absolutely loved. If you’re looking for a fun, affordable meal with kids, don’t miss Kura Sushi. This is a surprisingly affordable sushi belt restaurant. There are several branches around Osaka, and they even have a computer game where you can win an egg prize.
Shopping in Osaka for families
Osaka is an excellent city for shopping. There are a lot of supermarkets and convenience stores around, so it is easy to stock up on essentials for your kids. You can find a lot of Family Mart and Lawson convenience stores. This is a great place to buy things like snacks, drinks, wet wipes, and nappies. There are also a lot of supermarkets around town where you can buy things like nappies, food, and drinks for kids. Osaka also has a lot of shops where you can buy clothes, gifts, artwork, and much more. If you are exploring Osaka with kids, you will not find it hard to buy things that you need along the way.
