8 Best Family Things to Do in Tokyo

This vast theme park incorporates Tokyo Disneyland® Park and Tokyo DisneySea® Park, plus adjoining Ikspiari shopping and dining complex. You can easily spend a full day in each section by buying a multi-day pass and do them all.

There are no less than six Disney hotels and another half a dozen non-Disney hotels, so you will have plentiful options when choosing where to stay without ever leaving the resort.

Master animator Hayao Miyazaki designed the Ghibli Museum's gallery of exhibits, drawing on much-loved Studio Ghibli movies like "My Neighbor Totoro." The result is like a funhouse inside a fine art museum while also having some features of a technology museum.

When your have explored all the exhibits, you can enjoy Ghibli short films that were created exclusively for the museum, or sit down to enjoy the offerings of the cafe. Your children will love the Catbus-themed playroom.

Odaiba, a man-made entertainment island, is accessible by boat, rail, or on foot across the Rainbow Bridge. You can relax on the beach, battle digital zombies at Tokyo Joypolis, and meet ASIMO the robot at Miraikan, also known as the Future Museum.

Other attractions on Odaiba include the Museum of Maritime Science, several shopping centres, a replica of the Statue of Liberty, and a statue of Gundam (from the classic anime Mobile Suit Gundam) that is nearly 20 meters tall.

In the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, time travel seems almost possible as you wander the wooden buildings of a bygone Tokyo, restored and relocated to Koganei Park. Even the famous animator Hayao Miyazaki has taken inspiration from the museum.

The area is divided into three zones for different types of buildings, from farmhouses and middle-class homes to the homes of the powerful and even a public bathhouse. After visiting the 17th and 18th centuries, you can return to the present day for an ice cream on the grass.

Tokyo's Shirokanedai Institute for Nature Study is a vast reserve of wild wood and marshland. Always hushed and never crowded – visitor numbers are limited to 300 people per day – it makes a refreshing break from the surrounding city.

After exploring the beautiful botanical gardens, you can check out the museum shop and pick up some nice books or postcards. When planning your visit, you should note that there are no visitor parking spaces. But several public transport lines stop less than a 10 minutes' walk away.

Harajuku Kiddy Land is the flagship store of this toy brand and a wonderful experience for the young at heart. Across 6 storeys, the beautifully decorated store presents colourful interactive displays and a huge number of toys, games and figures of all varieties.

You will also find all the kitsch character items – think Hello Kitty – that are so popular with children around the world. Kiddy Land is next to Meiji-Jingumae Station on the Chiyoda Line.

For a real taste of otaku style, head to Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan, a capsule toy (gachapon) haven in Akihabara. With more than 400 capsule toy machines you could win anything from Godzilla, to Ultraman or Dragon Ball Z. This idea of random prizes has also been adopted by various video games.

You should visit Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan as much for the experience as purchasing a capsule toy. Punk staff and blaring rock music seems to go down well with the customers.

With 5 floors of toys and games, Hakuhinkan Toy Park is truly a paradise for every child as well as young-at-heart adults. The store was first opened in 1899, making it one of the oldest toy stores in Japan.

Hakuhinkan features all sorts of toys, from computer games to board games, jigsaw puzzles, game arcades, magic tricks, wooden toys, Japanese dolls and traditional goods, music boxes, stuffed animals and joke gifts. Hakuhinkan also has a toy clinic, a duty-free counter and child-friendly restaurants. If you’re travelling by public transport, take the JR Yamanote line to Shimbashi.