Nagano, Japan. All photography is ours.
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Japan with Kids
For our trip to Japan, we spend most of our time in the mountains. Our first trip was a spring break ski trip to the Japanese Alps, and it was amazing. We had two days on wide open runs at Tsugaike Kogen in Hakuba with no lift lines, a snowy hike to the snow monkeys at Jigokudani, a seventh century temple in Nagano, and then Tokyo. Obviously there is SO much more to Japan than snow skiing and we’d love to return again. During our short time there, we found the hospitality to be warm, the food delicious, and the public transportation top notch.
Japan is easier with a family than you might think. Trains run to the minute, everything is clean, and the food alone is worth the flight.
Destination guide · Updated November 2026 · Last visited March 2016
Best months
March–May, Oct–Nov, and Jan–Feb for snow
Fly into
HND · NRT · KIX
How long
10 days, 2 weeks with the Alps
Getting around
Trains everywhere, no car needed
Book ahead
Ghibli Museum · Shinkansen seats in peak weeks · Kyoto ryokans
Skiing is a natural spring break vacation for many families, and one year some unlikely events and dumb luck put the Japanese Alps within reach. We based in Hakuba in Nagano prefecture and spent our first day off the slopes to beat the jet lag, riding the bus to Jigokudani to hike in to the snow monkeys soaking in their hot spring, then walking up to Zenkō-ji Temple in Nagano. The next two days we skied Tsugaike Kogen. It had wide green cruisers, cheap tickets, a Burger King at the base, and not a single lift line. Ten or fifteen empty chairs would go by before you saw another skier.
We finished up in Tokyo, because you can’t waste a first trip to Japan. While Kyoto, Osaka, and Hokkaido are on our list, skiing the deep stuff in the Japanese Alps was a pretty good introduction to an amazing country.
Your Japan guide
Enjoy exploring Japan with kids!
Keep scrolling for the essentials, three trip itineraries, and where to stay.
Essential Japan
Why we love Japan
We think you’ll love it too.
Japan is where we’d send a family that wants bullet trains, Olympic slopes, and monkeys soaking in hot springs. Hakuba, the snow monkeys, Nagano, and Tokyo are all incredible. Kyoto and the rest are the reason we’d go back.
Skiing Hakuba Guide
Tsugaike Kogen was the easiest mountain in Hakuba for our family, with wide greens, cheap lift tickets, and zero lines in March. Whistler should be ashamed!
The snow monkeys Guide
A thirty-minute walk through a snowy forest leads to a hot spring full of Japanese macaques. We got there on our own by bus from Hakuba and Nagano Station, and the kids were enthralled.
Nagano and Zenkō-ji Guide
A twenty-minute walk from the station takes you to Zenkō-ji, a seventh-century temple with shops and noodle stands the whole way. It made an easy culture day between ski days.
And the rest we’d cross the country for
Kyoto
Kyoto has the temples, the bamboo, and the food, two hours from Tokyo on the Shinkansen. It’s at the top of our list.
Osaka and Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Japan has Super Nintendo World and the Wizarding World, and Osaka has the best street food in the country. It’s about thirty minutes from Kyoto.
Hokkaido
Hokkaido has Niseko’s powder in winter and lavender fields in summer. It’s the other Japan ski trip we haven’t taken yet.
Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea
DisneySea is the one Disney park that exists nowhere else. It’s on the list for our next Tokyo stay.
Hiroshima and Miyajima
Hiroshima has the Peace Memorial, and Miyajima has the floating torii gate. It’s a long day from Kyoto, so consider staying overnight.
Mount Fuji and Hakone
Hakone has ropeways, a pirate ship on the lake, and a hot spring town ninety minutes from Tokyo. Clear views of Mount Fuji seem to come down to luck, so cross your fingers.
Nara
Nara has deer that bow for crackers and a giant bronze Buddha. It’s an easy day trip from Kyoto that kids love.
The Ghibli Museum
The Ghibli Museum is in Tokyo’s suburbs, and tickets sell out the day they’re released a month ahead. Set an alarm!
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Skiing the Japanese Alps with Kids
Skiing has turned into a fun spring break tradition for our family, and skiing in Japan was certainly no exception. I’ve been…
Routes
Three Japan trip itineraries
One country gives you three very different trips. Choose snow and Tokyo, the classic Tokyo to Kyoto run, or a theme park loop. See all the best stops on a map.
Home base
Hakuba
Fly into Tokyo, then the Shinkansen to Nagano and a bus to Hakuba. Plan two or three ski days at Tsugaike Kogen. Our guide covers the lift tickets and the bus.
Then head to
Jigokudani and Nagano
Take a bus to Nagano Station and another to the monkey park, then walk to Zenkō-ji before the train back. It makes a full day.
Finish
Tokyo
Stay four or five nights. Base near a Yamanote line station and ride it everywhere.
Start
Tokyo
Plan four nights for Shibuya, Asakusa, the Ghibli Museum if you win the ticket lottery, and a day trip to Hakone.
Then head to
Kyoto
Kyoto is two hours by Shinkansen. Stay three or four nights for the temples, Arashiyama’s bamboo, and a day trip to Nara. We haven’t done this one yet.
Finish
Osaka
Osaka is thirty minutes from Kyoto. Spend a day at Universal Studios Japan, eat street food in Dotonbori, and fly home from KIX.
Start
Tokyo Disney Resort
Plan two days for DisneySea and Disneyland, staying on property or in nearby Maihama.
Then head to
Universal Studios Japan
Take the Shinkansen to Osaka. Super Nintendo World needs a timed entry pass, so read up before you go.
Finish
Kyoto
Balance the parks with two temple days and a night in a ryokan.
When to go
Time your visits with the weather and the region
We went in March, which was ski season in Hakuba and comfortable in Tokyo. Cherry blossoms peak in late March and early April and the crowds peak with them. Fall color in November is the other classic window. Summer is hot and humid everywhere but Hokkaido.
Swipe the chart sideways to see the full year.
March – May
Ski season winds down in the Alps while cherry blossoms open in the cities. Our spring break trip landed right in the middle and it worked.
June – September
It’s hot and humid, and June is rainy season. Hokkaido is the summer escape. Festivals and fireworks make up for the weather in the cities.
October – November
The days are crisp, and fall color reaches Kyoto by mid November. It’s the other window we’d pick for a first trip.
December – February
It’s powder season in Hakuba and Niseko, with cheaper lift tickets than anywhere in North America. Tokyo is cold, dry, and fine.
Where to stay
Pick a good base to start your Japan adventure
Stay next to a train station and everything else takes care of itself. Here’s where we’d stay for each.
Ski trips
Hakuba
Stay near the Happo bus terminal and you can reach every resort in the valley by shuttle. We chose Tsugaike for the shortest ride and the easiest terrain. Western style hotels and traditional inns are both here.
- Our Hakuba ski guide
- Near Happo for the shuttles
- A Hakuba Valley pass if you want to ski more than one mountain
City trips
Tokyo
Pick a neighborhood on the Yamanote loop line. Choose Shinjuku and Shibuya for energy, Asakusa for the older city, or Tokyo Station for Shinkansen days. Rooms are small, so book a family room or two connecting.
- Shinjuku for trains in every direction
- Asakusa for temples and a quieter night
- Chain hotels near Tokyo Station for points
Kyoto trips
Kyoto
Stay near Kyoto Station for convenience or in Gion for atmosphere. Do one night in a ryokan with the kids for the tatami rooms and the multi course dinner, then go back to a hotel.
- Kyoto Station for day trips to Nara and Osaka
- One ryokan night, booked months ahead
- Higashiyama to walk to the temples
Good to know
Questions families ask us about Japan
Japan at a glance
The practical stuff families ask us before they book.
Language: Japanese, English signs in cities and stations
Population: About 123 million
Capital: Tokyo
Currency: Japanese yen (JPY)
Power outlet: Types A and B, 100 V
Time difference: 14 hours ahead of Central (summer)
Entry for US passports: Visa-free up to 90 days
Driving: On the left, but take the train
Emergency number: 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance
Tipping: Not customary anywhere
Less than we expected. Trains run on time, signs are in English, and convenience stores are everywhere. The hard parts are jet lag and the size of hotel rooms. We spent our first day walking to the snow monkeys instead of skiing so everyone could adjust.
Yes, and it’s cheaper than you think once you’re there. Lift tickets at Tsugaike Kogen cost a fraction of a Rockies resort, the greens are wide and empty, and we never waited for a chair. A spring break ski trip is a family tradition for many families, and the Japan tickets were, in Carrick’s words, Whistler-should-be-ashamed cheap. Here’s how we did it.
Take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano in about ninety minutes, then the Alpico bus to Hakuba’s Happo terminal in about an hour. Buy the bus tickets at the terminal. The same bus system got us to the snow monkeys and back.
You only need one if you’re doing Tokyo, Kyoto, and back in a week. Since the price went up, a one way Shinkansen ticket plus a Suica card for local trains is usually cheaper for a family. Book Shinkansen seats ahead in cherry blossom season and Golden Week.
Yes, you can. We took the Alpico bus from Hakuba to Nagano Station, then another bus to the park, and walked the thirty minute trail in. Wear boots with tread, because it’s muddy and icy. Guided tours run from Nagano and Tokyo if you’d rather not manage the buses.
No, they don’t. A passport gets you 90 days as a tourist. Japan’s arrival card can be filled out online through Visit Japan Web before you land, which saves time at the airport.
Map
Essential Japan, mapped
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