Kyoto, Japan. A weekend trip. A world away. If you’ve been, you know. If you haven’t, it’s on your bucket list. And if it’s not, then it should be 🙂

National treasures | World Heritage Sites | Temples | Shrines | Torii Gates | Gardens | Geisha | Mysterious | Magical | Beautiful –> All words that accurately describe the incredible city that is Kyoto, Japan.

Once Japan’s capital city and the emperor’s residence for over 1000 years, Kyoto has one of the richest and storied histories in the world. It’s worthy of all the praise and hype that it gets. There are countless resources on the web to learn about Kyoto and plan your trip, to include: https://www.japan-guide.com/

While I have two trips to Kyoto under my belt, I’m by no means an expert on the city. In fact, while I’ve seen much of it, there is still so much more I want to explore. What I do have a great deal of knowledge about, is how to navigate Kyoto with kids in tow. And that’s what I’m here to share with ya’ll!

Now, before I give you my tips and tricks, I should remind you that I have 4 kiddos who were ages 10, 8, 5 & 2 at the time of our most recent trip. These are things that worked for our large family with a wide range of ages. Depending on where you are in your stage of life as a family, one or all of these ideas may work for you, or may not. This was my family’s experience, and I’m sharing in hopes that it’s helpful to other families like us. So, here goes… here’s how we survived Kyoto with our kiddos…

• Hop on Hop off Bus- allows you to see the whole city, kids are entertained by changing scenery, parents can listen to the history (in multiple languages) via headphones!
• Travel to Kyoto by bullet train, Uber to your hotel/Airbnb and then use the bus system to get to the different sites.
• Strollers are difficult to manage on the buses & some of the cobblestone streets. Carriers are a better option.
• There is a lot of walking in Kyoto- a lot. Little legs that may not normally need a stroller will be begging for one. We used our larger hiking style backpack carrier for our 5 year old and it was a lifesaver!
• Use Blackcat!!! One of the best deals going in Japan. Yamato Transport, or as we call it “Blackcat,” allows you to ship your luggage ahead so it will be at your hotel/Airbnb when you arrive. That way, you don’t have to wrangle it on the trains. At the end of your trip, they’ll pick your luggage back up and return it to your front door s few days later. It’s affordable, reliable and easy!
• When possible, make reservations for dinner. It can be difficult to walk in and get a table for 2… let alone 6! Planning ahead will make meal time much better.
• Before kids, we planned trips around restaurants we wanted to eat at- partly because we’re foodies but also for the social enjoyment aspect. While harder to do with kids, it’s something we want them to learn to love as well, so we try to do at least one nice meal out, but do it at lunch time or late afternoon/early evening. That way, the crowds are less and the kids are more likely to be in good spirits and not melting down from the day.
• Consider splitting up for dinner- one night my husband took our bigs out for a special sushi meal, while I stayed back with the littles and ate at the Airbnb.
• Uber Eats has lots of great options. After a long day of site seeing, our kids were just done and sitting in a restaurant wasn’t going to happen. But, we still wanted to experience the local cuisine, so having Uber Eats deliver from a local restaurant was a great alternative.
• Highchairs can be hard to come by, and if you find them, they likely won’t have straps
• Have realistic expectations. This one can be hard, especially when you’ve researched your trip, seen pictures from your friends on the same trip, dreamt of seeing all the sites. With kids, you have to be realistic and flexible. That might mean being content with making it to one site that day instead of hitting three as you had planned. Going with the flow and adjusting to the moods of the day will make for a more enjoyable trip for everyone!
• Combinis” = your best friend! Knowing you can get drinks, snacks, treats, bandaids, baby wipes… you name it… from the convenience stores means you don’t have to be Mary Poppins and pack/carry everything with you. And bonus- it’s the perfect pit stop to let the kids cool off, have some control as they pick their own snack, and use the bathroom. More than just a convenience store, make it part of the adventure!

With some planning and an open mind, your family can enjoy the journey to Kyoto as much as the destination itself!