Fun, Cheap, and Free Family Travel Activities in Tokyo
/
For a city with an expensive reputation, a day’s outing with kids does not have to be spendy!
A family vacation to Tokyo is probably going to involve some big-ticket attractions like the Skytree (tickets $9 - $20), Tokyo Tower ($3.50-$9.00), the Epson Aqua Park Shinagawa ($22), or Tokyo DisneySea ($48-$74) – but there are days and days’ worth of outings that cost little to nothing at all, once you’ve covered transportation to get there.
With the Suica stored-value card and Tokyo’s comprehensive rail network, virtually the entire city is accessible within an hour of almost any hotel. The convenience of being able to do out-and-back trips from a home base makes it easy to explore a different neighborhood each day of your trip, or even break up your day into morning/lunch – afternoon nap & recharge – evening/dinner (good not only for dealing with jetlag but also heat & humidity if you’re in the city during the warm months).
This link-list of free or low-cost attractions is organized around major stations on the Metro or the Yamanote city loop line, within reasonable walking distances:
Shibuya
- The iconic Shibuya Scramble street crossing
- Statue and artwork for the loyal dog, Hachiko
- The clothing company Diesel has an art gallery just north of the crossroads
- Also nearby is the modern Nanzuka art gallery
- The D47 Museum in the Shibuya Hikarie building has themed exhibits using crafts and products from Japan’s 47 prefectures
- There’s a giant Tower Records off the Scramble, which has live music and concerts almost every day
- The Seibu department store has a huge food hall
Harajuku/Omotesando
- Kiddy Land toy store
- Takeshita Dori shopping street
- Omotesando Hills shopping center
- Yoyogi Park and Meiji Jingu Shrine
- The national broadcasting network NHK has a theme park at its headquarters and you can see action as it happens (¥200 admission for adults, free for kids)
Image by B Lucava via Flickr, CC 2.0 license
Shinjuku
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (Observation Deck)
- Shinjuku Gyoen (¥210 admission)
- Tokyu Hands flagship store
- The Isetan department store flagship (including its food hall)
- Toto Toilet Collaboration Showroom for something really unusual :)
- Tokyo Fire Museum (use the Yotsuya-Sanchome Metro station)
- Tokyo Toy Museum (also via the Yotsuya-Sanchome station) - ¥500 admission for kids and ¥700 for adults, but they have ¥1000 passes for one child + one adult
Image by Justin C. via Flickr, CC 2.0 license
Image by Luca Mascaro via Flickr, CC 2.0 license
Ikebukuro
- The Namjatown indoor amusement park inside the Sunshine City shopping center has inexpensive tickets (¥500 adult, ¥300 child) with much to see and kids’ games to play, but at heart it’s a shopping arcade and food court.
- The headquarters store for manga / anime chain Animate
- Tobu, the city’s single largest department store, with a giant food hall
Image by Kakidai via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0 license
Image by Vasyl Gladysh via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0 license
Ueno/Asakusa
- Ueno Zoo (kids under 12 are free; adults are only ¥600)
- Ueno Park
- National Museum of Nature & Science in Ueno Park
- Senso-ji Temple
- The Kaminarimon Gate and the Nakamise Shopping Street (quite possibly the best place in the city for inexpensive souvenirs)
Image by rdnk via Flickr, CC 2.0 license
Akihabara
- The Tokyo Anime Center, which houses seasonal exhibitions as well as a well-curated shop
- Anime specialist shops such as Mandarake (probably save these for teenagers though)
- LAOX and Yodobashi Camera for cutting-edge electronics
- 3331 Arts Chiyoda
- The Edo-Tokyo Museum (just across the Sumida river at the Ryogoku station)
.jpg)
Image by Perry Li via Wikimedia Commons, CC 2.0 license
Downtown/Tokyo Station
- The outer perimeter paths at the Imperial Palace
- The Imperial Palace East Garden (Higashi Gyoen)
- Tokyo Kite Museum
- Tokyo Station itself has been beautifully restored and updated, with a substantial shopping and dining area as well as artwork and displays of historic materials
Image by Reggaeman via Wikimedia Commons, CC 3.0 license
Shinagawa
- The Shinagawa Shrine is one of the larger green spaces in the central city and holds a large festival in September.
- The Sengaku-ji Temple is one of the main Zen Buddhist temples and is a famous graveyard.
Image by Marc Dalmulder via Flickr, CC 2.0 license
Image by Dennis Amith via Flickr, CC 2.0 license
Meguro/Ebisu
- The Institute for Nature Study is a large, wild area (¥310 admission for adults; kids are free) that has been allowed to regenerate naturally since World War II. Because of this, it is also a significant archaeological research site.
- Yebisu Garden Place is a large shopping and dining complex.
- The Otori Shrine is just a few blocks from the Meguro station and holds big festivals in September, November, and at New Year’s.
Image by 江戸村のとくぞう via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0 license
Ginza / Shimbashi
- Advertising Museum Tokyo
- NHK Museum of Broadcasting
- The flagship for department store Mitsukoshi
- Headquarters store for the Itoya stationery products company (great for kids interested in arts and crafts)
- The Hakuhinkan Toy Park has 8 floors (closer to the Shimbashi Metro station)
Image by Nigel Goodman via Flickr, CC 2.0 license
Akasaka
- The garden at the Hotel New Otani
- The Japan Traditional Craft Center (closest to the Aoyama Metro station)
- You can take a free tour of the National Diet (their Congress/Parliament building)
Image by Wing1990hk via Wikimedia Commons, CC 3.0 license
Image by 掬茶 via Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0 license
Roppongi
- Roppongi Hills shopping and entertainment complex (the Mori Art Museum and Tokyo City View observation platform do charge admission in the ¥2000 range)
- Tokyo Midtown shopping and entertainment complex (the Suntory Museum of Art charges ¥1300 admission)
Image by fox kiyo via Wikimedia Commons, CC 2.0 license
Image by Mark J. Nelson via Wikimedia Commons, CC 3.0 license
Odaiba
(take the Yurikamome Light Rail from the Shimbashi or Shiodome stations)
- The Toyota Mega Web Showroom
- Panasonic Center Tokyo (free for kids throughout and adults for the first two floors; ¥500 adult charge for their digital-networking museum on 3rd floor)
- “Miraikan” – The Museum of Emerging Science & Innovation
- Odaiba Seaside Park (which includes a smaller-scale replica of the Statue of Liberty and a prime view of the Rainbow Bridge)
- Aqua City Odaiba shopping and restaurant complex
- Museum of Maritime Science - ¥700 admission, currently under renovation
Please comment with your additions and suggestions below, or tweet us at @weninchina!
See also…
https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/kids/tokyo-with-children
https://globetotting.com/japan-kids-tokyo-guide/
http://packmeto.com/7-free-things-to-do-in-tokyo/
https://upgradedpoints.com/tokyo-travel-guide
And check these weninchina articles:
Impressions of… Tokyo – Harajuku