Here is another one day itinerary for families in Tokyo. This time for Aoyama and Harajuku. See here for an itinerary for kids in another part of Tokyo – particularly for kids who just need to wriggle and be loud for a bit.
PLEASE NOTE: This article contains some affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
9am
Breakfast at i2 Cafe
They have the yummiest little breakfast in the backstreets of Aoyama.
Walk-ins only. They have space for strollers. I recommend budgeting 2000 yen per adult to dine here. They accept most major credit cards. Breakfast options include sausages, eggs, salad and french toast.
4 mins walk from Omotesando Station (using the A4 exit)
i2 CAFE, MINAMI-AOYAMA
港区南青山3-9-1
3-9-1 MINAMI-AOYAMA, MINATO-KU
OPEN 8AM-6PM (LAST ORDERS 5PM)
10am
Walk for 8 mins to the Nezu Museum and take a walk through the beautiful gardens here.
Not to be confused with Nezu Shrine, Nezu Museum is a gorgeous building and garden that hosts different exhibitions all the time. If you’re worried about kids being to rowdy within the museum, head straight to the beautiful Japanese garden behind the museum’s main building.
If you decide to explore the garden, like we do, avoid taking the stroller with you (reception are happy to hold onto it) as there are lots of stairs and rocks. Also, it’s best to take mosquito repellant too.
NEZU MUSEUM
南青山6-5-1
6-5-1 MINAMI-AOYAMA
OPEN: 10AM-5PM (OFTEN CLOSED OR PARTLY CLOSED ON MONDAYS, SEE WEBSITE)
ADMISSION: 1100YEN FOR ADULTS, 800YEN FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, FREE FOR STUDENTS YOUNGER THAN HIGH SCHOOL AGE
WEBSITE
11am
Minami-Aoyama Roku-Chome Children’s Park
Walk through the backstreets of Minami-Aoyama for 5 mins to local playground Minami-Aoyama Rokuchome Children’s Park. My kids have always quite enjoyed this little suburban corner playground in Minami-Aoyama.
Its not a beautiful park but it has one public restroom (Japanese style), a sandpit, a climbing frame with slides, a small see-saw and swings.
MINAMI-AOYAMA ROKU-CHOME CHILDREN’S PARK
南青山6-13-24
6-13-24 MINAMI-AOYAMA
11:30am
Walk for 1 min to a kid-friendly Kintsugi workshop
We loved this workshop! It is for children 6 years and older.
This is the exact Kintsugi workshop we did (it is confusing as it looks like it’s not ok for kids but I can confirm that 6 year olds and older can definitely participate (with an adult and the price is the same for children and adults.)
OR at 11:30am
Jump in a taxi for 10 mins to the Ninja Cafe in Harajuku.
This is the link for the Ninja Cafe. We have done this and my kids enjoyed their special ninja training. I don’t recommend eating any food here (there are so many better options for a meal in this area.) The “training” doesn’t take too long and is the best option for kids who have had enough of shopping or the general busy-ness of Takeshita Street. The training is run in a basement warehouse type room – the staff are very kind and are excellent with kids.
Lunch option 1: Mr Farmer Omotesando
A brunch, lunch or dinner option is Mr Farmer in Omotesando ( there are a handful of Mr Farmer restaurants around Tokyo.)
If you’re after fresh juice, organic vegetables, vegan meal options and desserts or just want to get in extra greens, you will LOVE this place.
*There are no high chairs but there is some sofa/booth style seating which makes it easier with toddlers.
MR FARMER, OMOTESANDO
渋谷区神宮前4-5-12 セピア原宿ビル1Ｆ
GROUND FLOOR, SEPIA BUILDING, 4-5-12 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA
OPEN 10AM-9PM (FROM 9AM ON WEEKENDS)
Lunch option 2: Afuri Ramen, Minami Aoyama
If it’s ramen you’re keen on… try Afuri in Minami-Aoyama. This is a chain store and definitely has a local vibe. It’s a counter around the kitchen and orders are placed on a vending machine out the front. I like the Shoyu (soy sauce) and Shio (Salt) ramen. My kids eat some of mine and have Niku Gohan (Pork pieces on rice).
A full lunch with a beer will still leave you change from 2000 yen. This is chain store so keep your eye out for more Afuri branches ( for eg. Azabu-juban, Ebisu, Roppongi Crossing, Roppongi Hills ) Some of the stores also have a vegan ramen option but the Minami-Aoyama option definitely does. This is one of the few ramen places in Japan that sells chicken ramen – this is handy if you don’t eat pork.
Please note that this store does not accept cash.
AFURI RAMEN, MINAMI-AOYAMA
港区南青山5-6-4 ハイトリオ南青山 B1F
BASEMENT B1 FLOOR, HIGH-TRIO MINAMI AOYAMA BUILDING, 5-6-4 MINAMI-AOYAMA, MINATO-KU
OPEN 11AM-11PM (LAST ORDERS AT 10:30AM)
Lunch option 3: Sushi Hachibee Izakaya, Aoyama
If you’re looking to eat more traditional Japanese food for lunch I highly recommend Hachibei, a self-titled Sushi Izakaya (an Izakaya is a Japanese-style pub) and their lunch sets are incredibly good value. They have sushi set lunches, teishoku which, depending on the particular day, includes options like grilled fish of the day, vegetable tempura or pork hamburg (a Japanese style plump hamburger patty.)
Each set includes miso soup, green tea and pickled vegetables and prices range between 1000 -2000 yen.
For the Mummies and Daddies, a glass of wine or sake is only 500 yen!
This is a casual, local eateries that is filled with business people on their lunch break and often families with small children. They have table, counter and sofa seating available.
They also have an English menu (out front and inside the restaurant.)
They welcome kids here. They only do walk-ins for lunch and dinner has an 880 yen charge per person ( you will also receive and otoshi as you sit down – if you don’t want it just leave it on the table , don’t hand it back)
SUSHI IZAKAYA HACHIBE
南青山3-15-13 青山グリーンヒルズ1F
GROUND FLOOR, AOYAMA GREENHILLS BUILDING, 3-15-13 MINAMI-AOYAMA
OPEN FOR LUNCH: 12PM-2:30PM (LAST ORDER AT 2PM)
OPEN FOR DINNER: 5:30PM-2:30AM (CLOSES AT 11PM ON SUNDAYS)
Lunch option 4: Nori-Temaki
I highly recommend the Gonpachi restaurant called Nori-Temaki for a modern take on counter sushi enough.
It’s kid-friendly. You can substitute sushi rice for cauliflower rice. You can order a little or a lot… it’s perfect!
Here is my detailed blog post on Harajuku’s Hand-Rolled Sushi Counter restaurant “Nori-Temaki”.
Lunch option 5: Pizzeria Spontini.
The restaurant is big (seats 75) so you could make a reservation (gets busy on weekends) or try a walk-in. As I mentioned above, if it is busy and you miss out on a table, you can always try Las Dos Caras instead, one floor down. The pizza slices are big and super cheesy (in the best way.) The entire restaurant is non-smoking and they accept most major credit cards. Children and babies are welcome here and there is space to store strollers while you dine. There is an English menu. Be sure to ask for takeout if you can’t finish your pizza. I would budget for around 2000 yen per adult at lunch and 3000 yen at dinner. You can see the full Pizzeria Spontini menu here (please note that not all options are available year round and not all at lunchtime- the 4 main pizzas are always on the menu though.
PIZZERIA SPONTINI
渋谷区神宮前1-10-37 2F
2ND FLOOR, 1-10-37 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA
OPEN WEEKDAYS 11AM-4PM & 5PM-9PM (LAST ORDERS AT 8:30PM)
OPEN WEEKENDS 11AM-9PM (LAST ORDERS AT 8:30PM)
CLOSED FOR THE NEW YEARS HOLIDAYS
2:30pm
Print Club – The Photo Booth Stickers
This print club “arcade” is in the basement floor just near the entrance to Takeshita Street. It’s called PURIKURA LAND NOA Print Club.
Print clubs are , what I like to think of as the original snapchat filters (that were around waaaay before that as I remember taking these when I first came to Japan to visit with my high school in 1995! ) The photos are taken in a booth – a series of pictures- that are instantly printed out in small sticker form. They are so much fun (and funny).
They usually cost approximately 500-600 yen.
NOA PRINT CLUB
渋谷区神宮前1-17-5 B1F
BASEMENT FLOOR, 1-17-5 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA
OPEN EVERYDAY 8AM- 11:30PM
3pm
Walk for 2 mins to Mooosh for squishy toys.
This shop is called called Mooosh Squishy. These also make for fun Japan souvenirs for children – especially as many of them are shaped like Japanese foods etc. When you spend a certain amount (I think it was 2000 yen?) kids get a coin for the squishy gatchapon machine too.
MOOOSH SQUISHY, HARAJUKU
渋谷区神宮前1-16-7
1-16-7 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA
OPEN 10AM-6PM
*There is another store in Osaka. See my Osaka with kids article for details here.
3:30pm
Walk for 3 mins to Lola’s Cupcakes for a treat.
This is the Tokyo branch of the beautiful, beautiful British cupcake shop Lola’s cupcakes. Their teeny cupcakes are just the cutest. They have a large selection. Oh…and they are 250 yen each! Winning! They also do “on the spot” Happy Birthday cupcakes (incase you just remembered someone’s special day!) If you’d like to take your cupcakes home/ to your hotel / to Yoyogi Park for a picnic – they will include an icepack in the packaging.
It is located inside the Cascade Restaurant Complex. There is also a change table in the restroom on the basement floor.
LOLA’S CUPCAKES, HARAJUKU STORE
渋谷区神宮前1-10-37カスケード原宿2F
CASCADE HARAJUKU RESTAURANT COMPLEX, 2ND FLOOR, 1-10-37 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA
OPEN 11AM-8PM
4pm
Walk for 6 mins to Yoyogi Park.
I have written in more detail about Yoyogi Park here – see here for details on how to rent bikes while in the park too!
Dinner option 1: Mexican Restaurant Las Dos Caras.
The cuisine is “Modern Mexican.” The restaurant seats 132 people but it’s probably good to have a reservation on a weekend. The handy thing is that this complex is kind of hidden from the main tourist drag so you wouldn’t normally know it was here at all – which makes it a gem for families. If you miss out on a seat here though for some reason (if you’re trying to just “walk-in” – you can next trip Pizzeria Spontini which is also big and family friendly and within the same complex.)
For lunch I would budget around 2000 yen per adult. And at dinnertime? More like 5000 yen.
Please note that there is a 440 yen service charge per person after 6pm.
The entire restaurant is non-smoking, takes most credit cards and has an English menu.
See the full Las Dos Caras menu here.
LAS DOS CARAS, HARAJUKU
渋谷区神宮前1-10-37
GROUND FLOOR, 1-10-37 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA
OPEN MON-THURS 11:30AM-3PM & 5PM-10PM
OPEN FRI 11:30AM-3PM & 5PM-11PM
OPEN ON WEEKENDS 11:30AM-10PM
Dinner option 2: Sakuratei for Okonomiyaki
Or how about some okonomiyaki in this area? This restaurant is very popular and quite touristy – but that’s because the food is good and it’s nice and vibey. Sakura-tei is 8 mins walk from the Takeshita exit of Harajuku Station or 8 mins walk from A2 Exit of Omotesando Station. This is really fun way to eat out with kids as they can take part in the cooking process right at their own table. I, personally, wouldn’t try and go here without a reservation unless I was at the door of the restaurant right at opening time. Make reservations on the Sakuratei website here. At lunchtime I recommend budgeting for 2000 yen per adult and more like 3500 yen at dinnertime. This restaurant accepts most major credit cards. The entire restaurant is non-smoking. This restaurant can also cater to vegan and gluten-free customers.
SAKURATEI
渋谷区神宮前3-20-1
3-20-1 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA-KU
OPEN EVERYDAY 11AM-11PM
Dinner option 3: Harajuku Yakiniku Kintan
If you’d like to sit down to a Yakiniku, Steak or Teppanyaki Restaurant in Harajuku that serves Kobe Beef and Wagyu, I recommend Harajuku Yakiniku Kintan. This restaurant welcomes children at lunch times and also at dinner -but only at dinner time if you have a reservation. This restaurant is 1 min walk from Exit 3 of Meiji Jingumae Station.
If kids just aren’t in the frame of mind for restaurant dining, Kintan also do amazing takeout bentos made with marinated Kobe Beef or Wagyu served on rice. Budget for lunch here is 2000 yen and more like 8,000 yen at dinner time. This restaurant accepts most major credit cards. There is also an English menu here. There is also space to store a stroller while you dine. This restaurant also is open to making changes for those who require gluten free options (best to bring a food allergy card to make everything easier though.) For those with allergies and special dietary requirements in Japan, I recommend using a tool called tabemasen in order to make our a printable allergen card to carry with you.
HARAJUKU YAKINIKU KINTAN
渋谷区神宮前1-10-37 CASCADE 原宿
CASCADE HARAJUKU COMPLEX, 1-10-37 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA-KU
OPEN WEEKDAYS 11:30AM-3PM & 6PM-11:15PM (LAST ORDERS 10:45PM)
OPEN SATURDAYS 11AM-3:30PM (LAST ORDERS 2:30PM) & 5PM-11:15PM (LAST ORDERS 10:45PM)
OPEN SUNDAYS & NATIONAL HOLIDAYS 11AM-3:30PM (LAST ORDERS 2:30PM) & 5PM-10PM (LAST ORDERS 9:30PM)
See here for even more things to do and places to visit in Aoyama with kids.
See here for additional food and sightseeing options in Harajuku with kids.
Shibuya is not far from Harajuku so see here for my Shibuya with kids suggestions too.
PLEASE NOTE: This article contains some affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
