FOR FAMILIES OF 5 OR MORE: JAPAN HOTELS

Many people contact me when looking for hotels that do accommodate families of 5 or more after they struggle to find options.
This is my growing list of hotels that I recommend for families with more than 2 children ( or for older children who can’t possibly sleep on a pull out bed, for example.)
I add to and edit this list often.When booking a hotel in Japan with children, many people are confused as to why the hotel assumes they will share a bed with their children. I’ve done my best to try and answer this question here.

 

If you search for bigger rooms for families – many sites and agents will recommendsend to you areas like  spots in Odaiba or Disneyland.
Odaiba is reclaimed land ( hence the room for more space) and quite inconvenient to get to and from everyday so … if you choose an Odaiba option.. make sure you do your transport time calculations.  Same goes for the close to Disneyland options ( any hotel located in Maihama or Urayasu or Tokyo Bay- here is my list. ) .  It is around 30 mins out of the city centre so they do have more space but you’re adding to your daily travel time so it might be worth evaluating price vs travel time vs hotel room space etc.

 

HERE ARE MY TOP FIVE RECOMMENDED HOTELS AND APARTMENTS FOR FAMILIES OF 5 OR MORE IN TOKYO
1. Mimaru Ueno East  OR Mimaru Ueno Okachimachi
Both of these apartment hotels have apartments that can sleep up to 8 people (more people if you have children who are small enough to bed share)These are apartment hotels and are both within 10 minutes walk of Ueno Station. Ueno is on the JR Yamanote Loop Line.  Ueno is also a bullet train stop for some of the bullet train lines too – making domestic travel super convenient.
Ueno as an area is lively in the day and the night – so there are lots of options for vibey bars, restaurants and street food but also great for families as there is Ueno Park right next to the station for some quieter time. The park is often used for markets and is also the home of The Natural Museum of Science and Nature.
Here is my Ueno with kids guide for other food and family-friendly options here.
Between the two of these Mimaru apartment hotels you can find connecting rooms, pokemon themed rooms, rooms with bunk beds, Japanese-western style rooms.  Each room has a small kitchen and access to laundry facilities within the building.
On the train, Ueno is 5 mins from Tokyo Station & 3 mins to Akihabara Station

2. Mimaru Asakusa Station and Mimaru Asakusa Suites 
This apartment hotel, like all others in the brand, has a small kitchenette with a cooking utensils so it is easy for larger families with small children who need access to a microwave and stove. The Mimaru in Asakusa also has a kitchen area with seating for 6 people. You can also borrow appliances from the reception desk such as toasters or coffee machines and different entertainment options.
This hotel is just 3 mins walk from Sensoji Temple and has an in-house coin laundry (and you can see if it’s ready via a device inside of your room.)
These hotel apartments can sleep up to 8 people (more people if you have children who are small enough to bed share) Mimaru Asakusa is one of the few hotels that offers multiple rooms within an apartment as an option. This is perfect for young families where parents don’t necessarily want to sleep in the same room as their children.
The Akasaka area is rich in old-world Japanese culture and is home to the beautiful and very famous Sensoji temple.  This area is quieter at night than some other areas of Tokyo but there are still lots of food options and lots to do for families.  See here for my Asakusa with kids guide – you’re going to want to take pictures of everything
Mimaru Asakusa Suites can sleep up to 10 people. 

3.  The Family Suite Room at Henn Na Hotel Asakusa Tawaramachi
This is a 3 star hotel but very comfortable.  The only twist for families of 5? The youngest child will need to be younger than 6 and share a bed as the room contains a double  and two Japanese singles. If you miss out on the family suite then I recommend also asking about the adjoining rooms and connecting rooms. The rooms here are clean and comfy – much smaller than a Mimaru option though.
For an extra quirk – the front desk is manned by Dinosaurs and Ninjas.
This hotel is 7 mins walk from Asakusa Station. As mentioned above, Asakusa is charming and magical. See here for my Asakusa with kids guide

.4. The Family Room at Landabout Ueno 
The family room sleeps 5 people ( 1 double bed and 3 singles). The rooms are modern and spacious.
It is 10 mins walk from Ueno Park or 3 mins walk from Uguisudani Station.
There is a cafe / coffee shop / bar downstairs for guests and the general public to use (there are also lots of restaurants in this area so you’d probably only need it for breakfast unless you wanted other meals.). I have talked about the benefits of Ueno in my 1st recommendation here in this blog post.
Landabout Ueno is walking distance from Asakusa (24 min walk, 10 mins/ approx 1000 yen in a cab or 15 mins by public transport)  and Kappabashi Kitchen Town area (19 mins walk, 10 mins / approx 800 yen by cab).
The area around Landabout Ueno is technically a love hotel district. This does not mean it is dangerous but it does mean that when walking around you will see lots of candy coloured and themed buildings offering “day stays.”  It is not dangerous at all but if this something that bothers you then maybe look elsewhere.
It is a great way to have more beds, separate rooms and keep costs down.5. A Japanese or a Western Style Room at Cocoshuku Akasaka Premium
This apartment has a  kitchen and many separate rooms including a separate living area and separate bedrooms.  This room can fit 4 adults and additional children under 6 if they don’t require additional bedding.  This apartment is so lovely and modern. You’ll love it here.
The Akasaka / Roppongi area is my favourite to recommend for families with younger children as I believe some of the best playgrounds and parks are in this area.   This area also has a wider range of family-friendly restaurants than other parts of Tokyo.
Akasaka is so central but has a real out in the suburbs vibe with so many lovely alleyways, Japanese izakayas and Hie Shrine close by too. Here is my guide of all the things that we like to do in the Akasaka area.
Please note that Cocoshuku area self-check in accommodation only, which means that there is no reception desk to assist with luggage forwarding.

6. A Family Room at Centurion Classic Akasaka
They offer traditional Japanese style rooms.  Private bathrooms and a bath with a shower.
Alternatively, if you book a “Luxury Corner Twin” you can get a room with two queen beds that you can push together to make one giant bed for the family, there is a balcony all the way around and a washing machine inside your own room !!!!  The rooms here are really big.
I also recommend their very big family rooms. So much space and lots of Tatami and even a massage chair!  This room is a traditional Japanese room. It is beautiful.  There is a mixture of large beds and bunk style bedding behind Japanese style sliding doors.

7. Hotel Hisoca, Ikebukuro
Ikebukuro is not my favourite area to stay as it is very built up and not much space or green for families with small children.  
But it is on the Yamanote line so it is convenient.  
If you decide to stay in this area, I recommend staying at Hotel Hisoca in Ikebukuro.  
It is 4 minutes walk from the West Exit of JR Ikebukuro Station. 
Some rooms can sleep 5 guests and some 6.     
Rooms have a kettle and a toaster oven and a small fridge. For babies, the hotel is able to provide a high chair. 

8.  A Family Suite at Stay Sakura Apartment, Asakusa Art Deco Hotel
There are several options in Tokyo and Kyoto under this brand name. Basically, the hotels are renovated apartment blocks or old homes. So the rooms are mostly apartment style – clean but basic. All rooms have a kitchenette, refrigerator, microwave, electric kettle, TV and a washing machine.  Please note that there is no front desk here – although they do have a 24 hour phone for support line.  Rooms can sleep 1-2 people and there is one family suite that sleeps up to 6.  . 

9. Stay Sakura Apartment, Edo no Mai in Asakusa
There are several options in Tokyo and Kyoto under this brand name. Basically, the hotels are renovated apartment blocks or old homes. So the rooms are mostly apartment style – clean but basic. All rooms have a kitchenette, refrigerator, microwave, electric kettle, TV and a washing machine.  Please note that there is no front desk here – although they do have a 24 hour phone for support line.  Rooms can sleep 1-2 people and there is one family suite that sleeps up to 5.  This hotel also offers connecting rooms so you could even have two rooms next to one another for a bigger family. 

OTHER JAPAN-WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FAMILIES OF 5 OR MORE
Mimaru
If you find a room that fits everyone at Mimaru, then you should most definitely take it. They are relatively new and the market has been screaming out for this kind of space and service for travelling families.  They really are exceptional. I’ve written in detail about our stay at Mimaru in Hatchobori in Tokyo here. All Mimaru rooms have a kitchenette and small dining area and some have washing machines in the rooms and some have a coin laundry within the building.   They don’t have a restaurant in-house so you will need to eat out and about (unless you are cooking and/or bringing deli and convenience store options home, of course.). The staff know all the information tourists need and are ready to help you with sightseeing, medical assistance, restaurant reservations and luggage forwarding.

Some of the Mimaru branches have Pokemon or Ninja themed rooms and some have rooftop communal areas.
Personally, I would look at the Mimaru brand first.  For all cities actually.
In Tokyo, the Mimaru Ikebukuro offers apartments with 2 rooms AND 2 bathrooms (Ikebukuro is also on the JR Yamanote city loop line so is super convenient for getting around Tokyo quickly.). The Mimaru Tokyo Station East, Asakusa and some Ueno locations can also accommodate families of up to 8 people and have interconnecting rooms and multi-room apartments as an option.
In Kyoto, the Mimaru Kyoto Shijo has 3 separate rooms within one apartment for families. It can sleep up to 6 people.  The Kyoto Central & Kyoto Station Mimaru have two bedrooms.
In Osaka, the Mimaru Shinsaibashi West, Namba Station and Shinsaibashi North Mimaru have two rooms in each apartment.
Did you know that Mimaru Osaka Namba Station is know as the board game hotel? It has more than 130  games and puzzles for families to rent. It’s such a nice touch.

The Shibuya Streams Hotels, Shibuya
Also Shibuya Excel Tokyu or Shibuya Stream Hotel are in a fabulous central location but can be expensive and they aren’t always used to accomodating families with more than 3-4 people. They can occasionally arrange for connecting rooms.These are two separate hotels about 10 minutes walk apart. Both aren’t the cheapest options so if you find a good rate – jump on it fast!
The hotel is modern, popular, room size is pretty good for Tokyo. The whole hotel is well-established, clean, polished, reliable.   Many of the rooms have fantastic views of the city.
The Shibuya Excel Tokyu has the most amazing view from their top floor breakfast restaurant – on a clear day you can even spot Mt Fuji!
Here are things to do in the Shibuya nearby area.

Keio Plaza, Shinjuku
Keio Plaza in Shinjuku  have connecting rooms for their standard twin room type and plaza luxe twin rooms.  See here for my Shinjuku with kids suggestions.

The Gate Hotel Asakusa Kaminarimon by Hulic
The Gate Hotel in Asakusa “essential twin” rooms are connecting / adjoining rooms.  They do book up quickly though.
See here for my suggestions for visiting Asakusa with kids. 

The Deluxe Family Room with Tatami Area at Koko Hotel Residence Asakusa Tawaramachi 
This hotel sleeps 5 people (more if you have children under 6 years old who do not require additional beds)   The room has its own washing machine so it is more of an apartment than a hotel.  You can also borrow game consoles for kids. Here are the child-friendly options in the area of Asakusa.

Shiba Park Hotel, Roppongi
For another option,I would look at Shiba Park Hotel.  near Tokyo Tower.
They offer interconnecting rooms.
There is also so much to do in this area. I wrote about the Tokyo Tower/Roppongi area here. 

Grand Prince New Shin-Takanawa
Shinagawa as an area is a bit sterile but there are some fun things to do with kids in Shinagawa (including the aquarium)
It is also the second biggest bullet train station in Tokyo after Tokyo Station. It is also on the JR Yamanote (city loop) line.
It is definitely very, very convenient.
The Grand Prince Takanawa has triple rooms so you could pair one room with another to fit a family of five.

Section L Tsukiji
 Located in  Tsukiji (near the fish market) and it is an apartment hotel. The rooms have a kitchen and a washer and dryer- all in the room.  They can cater for families of up to 5 people.
15 mins walk to the centre of Ginza. 

OTHER HOTEL OPTIONS FOR FAMILIES OF 5 OR MORE AT HANEDA AIRPORT
If you’re looking for a hotel that is connected to Haneda Airport (if you have a late arrival or an early departure)… I recommend staying at
The Royal Park Hotel, The Haneda.  
They have deluxe twin rooms that sleep up to 4 people or family rooms that sleep as many as 6 people.

The Hotel Villa Fontaine Haneda Airport
This hotel is directly connected to international terminal 3 at Haneda Airport.
They have family rooms and Japanese-Western style rooms that sleep up to 4 adults and 1-2 small children if they bedshare. 

OTHER HOTEL OPTIONS FOR FAMILIES OF 5 OR MORE IN OSAKA
The Randor Suites in Namba Osaka Suites
They offer large rooms. The Randor Suites Osaka Suites have a family room with a double bed and queen bed in the one room.

Ibis Styles Osaka Namba – rooms are simple but very very clean.   It is right next to Dotonbori with views of the river. They have a 4 hour happy hour in the lounge every night with bottomless beer and soft drinks and light snacks. They have Superior Rooms with 4 single beds, Deluxe Rooms with 4 single beds, a Japanese tatami room that sleeps 5 people on futons.Otherwise, I would stay at the big hotels next to Universal Studios.  They are your best bet for decent sized rooms with all the amenities.

Swissotel Nankai Osaka – This hotel has interconnecting rooms – fabulous for families.    This hotel also has triple rooms. This hotel has cots/cribs available on request (limited number so email to reserve asap).
Children 12 and under can eat breakfast for free here.  This hotel also has a gym, jacuzzi, sauna and swimming pool (Please note that children 6 and younger are not allowed to use the pool and those between 7-16 years of age can only use the pool between 9am-6pm. Cost to use the pool, even for guests, is 2000 yen per person per day.)  Swissotel Nankai Osaka also has several restaurants, including Teppanyaki, Chinese and Japanese restaurant options. 

Nest Hotel Umeda This is the perfect hotel. Rooms are small, clean and modern.  The lobby area is done up beautifully and is set up like a lovely communal lounge room so this hotel would be great for families who plan on getting many separate rooms or a few families who are travelling together. It’s really affordable and you can all catch up in the lobby at the start and end of the day for a chat or for making plans. Room types are double, twin and triple. Some rooms have sofa beds and can sleep up to 5 people (if some of those 5 people are small children.) 

The Rise Osaka Namba isn’t fancy but it does have bunk beds and can accommodate families of 5 and 6 in their family rooms. It is 12 mins walk from Namba Station.   The rooms are very spacious and there is a nice breakfast here too. 

Many of the official Universal Studios Japan hotels can accommodate up to 8 people with lots of different types of room configurations. I’ve written in detail about the options for families staying close to Universal Studios in Osaka here.    Please note that this takes you out of the city centre. 

 

A Machiya (Old tea house)
This is where I would stay at a Machiya ( an old teahouse in the teahouse district.). They are soooo beautiful.   See here. 

OR

HoteI Imagine Kyoto
I love Hotel Imagine Kyoto . It’s just minutes on foot from Kyoto Station too.

Good Nature Hotel,Kyoto
Good Nature Hotel in Kyoto has beautiful big modern rooms.  Their Deluxe Corner Room, Purple Dried Flower Room, White Dried Flower Room and  Superior Twin sleeps 3 adults.  The “Welcome Baby” room sleeps 4.

Kyoisuke Inn, Kyoto
Kyoisuke Inn, Hokomachi is a stand alone house (an old tea house actually) and it has an outdoor and indoor private bath.
This house is just 6 minutes walk from Kyoto’s Nishiki Market and sleeps up to 7 adults.  Their website is a bit tricky to navigate so I recommend looking at booking via booking.com

 

If you decide to stay on Miyajima, you may want to go all lush and stay at one of these ryokans. I haven’t stayed at these personally though.    I almost always stay on the mainland and day trip to Miyajima but friends who have stayed overnight did say they liked it.

Nest Hotel Ekimae
For staying in Hiroshima, I would recommend Nest Hotel Ekimae.  It is right next to ( 4 mins walk)  Hiroshima Station.  Location is amazing.  Rooms are clean and new.  Simple brekkie restaurant downstairs. I found it to be so lovely and very reasonably priced. You could get a studio suite that sleeps 9 people.Kiro Hotel Hiroshima
I haven’t stayed here personally but I have been recommended to stay at Kiro Hotel in Hiroshima with kids.
It is situated near Okonomimura.  Rooms sleep up to families of 6.   They have an on-site coin laundry.   There is also a communal space with a bar and coffee stand.

Fav Hotel (There are two options in Hiroshima) 
These hotels are apartment hotels with a kitchenette.  The rooms sleep up to 6 people and are spacious. The bedding is bunk style but the bottom beds are queen sized.  Please note that these hotels are unmanned so you will need to hail your own taxis on the street (which is easy) and won’t be able to forward luggage directly to and from the hotel. 

OTHER HOTEL OPTIONS FOR FAMILIES OF 5 OR MORE IN NAGOYA
Nikko Style Nagoya
Although I haven’t been lucky enough to stay here I attended a virtual tour of Nikko Style Nagoya and was so impressed with the facilities and family friendly options.The Nikko Style Nagoya hotel is 10-15 minutes walk from the station ( or approx 1000 yen in a taxi) and the whole hotel is so modern and filled with Nagoya specific artwork ingredients and special touches.   This includes the materials in the rooms and the locally sourced ingredients in their restaurant and bar on the ground floor.
One particular touch I love is their in-house bike rental services – and this includes bikes for children.
The premises is non-smoking except for one “smoking room” on the lobby floor.
The breakfast menu has three options ( one of them being a Japanese breakfast option) and the restaurant does have high chairs for babies.   In the evening, the on-site restaurant welcomes families.  See the Nikko Style Nagoya restaurant/cafe menu here.
Room types extend to “Premier” and “Deluxe” Triple Rooms.  (these rooms allow up to 3 adults and 2 children – provided those two children are young enough to share beds with adults.) As you can see from their site, the rooms are much bigger than standard Japanese business hotel rooms at very, very affordable prices.
This hotel is also just 3 minutes walk from the Yanagibashi seafood produce markets.
See here for my family friendly places to visit and dine in Nagoya with kids.

COULD WE DO IT CHEAPER?
Staying with a larger family in big cities (especially Tokyo) is expensive and not easy to find somewhere you can all stay all together.
I guess if you prefer to cut costs over convenience, assistance and comfort – you could

-look at dormitory style accommodation
-you can stay outside of the city and commute
-you can split the group/family up into several small rooms so you’re paying more like 10,000yen  x 2 or 3

See here if you are looking for hotels with more than one room ( so that children can go to sleep before parents, for example.)