TOKYO SUMMER WITH KIDS

So many people have been messaging me recently – freaking about their trip to Japan with kiddies during the hot, sweaty months.

Is it really humid? Yep.
Sticky? Yep.
Is it impossible to be here with children? Absolutely not.

You just need to have a few extra things to help make it easier … and be even more organized with the parent-child everyday logistics.

WHAT TO BRING/ORGANIZE:

A light layer and a medium layer for on top
I’ve found the summertime outside to be crazily hot – but then I find train carriages, convenience stores and department stores -WAY too overly air-conditioned. So I always need to pack a light top for going over a t-shirt… for both me and my babies. Swaddles also worked well when my little guy was under 1.

A spray bottle
My first Japanese summer was with my 2 year old and my 6 month old. My little guy was so teeny that I felt really freaked out about how hot he was getting when were getting from A to B.
So I started carrying around a spray bottle (and to be honest, this spray bottle was part of my hospital bag when I went to have my babies – didn’t need it then but never imagined I’d be using it to hose down my child during Japanese summer.)
I just used it to lightly spray down his little leggies and between all the delicious baby neck rolls. ( I used to love the carrier more than the stroller but in summer we just both got too sweaty.)
My 5 year old also likes to use it as a pretend water pistol.

Mosquito repellant
Incase rainy season isn’t completely finished or makes a comeback… you’ll need a good bug spray. Heavy duty.
Japanese mosquitoes are NASTY. Don’t worry – they aren’t going to give you malaria or anything else gross. But their bites are soooo nasty. My kids and my hubby are particularly delicious – according to these little guys.
To be totally honest? I don’t think that Japanese mosquito repellant is hardcore enough for my family. So we always try to buy a decent bug spray in Australia, the UK or the U.S. (It’s part of my list of things that I stock up when I’m outside of Japan. Here. )

A small pool
I know not everyone has the space in their Tokyo home, rental accommodation etc but if you have a spot for teeny pool – do it! Amazon have a selection here – and we love this brand (not sponsored in any way.)
We sometimes add bubble bath. Oh… and make sure you order the electric pump – trust me.

And I can already here you screaming “You flipping serious? Outdoor space?!”
Then I suggest you get creative with your bath tub (or even a few buckets of water over the sink) – add some bubble bath, go to the 100 yen shop for lots of cheap bath toys, put a few drops of food colouring in the bath…. grab a few petals and make a petal bath for a barbie or a ninja turtle.

Also, have you tried Japanese bubbles? The wands are so easy for kids to use – makes soooo much more sense than the little circle wand thingies that I grew up with.
I buy ours at the 100 yen stores or just a convenience store.
They make for excellent water play in the bath, at the park … gosh, I even pack them for Disneyland for an extra thing to do while waiting in lines.

A drink bottle
It’s almost impossible to spend any time outside in Japanese summer without drinking lots and lots and lots of water.
My little girl needed a drink bottle with a strap for her school (so she can carry her own bottle to the park) and I found this drink holder on amazon but I’ve also seen some other options in Akachanhonpo and Toys r’ us.
I like to use it even outside of school hours. I hang it off the stroller handle and the kids can run back to the stroller to get their own slurp of water while we are at the park, for eg.

When out… go crazy for kakigori
Kakigori is shaved ice …. well… it’s kind of like a slurpee.
It’s really really easy to find in the warm months. There are cheap and cheerful versions at the beach, at a market, a festival etc… and posh deluxe versions in specialty kakigori shops.
It’s a very quintessential Japanese summer treat.

Get all creative and (desperate, survival mode) crafty/imaginative
Take it from the lady who was suddenly in a new city with an active toddler and a very young baby. We needed to have lots of things for my big girl to day while I was not going very far from home at all.
So I do recommend hitting the 100 yen store hard for stationary and baking supplies – and also just getting imaginative.
Thing of it as your own afternoon , nerdy, desperate , Mini-‘Summer Camp.’ (Or keeping Mum or Dad a little bit more sane ‘mini-camp!’

This is ‘hand toast’
This is a store-bought muffin with pocky iced to it.
And this was a ‘paint the manicure on the hand’ game.

Even if you don’t have an oven or a kitchen here, you can just pre-buy biscuits (like I did) mix icing sugar and boiling water and ice them together. My kids love doing this. (It also means that they don’t have to wait for the biscuits to cook.)

And my kids recently loved this ‘design and then decorate’ ice-cream activity

ATTEND AS MANY SUMMER FESTIVALS (NATSUMATSU) AS YOU CAN
The Japanese Summer festivals are so lovely and kid friendly. Especially because of the little old school summer games for children.

LOGISTICS/GENERAL CLEVER PLANNING
I recommend heading out as early in the morning as you can manage (the before 10am places are limited in Tokyo so here are some suggestions ) .
Then heading out of the heat for the middle of the day and back out again in the early evening when the sun goes down.

This picture was taken in Yoyogi Park (all the details in my Harajuku area with kids article.

Or, I recommend a cool spot for the middle of the day. A department store, a restaurant, a play centre, an indoor area or a splash pond with lots of shade.

Some of my favourite indoor spots include museums – check Tokyo Timeout for what is on at the Mori Art Museum, for example. There are often very cool exhibits on throughout summer as well.

And then pair it with a park before or afterwards? So, for example, if you’re at the Mori, then check out my Roppongi with Kids ideas for afterwards?

Another Roppongi summer suggestion is to check out all of the Doraemon statues at Roppongi Hills (they are dotted all over the complex but mostly set up near the spider statue (pretty much in front of Elle Cafe and Starbucks).
Not sure who Doraemon is? I wrote a little toddler character cheat sheet here.

And downstairs in the same complex is the Summer Festa 2018.
They have food trucks and kakigori (shaved ice) and beer halls.

And the same festival also has free shootem up games and balloon yoyo ‘fishing’ (just out front of the Lego store.)

And also the new Team Lab DMM Planets exhibit. All the details are here.

For a complete day out with lots of indoor and outdoor options, I recommend heading to Odaiba. Take the monorail in around 9;30am to arrive at 10 or 10;30. You could even have a splash at the beach if you’re too early for the shops and museums. My Odaiba with kids tricks are here.

The same general “rules” apply for a day trip ( or, actually, if we are a more than 20 minutes from home coz… yeah…. kids.)

I have a post here on Tokyo free or almost free splash spots.

Roppongi Midtown have a foot bath ( complimentary) in the park behind the complex in Summer
It is not for splashing but for sitting and chatting with your feet in the cool water. Towels are available for 100 yen. Towels are free if you turn up in Yukata. This year, until August 25, 2019. Closed on Tuesdays.

If you decide to tackle Disneyland…
You’re a little bit crazy as it is a LOT of time outside …BUT… there are some water parades set up for summer where water is thrown on the audience and some light mist spray sections.
There are also some vending machines at Disneyland so you don’t need to worry about standing in a line in the heat. There are also plenty of drink fountains.
If you see my Disney post ( here ) I have listed which ride queues are undercover.