Okachimachi is on the Yamanote line (see here for my list of things to do / eat / play with kids at every single Yamanote line station in Tokyo.) Many recommendations overlap with those in my Ueno with Kids guide.
Okachimachi is near Ueno, Tokyo Station and Akihabara. It is also not too far from Tokyo Skytree and Asakusa.
WHERE TO EAT WITH KIDS NEAR OKACHIMACHI STATION IN TOKYO?
Ameyoko Market
For street food and bustling restaurant options I recommend going straight to Ameyoko Market and Shopping District.
Ueno, itself, it quite gritty. Outside of the park, it’s not the most beautiful part of Tokyo but if you like to try street food and walk through market streets (Ameyokocho), I think you’ll still have a good time. Ameyokocho (Ameyoko Market) is 2 mins walk from Okachimachi Station.
There are lots of food stalls and some second hand clothing stores too. Most stalls don’t open until 11am.
Etiquette tip to share with kids: When eating at food stalls or food trucks in Japan, walking and eating is considered to not be polite. Wherever you buy food there will be a place to stand (usually just next to the shop) or a few chairs to sit. The food is designed to be enjoyed while standing still. Will you be arrested or anything for eating and walking? No. Is it considered impolite. These days I see more Japanese young people walking and drinking coffees. Food is still pretty much a no-go while on the move though. The idea it that you stop and take in the flavours and then keep moving.
It also eliminates the lack of rubbish bins around problem as the store will accept their own rubbish back once you have finished eating too.
Parco Ya
Parco Ya Ueno is 1 min walk from Okachimachi Station. There is a restaurant floor on the 6th floor. You can buy Japanese sneakers Onitsuka Tiger on the ground floor here. This includes a kid-friendly sushi train restaurant, and the most delicious tempura restaurant called Tempura Shinjuku Tsunahachi (I recommend asking the hotel to make a reservation for you here. They welcome babies and children. Budget for adults: 4000 yen at lunch and more like 9000 yen at dinner time. There is a lovely night view from the restaurant in the evenings.)
In the same building (in Parcoya Ueno) is Bio-Ral Supermarket Ueno branch (open 10am-10pm) sell lots of gluten free snacks and meals. For example: gluten free gyoza (freezer section) , whole bean flour Zen B bread, gluten free loaves of sliced bread and rice flour brownies and cakes. *This supermarket stocks a rice flour bread made by a company called “Happy Bakery.”
It is 1 min walk from the South Exit of Okachimachi Station. There are also lots of delicious vegan soups here. They also sell Oat Milk chocolate.
Which shopping malls are close to Okachimachi Station?
Marui (the logo looks like “OIOI”) is my favourite for shopping. 2 mins walk from Ueno Station or 7 mins walk from Okachimachi Station. This shopping mall contains Loft (my fave for Japanese stationery), Nitori (cute homewares and kitchen gadgets), Gap, Plaza (souvenirs, make up, some toys, pop culture items), Seria (100 yen store), Muji and Franc Franc (homewares and furniture.)
There is also a food court floor here.
There is also a Cinnabon on the ground floor that sell Panda Cinnabon.
There is also a food court floor here (top floor.) There are a few restaurants on this floor (all kid-friendly) and an open food court (which I love because it doesn’t mean that I have to eat the same food as my kids if I don’t want to.
The restaurant options include:
Pasta More
This is Japanese style Italian Pasta. They serve pizzas and desserts too. They accept credit cards. You can make a reservation here but, unless it’s a peak weekend night time, you should be fine with just a walk-in. Most meals are 1000-2000 yen each. I like their Japanese style Caesar Salad. They also have fries and you can get sausages too. See pictures of the full Pasta More menu here.
And then in the open food court section called “Goo Food Hall” are several restaurants along the side and you order at one counter and can side wherever you like!
Meal options include hamburger steaks, steak, hamburgers, omurice, Indian food, Korean food etc. You can pay by credit card. They also serve alcohol here.
ou are looking for a teishoku lunch in Ueno with kids, I recommend visiting Gyukatsu Motomura, Ueno branch, for beef “Tonkatsu” (Tonkatsu is usually pork but this place is beef. So that’s why it’s called “GyuKatsu.”)
It is very casual but they are fine with children coming along for lunch. Everyone must order a lunch set though ( approx 1000 yen.)
They do accept most major credit cards and they have an English menu. This restaurant is a non-smoking restaurant. No reservations here. Walk-ins only.
This restaurant is 3 mins walk from Ueno Station or 5 mins walk from Okachimachi Station.
GYUKATSU MOTOMURA
台東区上野4-10-17 手塚ビル 2F
2ND FLOOR, TEZUKA BUILDING, 4-10-17 UENO, TAITO-KU
OPEN EVERYDAY 11AM-10PM (LAST ORDERS 9PM)
TGI Fridays
TGI Fridays welcome families at lunch and dinner time. Please note that there is a 10% table charge after 5pm. They specialize in burgers, steak and tacos. There is space to store a stroller here while you dine. See the full TGI Fridays Ueno menu here. For lunch time I would budget for 2000 yen per adult and more like 3000 yen at dinner time. For vegan options, ask for the guacamole bowl (made at your table) or the button mushroom appetizer (make sure you tell them you are vegan when you order though.) For gluten free diners, steak is probably the safest option (or the shrimp plate or a salad without the blue cheese and no croutons or the cobb salad without any dressing. )
Happy Hour prices for alcoholic drinks is in between 5pm-7pm.
This restaurant accepts most major credit cards. It’s a non-smoking restaurant (they do have a designated smoking cubicle though – but it is enclosed.) They do accept reservations but the restaurant does seat 180 people so I would also try for a walk-in.
TGI Fridays Ueno Chuo Dori branch is 4 mins walk from Ueno Station or 6 mins walk from Okachimachi Station.
TGI FRIDAYS UENO CHUO DORI
台東区上野4-9-6ナガフジビル 本館 2Ｆ
2ND FLOOR, HONKAN (THE MAIN BUILDING SECTION OF THE ) NAGAFUJI BUILDING, 4-9-6 UENO, TAITO-KU
OPEN 11AM-11PM (LAST ORDERS 10:20PM)
LUNCH MENU AVAILABLE FROM 11AM-4PM
Tendon (Tempura served on top of a bowl of rice)
Tensuzu is in a back street just 5 mins walk from the Okachimachi Station or 7 mins walk from Ueno Station. They welcome children (the restaurant is small though so I’d really only go here with kids who are able to stay seated while they dine.) There is a service charge of 330 yen per person here (you will receive an otoshi as a thank you when you sit down. You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to but please just accept it and leave it on your table.) They accept most major credit cards. I recommend budgeting for 3000 yen per adult at lunch or more like 11,000 yen at dinner time. If you eat everything, I recommend getting the omakase* tempura course for a little under 9000 yen. Soooo good. I love how they open from 4:30 for dinner – makes it much easier to visit with kids. If everyone is tired, you can also get takeout from here and take it back to your hotel. Best to make a reservation here.
*If you like the idea of eating omakase with kids see my blog post here for even more options.
TENSUZU
台東区上野2-6-7
2-6-7 UENO, TAITO-KU
OPEN FOR LUNCH 11AM-2PM
OPEN FOR DINNER 4:30PM-9:30PM
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen Ichiban Ueno Okachimachi
Order at the vending machine and enjoy! See pictures of their menu items on the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen Ichiban Ueno Okachimachi instagram page here. Budget 1100 yen per person here. It’s polite if everyone sitting in the restaurant orders a dish. If your child doesn’t want to eat anything just get a side of gyoza and that can be “their meal” (even if you are the one who eats it.) This restaurant is cash only. The entire restaurant is non-smoking. Walk-ins only (the restaurant seats 15.) This ramen spot is 1 min walk from the North Exit of JR Okachimachi Station.
HAKATA TONKOTSU RAMEN ICHIBAN UENO OKACHIMACHI
台東区上野6-4-18
6-4-18 UENO, TAITO-KU
OPEN EVERYDAY 11AM-2AM
Yakitori
How about Yakitori for lunch or dinner? Yakitori (grilled and chargrilled chicken skewers) restaurant Torimitsukuni is just 1 min walk from Ueno Station or 8 mins walk from Okachimachi Station. This restaurant welcomes young families. This restaurant is entirely non-smoking and they also accept most major credit cards. In terms of budget, I would set aside 1500 yen per adult at lunchtime and more like 4000 yen at dinner time. Unfortunately it is only in Japanese but you can see the menu online with pictures here – and you can put it through Google translate if you like. In the actual restaurant, however, they do have an english menu (you just can’t check it out in English ahead of time.)
If you are gluten free in Japan- Yakitori can be a good option. But be sure to ask for it to be prepared with salt, not tare (sauce/marinade as “tare” is made using soy sauce.)
TORIMITSUKUNI YAKITORI & SAKE RESTAURANT
台東区上野公園1-54 B1F
BASEMENT FLOOR, 1-54 UENO-KOEN, TAITO-KU
OPEN MON-THURS 11:30AM-2PM & 5PM-10:30PM
OPEN FRI 11:30AM-2PM & 5PM-11PM
OPEN SAT 11:30AM-2:30PM & 4PM-11PM
OPEN SUN & NATIONAL HOLIDAYS 11:30AM-2:30PM & 4PM-10:30PM
Seafood Izakaya
If you’d like to visit an Izakaya that specialises in seafood together then I recommend making a reservation at Sadogashima e Watare, Ueno. They are particularly well known for their oysters here. They are 3 mins walk from Ueno Station or 5 mins walk from Okachimachi Station but are very popular so I wouldn’t try just walking in with our a reservation already locked in. Budget to dine here? Probably around 5000 yen per adult. They accept most major credit cards. To dine here children need to be at least 6 years old.
SADOGASHIMA E WATARE, UENO
上野2-12-1 セントラル21 7F
7TH FLOOR, CENTRAL BUILDING, 2-12-1 UENO
WEEKDAYS 5PM-MIDNIGHT (LAST ORDERS AT 10:30PM)
WEEKENDS MIDDAY-MIDNIGHT (LAST ORDERS AT 10:30PM)
500 yen Pizzas!
Cona is a family-friendly restaurant with 500 yen pizzas! Please note that there is a 330 yen charge per person that goes on the final bill. They accept reservations. They accept most major credit cards.
They have 30 different types of pizzas to choose from – see the full menu here. It’s a 3 min walk from Ueno Station or 6 mins walk from Okachimachi Station. They accept reservations.
CONA, UENO
台東区上野2-12-23 U-ONEビル B1
B1 U-ONE BUILDING, 2-12-23 UENO, TAITO
OPEN 5PM-4AM
Beer & Steak
Tokyo Butchers is a beer & steak restaurant that welcomes kids 6 years and older (if you have younger kids you can buy a steak bento from here for around 1000 yen to take back to your hotel.) It is a lovely vibey restaurant underneath the train tracks. They serve several different types of craft beer and Australian wine. They serve beef, pork, lamb, chicken and grilled veg here. They have three types of pasta here too and they have french fries and some salads. It is 10 mins walk from Ueno Station, 2 mins walk from Okachimachi Station (take the South Exit) and 11 mins walk from Akihabara Station. Tokyo Butchers accepts most major credit cards. There is a 440 yen per person service charge (as a thank you for that additional payment you will receive an appetizer when you sit down. This, in Japan, is called otoshi. You don’t have to eat it but just leave it on the table if you don’t want it.) At lunch, I would budget for 2000 yen per adult and more like 5000 yen per adult at dinner time. Best to ask the hotel to make a reservation for you.
TOKYO BUTCHERS
台東区上野5-10-9
5-10-9 UENO, TAITO-KU
OPEN MON -THURS 11:30AM-2:30PM & 5PM-11PM
OPEN FRI 11:30AM-2:30PM & 5PM-11:30PM
OPEN SAT 2PM-11:30PM
OPEN SUNDAYS & NATIONAL HOLIDAYS 11:30AM-11PM
*There is also “Egg Baby Cafe” next door (same owners) but I don’t really recommend going here with kids as the lines are just too long – takes the chill and the relaxation out of a meal with kids.
Where is the closest Don Quijote to Okachimachi Station?
Don Quijote Ueno is 5 mins walk from Okachimachi Station. It is open everyday from 9am-4am. It has 5 floors + a basement floor.
Where else to shop near Okachimachi Station?
Undercover Artisan Market
Did you know that there is an undercover artisan market not far from Ueno Station under the railway line? This viaduct area is full of small and local businesses and craft stores. It is just 14 mins on foot from Ueno Station or 5 mins from Okachimachi Station. You can also walk here from Akihabara Station in 8 mins.
This area is called 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan.
I recommend walking here from any of the stations mentioned above – perfect with a baby in a stroller. Grab some food along the way and let little alleyways determine where you wander.
There is a public bathroom (with a change table) at 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan.
I highly recommend checking out a store called Toumei Store. I adore their clear Japanese mini plates (for jewellery etc). Toumei Asia also have an online site here. They ship within Japan so, you could be super clever and order them just before y0ur holiday and have them send to your hotel. There is also a physical store at Narita Airport Terminal 2 (4th floor before security) called Mono to Art – who also stocks these beautiful products.
Toumei Asia products are also sold in some Tsutaya stores and online at Yahoo Shopping Japan.
The store in 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan is open 11am-7pm (Closed Wednesdays.)
It is an acrylic tree. No need to worry about taking it overseas.
2k540 AKI-OKA ARTISAN
OPEN 11:00AM-7PM
CLOSED WEDNESDAYS
For a different and special activity, I recommend walking to Soushin Kaleidoscopes (just 4 mins from Ueno Okachimachi Station) in the same artisan complex as listed above.
SOUSHIN KALEIDOSCOPES
台東区上野5-9-10 2k540・G-3
G-3 2K540, 5-9-10 UENO, TAITO-KU
Parks and Playgrounds near Okachimachi StationHere are some other options not too far away:
Nishimachi Park (10 mins walk from Okachimachi Station)
This is a little local playground – just a little cleared corner of a city block with some play equipment but it does have the cutest little blue elephant slide. It is just 5 mins walk from Ueno Station. There are some ride on animals (panda, fox etc) and two swing sets. I think this would make children aged 1-4 pretty happy for 15-30 mins. There are public toilets here.
Okachimachi Park (5 mins walk from Okachimachi Station)
Okachimachi Park is quaint (for very much a “big city” park, anyway.) It has a little Japanese garden and, in the right season, you can walk under the wysteria too. There is a swing set, some ride on animal shaped equipment and a few different slides. There are public toilets here. This park is 5 mins walk from Okachimachi Station. From late April to late September, there are some little water mist sprays operating in this suburban park.
This park is 1 min walk away from a large supermarket called Summit and in the same complex is 100 yen store Daiso.
Shinka Park (12 mins walk from Okachimachi Station)
Shinka Park (if it doesn’t come up on google maps please post in the kanji instead 新花公園) is a cute suburban playground. The slide is a giant rainbow and it’s a bit cute and retro in all the best ways. There are two swing sets (one has the bucket style seats for babies) and there are public toilets here. It is 17 mins walk from Ueno Station.
Supermarkets near Okachimachi Station
Summit Supermarket (5 mins walk from Okachimachi Station) has a wide range of fruit and veg and lots of different types of bentos and pre-made salads.They also have a good bakery section with pre-made pizzas. Open 9am-11pm. This is the Summit Okachimachi branch. In the same complex as this supermarket is a Daiso 100 yen store – there is also a playground 1 min walk away called “Okachimachi Park.” (see the playground section of this blog post for pictures of this playground.)
As a side note: the Takeya Complex is also great for buying souvenirs like Japanese sweets, cosmetics etc. Many of the staff members wear badges that say ” I speak English” or “I speak Mandarin” etc.
Eusa Halal Mart. Depending on what your family needs, you may also like to check out Eusa Halal Mart. A small Halal Grocery Store. It is open 10am-11pm. You can also buy hot, ready made samosa here. This supermarket is 11 mins walk from Ueno Station or 2 mins walk from Okachimachi Station.
