Disney ! Disney! Disney!! I swear – my kids can smell the place when we get close by!
Two of my most detailed and lengthy posts are my Disneyland with Kids tips and DisneySea with Kids suggestions. I also talk about including Tokyo Disney into a grownups only date night.
But what else can you do in that area? Or maybe you are staying in the area just to go to Disney and want to do after you’re all “disney-ed” out?
I talk a lot in this post about the complex called Ikspiari, an area that is often referred to as Japan’s answer to Florida’s Disney Springs ( I have been to both and I believe that to be a huge call but… regardless… we all love spending time at Ikspiari. )
LOOKING FOR BREAKFAST BEFORE VISITING TOKYO DISNEYLAND?
The Ikspiari area isn’t a great place to grab breakfast. Like I speak about in my Tokyo Before 10am blog post, Japan opens later than many other countries.
If you’re looking for breakfast in this area there is really only convenience stores to choose from and McDonalds doesn’t open until 8am.
LOOKING FOR WHERE TO BUY DIAPERS / NAPPIES IN THE TOKYO DISNEY AREA?
If it’s the day you’re visiting Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Disneysea, I recommend buying them inside the Baby Centre inside the Disney Parks.
However, if you’re looking for places to purchase nappies outside of the parks, I recommend going to Tomods Drugstore on the second floor of the Ikspiari complex outside of Tokyo Disneyland (opens at 10am) or at Drug Seims Drugstore in Urayasu which is 5 mins in a cab, approx 900 yen, from Tokyo Disneyland (opens at 8am.)
Cafe Kaila ( Hawaiian Pancakes)
One of my favourite cafes in this area is Cafe Kaila. There is another one in Omotesando but the queues are soo much longer. It is just near the Maihama Station Disney-bound exit inside of Ikspari Shopping Complex. This is a Hawaiian cafe in Oahu that has won several awards for best breakfast and Japan wanted a (literal) taste too.
The Maihama branch isn’t as spacious as its Omotesando counterpart but the food is the same and, like I said, the wait time is significantly less.
The service is fantastic and the portion sizes are generous!!! However, it is around 2000 yen for each meal. They also serve curries, salads. omlettes and burritos so not everyone in your group has to be a sweet tooth.
(oh and my daughter would like to highly recommend the pink lemonade.)
CAFE KAILA
千葉県浦安市舞浜1-4
1-4 MAIHAMA, URAYASU, CHIBA
OPEN WEEKDAYS 9AM-6PM
OPEN WEEKENDS 9AM-7PM
CAFE KAILA WEBSITE
Moreru Mignon (Photo sticker Booths)
And in the same complex as the pancakes place… is the most adorable place to … take a photo…. before you take your photo in a purikura machine ( those photobooths with all the filters that print out as little stickers.)
This shop is called Moreru Mignon.
It’s pink, candyland heaven and the attention to detail is incredible.
I’ve written in detail about Moreru Mignon Photo Sticker Booth shop here.
Or if this print club photo spot is too far from the centre of Tokyo, there is another, smaller, Moreru Mignon just next to Shibuya Crossing. See my Shibuya with Kids post for all the details.
And the big Disney Store right near here has a bigger selection of toys etc than inside Disneyland, in my opinion.
We bought these Disney cups recently ( now my kid’s new morning milk cups.) They cost 800 yen each.
And if you’re out in this area and your child needs a wriggle and a run around? Just go out the doors on the ground floor (1F) of the Ikspiari complex and you’ll find this open outdoor space – I even saw lots of parents who had packed their own lunch. Several kids were loving rolling down the little grass wall incline.
Inside the Ikspiari Complex there is also a cinema which may be an option for a really rainy day.
In Japan more than half of western movies are shown in English with Japanese subtitles. I talk more about this here.
See here for the movies and movie times at Ikspiari near Tokyo Disneyland.
While in this complex you have probably gotten all the Disney vibes – just by being so close to Disneyland – but, even then – you should take a walk through the Disney Ambassador Hotel. My kids love the gift shop, the lobby and the bakery.
This is the ceiling in the lobby.
and this is the hotel gift shop.
Disney version of Polly Pockets
I bought these at the Disney Ambassador Hotel lobby Disney store. They were 1500 yen each.
The small diner-looking bakery looks like this.
TICK TOCK DINER
千葉県浦安市舞浜2-11ディズニーアンバサダーホテル
2-11 MAIHAMA, URAYASU, CHIBA
OPEN 7AM-11PM
WEBSITE
Pitta 00 (pronounced Pitta Zero Zero) is on the third floor of the Ikspiari Complex. The restaurant is quite large (seats 122) and in the middle of the restaurant is a giant woodfire oven.
They have an English menu and also a children’s menu. This restaurant accepts most major credit cards. The restaurant is non-smoking (although there is a closed off smoking room.) This restaurant does accept reservations and walk-ins. For lunch here I would budget for 2000 yen per adult and more like 3000 yen at dinner time. This restaurant also has high chairs and places to store a stroller while you dine.
PITTA ZERO ZERO
3RD FLOOR OF THE GRACIOUS SQUARE SECTION OF IKSPIARI
OPEN EVERYDAY 11AM-10:30PM
I actually have never stayed at the Disney Ambassador Hotel ( I have heard that their Mickey breakfast is great fun.) We have stayed at another of the Disney hotels – in a themed room. I wrote about our stay at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel here.
For toddlers, small kids and baby – did you know there is a playcentre full of soft play options in the Tokyo Disney area?
It is located within the Sheraton Grande Bay Hotel (one of the official Disneyland hotels) and is open to non-guests. The playcentre near Tokyo Disney is called WizKids. There is a climbing wall, soft play section with mini rotating sections, drawing areas, bouncy domes.
For bigger kids, there is also a game centre just outside the entrance. There is space to store your stroller while at the playcentre.
Please be aware that on busy days, hotel guests will be given preferential entry.
WIZKIDS PLAYCENTRE
LOCATED WITHIN THE SHERATON GRANDE BAY HOTEL (Non-Guests are welcome)
FOR CHILDREN AGED 1-12 YEARS OF AGE (BABIES UNDER 1 ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE THE PLAYCENTRE)
OPEN EVERYDAY 10AM-7PM
ADMISSION FOR 1 HOUR : 900 YEN FOR KIDS & 600 YEN FOR ADULTS ( THEN 450 YEN FOR EACH ADDITIONAL 30 MINS)
ADMISSION FOR 3 HOURS: 2000 YEN FOR KIDS & 1,400 YEN FOR ADULTS ( THEN 450 YEN FOR EACH ADDITIONAL 30 MINS)
An additional suggestion for a fun place to visit when you are in the Disney area is to try an onsen which allows swimsuits. More information here.
If you have a car – I recommend popping into the Henn na Hotel just to check out the reception desk. It’s manned by Dinos. 
AEON SHIN-URAYASU SHOPPING CENTRE
There is a big shopping mall with a large supermarket close by….
For a big Shopping Mall in the area (with a really big supermarket) I also recommend trying out a shopping mall called Aeon Style ShinUrayasu Semmontengai – just 4 mins in a cab from the hotel (this shopping mall has a large supermarket, an H&M, a few large sporting goods shops, Karaoke, games arcade, electrical goods store and a 100 yen shop – and many others.) To get here from Disneyland takes 18 mins on public transport and 15 mins (approx 2800 yen.)
There are also lots of family friendly restaurants.
There are fast food restaurants such as KFC and Mos Burger.
Rice bowl restaurant Yoshinoya offer two kids’ meals – a mini gyudon (beef on rice) set and mini curry rice set – both meals come with a juice and a jelly.
The following restaurants all have children’s menus: a Yakiniku restaurant called Gyukaku, Japanese style pasta restaurant called Kamakura Pasta, Charcoal Grilled Hamburger Steak restaurant Sumiyaki Hamburgu Wa.
Then, if you travel a little bit out to Kasai…..
Tokyo Metro Museum
I would count this next place as a “well…if you’re already in the area” kind of place but my 2 year old was shattered when it was time to go. It’s called the Tokyo Metro Museum and all exhibits are about the Tokyo city subway system. It bought us about 45 minutes or so which was good considering the museum is quite small. I’ve written in detail about the Tokyo Metro Museum here. 
