This is the actual itinerary Brooke and I (Kiersten) followed on our 17-day Japan trip with our kids. It's our real-life blueprint — the soft landing, the Disney middle, the countryside reset, the Mt. Fuji slow days, the Kyoto culture stretch, and the final Tokyo wrap. If you want a longer, fuller, more authentic Japan-with-kids experience and you have the time, this is what we did and what we'd do again.
WHO THIS IS FOR: Families with 2+ weeks who want it all — big-city Tokyo, Disney parks, an onsen reset, Mt. Fuji views, Kyoto and Nara culture — without crushing the kids. We deliberately built in slow mornings, hotel rest blocks, and a midweek nature break.
THE STRUCTURE (why we paced it this way):
• Days 1–3 Tokyo Soft Landing in Shinagawa — jet lag recovery, parks, easy transit, Odaiba
• Days 4–5 Asakusa Real Tokyo — temples, kimono, street food, Skytree, river walk
• Day 6 Disney Strategic Magic Night — ANO-NE morning + DisneySea evening from MiraCosta
• Days 7–8 Disney Comfortable Base — DisneySea full day + Disneyland from Sheraton Grande
• Days 9–10 Countryside Onsen Reset — MAGMA Resort, Shiraito Falls, decompression
• Days 11–12 Mt. Fuji Lakes — Oishi Park, Ropeway, Makaino Farm, sunrise attempts
• Days 13–16 Kyoto Culture — Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, Nara day trip, Kiyomizu-dera
• Day 17 Tokyo Departure Night — Ueno wrap-up
ADVANCE BOOKINGS (do these the moment you book flights):
• teamLab Planets — timed entry, sells out
• Shibuya Sky — sunset slots go fast
• DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta — includes Happy Entry advantage
• Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay — Disney good neighbor hotel
• Ghibli Museum (if adding) — lottery 3 months out
• Kids kimono rental in Asakusa
• Rental car for countryside days
• Shinkansen tickets Shin-Fuji → Kyoto and Kyoto → Tokyo
WHAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO PRE-BOOK: Subway tickets, Disney park entry (covered by hotel), Kyoto temple reservations, lunch/breakfast/casual ramen.
GETTING AROUND: Tokyo + Kyoto are 100% trains and walking — grab a Suica/Pasmo card on arrival and skip the rental car for cities. We picked up our rental car the morning of Day 9 (heading into the countryside) and dropped it at Shin-Fuji station before the Shinkansen to Kyoto. International Driving Permit required.
KID HACKS WE LIVED BY:
• Convenience store breakfasts (Lawson, FamilyMart, 7-Eleven) save sanity and money
• Send luggage ahead with Yamato when changing hotels — do not drag bags through stations
• Build a 2–3 hour hotel rest block into every afternoon
• Stroller-friendly hotels matter more than location
• Pack a small daypack with snacks, wipes, and a change of clothes
• Popcorn buckets at Disney are the ultimate walking distraction
FOOD WE LOVED: Mike Wazowski melon bread + coffee at DisneySea, gyoza dog, alien mochi, Mickey waffles at Disneyland, curry at Hungry Bear, hoto noodles by Lake Kawaguchi, tempura in Asakusa, mochi pounding at Nakatanidou in Nara, Starbucks Ninenzaka inside the traditional house in Kyoto.
NOTES & WARNINGS:
• MAGMA Resort was hosted on our trip — the day-by-day pacing assumes a similar 2-night onsen stop near Shimobe; substitute another ryokan if needed
• Sunrise Mt. Fuji is weather-dependent — do not promise the kids; treat any view as a bonus
• Nara deer are bold — hide your snacks, hand crackers one at a time
• Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama Bamboo Grove are best at sunrise or after 4pm to avoid crowd crush
• Disney days are exhausting even for adults — the day after Disney should be travel or rest, never another big sightseeing day
This itinerary is the long version. If you want shorter, see our 5-day or 10-day options. If you have 17 days and kids, this is exactly how we'd do it again.
