BACKGROUND
We decided to make the first trip with our 14 month old son, Jake, to Tokyo taking into account all relevant factors like flight time, security, ease of moving around, etc.
Going early May, we missed the famed cherry blossom period there (late March to early April) but discovered there are plenty of gorgeous parks to visit in and around Tokyo. As it was not our first time there and having visited many famous spots, we opted for something different, with more baby-themed activities.
Weather was about 20 °C (68°F) during the day and 15 °C (59°F) at night, but temperatures can fluctuate wildly. I recommend a thick jacket (and optional heattech wear). Also bring over-the-counter medication just in case you catch a bug or cold.
PREPARATION — BABY, FLIGHTS, HOTELS/AIRBNB, TRAIN PASSES, MONEY EXCHANGE, IMMIGRATION REGISTRATION, ROAMING
Travelling with a Baby (Below 2 Years)
First off, our baby needed a passport. Apply as early as possible (5 years validity), and it’s free below 1 year old (after that it’s $70 per application).
We packed a bunch of baby items, including food pouches, biscuit snacks, a can of milk formula, small toys, his bolster and pillow, plus preloaded cartoons on a tablet (as a desperate last resort on the plane).
For babies below two (aka infants), they can ride for 10% of an adult plane fare on your lap. Stroller can be carried at no extra surcharge (usually check-in) and we brought a baby carrier too (Jake mostly hated sitting in it except in Disneyland, on the move with plenty of stimulation). Try to time flights to coincide with baby’s sleep time at night (red eyes are best).
Best to get accommodation with a separate living room/kitchenette so you guys can do stuff while baby is sleeping (and not have to sit around in the dark or hide in the bathroom). Most attractions do not charge for babies.
Flights
We took a new budget airline Air Japan for this trip (legit budget carrier under ANA), with return flights around S$670 (US$500) per pax from Singapore, inclusive of 10% infant and luggage add-on fees (for baby items there and shopping items back). Prices were higher as we booked only a week prior to flying so do so early for cheaper rates.
Other Tokyo options are Zipair or Scoot, with return flights as low as S$450 (US$333) per pax from Singapore.
Accommodation
Our Airbnb in Edogawa City was near Disneyland and had full amenities with five separate sections at S$115 (US$85) per night (can sleep up to 4 on two queen-beds). Agoda may also have cheaper rates depending on flash promos.
Tokyo Metro Pass
Also recommended to get Klook’s 72 Hour Subway Pass, granting unlimited Tokyo rides for only S$14 (US$11). Itinerary planning is necessary to make the most out of this pass, as below.
Currency Exchange
Many places in Tokyo only accept cash, so exchange currency beforehand (you can exchange Yen at Changi airport at a good rate).
How much to change depends on your itinerary, budget, and shopping needs. Many tours and tickets (Tokyo Subway, Disneyland, etc.) can be bought on Klook so a safe gauge is average S$75 (US$50) a day per pax (for food, snacks, and shopping).
Online Immigration Registration
Next, register at Visit Japan Web to expedite immigration upon arrival (don’t need to fill up the paper card).
- First, register a Visit Japan Web account. Fill in “Your details”. One parent can fill up “Details of family members traveling with you” if traveling with infants.
- Then click “Register new planned entry/return” and fill up the online form.
- Next register the “Quarantine” and “Immigration clearance and Customs declaration” links.
- Once both of these are registered, take a screenshot of the QR code with your phone to show the immigration officers upon arrival.
- Everyone, including babies, also require their own separate QR code.
Internet Roaming & Wifi
There are not many free wifi spots in Tokyo. We shared a single 7 day 4GB roaming plan from our carrier vivifi (using Mobile Hotspot) for S$17.
Total Flight Cost: S$650 (US$500) per pax
Total Airbnb Cost: S$690 (S$115 or US$85 per pax) for 6 Nights
Tokyo Metro Ticket Cost: S$14 (US$7) per pax for 3 Days Consecutive Travel
Roaming Cost: S$17 (US$13) total for 7 Days
FOOD
Tokyo has a wide range of food, although it seems pricier and less consistent as Osaka. Best to check Google reviews beforehand, and we had many hits and some misses.
SHOPPING
Plenty of shopping options abound in Tokyo. You have big box chains like Don Quijote, discount chains such as 3 Coins and Can Do 100 Yen, the popular Gotemba factory outlet near Tokyo, boutique outlets in Shibuya and Harajuku, and last minute shopping at the airport’s duty-free outlets.
DAY 1: FLYING OFF & ARRIVING
Our flight near midnight was uneventful, our baby was quite docile and didn’t suffer air pressure discomfort. A big help was the flight was half empty (perhaps because just launched this route), so we had extra space to let him lie down and sleep most of the way.
Landed at Narita Airport in early morning. Boarded a Keisei bus (1600 Yen per pax, 50 min) to our airbnb near Kasai Station.
Had lunch at Tsukasa Sushi restaurant (1500 pp), settled down and napped in the afternoon, and had dinner at Ramen HH restaurant (1300 pp). Two great meals to start the trip!
DAY 2: FUJI SHIBAZAKURA KLOOK TOUR
Next we did a Klook tour for the famed Fuji Shibazakura (Pink Moss) Festival (S$78/US$58 pp) around the Fuji Five Lakes. Klook tours are convenient and affordable, yet drawbacks are early waking time (meeting time was 8 AM at Tokyo Station) and a rigid, often rushed itinerary.
This tour encompassed Arakurayama Sengen Park (Chureito Pagoda), Oishi Park, and the Fuji Motosuko Resort — Shibazakura Festival.
All were beautiful, albeit there was not enough time to spend at Oishi Park and the Shibazakura Festival (where we had a quick skewered meat lunch). Highly recommended tour for young couples! Was also the Golden Week holiday so traffic was ghastly, so avoid going here from April 29 to May 5.
Upon return, we took the metro back to our station where we had a delicious Coco Ichibanya dinner (1150 pp).
DAY 3: UENO, SHIBUYA, HARAJUKU
Bought Klook’s Tokyo Metro 72 Hour Subway Pass for unlimited rides on the metro line. Started the day with a yakiniku lunch at Ueno’s Yansando Uenohirokoji (1800+3300), which was fantastic! Steak houses in Japan are half price for lunch, and their y1800 set meal (S$16/US$12) was so worth it!
Then we went to Amekoyo Food Street, which was compared to Osaka’s Dotonbori but seemed more like a food market and not to our liking. Jess then did some shopping at Ueno’s Don Quijote.
We then took the metro to Shibuya Crossing. Wandered to Harajuku, where we did more shopping at 3 Coins , browsed kids stuff at Kiddy Land, and bought two cool t-shirts (3500) and chopsticks (660) at a boutique shop.
It was getting late so we had a takeaway 7-Eleven dinner comprising lobster bisque and beef stew/pork cutlet/fried rice (370 to 500 each). Surprisingly good and really value for money!
DAY 4: ASHIKAGA FLOWER PARK
Started off sunny, and we went to nearby Tenya for a great tempura lunch (930 pp). Then we headed to Ashikaga for the famed flower park.
After 3.5 hours of trains, from Kasai to Kitasenju to Tochigi, we reached Ashikaga Flower Park (1800 pp), which was experiencing heavy rain.
Without any other choice, we tried to take some decent photos, bought some snacks, tried wisteria ice cream (tasty!), and did a bit of shopping.
Another 3.5 hours of trains and we were back in Kasai. Total non-metro train tickets cost a steep 4300 yen per pax (S$38/US$30), I recommend going on a Klook day tour for this instead.
This outing taught us the importance of checking the weather one day in advance before setting off/booking for an attraction. The weather in Japan is quite unpredictable, and a downpour can really ruin your day.
Did a takeaway Lotteria shrimp burger and cheeseburger dinner (900 pp), which was pretty fantastic too.
DAY 5: SHINJUKU
Today was a laidback day, with shopping at a Can Do 100 Yen Shop in Kasai and great Sushiro lunch (~1000 pp).
A tranquil park with many gardens to see, although the gravel trail made pushing the stroller difficult. Unfortunately we came late and had not enough time to visit all the gardens, including the glasshouse.
Ended the day with a unique ramen dinner at Rahmen Eddie (1400 pp), which was quite meh with a salt broth and three different types of meats.
DAY 6: DISNEYLAND
Double-checking it was a nice sunny day, we had a nice pork cutlet lunch at Tonkaratei (870 pp), then booked a Klook Disneyland Ticket ($69 pp) and boarded a Keisei bus to Disneyland (420 pp).
Disneyland was very enjoyable, with our visits to the Cinderella Castle Fairy Tale Tour, Haunted Mansion, Beauty and the Beast Ride, and Toon Town. Other rides we didn’t have time/cannot endure were the merry go rounds, It’s A Small World, Pinocchio and Peter Pan rides, River Cruise, plus a few others.
This was capped off with the Disney Parade at 7:15 PM, 8:30 PM fireworks, and some shopping in between: A Monsters Inc popcorn box (3500), Winnie the Pooh cushion toy (3600).
After that it was a packed Keisei bus back (420 pp) and another Coco Ichibanya dinner (1150 pp).
DAY 7: DEPARTURE
We took two trains (Kasai to Toyo-Katsutadai) to Narita Airport (1230 pp). Had an udon lunch at Sky Food Court’s Kineya Mugimaru, did some last minute Duty Free shopping before our uneventful flight home.
Note that you are now required to fill up an online arrival card (yes, even Sinkies) upon return to Singapore.
COST BREAKDOWN
Flight: S$670 (US$500) per pax
Airbnb: S$403 (US$300) per pax
Transport (Buses & Trains): S$14+S$5+S$15+S$38+S$8+S$11=S$91 (US$68) per pax
Misc. Expenses (e.g. Internet, Food, Attractions): S$17/2+S$25+S$100+S$22+S$60+S$26+S$95+S$11+S$25= S$373 (US$275) per pax
Snacks & Shopping (Estimated; Optional): S$150 (US$110) per pax
TOTAL: S$1,640 (US$1,200) per pax
SUMMARY
Travelling with an infant was tough, as we had to wake every 4 hours on average to feed him at night, in addition to cleaning and tending to him. Also, trains took much longer because we had to find elevators for the stroller (beware, every metro station has at least one elevator but they can be notoriously hard to find).
On hindsight, we could have done some things differently to maximise our budget and time, like staying in north or west Tokyo. For some places, booking a Klook tour or going free and easy (including renting a car) may hinge on where you’re staying.
Other options include the rest of Fuji Five Lakes and Mount Fuji, Gotemba Premium Outlets, Hakone spa resort town, Hitachi Seaside Park, Jigokudani Monkey Park, and Nikko National Park.
And as always, book your flights, accommodation, and attractions early to get the best prices! We were unable to visit the Teamlabs Borderless light museum and Studio Ghibli due to sold out tickets.
0 Comments