If you are like me, the 11, 12 and 13-year-olds are not into the temples in Tokyo, they want all of the anime and manga, ALL THE TIME! Your teens are probably the same. But do not worry, it is easy to keep them happy and throw in a few cultural activities too!
I recently went to Tokyo with two 12-year-olds in search of the perfect anime itinerary. Mostly because it did not exist on the internet. Here is what I found.
Things to do in Tokyo for Anime Lovers
- Battle on Pokemon Go
- Teamlab Planets
- Take a food tour
- Explore neighborhoods like Akihabara and Ikebukuro
- Shop at the One Piece, Pokemon or Sanrio stores
- Play your favorite claw machines
- Collect the gocha balls
- Sanrio Puroland for Hello Kitty lovers
teamLab Planets
The number one thing I suggest booking once you have your dates set for Tokyo with your family is to make a booking for Teamlab Planets. If you are coming from North America, although it is “tomorrow” in Tokyo, with the jetlag, expect to be up early the first few mornings (and want to go to bed very early), so book a morning slot on one of your first days!
So no, this is not anime-specific but the sensory art is amazing and it was one of my family’s favorite things to do.
Sanrio Puroland
Calling all Hello Kitty lovers! Sanrio Puroland is the perfect place to get exclusive merch and enjoy the magic of Hello Kitty Land! International visitors can save by booking online in advance and then skip the queue. The best part is that you do not have to select your day or time, you just show the QR code at the entrance.
Take a Food Tour
Take a food tour to get a sense of the local food culture, and there is so much cute anime-shaped food and packaging. We love doing food tours when we first arrive so that we can find some favorite treats and we know what to order from very foreign-looking restaurants. My 12-year-old realized he loved Yakisoba and searched it out on menus for the rest of the week! We also tried things that we likely would not have picked out on our own.
Battle Pokemon Go on an Anime Tour
If you have younger kids or those who love Pokemon Go, you can take a tour with Context Travel and have a local show you around. They will help you battle and offer insights into what local kids enjoy in the neighborhood. This is a private tour and something you should do at the beginning of your time in Tokyo to give you tips for gachas and claw machines. This is geared to kids 10 and under but we did it with our 12 year olds. Next time we likely would have gone with the teen-focused tour.
BOOK ONLINE: Context Travel
Buy Pokemon Cards
You would think Pokemon cards are everywhere like in North America right? WRONG! You can sometimes find packs at convenience stores but most Japanese Pokemon cards are sold in the large Pokemon stores! You can find Pokemon Centers to buy Pokemon Cards in Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, department stores Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Shibuya Parco, Skytree Town and Tokyo Bay
Explore Akihabara
Want to see where the locals are after dark (and during the day but it really gets busy in the evenings). Head to Akihabara and explore tiny stores full of anime figures, gacha machines
Wander Harijuku
Explore the colors and the fashion in Jarijuku at any time of day! A few favorites were the Totti Candy Factory for giant rainbow cotton candy, Le Shiner for rainbow grilled cheese and the cat cafe. If you are looking for anime or exclusive designs, pop into the Uniqlo store (look for their Hachiko merch as well)
Eat at the Kirby Cafe
Reservations for the Kirby Cafe are almost impossible to come by. But do not despair, you can order for take out from their to go menu and enjoy their cutsey kirby themed meals outside under the shadow Tokyo Skytree Tower.
Visit a One Piece Store
One Piece is the most well known anime of all time. There are various stores around Tokyo to buy merch. Shop in Mugiwara in Shibuya,
Try the convenience store snacks
This was a daily adventure while we were in Tokyo. We visited every morning for breakfast as well as snacks. Once we had a favorite, it was a daily hunt to find it again. If you are looking for anime treats, you will find dozens of packaged candy and chocolate.
Mattias for example, found fried chicken from Lawsons to be his favorite, which meant 7-11 and Fmaily Mart were no longer good enough, but that was fine, they were everywhere!
Play Claw Machines and Gotcha Balls
These are literally everywhere! Over a million gotcha balls are bought every single day. You will likely figure out that there is not much skill involved in the claw machines and they are more like slot machines that decide when you pay out (consider yourself warned and have fun anyways).
Where to stay with Families in Tokyo
One of the first thing you may find when looking for Tokyo hotels, is that they do not cater to families. Most hotels are deisgned for the solo or couple traveler. But there are options for 4 people, you need to plan ahead or know where to look. We stayed at a lovely family-style accommodation which was perfect for our first few days of exploring and then moved farther south in the city to the Shiba Park hotel.
Lindsay Nieminen hails from Vancouver, Canada and shares her love of travel on this website. She is passionate about showing others that they should not put off traveling the world just because they have children or are single parents. She aims to encourage them to seek out adventure, whether it is at home or abroad by providing information on how just about everywhere can be a destination to explore as a family.