Japan family trip itinerary: 7 days for the whole family

Seven days is enough time to cover Tokyo properly, add a day trip north to Nikko, then head south to Kyoto and Nara for a completely different side of Japan. Here is a real, workable itinerary for a family trip, plus what to sort out before you fly from Australia so everyone is connected the moment you land.

This plan splits the week into three bases: three nights in Tokyo, a day trip to Nikko, then three nights in Kyoto with a day trip to Nara before flying home. It keeps travel days to a minimum, which matters more with kids than it does travelling solo, and leaves room to slow down if the family needs a rest day.

Land, get to the hotel, and keep expectations low for day one. If everyone is up for it, Shinjuku is an easy first stop for dinner and a look at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which has a free observation deck with views across the city. Most family friendly hotels in Shinjuku, Shibuya or around Tokyo Station put you within walking distance of a train line, which matters for the rest of the week.

Buy a Suica or Pasmo card (or add one to a phone wallet) as soon as you land. It works on nearly every train, bus and even some vending machines, and saves a lot of queuing at ticket machines with tired kids in tow.

Morning: Asakusa and Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo's oldest temple, with a long shopping street (Nakamise-dori) leading up to it that is genuinely fun for kids to browse.

Afternoon: Akihabara for anime, games and electronics. Even without buying anything, the arcades and character shops are an easy afternoon for older kids.

Evening: Harajuku for dinner, with Takeshita Street nearby for crepes and people watching. Keep this evening low key since day three involves a longer trip out of the city.

Nikko is about two hours from Tokyo by train and makes a genuinely different day out: mountain air, forest, and one of Japan's most famous shrine complexes. Toshogu Shrine is the main attraction, ornately decorated and unlike the calmer shrines in central Tokyo. If the family has the energy, Kegon Falls is a short bus ride further on and worth it for the view alone.

Start early. It is a long day with young kids, and the last train back to Tokyo comes sooner than you would think once you factor in the bus connections around Nikko itself.

Morning: the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto is an attraction in its own right for most kids, and the journey takes under three hours from Tokyo. Book seats in advance during busier periods.

Afternoon: Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for its thousands of red torii gates. You do not need to walk the whole mountain trail with younger kids. Even the first fifteen minutes of gates makes for excellent photos and a good stretch after the train.

Evening: a gentle stroll through Gion, Kyoto's historic geisha district, particularly nice around dusk when the lanterns come on.

Morning: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, a short walk through towering bamboo that photographs as well in person as it does online. Combine it with the nearby Tenryu-ji Temple gardens if the family still has energy.

Afternoon: a family friendly tea ceremony experience. Several venues around Kyoto run shorter, kid friendly versions that explain the process rather than expecting silence and formality throughout.

Evening: Nishiki Market for an early dinner, browsing stalls of street food and local snacks rather than sitting down at one restaurant.

Nara is under an hour from Kyoto by train and is one of the easiest family days in this whole itinerary. Nara Park is home to over a thousand wild deer that are used to visitors and will approach for the specific deer crackers sold around the park. Todai-ji Temple, home to one of Japan's largest bronze Buddha statues, is a short walk from the park entrance and genuinely impressive at any age.

Because it is a shorter day trip than Nikko, this is a good one to build in some downtime either side, rather than rushing back to Kyoto for another activity.

If your flight home is out of Tokyo, build in the Shinkansen trip back the morning of day seven, or the evening before if your flight is early. Leave time for last minute souvenir shopping at Tokyo Station itself, which has an enormous underground shopping area (Character Street is a hit with kids) that works well if you are tight on time before a flight.

• Japan is very safe by most measures, but standard travel precautions still apply. Our full guide covers this in more detail.
• Cultural etiquette worth knowing: remove shoes where indicated, keep voices down on trains, and queue in the marked lines on station platforms.
• Spring (cherry blossom season) and autumn tend to have the most comfortable weather for a family trip, though both are busier and pricier than summer or winter.
• Australians do not need a visa for a standard tourist trip to Japan. Full details in our visa guide.

• Comfortable walking shoes. This itinerary involves a lot of walking and standing on trains.
• A portable charger for phones and any devices keeping kids entertained on longer train legs.
• Layers, since temperatures can shift noticeably between Tokyo, the mountains around Nikko, and Kyoto.
• A small day bag each, since coin lockers at stations are useful for offloading bags on day trip days.

A week of trains, day trips and last minute plan changes goes a lot smoother with data working from the moment you land, especially with kids who want to look up the next stop or send a photo home. Sim Local's AU by KDDI eSIM plans run on one of Japan's largest networks, with genuine 10GB of full speed data per day on the unlimited tiers, not the 3GB throttle some competitors bury in the fine print.