Dad traveling to japan alone with daugthers

Hey everyone, so I just booked a trip to Japan in Autumn this year for me (m) and my 2 kids (mom got divorced before you ask). The kids are 2 girls, 6 and 12 years old.Without flights, we will have 14 days in Japan. Because I cannot imagine anything more annoying than lugging bags around, I decided to book ONE hotel for the entire stay in Tokyo. Surprisingly, it was cheap due to the long duration and some booking.com magic.I have been to Japan twice by myself already, so not everything is new for me. I know Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, and some small surrounding areas like Hakone & InuYama.But, of course, traveling with kids is a whole 'nother beast, so I have some questions:

One - Two Day Escape from Tokyo
I am looking for some tips as I think staying the whole time in Tokyo is too crazy. So, I planned on leaving Tokyo for 1/2 or 3 days with the kids.I think Ghibli Park will be worth it, and from my understanding, it is located near Nagoya. Personally, I would also love to see Osaka as I have never been there.What do you think about this kind of Tokyo Escape? Any tips for route planning? I am especially looking for cheap but good hostels for these 1/2 nights on the way.An alternative to a "cheap" hostel would be a nice but still not overly expensive traditional hotel. However, I am not sure if my kids will enjoy the food there, and I am also uncertain if these kinds of "wellness hotels" appreciate kids.

Onsen
When I went alone, the onsens were one of the best experiences I had, and I would love to share this with my kids. However, as I am a man and my kids are girls, I do not think it is appropriate to bring them into a male shared onsen (and probably also not allowed).So I wonder – how do single dads (probably not so common?) or families do this? Do they only go to private onsens? If so – do you have any recommendations? Maybe around the Hakone Area.



Food
Ok, this one might be tricky. I am lucky because my older daughter, who is a picky eater, loves Japanese food A LOT, so nothing to worry about there. My younger one might be a bit of a challenge when food looks "strange." But what I am more wondering about is that most of the Japanese restaurants I have been to have long wait times and are rather small. Alone, no problem, but as a group of 3?So I am looking for family-type restaurant recommendations. I heard Yayoiken should be good, but if you have more, also in the Tokyo Area, let me know. Also, great Ramen places for this small group. Ichiran, while nice, is probably not suitable with their individual booths.

Train
I never had the JR Pass, and I saw they are increasing the prices in October. Could I book it for the current price now and then pick it up in October? The website is not very helpful here.But I wonder if it is worth it anyway, considering the Tokyo escape to the Nagoya / Osaka Area and then maybe another day trip to the Hakone Area. I am not sure if we are going on more trips away from Tokyo (unless there are some HOT recommendations?).

Reservations and the hideous online booking systems :D
Any tips for reservations of parks and stuff? Disneyland is clear and will happen.
Ghibli Land is somewhat clear – I could book the Warehouse now but not directly (unless going through the Japanese booking system) the rest of the Park. I am not sure if Hill of Youth and the Forest are worth it. On the other hand, if the Warehouse alone is enough, I am a bit undecided here. Kids know and love all major Ghibli movies, of course.

Universal Studios – I think I decided on NO.While I love Jujutsu Kaizen and my kids love Nintendo, neither of us cares about Minions or Harry Potter. And the idea of spending a ton of time and money to go there just to realize all Nintendo World slots are booked is a big turnoff!

Cafes �c I somehow made the mistake of showing my small daughter a shiba cafe. That said, they have really bad ratings. So if you have a dog cafe alternative you can recommend, let me know. I heard OWL cafe is all the rage, but I can only imagine if I tell her "look, you wanted to pet shibas but OWLs are actually better."
Pokemon Cafe and Kirby Cafe look cute, but the booking systems are driving me insane, and again, I am not sure if they are worth it. They kind of seem like glorified merch stores. When I went alone, I had a Gundam bubble tea in Akiba that was so disgusting I had to throw it away, but of course, the bottle I then got was nice.
I think that�fs it for now, haha. Thank you for (hopefully) all the recommendations and comments in advance!

You must buy JR nation wide pass before oct ober 2023.JR pass will give you freedom to travel whole of japan

For the JR Pass you can now buy the voucher and you have 3 months from the issue date to exchange it for the actual pass (at a JR counter in Japan) and the pass has to start within one month of pass issue.
So yes, you can get one for your trip.
However, if you have accommodation for 2 weeks in Tokyo and only plan on leaving for a few days, the pass may not pay off. Check with the JR Pass Calculator on this website.

I can't help much with the other questions but would imagine that private onsen would be the way forward with your family.

I do wonder about the wisdom of the 2 week hotel stay in Tokyo if you're interested in travelling to the likes of Nagoya, Osaka etc. I understand not wanting to switch hotels with 2 kids in tow but maybe 1/2 Tokyo base, 1/2 Kansai base would be worth considering.

Look for an animal cafe that involves animals that can be adopted and are being fostered in the cafe. You could also look into going to Nara (I think the deer are aggressive but a lot of people enjoy them) or visiting the Arashiyama monkey park to see monkeys. (I would not do either as a day trip from Tokyo though!)

I would pick a Shiba Inu Cafe way before I picked an owl cafe, at least dogs are domesticated.

Since you've been to Japan before, I'm not sure why you don't know about luggage delivery services It honestly makes moving bags around really easy. You just send them from your hotel in Tokyo to a hotel in Osaka and bring a small bag with you on the train for the overnight/the next morning. We do it on every trip.

I get not wanting to change hotels every other night, but Osaka is like a 7 hour round trip from Tokyo and even Nagoya is going to be around 200 minutes or more round trip. (That estimate is assuming you are staying at Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station and going to Nagoya Station, every time you change where you start and where you are going to, it's going to add to that 200 minutes.) I'd want to make sure your kids are into long periods of time sitting quietly on public transit.

You could try a bathing suit "onsen" This one not far from Tokyo out towards Tokyo Disney and might make sense for you.

https://urayasu.ooedoonsen.jp/news/4340

It's definitely cheaper than any prices I've seen for day-use private onsen for non staying guests.

Good luck!

From my experience, having kids along definitely slows down your pace and it takes getting somewhere a lot longer. Plus they don't have the stamina for extended stair climbing (and you will walk a lot in Japan). Not to mention maybe needing more bathroom breaks, etc.
There are dozens of day trip possibilities from Tokyo. But Kansai is not really one of them and if you want to go all the way there, then you may waste money by booking extra hotel rooms. If you want to go down there, it'd be better to stay overnight at Kyoto or Osaka. But for the city itself, there is not a lot that you won't already see in Tokyo during the day. The evenings though are really when Osaka is at its best.

As mentioned above, it's better to travel light, and if you don't want to carry your bags, the luggage forwarders do a fine job.
https://goo.gl/K3RqXH

Consider as an alternative a trip to the Izu peninsula for the onsen. Izu Shaboten is a fantastic zoo there near Ito, monkeys running around free and you can go inside the capybara pen and feed them. They have cactus ice cream and cactus burgers, both of which are actually really good.

For the onsen in Hakone, I would recommend a private bath. This is what I do with my own girls.
My recommendation would be Yuryo Onsen in Hakone. They offer 3 types of private baths for advance reservation.

https://www.hakoneyuryo.jp/english/spa/hotspring/#hanare

Other facilities and service included, are an onsite restaurant and also a free shuttle bus between Hakone Yumoto Station and Yuryo Onsen.


As for day excursions from Tokyo. I would recommend Nikko, the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park and Kamakura/Enoshima as day trips from Tokyo.

Are your daughters really interested in an onsen experience? I ask because when I was a young Japanese girl, I never was. Also, when I was about 12, I was even too self-consciousness to shower alone at a YMCA pool, let alone use a Japanese-style bathing room after I'd spent years living in California.

That aside, it is the norm for girls in Japan that age to use the ladies' public bathing room by themselves. They'd be used to the etiquette, because they gradually learn from their mother while traveling to the countryside. So, if your girls are truly interested, you can study the etiquette together through internet information, and then bath separately after you come to Japan. If your 12 year old can handle it, your 6-year-old would be fine with her big sister.

Another (more realistic) option is to spend your money to book one of the many onsen ryokan with a tub in your room and also a public bathing room down the hall. You will all have the freedom to experience the unique onsen water in your room, and also the freedom to visit the big public bath. The bathing room in your room would come with a shower, so your girls would have the option to just use the shower without the tub.

Either way, you have to remember that a Japanese-style bathing room is different from a Western-style one where you stay inside the tub instead of washing yourself outside it. And explaining that beforehand would make it a lot easier for girls traveling with a male parent.

Nowadays there are a lot of fun onsen facilities in the city, but they're pretty much all about bathing. Instead, you can either do daytrips or overnight trips to onsen resorts where your girls can experience the countryside, its culture and food, even if they're not interested in the bath.

I don't know what you mean by "wellness hotels", but children 6 and older are usually accepted everywhere. But maybe what you're looking for is a type of hostel we call "minshuku", which are always family-friendly. You can find them in Onsen resorts too.

Actually, young girls can be quite happy surrounded by beautiful autumn scenery. Ask them if they'd like sea or mountain.

Forgot that I was also going to give some recommendations for places to eat at that are suitable for someone with children.

Tendon Tenya - A chain that serves dishes such as soba noodles and tempura bowls.
Jonathans - A Family restaurant chain (like Saizeriya, but better).
Katsuya - They have a few branches and they specialise in Katsuson (pork cutlet donburi).
GoGo Curry - A chain that specialises in Japanese curry with rice.
Fukki - Tonkotsu ramen restaurant that can be found not too far from Zojoji Temple/Tokyo Tower.
Torikizoku - A Yakitori chain that can be found all across Tokyo.
Sushiro - A kaitensushi chain that is mostly sushi. But they also have a few cooked items such as udon noodles, fried chicken and fries.
Marugame Seimen - An Udon restaurant chain that is very affordable and you are allowed to select your own toppings for your bowl of udon (such as various tempura).
Rakeru - An omurice (omelette rice) chain which has branches across Tokyo (I love the branch in Shibuya).
Garden House Kamakura - They can be found not too far from Kamakura Station and they do very good pizzas, sausages, fried chicken, salads, cakes (such as carrot cake, cheesecake, chocolate gateaux) and also a selection of locally brewed IPAs.

Burger/pizza restaurants;
Whoopi Goldburger, Shibuya.
Kua Aina - A Hawaiian burger/sandwich chain with locations in Yokohama and Enoshima.
Seirinkan - A Pizza/pasta restaurant in Meguro.
Pizza Studio Tamaki - A pizza restaurant that isn't too far from Tokyo Tower.


Now for a few sweet and breakfast places;
Bills - An Australian restaurant chain that serves breakfasts, lunch and dinner.
A Happy Pancake - Restaurant chain that serves those fluffy pancakes.
Honey Toast Cafe - A restaurant in Akihabara that serves savoury dishes and also french toast/honey toast.

Dear CreativeDingo,

with your daughters at that age, maybe "Sanrio Puro Land" ( or "Hello Kitty Land", as I call them ;-) ) is an option for a little daily escape from Tokyo.
You can get discounted entry Tickets at plattforms like "get-your-guide" and "klook".
There are different little Shows and a boat ride Tour. And you have a few good options for food, which is nice decorated ( and tastes good too) like crepes, japanese Curry or other more western menus like french fries.
Yes, it is a little bit kitschy but also really fun! :-)


Most of those " Motto"- Restaurants like "Moomin Café" at the Skytree, live for their great decoration but in most of them the food is really ( overly) expensive and tastes from "nothing special" to "meeh". (Mostly) it is all for the merch experience and not to get a good meal.

Greetings,
Vio

Hey everyoen thank you so much for all the answers, it is super helpfull!

Just on the Hakone onsen option, we set our girls up in a private bath at Hakone back when they were young (maybe 9 and 12), well anyway they wore their togs in which then became permeated with the sulfur fart smell which we couldnt get out no matter how much we washed them, then that permeated their luggage, so essentially every time we opened their luggage it smelled like someone had dropped a massive fart.

So personally I wouldnt choose Hakone as it can be very smelly (though the water is very nice), and if you do then take some cheap togs for them that you can chuck away.