Japan in Nov 2008 with 3 kids (10,7,5)

Hi there,

We are planning for a trip to Japan in Nov 2008 with 3 kids (10-yr-old girl, 7-yr-old boy and 5-yr-old boy).

We'll be flying into the Narita airport.

This is our current plan in terms of cities of hotel stays:
1. Ginza: 14,15nov (fri,sat)
2. Disneyland: 16, 17,18,19nov(sun,mon,tues,wed)
3. Hakone: 20,21,22nov (thur,fri,sat)
4. Ginza: 23nov (sun)

Questions:
1. Should we venture into Kyoto/Osaka with 3 kids in tow? Or, just stick to the above plan?

2. Can we all stay in 1 room? Logistically, it's difficult if we have to be in 2 rooms.

3. Any good hotel to recommend to be near Disneyland and easy to 'lug' 3 kids from hotel to Disneyland? :) Sheraton near Disneyland is very expensive.

4. Any other kid friendly hotel to recommend?

Thanks so much...

Our family with 10 & 7 year old girls is going in July. We will be staying at Ryokan Katsutaro in Ueno. http://www.katsutaro.com/ryokan_index.html

Ueno is a good central location, easy to get to from the airport & easy to get all around Tokyo from, plus it has a park/zoo/temples for relaxing time (or running & screaming time for the kids). Don't be apprehensive about staying here or at any ryokan. This place got good reviews, (do a google search) the kids will get a kick out of sleeping on the floor, and we plan to spend most of the day outside the hotel anyway. Hotels in Japan usually charge by the person so it can be VERY expensive in Tokyo, this place is US$150 a night for 4 of us.

1. Kyoto/Osaka itself is not really a problem, and is conveniently accessible by the Shinkansen train. But they're not the most kiddy places in Japan, and moving from hotel to another will be hectic with kids. Perhaps you'd want to take away one location from your original itinary if you want to squeeze in Kyoto/Osaka. Have you thought about flying home from Osaka area instead of coming back to Narita?

2. I think it's quite possible for all of you to stay in 1 triple room as long as someone shares a bed, or you can stay in a hotel suite or ryokan or minshuku room. But the capacity depends on each accomodation.

3. There are several hotels near Disneyland and most of them are family-friendly. But I'm not sure if they fit your budget. Either way, are you sure you want to spend 4 days near Disneyland? Disneyland is quite in the middle of nowhere, and if I were you, I would get bored after 4 days, although the kids may not.

I visit my daughter in Sasebo and then we travel many places with her 3 kids.(8,10,13) Kyoto is a scenic place with 400+ shrines. If you seen one shrine you have seen them all. (with slight variations of course.) same with castles, they are all basically the same. Osaka has Univ. Studios, a great aquarium and other attractions for kids. Shopping is better outside of Tokyo, make that somewhat cheaper, away from the Ginza in Tokyo. By the way, there is only one Ginza in Japan that is in Tokyo. The other "ginzas" are really called Arcades.
Do a Google search for Osaka for things to do. There is a high tech place in Tokyo called Akihabara or Akiba to locals that has the latest hitech gadgets. Sunday is a fun day to visit there as the teens dress up in anime costumes, esp. teenage girls.
You will find McDonalds in the major cities for a taste of home. And pop/tea/coffee vending machines are located
on every corner in Japan. 100 yen or so ($1.00)
Have fun.