Customer Reviews

Kids' Trips in Tokyo: A Family Guide to One-Day Outings

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We got this book right before moving to Tokyo for a year with our two year old daughter. We haven't been steered wrong yet - each of the tours or trips in the book we have tried so far has been a delight for us and our daughter. If you have a kid in Tokyo, you *need* this book.

Highlights so far have been the Kodomo no Kuni dairy farm/park in Kanagawa, the parks and streetcar line in Arakawa, the park and community center in Kichijoji.

Kids' Trips in Tokyo is the best English resource for Tokyo activities for families with kids through elementary school. The book is well researched and documented with easy to follow directions. The authors wisely chose locations, and I have not found the book to be outdated even though it was published 12 years ago. The "tours" are arranged geographically, so you can pick a few of several activities within an certain area. This book has pointed me to areas that I would not have found on my own and that are not found in the typical Tokyo tourist guidebooks. A nice feature is the index listing of activities that are best for rainy days and Mondays/New Year's Holidays (when some Tokyo locations are closed). While the book caters to Tokyo residents who have time to explore various areas, the tourist will find many locations listed that will have something appealing to the whole family.

I disagree with a previous reviewer who claims the book has a the lack activities for boys. My active boys have enjoyed all the locations in this book that we have visited. In fact, it seems that the authors intentionally looked for places where the kids could run about. The second half of the book particularly has a great selection of outdoor activities. If you are at Tokyo resident or visiting with kids 2-12, I highly recommend Kids' Trips in Tokyo.

The book was well organized, but if one's children are active boys between the ages of 5 and 11, then this book is probably not for you. Although there were a few exceptions, I found that the book was filled with museums, which may be interesting, but did not seem too exciting upon reading. I also ordered with this book, "Tokyo for Free" and "Little Adventures in Tokyo". Between these two books and a good guide book, everything in this book was covered with the advantage that there were things in these other books that seemed like alot more fun. Depends on your kids.

I love this book! It is well organized, packed with fun ideas for kids of all ages. People are always asking me how I am able to find out about so many fun things to do in Tokyo. It's all in this book! If you will be living in Tokyo, you won't survive without it.

Last summer, I stayed with relatives who were living in Japan. We used this book a lot for sightseeing and it lists huge parks. There are really, really, beautiful gardens in Japan, and as a 16-year old guy I usually don't pay much attention to gardens. My cousin lived in Tokyo for several years and swears by this book. One recommendation: skip the raw fish.