Weekend Getaway - Nasu

Perfect for kids that love animals.

Stay at Nasu Koen Camp and Cabins or find a ryokan/hotel on Rakuten Travel.Child friendly hotels are QKamura.

Visit Nasu Safari Park, Monkey Park, Nasu Animal Kingdom, Nasu Highland Park, Mount Jeans (skiing in winter), Rindohko Family Boku or Nasu Garden Outlet Mall.

For general information visit Must Love Japan.

Aquariums

Epson Aqua Stadium Prince Hotel Shinagawa
Kamogawa Seaworld Kamogawa, Chiba
Sea Paradise  Yokohama
Shinagawa Aquarium  3-2-1 Katsushima, Shinagawa-Ku

Himonya Park

A lovely park in the suburbs of Meguro. Enjoy feeding the ducks, hiring a rowboat on the lake (extra cost), visit the shrine, take the kids for a pony ride (extra cost), play on the play equipment or go in the petting zoo.

Location: 6-9-11 Himonya, Meguro-ku

Train: Gakugeidaigaku station on the Toyoko line. In red on the map here. 4 stops from Shibuya and 2 stops from Naka-meguro.

Website: Meguro City (Japanese Only)

Baby facilities: None

Crawling:

Walking:

2-5 years:

5-10 years:

Cost: Free
Stroller Friendly: Yes
Baby Changing Area: No
Feeding Room: No
Child Friendly Restaurant: No
Rainy Weather Option: No
Party Venue: Yes

Bolshoi Circus

Date: Wed, 10 Aug, 2011 to Mon, 15 Aug, 2011

Family entertainment, the Bolshoi Circus 2011 edition. Acrobats, horse riding, animal acts-lions, bears, cats and dogs, trapeze, and of course the clowns.

Location: Makuhari Messe in Chiba. See the website for directions.

Phone: 03-3234-7807

Hours: 10:30-12.30, 13:30-15.30, 16:30-18.30 everyday except the 10th and 15th do not have a 16.30 show.

Website: The Bolshoi Circus website is only in Japanese but you can get all of the details from the Makuhari Messe website which is in English.

Baby facilities: A feeding room, a rest room with child seat and a changing table in the disables toilets are available.

Crawling:

Walking:

2-5 years:

5-10 years:

Cost: Royal seats 6,500JPY
Genaral admission for seniors 5,500JPY
Genaral admission for adults 4,500JPY
Genaral admission for school children 3,500JPY
Stroller Friendly: not inside the hall
Baby Changing Area: yes
Feeding Room: yes
Child Friendly Restaurant: yes
Rainy Weather Option: yes
Party Venue: no

Sea Paradise

Sea Paradise is an   amusement park on an island in Yokohama Bay. It has an aquarium, a surf coaster that swings out over the ocean, an exhilarating vertical fall ride, hotel, restaurants, a marina and much more.

Location: Hakkeijima , Kanazawa-ku Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa

Phone: 045-788-8888

Train: Direct access from Yokohama New Transit Hakkeijima Station. See details here.

Car:  From the Metropolitan Expressway Wangan Line take the "Sachiura" exit, then its about 2km. See details here.

Hours: The actual island is open from around 8.30am to 9.30pm but most attractions are open 10am to 6pm. It does vary depending on the day and time of year so it is best to check the website here.

Website: www.seaparadise.co.jp available in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.

Baby facilities: Changing tables are available in some toilets.

Crawling:

Walking:

2-5 years:

5-10 years: There are plenty of rides if the older kids are getting bored of fish. Even teenagers would have fun here

Cost for an all inclusive pass:
Adult & High School Student 4,900 Yen
Junior high school & Elementary school student 3,500 Yen
Children (4 years or over) 2,000 Yen
Twilight pass, after 3pm on weekdays and after 5pm on weekends and school holidays 2,700 yen.
Cheaper passes are available without the all inclusive price, this option would be better for younger children who are too young to use the rides.

Stroller Friendly: Yes
Baby Changing Area: Yes
Feeding Room: Yes
Child Friendly Restaurant: Yes
Rainy Weather Option: Yes (Not for the outdoor rides)
Party Venue: No

Roppongi Hills Sky Aquarium

An aquarium 52 floors up. Open from July 15 to September 25, 2011.

Location: Roppongi Hills. Go to 3rd floor of the Mori Tower for the Tokyo City View entrance.

Phone: 03-6406-6652

Train:
 Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line H04 Roppongi Station : 0 min. walk from Exit 1C (Direct link to concourse)
 Toei Subway Oedo Line E23 Roppongi Station : 4 min. walk from Exit 3
 Toei Subway Oedo Line E22 Azabu-Juban Station : 5 min. walk from Exit 7
 Tokyo Metro Nanboku Line N04 Azabu-Juban Station : 8 min. walk from Exit 4

Hours: 11:00-22:00 (Fridays, Saturdays,holidays until 23:00)*Admission until 30minutes before closing *until 17:00 on 9/25

Website: Roppongi Hills July Events

Baby facilities: Inside Tokyo City View there is a baby changing table in the toilets. Roppongi Hills has everything you could imagine. See details here.

Crawling:

Walking:

2-5 years:

5-10 years:

Cost: 2,000 yen (general), 1,500 yen (high school and university students), 800 yen (over 4 years)
Stroller Friendly: Yes
Baby Changing Area: Yes
Feeding Room: Yes, at Roppomgi Hills
Child Friendly Restaurant: Many and Roppongi Hills
Rainy Weather Option: Yes
Party Venue: No

Shinagawa Prince Hotel Aquarium

All of the usual attractions you would expect to see at an aquarium + dolphin and seal shows. The Dwarf Shark (pictured above) is the only one of its kind in captivity in the world.

Location: Shinagawa Prince Hotel
4-10-30 Takanawa, Minato-ku Tokyo

Phone: 03-3440-1111 (Hotel)

Train: Two minutes walk from the Shinkansen, JR lines, Keihin Kyuko Shinagawa Station (Takanawa Exit).

Car: Parking is available in the Annex Tower of the hotel. 3hrs free if you spend over 5,000 yen otherwise it is 500 yen per 30 minutes.

Hours: 10am - 9pm, some days it doesn't open till 12 so it is nest to call first if you are planning a morning trip. They speak English.

Website: http://www.princehotels.co.jp/shinagawa/aquastadium/e/aquastadium/index.html

Baby facilities: None inside the aquarium except changing tables in the toilets. Feeding room is available in the complex.

Crawling:

Walking:

2-5 years:

5-10 years:

Cost: Over 16 years old 1,800 yen, 7-15 years old 1,000 yen, 4-6 years old 600 yen.
Stroller Friendly: Yes
Baby Changing Area: Yes
Feeding Room: Yes (not inside the aquarium)
Child Friendly Restaurant: Yes, Aqua Dining Tropics has a lovely interior for the kids but terrible food. I recommend you go next door to the food court.
Rainy Weather Option: Yes
Party Venue: Yes

Shinagawa Aquarium

Enjoy dolphin and seal shows and explore the ocean floor in the underwater tunnel. They also have a touching pool. On a nice day enjoy the lovely park next door and bring some bread for the ducks.

Location: 3-2-1, Katsushima, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0012. Japanese map available here.

Phone: 03-3762-3433

Train: 8 Minute walk from Ōmori-Kaigan or 15 minutes from north gate of JR Omori station on the JR Keihin-Tohoku line.

Shuttle Bus: From Oimachi station on the JR Keihin-Tohoku line, take the exit A1 #6 bus, it takes approximately 15 minutes by free shuttle bus. The bus is blue and has sea animals pinted on the side. It leaves every 15-20 minutes on weekends and every 30 minutes on weekdays.

Car: parking is 100 yen for 20min but you will have to wait on weekends because it gets busy. Follow the English signs once you are near.

Hours: Closed Tuesdays. Open 10am - 6pm everyday.

Website: English Pamphlet or Japanese website here.

Baby facilities: Changing tables in the toilets.

Crawling:

Walking:

2-5 years:

5-10 years:

Cost: Adults 1,300 yen, school children 300 - 600 yen.

Stroller Friendly: Yes
Baby Changing Area: Yes
Feeding Room: No
Child Friendly Restaurant: Yes, out the front.
Rainy Weather Option: Yes
Party Venue: Yes