Asobono

Recently opened in August 2011 it is the biggest play centre in central Tokyo that I know of. It has the main room (photo above) which is a huge ball pit full of slides, climbing frames and other fun activities and several other themed rooms including a Thomas train room (photo above), Lego, Mell-chan, Sylvanian Families, fishing, magnets, board games, toy shopping malls and kitchens, baby play room and much more.

Location: Tokyo Dome

Phone: 03-5800-9999

Hours: Weekdays 10am-6pm. Weekends and holidays 9.30am - 7pm.

Website: www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/asobono/ (Japanese only) Basic English description is available at this wesite www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/e/amusement_facilities/

Baby facilities: Baby car parking and feeding and changing rooms available. They also have a large soft area with baby toys.

Crawling:

Walking:

2-5 years:

5-10 years:

Cost: Children (from 6 months) are 900yen for the first hour then 400yen every 30min. A full day pass is 1,500yen. Adults are 900yen.
Stroller Friendly: Yes
Baby Changing Area: Yes
Feeding Room: Yes
Child Friendly Restaurant: Tokyo Dome has many good, child friendly restaurants.
Rainy Weather Option: Yes
Party Venue: Yes

Shopping for Baby Online

 These are three of my favourite English, online shops in Japan.

1. Kenko.com  Japan's no.1 e-drugstore is now available in English, yay! Lots of baby goods and supplements.
2. Items can be purchased from Akachanhonpo online at Rakuten. The descriptions have been translated using an auto-translator so they can be quite confusing. Also available in Korean and Chinese. For all Rakuten products in English click here.
3. Sammy's is a new and used clothing store for kids of all ages, from newborn to 12 years old.

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

Paynet Pension Kawaguchiko

A child friendly pension in Kawaguchiko with amazing views of Mount Fuji, the photo above is taken from the room. They even have a playroom full of toys and DVD's and a lovely garden for the kids to play in. In summer, ask about the blueberry picking 5 minutes drive up the road. They speak a small amount of English.
Grinpa and Fuji Safari Park are 40 minutes drive away, Doggy Park and FujiQ (Thomas Land) are 15 minutes drive away.

Location: Yamanashi-ken Minamitsuru-gun Fujikawaguchiko-machi Oishi 345. Driving instructions in Japanese are here. We used the phone number in our navi and it worked perfectly.

Phone: 0555-76-7258

Website: www.peynet.jp

Baby facilities: High chairs, play room, kids DVD's, family bathrooms, kids soaps, baby bath chair, baby and kids food, baby bed, cot, microwave to warm milk, kids snacks, thermometers are also available and it is close to doctors and a hospital.

Crawling:

Walking:

2-5 years:

5-10 years:

Cost: Adults from 8900 yen per adult per night including dinner and breakfast. Weekends and holidays are from 13900 yen per adult per night.
Stroller Friendly: Yes
Baby Changing Area: No
Feeding Room: No
Child Friendly Restaurant: Yes

Toshimaen

An amusement park with a huge water park in summer and an outdoor ice skating rink and trout fishing in winter. The water park is open July 2nd - September 4th 2011 and children with diapers are allowed in the pools. The water park has a fake beach/wave pool, a shallow kids pool with climbing slopes, rocks and waterfalls, wet play equipment with slides and a large whirl pool. You can also pay 500 yen extra for the gigantic water slide.

Location: 3-25-2 Koyama, Nerima-ku, Tokyo

Phone: 03-3990-8800

Train: 1 minute walk from Toshimaen station exit A2. 14 minutes from Ikebukuro on the Seibu Ikebukuro line, 20 minutes from Shinjuku on the Toei Oedo line. See train maps here and E36 here.

Driving: Parking is available for a flat fee of 1000 yen.

Hours: Open 10am - 5pm and open till 6pm in August. Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Website: www.toshimaen.co.jp

Baby facilities: Changing rooms and feeding rooms are avaiable.

Crawling:

Walking:

2-5 years:

5-10 years:

Cost: For park entrance + the pool is 3800 yen for adults, 2800 yen for children over 110cm and 1800 yen for children over 3 years and under 110cm.
Stroller Friendly: Yes
Baby Changing Area: Yes
Feeding Room: Yes
Child Friendly Restaurant: Yes
Rainy Weather Option: No
Party Venue: No