Traveling to Japan with kids for the first time? While Japan is known for many things including its rich history, delicious food, and high-tech bustling mega cities, space is not one of them. The cities are packed tight and everything from portion size to doorways may appear small for the average traveller. Unfortunately, this includes its hotel rooms. 

While staying in cramped quarters with children in an unfamiliar place may seem daunting, it certainly doesn't have to be. Here at CareFinder, we've come up with our top tips for making the most out of a hotel-stay in Japan with kids:

1. Location, location, location

Attractions in cities like Tokyo and Kyoto are spread out. Prioritize being near a train or subway station and pick a location with lots of eat-out options within walking distance. 

2. Stay in a Ryokan

Japanese-style hotel rooms are great for families. They are big, easy to move around sleeping arrangements, and a great cultural experience. The kids will love experiencing taking off their shoes at the entrance, sleeping on futons, drinking Japanese green tea and trying tea snacks, and taking a communal bath. 

3. Breakfast of Champions

Breakfasts at Japanese hotels and traditional ryokans are amazing. Sometimes even business hotels offer a full buffet with both Japanese and western style breakfasts. This is a great opportunity for even the most hesitant of kids to get out of their comfort zones and try a variety of Japanese dishes. They can take a bite-size portion of every dish from grilled salmon to pickled vegetables to even the infamous fermented soybeans known as natto eaten over rice with sometimes a raw egg mixed in.

4. Swimming Pools and Parks

Everything in Japan is Japan-sized... including hotel rooms. This also means that rooms are in close quarters to each other. In order to avoid noise complaints and disturbing other guests, pick a hotel with a swimming pool or a park nearby. You can find a small park in most areas of cities like Tokyo and Kyoto. Sometimes they are tucked between buildings and hard to find but a quick google maps search of the area should help you locate them. 

5. Find a Babysitter

While family vacations are a great bonding experience, it can also be quite overwhelming. Most of us are not used to spending that much time with each other at once in often cramped hotel rooms. In order to make sure a family vacation is a vacation for you too, make sure you schedule yourselves a break. The kids might need it too; time to let loose without the watchful eyes of their parents. Hire a babysitter from just a few hours to enjoy dinner or explore the nightlife of the bustling cities of Japan to an entire afternoon so that you could enjoy the rich history of Japan while the kids can enjoy something more interactive. CareFinder babysitters are often not just bilingual but bicultural and can offer a unique Japanese cultural experience for your kids. 

At CareFinder, we are committed to meeting all of your babysitting needs whether you are looking for just an evening babysitter, an international babysitter, a hotel babysitter, a weekend babysitter, an overnight babysitter, a great au pair or a summer babysitter.