Top Tips on Winter in Tokyo for Families

For families heading to Tokyo for the winter holidays, MIMARU offers travel tips and recommended one-day outings to make the most of Cuisine, Entertainment, and Gifts and Souvenir in Tokyo.

Tokyo Cuisine: Three local dishes to enjoy with your family for a heartwarming, delicious experience
●Oden: Oden is a type of hot pot where veggies such as daikon radishes, various fish cakes, meats such as beef tendon, and many other items are cooked in a dashi broth. Oden is so popular that it is available at convenience stores for about A$1 per item, making it an affordable and tasty choice.
●Ramen: Tokyo boasts more than 2,100 ramen shops; try the different soup types of tonkotsu, soy sauce, miso, or salt. New, regional ramens have also emerged (from approx. A$10/bowl).
●Sukiyaki: An exquisite way of eating wagyu, the sweet and savory flavor makes sukiyaki a favorite even among kids. While prestigious sukiyaki establishments dot Ginza, Asakusa, and Ningyocho areas, there are also casual, all-you-can-eat places. 

Tokyo Entertainment: Spots to appreciate winter in Tokyo throughout the day
●Temples, shrines, and parks: Tokyo has many religious sites and luscious parks to experience the Japanese ambience. Stroll around Meiji Jingu Shrine, Senso-ji Temple, Zojoji Temple, Shinjuku Gyoen National Park, or the Kokyo Gaien National Park to appreciate the culture and nature.
●Museums and Theme Parks: Tokyo has many museums and theme parks based on popular characters. The famous immersive art museum, teamLab Planets Tokyo DMM, is 15 minutes by taxi from Tokyo Station.
●Winter Illuminations: The city is lit up with Christmas lights in December. Areas where the whole family can enjoy are Tokyo Station and the Marunouchi area, Keyakizaka Dori in Roppongi, Ginza, and the zelkova-lined street from Harajuku to Omotesando.

Tokyo Gifts and Souvenirs: A selection of items available at convenience stores, drugstores, and department stores
●Green tea (matcha), fun snacks, and Japanese sweets: Matcha tea powder and matcha-flavoured snacks are crowd-pleasers. Many-flavoured candies, matcha-flavoured snacks, and Japanese sweets such as bean-jam-filled buns (manju) or sponge cakes (castilla) are wrapped adorably and come in many variations.
●Cosmetics: Most drugstores carry a wide range of Japanese cosmetics, including skin care items such as facemasks, sunblock lotions, and lip balms.
●Japanese Sake: There are flight sets with a few small bottles of various sake brands that let you taste and compare different brands. Japan has also become a part of the Five Major Whiskey Distillery areas. Robust flavors and rare brands make Japanese whiskeys sought after all over the world.

One-Day Trip 1: Staying in the Pokémon Room at MIMARU Tokyo Ginza East
Morning: Start your day by power-walking together near the beautiful Imperial Palace
Afternoon: Soak up the extraordinary art experience together at teamLab Planets Tokyo DMM
Evening: Enjoy an early and relaxing dinner in the Pokémon room with oden takeouts. Remember to take pictures in Ginza with Christmas lights.


One-Day Trip 2: Staying in a Two-Bedroom Suite at MIMARU SUITES Tokyo Asakusa
Morning: Walk over to Senso-ji Temple. After visiting the temple, check out the shops at Nakamise Shopping Street and try some sweets.
Afternoon: Walk around Nihonbashi where the history is alive, and shop your hearts out.
Evening: Enjoy the time-tested flavors at a prestigious sukiyaki establishment. Grown-ups can take a nightcap back at the hotel.


One-Day Trip 3: Staying in a City Viewer Apartment at MIMARU Tokyo Akasaka
Morning: Revel in a relaxed breakfast as you take in the cityscape view of central Tokyo.
Afternoon: After buying gifts and souvenirs at the Don Quijote store or drugstores near the hotel, take a trip to that ramen eatery that’s all abuzz on social media.
Evening: Look up Tokyo Tower as you go check out Roppongi’s lit-up streets.

Both Haneda and Narita Airports are accessible transits to Hokkaido. Adding a few days in Tokyo to a winter resort trip will make the holiday in Japan much more delightful.
 
MIMARU Tokyo will soon offer KURO-GO, a same-day luggage delivery service between Tokyo MIMARU hotels and Haneda/Narita Airports to alleviate the hassles of traveling. Families will not be slowed down by large items such as skis or snowboards anymore. Click the button below for more: 

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TM, (R), and character names are trademarks of Nintendo.

teamLab Planets TOKYO, Tokyo © teamLab