In January 2026, my family made our way across the pond to stay in Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan for 3 weeks with 2 toddlers in tow. I knew our experiences with Japan with very active toddlers will be extremely different from the “stereotypical” Japan vacation review/report, so I wanted to write up a quick blog post with our experiences, and places we visited.
Mostly, a reference to other toddler parents who may be contemplating taking a trip to Tokyo as well!
- We have 2 toddlers, and stayed in an AirBnb in Edogawa-Ku, Tokyo, on the Toei Shinjyuku line.
- Edogawa-ku has many attractions including a free zoo and the Tokyo Transit Museum, as well as malls for shopping (mostly in the Kasai and Nishi-Kasai areas).
- This blog post will have information about the AirBnb we stayed in, toddler entertainment in Edogawa-ku, toddler entertainment in Tokyo in general, food recommendations (especially if you have picky eaters), and other observations.
Table of Contents
Where we stayed: AirBnb in Edogawa, Tokyo
We were not familiar with the city of Tokyo (other than that it’s HUGE), but knew that our suburb born-and-raised toddlers probably will not thrive in city center, so we chose Edogawa-ku. A hotel room for 3 weeks seemed horrible, and I wanted the freedom of having a kitchen and washer/dryer, so we decided to go for a single-home AirBnb.
Edogawa Ward, Tokyo
Here’s a screenshot of the location of Edogawa-ku in relation to Tokyo (the area inside the red dots). Edogawa-ku is part of Tokyo Prefecture, but in my head, it’s kind of like Queens of New York City. It’s still part of NYC, but not Manhattan.
That was my impression going in, and after staying there for 3 weeks, I think my assessment was pretty correct. There were mostly “single homes” (Though the TINY plots these homes were built on!! Amazing engineering…), with a few apartment complexes here and there, but not too many high rises or large buildings. Not too many people or cars, so I didn’t have to worry about my kids being run over or being crowded while walking the streets or waiting for the train.
AirBnb in Edogawa
We stayed in an AirBnb that caught my eye because of its proximity to multiple playgrounds and 10 minute walk to the train station that takes you straight to Shinjyuku. The house had 2 bedrooms, washer/dryer (in 1 unit!), kitchen, and bath. The 1 unit washer/dryer was awesome, because though it took 3+ hours to complete each cycle, you could just throw your clothes in there, and when you came back, everything was washed and dried. I really want one for my house, with double the size, and double the power 😂
The AirBnb came equipped with almost EVERYTHING you’d need to just live there other than charging cables, clothes, and your kids’ diapers and wipes. Everything from towels to trash bags to even nail clippers and tooth brushes are provided. And if you were missing anything, you could just walk over to the Daiso nearby. There were also multiple convenience stores, cafes, grocery stores, and drug stores all within a 10 minutes walk. What amazing access!
Since it’s a single home with no attached walls. Having a whole house was really helpful emotionally, since I had to spend most of the day telling the toddlers to be quiet because this city is unusually quiet (especially in the trains). The bath is to die for if you’re coming from outside Asia. Big, deep, and offers a nice soak after a long day. You can even remote-control it from the kitchen!
This was the first time I used AirBnb in Japan (honestly, maybe the second time ever), and we had a very pleasant experience overall!
Staying in Edogawa-Ku with toddlers
The AirBnb (and I guess the portion of Edogawa-Ku we stayed in) was very conveniently situated, and you can choose to walk, train, taxi, or bus almost anywhere reasonably. We used Uber the whole trip and could pick up a taxi easily (there was some chatter that we had to install different taxi apps for better coverage but we didn’t have an issue with not being able to catch an Uber). I think every Uber we took was an actual taxi working through Uber.
The train line we stayed near was the Toei Shinjyuku line, and it was surprisingly convenient. You just have to make sure you schedule in time to find elevators at every station (and prepare to get pretty frustrated) if you have stroller(s). If we were doing this again, and wanted to stay in Edogawa-ku again, I think we would like to stay near the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line though, as we really enjoyed Kasai and Nishi-Kasai area (further down south).
Overall, there were plenty of playgrounds and things for kids to do in Edogawa-ku. We especially loved the kids-friendly opportunities in Kasai and Nishi-Kasai, as well as all the shopping malls that came equipped with baby stores.
Kids-friendly Entertainment in Edogawa
Since we stayed in Edogawa-ku for so long, I wanted to start out the blog with kids-friendly entertainment in Edogawa-ku.
Edogawa City Nature Zoo
Edogawa City Nature Zoo is an outdoor zoo in Nishi-Kasai is next to a big playground, and multiple convenient malls with food courts and tons of baby goods/foods. Highly recommended. I can’t believe the zoo is free!
We went 3 times, and there was no pressure to stay for a long time because it was free. There are also multiple shopping malls around the area, and it was a very walkable area in general.
Tokyo Metro Museum
The Tokyo Metro Museum was also great! It’s right next to Kasai Station, and was extremely interactive and fun for kids and adults. There are at least 3 different simulation activities for driving trains, and it’s a hit for toddlers, of course, but for anyone who loves public transit.
Tokyo Sea Life Park (Aquarium)
Tokyo Sea Life Park is an aquarium inside the Kasai Rinkai Park, right at the bottom tip of the island. There is plenty of big outdoor spaces to run around and play in at the park itself, and lots of sea life to enjoy in the aquarium. There are restaurants and food vendors on property so you can spend the whole day there. There’s a train station with JR that stops right on the park too, as well as bus lines, so you can choose to choose public transit or take a taxi.
Playgrounds
Playgrounds were really hit or miss, but Edogawa-ku seemed to have pretty nice ones (I was told that it’s a residential neighborhood with lots of families, which helps). I think it’s one of those IYKYK type of situations, so it would be best if you could ask around for intel on the best playgrounds if you know anyone who lives in Tokyo!
It’s also great opportunities to interact with Japanese kids, especially if you’re interested in growing your kids’ Japanese!
Indoor Playgrounds & Other Entertainment in Tokyo for toddlers
We went all around Tokyo in search of toddler entertainment. If we didn’t go in the winter, it would’ve been easier, but since it was too cold to play outside most days, we had to go indoors.
Karaoke Pasela for Playdates
One thing that surprised me was that karaoke parlors happily hosted baby gatherings, many of them equipped with indoor play areas for toddlers. I guess that makes sense! People don’t tend to go karaoke during the day, but moms with young kids would love to have a safe area to do playdates in! You also get fed! Win/win for everyone!
We did play dates at Karaoke Pasela twice, one where the karaoke room itself was a baby play room, and another with a bigger play area with smaller karaoke rooms for resting and eating. Both were great!
I don’t think it’s available in all karaoke rooms, so you need to google, but the ones we used were:
- Karaoke Pasela Akasaka
- Beruberu Park
Indoor Playground: Chikyuu no Niwa
Chikyuu no Niwa is an indoor and outdoor playground situated in Solamachi, a shopping mall next to Tokyo Skytree. It’s extremely affordable, and you can get tickets to stay the whole entire day, with freedom to switch out adults and come and go as you please. There are a lot of different types of play available, which is great for both energetic and pretend-play toddlers. We had a few playdates here too, and we had a great time (I think we went here 4 times…). There aren’t too many child-friendly food options in Solamachi, but there is a McDonalds in Skytree. Just saying.
Tokyo Toy Museum
The Tokyo Toy Museum is a former elementary school in Shinkyuku that houses a lot of different toys from around the world with very friendly staff that are very happy to help your child learn how to play with them. There’s also an indoor play area filled with big toys and architectures that kids would love (along with a baby play room). It’s cheaper to buy ahead online!
Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo Disneyland is very close to Edogawa-ku, and even had a bus going straight from our local train station. It’s close to Haneda Airport as well, so after we checked out of our AirBnb, we headed to Disneyland. (We shipped our large luggages using Kuroneko Yamato to our airport hotel the day before.)
It was extremely affordable (kids under 4 are free!). At the current exchange rate, it was less than $60/adult! The food inside was also very affordable and delicious. We couldn’t really ride much because the lines were too long, but with toddlers, you can’t really enjoy most rides anyways.
We enjoyed the atmosphere, riding It’s a Small World (with Groot) over and over again, and notching our first Disney experience as a family into our memories! I highly recommend this park as your “entry Disney experience”!
Other Indoor/Outdoor Playgrounds
Here are some other indoor playgrounds we visited:
- Pure Heart Kids Land Ponte Porta (HUGE indoor playground in a mall)
Here are some outdoor playgrounds we loved:
- Kinshi Park (Sumida)
- Ojima-Komatsugawa Park (Edogawa)
Other Recommendations in Tokyo with kids
Anpanman Store
If your child loves Anpanman, there is a small Anpanman store in Shinjyuku. There is also an Anmanman Museum in Yokohama, but we didn’t make it there.
Pokemon Centers/Stores
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about Pokemon Centers if you’re a Pokemon fan, but they’re really cute, and available in a lot of different places. Few I went to were in Solamachi (Skytree), and Tokyo Station.
Shopping Mall in Kinshicho
Arcakit Kinshicho was “the Japanese shopping experience” we were looking for (unfortunately, we didn’t discover it until we were about to leave). The BIGGEST Daiso I’ve ever seen, HUGE Muji with 23984039 different types of curry (what?), and lots of other “must go” shops spanning a large mall.
It’s right next to a major train station (seemingly with its own mall?), Don Don Donki, and a huge playground. There are also other malls around, with one having a fairly well-stocked Toys-R-Us. I heard it gets extremely crowded during the weekends, so I recommend going during the week.
Odaiba
I was shocked at the size of “Odaiba,” but if you’ve seen a life-sized Gundam in Instagram reels, this is where you go to see it in real-life. There is also a huge mall next to it (Diver City) with all the anime/manga/video games-related shops you could ever want.
We also visited teamLab Planets, which our 3 year old loved, but was a little too much for our 1 year old.
Feeding toddlers in Tokyo
French fries in Tokyo
So we have very selective-eating toddlers. Surprisingly, my older toddler took up to some family restaurant style foods, like udon, ramen, and curry rice. My younger toddler only wanted french fries.
So for your enjoyment, here are some major chains that have french fries in case you are also looking for places with french fries. Japanese french fries were surprisingly delicious.
- McDonalds, Burger King, MOS Burger
- Kura Sushi (they have udon, ramen, AND spaghetti bolognese if your toddler eats any of those)
- Family Restaurants (ファミレス) like: Jonathans, Gusto, Denny’s (Saizeriya is great price-wise, but sadly does not have french fries)
- Coco Ichibanya (curry)
- Grocery stores with ready-to-eat meals
Family Restaurants (ファミレス)
The family restaurants (ファミレス) all have kids meals which my older toddler loved, mostly for the tiny jellos. The menus are all very similar, so it’s a great place to pop into, expecting similar foods/tastes/quality.
Toddler pouches in Japan
If your toddler predominantly subsists on fruit/veggie smoothie pouches, Aeon (grocery store that’s usually also a shopping center) has a brand out (TOPVALU) that we bought out every time we found an Aeon. There are a bunch of different fruit-based puree pouches available, especially in baby stores, but they’re usually imported, and cost over 200 yen, so we tried to find the AEON-branded ones.
Welcia, a major drug store has mostly everything you need for a trip with babies/toddlers, and has jello pouches and lots of baby food. They also sell ready-to-eat food too, like convenience stores. I don’t know how so many places sell ready-to-eat food in Tokyo and yet don’t go out of business for lack of people buying them!