Japan ideas (for a 12 y.o)
Discussion
I've read all the existing threads I could find on Japan / Tokyo to try and trawl for ideas but am looking for more.
A snap decision last night (and the sudden availability of bargain Business Class both ways with a BA companion voucher) caused me to book a week in Japan for myself and my Autistic 12 y.o as he is into his Anime and Sushi......
I'm now thinking of things that we can do for a week in Japan.
We'll probably spend some time in Tokyo and do Harajuku / Akihabara, go up the Tokyo tower & visit the fish market etc.
But want to jump on the Shinkansen and go some other places. (We might do Kyoto/Nara but he's probably not that interested in Temples - I've done most of them and once you've seen one, you've seen them all....)
Looking for some more oddball suggestions / ideas if anyone has any ?
A snap decision last night (and the sudden availability of bargain Business Class both ways with a BA companion voucher) caused me to book a week in Japan for myself and my Autistic 12 y.o as he is into his Anime and Sushi......
I'm now thinking of things that we can do for a week in Japan.
We'll probably spend some time in Tokyo and do Harajuku / Akihabara, go up the Tokyo tower & visit the fish market etc.
But want to jump on the Shinkansen and go some other places. (We might do Kyoto/Nara but he's probably not that interested in Temples - I've done most of them and once you've seen one, you've seen them all....)
Looking for some more oddball suggestions / ideas if anyone has any ?
Tiny bit of organising required but if you two have any technical interests the Maglev exhibition, with a good chance of seeing the actual Maglev running, should be worth a visit (not yet been myself but planning to):
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6921.html
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6921.html
While you're in Tokyo, maybe check out Teamlab Planets / Borderless for a pretty cool interactive experience.
If you're going to get the Shinkansen then make sure you book 'Mt Fuji' Seats, which is an option on the booking website as you get to sit on the side of the train as it passes Mount Fuji.
Perhaps go to Osaka instead of Kyoto. There are a few quirky things to do there:
- Dotonbori area at night
- Americamura / Shinsekai neigbourhoods with a real vintage/retro vibe and lots of cool independent culture shops
- The Expo will be on, and the structure they are building for this is very impressive
- You can easily do a day trip to Nara to feed the deer
If you're going to get the Shinkansen then make sure you book 'Mt Fuji' Seats, which is an option on the booking website as you get to sit on the side of the train as it passes Mount Fuji.
Perhaps go to Osaka instead of Kyoto. There are a few quirky things to do there:
- Dotonbori area at night
- Americamura / Shinsekai neigbourhoods with a real vintage/retro vibe and lots of cool independent culture shops
- The Expo will be on, and the structure they are building for this is very impressive
- You can easily do a day trip to Nara to feed the deer
djsmith74 said:
While you're in Tokyo, maybe check out Teamlab Planets / Borderless for a pretty cool interactive experience.
If you're going to get the Shinkansen then make sure you book 'Mt Fuji' Seats, which is an option on the booking website as you get to sit on the side of the train as it passes Mount Fuji.
Perhaps go to Osaka instead of Kyoto. There are a few quirky things to do there:
- Dotonbori area at night
- Americamura / Shinsekai neigbourhoods with a real vintage/retro vibe and lots of cool independent culture shops
- The Expo will be on, and the structure they are building for this is very impressive
- You can easily do a day trip to Nara to feed the deer
I was initially thinking of skipping Osaka (I've been there a few times) but with the expo, then it seems like it might be worthwhile. A good excuse for okonomiyaki as well...If you're going to get the Shinkansen then make sure you book 'Mt Fuji' Seats, which is an option on the booking website as you get to sit on the side of the train as it passes Mount Fuji.
Perhaps go to Osaka instead of Kyoto. There are a few quirky things to do there:
- Dotonbori area at night
- Americamura / Shinsekai neigbourhoods with a real vintage/retro vibe and lots of cool independent culture shops
- The Expo will be on, and the structure they are building for this is very impressive
- You can easily do a day trip to Nara to feed the deer
Another ‘oddball’ suggestion is a Mario Kart tour around either Tokyo or Osaka - not sure if there are any age limits on that, or how a your autistic son would cope.
Maybe check out some of the robot cafes / restaurants.
There’s also the Ghibli Clock, which was designed by Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli fame and has mechanical animations at set times.
If he’s a fan of the Studio Ghibli films, then the Ghibli Park is supposedly worth a visit.
Maybe check out some of the robot cafes / restaurants.
There’s also the Ghibli Clock, which was designed by Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli fame and has mechanical animations at set times.
If he’s a fan of the Studio Ghibli films, then the Ghibli Park is supposedly worth a visit.
ARCADES!!! as an adult I've gone a number of times and doing the arcades was always so much fun.
There are a bunch of car museums here and there which may be of interest. I think I went to the Toyota one in odaiba sort of area and there might be a Sony one from memory.
There is also a kart track called new Tokyo but it's a bit of a way out probably not worth it imo.
You could get a train or drive over the the beach at onjuku for the day. It's a fun drive over the hills. The beach is your regular kind of thing but again it's quite an experience and you often see the yakuza guys with all their tattoos.
Japan is good for fireworks, I did the chiba summer festival, you could look into that kind of thing.
There is a great toy shop called kiddy land which has all sorts of anime stuff and t shirts across many floors. It might be in ginza I can't quite remember (google reminds me its shibuya). There is a shop up the road called condomania, don't take your son in there but it's an oddball one alright.
You could drive down and go to the theme park Fuji Q Highland. I really enjoyed that plus you can get some stunning views of fuji.
I hope that helps. I really hope your son has a blast. What sort of stuff is he into, what else takes his attention?
If you are active people you could go up fuji but it's quite a feat to do it.
I always made a point to try out as many different sweets and ice creams from 711 etc. Might be fun for him. The gari gari stuff is fun.
You again could drive or bus across Tokyo bay the bridge goes into a tunnel. On the chiba peninsula there is a big I think buddha monument on a mountain which was on top gear many moons back. I have a feeling we took a cable car up there but that may be a different time I went.
There is also Disney World. I think it's aimed at young kids though.
There are a bunch of car museums here and there which may be of interest. I think I went to the Toyota one in odaiba sort of area and there might be a Sony one from memory.
There is also a kart track called new Tokyo but it's a bit of a way out probably not worth it imo.
You could get a train or drive over the the beach at onjuku for the day. It's a fun drive over the hills. The beach is your regular kind of thing but again it's quite an experience and you often see the yakuza guys with all their tattoos.
Japan is good for fireworks, I did the chiba summer festival, you could look into that kind of thing.
There is a great toy shop called kiddy land which has all sorts of anime stuff and t shirts across many floors. It might be in ginza I can't quite remember (google reminds me its shibuya). There is a shop up the road called condomania, don't take your son in there but it's an oddball one alright.
You could drive down and go to the theme park Fuji Q Highland. I really enjoyed that plus you can get some stunning views of fuji.
I hope that helps. I really hope your son has a blast. What sort of stuff is he into, what else takes his attention?
If you are active people you could go up fuji but it's quite a feat to do it.
I always made a point to try out as many different sweets and ice creams from 711 etc. Might be fun for him. The gari gari stuff is fun.
You again could drive or bus across Tokyo bay the bridge goes into a tunnel. On the chiba peninsula there is a big I think buddha monument on a mountain which was on top gear many moons back. I have a feeling we took a cable car up there but that may be a different time I went.
There is also Disney World. I think it's aimed at young kids though.
Edited by White-Noise on Wednesday 5th March 15:12
Edited by White-Noise on Wednesday 5th March 15:15
Edited by White-Noise on Wednesday 5th March 15:19
djsmith74 said:
Another ‘oddball’ suggestion is a Mario Kart tour around either Tokyo or Osaka - not sure if there are any age limits on that, or how a your autistic son would cope.
I've looked at a few of these - they look great, but I can't yet find one that offers two seat karts (which seems like a gap in the market). He'd love it if we could do this and I'll keep looking for a company that allows passengers.
Edited by fat80b on Wednesday 5th March 15:18
djsmith74 said:
There’s also the Ghibli Clock, which was designed by Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli fame and has mechanical animations at set times.
If he’s a fan of the Studio Ghibli films, then the Ghibli Park is supposedly worth a visit.
I saw this, but the reviews seem a bit "mixed" as in the sets are there but there's not a lot to actually do. I've put it down as a maybe.If he’s a fan of the Studio Ghibli films, then the Ghibli Park is supposedly worth a visit.
White-Noise said:
I hope that helps. I really hope your son has a blast. What sort of stuff is he into, what else takes his attention?
It does, that list is great.He's mostly into gaming (PS5, Switch and Meta VR) and is getting into video editing / animation. Oh, and food - he'll gladly smash the most expensive thing on any menu!
I've looked at the Nintendo museum and have set a reminder to enter the ballot for tickets.
Current thinking is maybe try and get to Kobe for the Beef (I did this with the wife 15 years ago and it was a top experience).
I've also found a Ninja experience which might / might not be good.
And the https://cspace.co.jp/home_english/ - the capybara cafe if we can bag a reservation....
Actually given his condition I don't know if this is something as an idea. But you could get him spotting things written in katakana. Going out and about its easy to spot things written in katakana and you can start to read stuff as it's phonetic. Have a look at suzuki for example and you realise it's often written in it on things su zu ki. Or on the recycling bins you see bo to ru and then you read it and you know it's for bottles. The characters are quite easy to pick up. Or paying attention to the tunes they play for the different train lines.
I think the 100 yen shops could also be a shout.
I think the 100 yen shops could also be a shout.
This outfit does 2 seater options for kart tours around Tokyo, but using a Canam trike bike, as opposed to an actual kart:
https://www.monkey-kart.com/
https://www.monkey-kart.com/
White-Noise said:
By the way can you tell us about the flights? I'm keen to get back but it's become more pricey since I last went so it sounds like you did well.
210000 Avios and a companion voucher (earned from spending on the BA Black Amex) meant that Club World both ways was £1150 for the two of us. A couple of weeks' ago there was no redemption flight availability at all on LHR<->HND and then all of a sudden loads of dates popped up - I had to phone them to run the search to find a week where we could get out and back in CW (most weeks had Business one way and Prem Economy the other) and we found one with both in early July....
£575 each to go business both ways to Japan is a slightly better perk than cashback in my gamified brain..... I priced up the same flights without the Avios and it was £7K5 which is beyond daft.....
Kobe is an underrated place to visit. The Botanic Gardens are very calming, which you sometimes need in Japan. The Kawasaki museum is well worth a visit for anyone interested in any kind of transport. The covered market has lots to wander round too.
I found when I went some of the anime/manga comic shops had lots of stuff that was borderline nonce tbh. If your 12 year old boy has LD, then you may wish to pass.
Tokyo also has a Disney land!
I found when I went some of the anime/manga comic shops had lots of stuff that was borderline nonce tbh. If your 12 year old boy has LD, then you may wish to pass.
Tokyo also has a Disney land!
Are you able to change the date? Japan in July is very very very very hot and humid!
Tokyo has Disney, Osaka has Universal if either of these appeal?
Kyoto has a train museum if he likes trains.
Other than that you can waste hours in the Anime stores if that is your thing.
One last thing i would say is be care walking past Pa
o places.the noise that comes out when the doors open is unbelievable and potentially very disturbing for your son if not warned or measures in place for him.
Tokyo has Disney, Osaka has Universal if either of these appeal?
Kyoto has a train museum if he likes trains.
Other than that you can waste hours in the Anime stores if that is your thing.
One last thing i would say is be care walking past Pa
o places.the noise that comes out when the doors open is unbelievable and potentially very disturbing for your son if not warned or measures in place for him. fat80b said:
White-Noise said:
By the way can you tell us about the flights? I'm keen to get back but it's become more pricey since I last went so it sounds like you did well.
210000 Avios and a companion voucher (earned from spending on the BA Black Amex) meant that Club World both ways was £1150 for the two of us. A couple of weeks' ago there was no redemption flight availability at all on LHR<->HND and then all of a sudden loads of dates popped up - I had to phone them to run the search to find a week where we could get out and back in CW (most weeks had Business one way and Prem Economy the other) and we found one with both in early July....
£575 each to go business both ways to Japan is a slightly better perk than cashback in my gamified brain..... I priced up the same flights without the Avios and it was £7K5 which is beyond daft.....
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