Locals in Japan

Park

Tokyo has many small parks and very few large parks compared to other cities.

• Yoyogi park: Close to Harajuku, huge enough to get away from hustle and bustle of the city.
• Shinjuku Gyoen Park: Close to Shinjuku. Cherry blossom is especially beautiful in early April.
• Heiwa no mori Park Athletic Field: 45 field athletic attractions that kids above 7 yrs old absolutely love, archery range, tennis courts, and other sports facilities, as well as a variety of large and small open spaces, ponds, and other facilities that can be enjoyed by children and the elderly alike.
• Kasai Rinkai Park: Aquarium, Giant Ferris Wheel, Kids playground and restaurants in the spacious park, so you can enjoy the whole day with your family.
• Institute for Nature Study: It is one of the few forests that still retains some semblance of nature. In the Edo period (1603-1867), it was samurai residences and gardens, and also it was once owned by Japanese Imperial family. Unlike most botanical gardens and gardens, it is operated under the unique concept of preserving nature as it changes, as close to its original state as possible. A stroll through the spacious park will soothe both body and soul.

Shopping mall

Locals like huge shopping malls especially that has indoor playground, toy and baby stores, food court/restaurant and grocery.

• LaLaPort Toyosu: Very popular among locals as one of the largest and most vibrant shopping mall in Tokyo city area, boasting a total of 214 stores in the three buildings.
• Tokyo Skytree Town: +300 shops shopping mall with restaurants, indoor playground, aquarium, planetarium and souvenir shops too! In winter you can ice skate too. Local loves this place.
• Odaiba: 3 shopping malls (Aqua City, Decks, DiverCity Tokyo), Amusement park(Tokyo Joypolice), LEGOLAND Tokyo, beautiful scenery overlooking Tokyo city and more. Many things to do in Odaiba area.
• Orinas Kinshicho: Shopping mall with +100 stores & restaurants and a movie theater. Relatively close from Tokyo Skytree too.
• Futakotamagawa Rise: The largest private redevelopment in Tokyo. Directly connected to Futakotamagawa Station, you can get anything and stay all day long from shopping, movies, grocery and a lot more.

Baby/Kids item’s store

Like other parts of the world, online shopping is growing but we buy at shops too. Some are well known globally but others are worth being known.

• UNIQLO: If you check the kids leggings sold at UNICLO and see kids walking in streets of Tokyo, you’ll notice many wear the same UNICLO’s leggings. For its quality over price, the leggings and other UNICLO clothes for kids are very popular among Japanese parents. Many branches in Tokyo area.
• Toysrus, Babiesrus: American toy and baby/kids items chain is loved by kids and parents in Japan too. Babiesrus is mostly merged into Toysrus storefront. One in Odaiba Aqua City and some more in Tokyo area.
• Akachan Honpo: It is a place to go for baby and maternity goods and is loved and essential for parents raising babies. It offers a wide variety of items as clothes, toys, utensils, strollers, car seats and a lot more. One in LaLaport Toyosu and some more in Tokyo area.
• Nishimatsuya: Famous for great value for money clothes for kids. You’ll be amazed twice, by the price at storefront, by quality when actually putting them back home. If you don’t know the store but interested in great cost and great quality, you must visit there. One in Odaiba Aqua City and some more in Tokyo area.
• Shimamura: Not only for kids but also for adults too, this place offers clothes and related goods that is great value for money. If you look for cheap but comfortable one, this place is a must go. One in Asakusa and some more in Tokyo suburban area.

Hot spring (aka Super Sento)

Japanese love Onsen, obviously. Tokyo has some hot spring facilities offering not only hot spring but also sauna/food/massage for a total relaxation experience.

• Spa La Qua: Large spa facility in Tokyo Dome City where you can enjoy various healing spaces such as hot springs and low-temperature saunas (bedrock baths), stores, and restaurants. You can stay there almost all day long. The hot spring is 100% natural which gushes out from 1,700 meters underground. Be careful for families that kids under 5 yrs old are not allowed for entry. (Ticket)

Indoor Amusement Park

• Round One, SpoCha: Indoor playground for adults and kids, that’s worth visiting if you want to know what Japanese indoor amusement park is. You can play karaoke, darts, bowling, billiards, table tennis, batting and more than other 40 different types of amusement activities such as large playground equipment for children, a free game center, trampoline, Segway, bubble soccer, badminton, etc., which can be enjoyed as much as one likes within a limited time! How does it sound? Isn’t it crazy? One in Odaiba DiverCity Tokyo.
• Tondemi Heiwajima: Gigantic indoor athletic facility operated by Namco Bandai Amusement, famous for games, is a three-story building entirely devoted to athletic facilities, where children and adults alike can enjoy a variety of activities, including trampolining and climbing. It has one of the largest trampoline areas in Japan, with a total of 54 trampolines, and a climbing wall over 8 meters high. You can forget about the time and have fun!
• KidZania Tokyo: Indoor facility for children aged 3-15 to experience work and society, where they can learn about the workings of society while having fun. Here offers +100 kinds of activities (jobs and services) for children to experience. It is a “town where children play a leading role”! Located inside LaLaport Toyosu. (Ticket)
• Tokyo Dome City: Complex of various facilities, that attracts +35 million visitors/year visitors to see, play, and relax. “Tokyo Dome” is for baseball games and concerts, “Tokyo Dome City Attractions” is an free-entrance amusement park, “LaQua” is a shopping mall offering hot springs, shops, restaurants, and more. Also it has “The Tokyo Dome Hotel” with 1,006 guest rooms capacity. (Ticket)

Theme park

Japan loves theme park. Many would agree. Theme park and surrounding business such as goods and events make a big market both in domestic and abroad. Here’s the list of theme park in Tokyo where locals love.

• Tokyo Disney Resort: The resort consists of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, as well as several hotels and shopping malls. It is the first “Disneyland” to expand overseas opened in 1983, and the two theme parks altogether attract 22 million visitors a year, making it the most visited amusement park in the world in 2022. (Ticket)
• Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo –The Making of Harry Potter: Newly opened in June 2023 in Tokyo, it is a new walk-through entertainment facility that allows visitors to go behind the scenes and discover the secrets of the Wizarding World. Here is the world’s largest indoor Harry Potter entertainment facility and the first Warner Bros. Studio Tour to open in Asia. (Ticket)
• Sanrio Puroland: It is popular among local and inbound families as a theme park where you can meet adorable Sanrio characters such as the very popular Hello Kitty and My Melody. The four-story indoor theme park offers a full day of fun with Sanrio character shows, attractions, restaurants, and cafes. (Ticket)

Zoo/Aquarium

• Ueno Zoo: It is an urban zoo that maintains nature and its landscape despite its location in the heart of Tokyo. It is the first zoo in Japan since 1882 and houses more than 500 species of animals. The pandas are very popular and visitors must wait in line to see them. Located inside Ueno park.
• maxell AQUA PARK Shinagawa: Urban aquarium that uses latest technology such as projection mapping. The dolphin performance is a dynamic performance by dolphins and their trainer in a circular space that can be viewed from anywhere in 360 degrees. It is also fantastic at night. Located near Shinagawa station. (Ticket)
• Shinagawa Aquarium: This aquarium exhibits about 450 species, including dolphin and sea lion performances, turtles and stingrays popular with children, and other rare creatures. The attraction of the aquarium is its close proximity, which allows visitors to see and touch the creatures up close. Located near Omori Kaigan station, be careful not to mix it with the maxell AQUA PARK Shinagawa for its name. (Ticket)

DIY Goods

• Super Viva Home: Located in Toyosu, it is one of the largest DIY store with a wide range of DIY goods, supermarket, electronics specialty store, bookstore and more. With +80,000 items in total, those who like DIY would want to stay there all day long.