Food · Eating in Japan with kids 食事案内

Even the picky eaters cleaned their plates.

We arrived braced for the usual mealtime battles. Two weeks later the boys were ordering ramen by themselves and fighting over the last gyoza. Here is everything we actually ate, and why Japan is the easiest place we have ever fed our kids.

Our boys eating lunch under red paper lanterns at a food hall in Namba, Osaka — Namba food hall, Osaka Lunch under the lanterns

The one worry you can let go of 心配

Bringing a fussy eater? Relax.

Before we left, the question we got asked most was about food. Will the kids eat anything? What if they hate it? We packed a quiet emergency stash of snacks from home and braced for a fortnight of negotiation.

We needn't have. Japan turned out to be the easiest place we have ever fed our two. The emergency snacks came home unopened. By the end the boys were ordering for themselves, and food stopped being a worry and became one of the best parts of the trip.

A finished platter of sushi the boys rolled at a sushi-making class in Shibuya, Tokyo — Our sushi-making class in Shibuya. They ate every piece.

0 Mealtime meltdowns

50+ Things the boys actually ate

Ramen is universally loved: Mild chicken or pork ramen, gyoza, rice bowls. Simple, delicious and on every corner. Most kids eat more in Japan than they do at home.
There is always a backup: Convenience stores stock onigiri, sandwiches, hot snacks and drinks around the clock. Your fallback for a fussy day is never far away.
Street food is a highlight, not a hurdle: Takoyaki, crepes, taiyaki and shaved ice make markets and food streets the part the kids beg to go back to.
You can order with zero Japanese: Plastic food models, picture menus and ticket machines mean pointing works fine. We never once got stuck.

I What the kids actually ate 麺

The dishes that never failed.

Every kid has a short list of foods they will reliably eat. In Japan that list got longer by the day. These are the meals we came back to again and again.

Our family around a table of steaming ramen bowls in a Namba restaurant, Osaka — Ramen never once let us down.

The boys picking plates off the belt at a kaiten conveyor sushi restaurant in Namba, Osaka — Conveyor sushi: dinner and entertainment in one.

One of the boys eating fresh tuna nigiri at Nishiki Market, Kyoto — Fresh tuna nigiri at Nishiki Market.

Kids holding grilled chicken yakitori skewers near Fushimi Inari, Kyoto — Grilled chicken skewers, gone in seconds.

The boys at a chanko nabe hotpot restaurant in Koto, Tokyo — Chanko nabe, the hotpot sumo wrestlers live on.

Grilling meat over a yakiniku table grill in Shinjuku, Tokyo — Yakiniku: they cook it themselves, which they loved.

Hands unwrapping kakinoha-zushi, sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves, in Nara — Persimmon-leaf sushi, a Nara specialty.

II Street food 屋台

The part the boys talk about most.

Forget the temples for a second. Ask our two what they remember about Japan and the answer is takoyaki, crepes, and a potato cut into a spiral on a stick. Street food turns a long sightseeing day into their favourite part of it.

Kids eating takoyaki and okonomiyaki at a food hall in Namba, Osaka — Takoyaki and okonomiyaki at an Osaka food hall.

A spiral-cut potato on a stick from a street stall near Fushimi Inari, Kyoto — A potato cut into a spiral on a stick. Peak theatre.

A strawberry crepe street snack in Namba, Osaka — A strawberry crepe the size of a forearm.

The boys eating crepes from Smiley Crepes in Ueno, Tokyo — Crepes in Ueno, Tokyo.

A child eating a churro in Shinjuku Gyoen park, Tokyo — A churro break in Shinjuku Gyoen.

A child holding a candy apple on Takeshita Street, Harajuku, Tokyo — Candy apples on Takeshita Street, Harajuku.

The family sharing kakigori shaved ice near Fushimi Inari, Kyoto — Kakigori shaved ice, essential in summer.

A prawn tempura skewer at Nishiki Market, Kyoto — Prawn tempura on a stick, Nishiki Market.

III Convenience stores & vending machines 便

The konbini is your secret weapon.

7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson are nothing like the servo back home. Fresh onigiri, hot snacks, proper bakeries, and ice cream worth planning around. On a fussy day a reliable backup is never more than fifty metres away, and the vending machines handle the thirsty gaps in between.

A 7-Eleven butter chicken curry bread roll in Namba, Osaka — 7-Eleven curry bread. Genuinely good.

A child choosing bread and pastries from a convenience store shelf in Namba, Osaka — The konbini bakery shelf, a fussy kid's happy place.

A child buying a drink from a street vending machine in Namba, Osaka — A vending machine on every corner, literally.

A child at a vending machine inside Shinjuku Gyoen park, Tokyo — Cold drinks mid-park, no kiosk required.

A Meiji Super Cup cookie vanilla ice cream from a convenience store in Ueno, Tokyo — Konbini ice cream research was extensive.

Glico Ice no Mi grape muscat ice balls from a convenience store in Ueno, Tokyo — Glico grape ice balls, a new favourite.

Lotte Coolish pouch ice cream in a convenience store freezer in Ueno, Tokyo — Coolish: ice cream you drink from a pouch.

A Lotte Coolish vanilla ice cream pouch in Gion, Kyoto — Squeeze-pouch ice cream in Gion.

IV When they need something familiar 安心

For the days they just want something they know.

Some days even the most adventurous kid hits a wall. Japan handles it. The Western chains come with their own local twist, the supermarkets cover the basics, and a donut or a stack of waffles resets everyone's mood fast.

A McDonald's Samurai Mac burger in Shinjuku, Tokyo — The McDonald's Samurai Mac. Yes, we tried it.

A KFC Japan chicken fillet burger in Tennoji, Osaka — KFC Japan, for a guaranteed-win lunch.

A child with naan and mild curry at an Indian restaurant in Hakone — Naan and mild curry in Hakone.

A chicken nuggets display in a supermarket in Kyoto — Supermarket nuggets for the truly stubborn night.

The family eating donuts at a donut shop in Hakone — A donut stop in Hakone, no argument from anyone.

A child with a chocolate waffle at a hotel breakfast in Kyoto — Hotel breakfast waffles, Kyoto.

Thick-cut Japanese cafe toast for breakfast in Namba, Osaka — Thick-cut cafe toast. A revelation.

V Eating on the move 駅弁

Bento, the great travel-day fix.

Long train days are easy when lunch is this good. Station bento, called ekiben, turn the Shinkansen into a moving picnic, and every station has a wall of them to choose from.

An ekiben bento box on the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo — An ekiben bento on the Shinkansen.

A takeaway bento box display with steak and karaage at Tennoji, Osaka — Takeaway bento at Tennoji station.

Beef steak bento boxes for the train at Tennoji, Osaka — Steak bento boxes for the train.

VI And for the grown-ups 大人

We ate extremely well too.

This is not a trip where the parents survive on leftover chips. While the boys worked through the street food, Lyndsie and I ate some of the best meals of our lives, often at the same table, sometimes with a cold beer and a garden view.

A kaiseki lunch with a garden view at a restaurant near Nishiki, Kyoto — A kaiseki lunch with a garden view, Kyoto.

A kaiseki bento box served with a beer near Nishiki, Kyoto — Kaiseki bento, and a well-earned beer.

The entrance of Kani Doraku crab restaurant with its giant crab sign, Dotonbori, Osaka — Kani Doraku, the giant crab of Dotonbori.

The Dotonbori crab sign lit up at night in Osaka — Dotonbori at night, a meal and a show.

A frosted glass of Kirin beer at a family-friendly pub in Gion, Kyoto — A frosted Kirin in Gion. Parents eat well too.

A child with strawberry matcha daifuku in Shibuya, Tokyo — Strawberry matcha daifuku in Shibuya.

A latte with latte art at a bookshop cafe in Kyoto — Latte art in a Kyoto bookshop cafe.

A mango smoothie street selfie in Shinjuku, Tokyo — Mango smoothie selfie, Shinjuku.

Ordering without the language 注文

You do not need any Japanese to eat well.

Look for the plastic food models: Loads of restaurants display lifelike models of every dish in the window. Walk up, point at what you want, done.
Picture menus are everywhere: Especially anywhere used to families and tourists. Tablet and QR menus usually have an English toggle.
Ticket machines at ramen shops: Pay the machine, hand the ticket to the counter, sit down. A whole meal with no conversation needed.
Carry an allergy card: If allergies matter, a card written in Japanese gets taken seriously. Worth sorting before you fly.

A kaiseki bento box being eaten with chopsticks at a restaurant near Nishiki, Kyoto — Point, sit, eat. Kyoto.

Where to start

Plan it the way we would.

We planned this trip ourselves, paid for it ourselves, and wrote down what worked and what did not. All of it is on the site, free, with nothing to sign up for.

Where to go, and how long to give each place
What to book ahead, and what to skip
Getting around with kids, without the guesswork
What it actually cost us

案内

The planning guides

Flights, trains, money, food, insurance and where to stay. Written after the trip, not before it.

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