When planning our itinerary for three weeks in Japan with toddlers, I instantly knew I wanted to go to Nara. You can pet wild pygmy deer while they roam around beautiful temples…sign me up! I knew the kids would love this so to Nara we went! We thought a day trip from Kyoto would be too much travel time so we decided to spend the night in Osaka which is only 30 minutes from Nara, but a world away!
Getting to Nara and Osaka with Toddlers
We first took the train from Kyoto to Osaka where we dropped our bags at the hotel and grabbed teppanyaki for lunch. Marin was craving a US style teppanyaki / hibachi restaurant so we tried teppanyaki Hikari. It was tasty and we got to sit at the bar and watch the chefs cook on the famous flat iron grills, but it wasn’t the same strip mall experience you get in the States. I mean really, where was the onion volcano? IYKYK.
Nara is actually located between Kyoto and Osaka, so we went out of our way to drop the stuff off, but found this step worth it.
Where to Stay in Osaka with Toddlers
Grant’s brother, whom we affectionately call Tio Mason, was with us in Kyoto so he joined for this leg of the trip too! We booked two rooms in hotel the b namba-kuromon and it was in a great location to Dontonbori, the pedestrian street filled with street food and nightlife that Osaka is famous for.
I didn’t consider staying in Nara because I was picturing it to be much smaller than it was. I actually wish we would have reversed the trip, staying in more kid-friendly Nara and just visiting Osaka for the day, but then we would have missed Osaka at night, which is half the fun! The neon lights resemble Las Vegas’s Fremont Street and are a tacky sight to behold!
What to Do in Osaka with Toddlers
Not much! At least in the area we were in, it was a city catered more toward adults (hence the Vegas reference above). Osaka was actually the only part of Japan that felt seedy to me and we weren’t even out late at night!
Dotonbori Pedestrian Street
Dotonbori is fun and the kids loved the big crab and other crazy creatures looming above the street. You can take a boat tour down the canal which could be fun with kids but we had limited time and it was dark and rainy when we were there.
We did have takoyaki in a lively joint which was fun and of course we got our ramen fix!
Kuromon Ichiba Market
This market was one of our favorites in Japan! Probably because we stumbled upon it. The seafood was so fresh and delicious. The tuna belly rivaled that found in Tokyo’s Tsukiji and in my opinion, won! Don’t miss this market when in Osaka!
What to Do in Nara with Toddlers
Nara Deer Park
This place is awesome. I was expecting free-roaming deer in the park, I was not expecting the size and significance of this place! Buy some crackers to feed the deer (the kids loved it!) and the deer were so cute and gentle.
Tōdai-ji Temple
Don’t miss Tōdai-ji Temple. There is a huge Buddha statue inside and some really cool statues that guard the gate. This was very impressive and a pleasant surprise on our Nara trip!
Mochi at Nakatanidou
Before catching the train back to Osaka or Kyoto make sure you grab some mochi at Nakatanidou. You can watch them make the mochi. We missed the daily demonstration, but still bought some and they were delish!
Nara is great for toddlers and while Osaka is fun, it’s not a must do.
Enjoying deer and Dontonbori,
-Ray