Not to Miss Activities When Visiting Tokyo With Teens
You couldn’t pick anywhere better to visit than Tokyo with teens. Japan’s capital has the wackiest shopping districts, cool neon city lights, and fun gaming centers. There are endless cafés, museums, and theme parks relating to every pop culture phenomenon. Plus, it’s one of the world’s cleanest and safest major cities.
But it’s a big city, so it’s easy to overwhelm your Tokyo itinerary with too many activities. Especially if it’s your first time in Japan! I’ve curated a list of the best Tokyo attractions you cannot miss so your teenage sons and daughters can experience the best of traditional and modern Tokyo. These were some of our favorites on our Tokyo trip!
*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something we have recommended. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!
Best Things to Do in Tokyo With Teens
1. Mario Kart Go Kart Racing
If your kids grew up playing Mario Kart arcade games, this fun tour is the best way to see Tokyo’s highlights with a unique spin. The whole family can drive their very own go-kart through the streets of Tokyo on this official Street Go-Karting Tour.
Dressing up as characters from anime, comics, and video games is optional but strongly encouraged. They offer a variety of outfits for you to choose from! It’s much more fun than exploring Tokyo through Google Maps, right?
This two-hour tour includes a guide, fuel, insurance, and everything you need to kart around the city streets of Tokyo. The tour is mostly in the Tokyo Bay neighborhood so you will pass by the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower. Tours are one of the best things to do on your first day in Tokyo to get your bearings.
Note that your kids must have passed their driver’s test. Everyone needs to bring an International Driver’s Permit as well as their license and passport. It’s a great opportunity for older teenage boys and girls who are itching for more adventures behind the wheel.
2. Arigato Retro Shibuya Food Tour
Visiting Tokyo with teens hopefully means they’re interested in tasting Japanese foods beyond crazy ice cream creations from a vending machine! Joining this Retro Food Tour of the Shibuya neighborhood is a great way to taste good food and visit different restaurants that hark back to a Tokyo of a bygone era.
This guided tour includes stops at Tachinomi bars. These are standing diners where Japanese people enjoy post-work drinks and seasonal dishes. Visit a 60+ year-old ramen shop and, yes, there are still fun desserts to taste!
Because there are bars on this tour, double-check the age restrictions before booking. It’s a cool thing to do with your college-age kids if you’re looking for a late afternoon/evening activity.
3. Visit the Cool Shopping Districts
One of the best things to do in Tokyo is to check out the abundance of shopping malls, districts, and cool stores. Nobody said traveling to Tokyo with teens was going to be cheap! Leave lots of space in your suitcases for vintage clothing, retro video games, and many more souvenirs.
Shimokitazawa is a great place for second-hand shops and cool vintage outlets. Some shops you should browse are Stick Out, 2nd Street, and TreFacStyle, which all have great prices for Japan. This area of Tokyo also has fun cafés.
If your kids prefer to buy clothes from a shopping mall, 109 is the best choice for teenagers. It’s a very short walk to the famous Shibuya Crossing so you won’t need to go out of your way.
Takeshita Dori is the name of the wacky, brightly-colored shopping street in Harajuku. It’s where many outlandish Japanese styles are born.
Ameyoko Shopping Street (also known as Ueno Night Market) is the best place if you’re looking for bargain fashion and cosmetics.
Teenagers interested in anime and manga stores should head to the Akihabara neighborhood. It’s the beating heart of Japanese otaku culture. Yodobashi Akiba is supposedly the world’s largest electronics store.
Super Potato and Retro Game Camp are the perfect place for teens (and parents!) wanting to relive their childhood. You can find tons of nostalgic games and merchandise here.
3. Climb Tokyo’s Highest Towers
Tokyo’s sprawling metropolis has so many impressive skyrise buildings with incredible city views. Climbing the tallest of the tall buildings is the only way to see across the city and out to Tokyo Bay. There are several to choose from so if one is sold out, you have plenty of options.
- Tokyo SkyTree: This is the tallest structure in Japan at 2,080 ft/634 m, so it has the two tallest observation decks. You can buy tickets for one or both observatories. There can be a long line for this deck, so book in advance if possible. GET TICKETS HERE
- Tokyo Tower: Three meters taller than its model, the Eiffel Tower, this orange and white steel tower is an icon of Tokyo. The main deck is the third-highest in Tokyo (after the SkyTree) and there are ‘look down’ floor windows you can stand on (if you dare!). GET TICKETS HERE
- Shibuya Sky: While this observation deck is only 751 ft/229 m tall, it’s completely open air. You gaze down upon the famous Shibuya Crossing and you can feature the Tokyo Tower and Tokyo SkyTree in your photos. GET TICKETS HERE
- Umeda Sky Building: This is one of the tallest skyscrapers in Tokyo with an observation deck connecting the two towers. The Floating Garden Observatory has a fun escalator and views of Tokyo from its windows. At around $15 per ticket, it’s a little bit cheaper than the other options. GET TICKETS HERE
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building – For a free city view, this is the place to go. There are two buildings, but building 1 is where you will find the observation deck. The best thing, it’s absolutely free!
Consider visiting one observation deck during the day (first thing or near sunset for the best light!) and one at night if you have time. While it’s fun to spot Tokyo’s major landmarks in the daylight, watching the city glowing with street lights is spectacular too.
4. Check out a Unique Cafe
Japan’s capital is famous for its uniquely themed cafés. Seriously, if you can think of a pop culture icon, animal, or concept, there is probably a café based on it! No family trip to Tokyo with teens and young children alike is complete without visiting a few.
Pignic Cafe in Yoyogi Park would be my top recommendation. It’s a micro pig café! Every group has an individual room so petting little piggies as much as you want is all but guaranteed.
Mipig Cafe in Harajuku is similar, but I found Pignic Cafe much easier to book. Yoyogi Park is a must-visit neighborhood for cherry blossoms in March and April. There are quite a few owl and hedgehog cafes in Tokyo too.
On the kitschier end of the spectrum is somewhere like Pomupomupurin Cafe. This is a yellow dog-themed cafe complete with a themed menu. While the food and drinks aren’t the best in character cafes, that’s not what you go for. Take lots of photos to get your money’s worth!
2D Cafe in Nishiki Market offers a similar fun theme. Other character cafes include Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe and Square Enix Cafe.
You’ll find nothing like DAWN, the Avatar Robot Restaurant, outside of Tokyo. This is a coffee house with actual robot servers! Just be careful when they’re handing you a hot drink.
5. Book a Kintsugi Class
Just because you’re traveling to Tokyo with teens, not every activity needs to revolve around video games. Taking part in a Kintsugi class is a great activity for the whole family.
Kintsugi is the art of repairing broken pottery with golden lacquer. It’s the philosophy of creating something new and beautiful from something broken.
Your tutor will provide everyone in your small group with a piece of broken pottery to repair. Not only do you learn the craft and find out more about a part of traditional Japanese culture, but you also get to keep the pottery as a souvenir. Everyone can don authentic ‘samue’ work clothes worn by Japanese craftspeople too.
6. TeamLAB Planets or Borderless
TeamLAB is an international art collective founded and based in Tokyo. They explore the relationship between art, science, technology, and nature. They have two incredible installations in the city. You must visit at least one!
TeamLAB Planets opened in 2018 and it is a digital art museum. The interactive displays react to your movements which creates a completely immersive experience.
Their enchanted forest, for example, has pools that ripple with every footstep and light streams that respond to your touch. You can take in the art with your eyes, hands, nose, and ears. TIP: Save room for the ramen noodles available from UZU Tokyo outside of TeamLAB Planets before or after your visit. Our teens still talk about them!
TeamLAB Borderless is the latest exhibition, having only opened in February 2024. It’s also a digital art museum but the installations are totally different. While Planets offers tactile and sensory experiences, Borderless is much more visual. TeamLAB uses mirrors, light, and projections to create unique and thought-provoking digital art pieces. It’s the more accessible option as the flooring in Planets is uneven.
Both are very popular Tokyo attractions and usually sell out. Tickets are available for both TeamLAB Planets and Borderless around six weeks prior, so book well in advance.
7. Tokyo’s Top Theme Parks
Planning a couple of days at a Japanese theme park or two will turn a great trip to Tokyo into an unforgettable one. It’s a winner for both younger and older teens!
Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea
There are two Disney theme parks: Toyko Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. They’re both in the Tokyo Disney Resort around 90 minutes from central Tokyo.
Tokyo Disneyland has a more traditional Disney vibe with a Japanese version of Main Street and classically themed areas.
DisneySea has a water myths and stories theme, with the characters sailing along the water for the Time to Shine Greeting Parade. The rides are more thrilling at DisneySea so it appeals to young adults. There are shuttle bus services from Shinjuku bus and train station.
Get your Disney Tickets Here – DisneySea or Tokyo Disneyland
Warner Bros. Studio Tour
Harry Potter fans should check out the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in the Nerima City district of Tokyo. The sets and costumes look mind-blowingly authentic! Visit during the holidays when the entire studio is decorated for Halloween or Christmas.
It’s easier to reach the Warner Bros. Studio Tour from the city center via the Tokyo metro than the Disney parks. GET TICKETS HERE
Ghibli Museum
Japan is the home country of Studio Ghibli, the world-famous Japanese animation studio. They created classic family movies like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke. While there isn’t a Ghibli theme park, there is a Ghibli Museum. There’s an extensive garden with artistic buildings and art pieces relating to the movies around the exhibition space.
The Ghibli Museum is an extremely popular attraction. Tickets for the following month only go on sale on the 10th of each month at 10 AM Tokyo time. They usually sell out within 30 minutes! If you are unlucky, there are often third-party vendors reselling the tickets.
8. Day Trip to Kyoto
Kyoto is the perfect place to take a day trip from Tokyo with teens. It was Japan’s capital city from 794 to 1868, so it has a lot of history. Many of Japan’s most Instagrammable landmarks (like the Kyoto Torii Gates) are here, so your kids will already be familiar with many of the city’s sites.
Kyoto is almost a six-hour drive from Tokyo, so you won’t be renting a car! The best way for your family to travel to Kyoto is via a Shinkansen bullet train. Taking this train from Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station is a two-hour journey.
Be sure to book your Japan Rail Pass in advance and secure a seat assignment. Note – there is an additional charge for oversized luggage so be sure to let them know when you book your seat if you need extra space for your bags.
Some of the best things to do in Kyoto include visiting the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shinto shrine, Kinkaku-ji Buddhist temple, and Nijō Castle. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is also breathtaking, but if you want to visit we recommend staying overnight in Kyoto!
9. Sumo Entertainment Show
If you spend your first evening on the Retro Shibuya Food Tour, spend your second night in Tokyo watching sumo wrestling. If you have teenagers who love MMA or sports in general, they will be all over this Sumo Wrestling Dinner Show experience. Watch live demonstrations with a bilingual commentator while dining on traditional dishes prepared by other sumo wrestlers.
There’s a later show which doesn’t include dinner but does include all you can drink. Don’t miss the photo opportunity with the wrestlers. Younger teens can sometimes enter the ring to learn a few moves too!
10. Ueno Park
This large public park opened in 1873 on lands formerly owned by the Kan’ei-ji Temple. It was the city’s largest and wealthiest temple during the Edo Period, hence why it’s so huge. The main reason why it’s a great place to visit with teens is because there’s so much to do here. You can pick and choose what to explore based on their interests.
Shinobazu Pond is a popular spot for renting paddle boats. The beautiful Shinobazunoike Benten-do Temple in the center is very picturesque. You cannot miss Ueno Park in cherry blossom season. Around 1,000 trees line the central path and it can get very busy!
Ueno Park is known for its many museums. Tokyo National Museum, Ueno Zoo, National Science Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and many more are located in Ueno Park. If your kids aren’t big on museums, it’s still worth strolling around in nice weather.
11. Classic Ramen and Gyoza Cooking Class
My kids had no interest in a sushi making class, so I found the next best thing, ramen and dumplings!
Chagohan Tokyo in Asakusa offers a 3-hour class where participants can learn to make dumplings and ramen and enjoy it when finished. My husband did this with our two younger sons and they all enjoyed it and said the food was delicious!
I booked this class through Viator. You can book it HERE.
Don’t Miss These Must-See Attractions in Tokyo With Teens
It can sometimes be difficult to tempt your older kids with family travel plans, but no teenager can resist a trip to Tokyo. This city is a pop culture mecca and you’ll have so much fun as a family exploring all the cool things to do in Tokyo with teens!
