Family trip to Japan in 2026

Forums › Travel (planes, train, cruise) › Family trip to Japan in 2026

1 | 2 | 3

noroad

1025 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 675

Trusted

#3412285 8-Sep-2025 09:01

Qazzy03:

Teamlabs Planets and Boardless are both awesome, kids will love.

I have a trip To Japan Next month for a conference in Osaka, I built in a a few extra days in Tokyo and added the wife to the trip. I suspect that Teamlabs will be a highlight. Everyone seems to say get there early in the morning to avoid crowds?

SpartanVXL

1498 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 666

#3412340 8-Sep-2025 09:30

The reason the IC card stuff is conflicting is because for the longest time the IC companies just didn’t work with foreign cards. You can easily google threads going back years about it. Visa was the main culprit, not sure it was because the companies had a spat or 3dsecure just didn’t work. Mastercard was usually okay. Wise only issues mastercard for business users and Visa for personal use.

Theres no other way to top up virtual IC with credit cards, all the in-person methods are also cash only.

As mentioned before it’s easy to test, add a travel card to your apple/google wallet, select either suica or pasmo and try to top up a minimal amount. It will quickly tell you if the transaction works.

The ideal way is to use wise card for the best exchange rate and without having to pay the cash fee from withdrawing at ATM then topping up.

The only benefit of a physical card is that your can refund it if you want the balance back, or if you want to let someone else use it.

cb1

339 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 44

#3412355 8-Sep-2025 10:18

SpartanVXL:

Wise exchange rate is better, it does take a bit to make up for the one off fee for the physical card but if you travel lots or do online shopping at all it make up for it quickly.

Get a free physical card (usually NZ$14) using this link Wise

johno1234

3357 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2843

#3412356 8-Sep-2025 10:24

Nate001:

A lot of conflicting advise on digital IC cards here.

We’ve went twice last year and had zero issues with Apple wallet Suica cards on phone and Watch. Worked so well I helped multiple people at work set them up before leaving NZ. No need to set your region to Japan, just go to wallet and add a transport card.

We used the wise Apple Pay, colleague used AMEX Airpoints. The beauty is you can easily top up the cards on your phone without any cash. You can even load cash onto the digital card at some station kiosks, just place your phone where you’d put the card.

You can then download the Suica app to get he ICs ID number and use them for Shinkansen access, if you also buy your tickets online.

Final tip is if travelling to/from city to Narita you can just take the Asakusa/Skyliner line, it’s one train that changes names after SkyTree. It’s half the price and only marginally longer trip, it comes up as an option in google maps.

Funny you should mention that. On our trip that looped from Narita/Tokyo/Nagano/Hakuba/Nagano/Toyko/Narita the very last train ride was from IIRC Oumiya to Narita on the Skyliner Express. I misread the ticket kiosk and purchased cheaper Skyliner tickets by mistake. We still hopped on the Express and then discovered that it was all allocated seating which we didn't have. I think the locals dobbed us as next thing the ticket inspector turns up. He was, like all the Japanese we met, extremely pleasant and helpful, and simply upgraded our tickets and issued us with seat allocations. As a family of five plus hanger-on girlfriend we did a lot of different kinds of train trips from local clackety-clack commuters to Shinkansens and that was the only one we mucked up.

I really liked Japan - hope I get back there again.

Qazzy03

546 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 492

#3412470 8-Sep-2025 13:27

noroad:

I have a trip To Japan Next month for a conference in Osaka, I built in a a few extra days in Tokyo and added the wife to the trip. I suspect that Teamlabs will be a highlight. Everyone seems to say get there early in the morning to avoid crowds?

Congrats on the upcoming trip. I went on a morning to boardless and an afternoon to Planets. Both places have start timeslots and tickets. So there are a cap on numbers. Recommend booking whatever timeslot, they are all usually busy but they are big enough to take a lot of people at the same time. They generally dont let people in before their time slot unless it is really quiet.

If you only get time for one in tokyo, i would go boardless.

There is a teamlabs in Osaka too, its outdoors at jight in a park. Great if you have evening free.

The Osaka aquarium is well worth it too.

If there is anything specific i might be able to answer too.

Oh and anyone with kids 6 or over, they need their own ticket or ic card. They cant just swipe off a single card or digital card.

sen8or

1897 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1402

#3412551 8-Sep-2025 14:34

SpartanVXL:

The reason the IC card stuff is conflicting is because for the longest time the IC companies just didn’t work with foreign cards. You can easily google threads going back years about it. Visa was the main culprit, not sure it was because the companies had a spat or 3dsecure just didn’t work. Mastercard was usually okay. Wise only issues mastercard for business users and Visa for personal use.

Theres no other way to top up virtual IC with credit cards, all the in-person methods are also cash only.

As mentioned before it’s easy to test, add a travel card to your apple/google wallet, select either suica or pasmo and try to top up a minimal amount. It will quickly tell you if the transaction works.

The ideal way is to use wise card for the best exchange rate and without having to pay the cash fee from withdrawing at ATM then topping up.

The only benefit of a physical card is that your can refund it if you want the balance back, or if you want to let someone else use it.

Not quite correct

Digital IC cards like Suica / Pasmo will only work on Apple Iphones (8 or later). Android phones purchased outside of Japan can not use a digital IC card for transport.

We got back from Japan yesterday, an IC card really is 100% the best way to navigate transport, every adult needs their own IC card. If children are under 11 (I think) you can get a child specific IC card (1/2 price fares), but again, they each need their own.

If you are riding the bullet train, purchase your tickets through Smart-ex, you can then link your IC card to the booking. No need to print off paper tickets then, just scan IC card at the Shinkansen gates.

Before going, we found a youtube channel very helpful - Kensho Quest

https://www.youtube.com/@KenshoQuest

They have heaps of very helpful how to's

Its an amazing place, stupidly hot, but amazing

Lego

Shop now for Lego sets and other gifts (affiliate link).

noroad

1025 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 675

Trusted

#3412552 8-Sep-2025 14:38

Qazzy03:

Congrats on the upcoming trip. I went on a morning to boardless and an afternoon to Planets. Both places have start timeslots and tickets. So there are a cap on numbers. Recommend booking whatever timeslot, they are all usually busy but they are big enough to take a lot of people at the same time. They generally dont let people in before their time slot unless it is really quiet.

Oh, that's interesting, I had found Planets through research but had no idea Borderless existed, I'll check it out, thanks!

sen8or

1897 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1402

#3412553 8-Sep-2025 14:40

Oh and topping up with cash is very easy, theres machines all over the place in the train stations and can also be done at any number of the 7-11's, Lawsons or Family marts which between them are on virtually every street corner you'll come across in the main areas. You put your card on the reader, select how much you want to top up (min 1000yen), insert the cash and its all done. There are English menus on the machines. The convenience stores also do really good Egg sandwiches and Family mart's "fami chicki" is a delicious cheap snack.