Harajuku With Kids: The Best Things To Do For The Whole Family!
I know that it can be pretty divisive, and many people view Harajuku as a crowded, chaotic, tourist-y place. But as a family, we love Harajuku and I think it’s a great place to visit with kids!
When we first visited Harajuku with kids the boys were aged 7 and 10, and on our latest trip they were aged 9 and 12. And they enjoyed it just as much on both trips: I think the colourful chaos of Harajuku is universally appealing!
There’s so much to see and do in Harajuku for kids and my boys are always happy to spend time in this unique part of Tokyo. If you’re not familiar, Harajuku is known as being Tokyo’s hub for youth culture, fashion, and street style. It’s especially famous for its vibrant and eclectic fashion scene, which is unlikely to appeal to small children. But it’s also home to fun child-friendly activities too!
Wondering what to do in Harajuku with kids? I’ve put together a list of our favourite activities in Harajuku for kids that are fun for the whole family!
Dive in To Delicious Multi-coloured Junk Food
My kids love junk food: it might not be healthy, but it does taste great! And Harajuku is famous for its fun themed, vibrant coloured junk food options. Rainbow themed foods are particularly popular here, such as the rainbow cheese sandwich or the rainbow cotton candy that’s bigger than your head.
Head to Takeshita Street where I recommend you try the rainbow cotton candy, from Rainbow Sweets Harajuku (Totti Candy Factory). The shop itself is as photogenic as the food!
The crepes from Marion Crepes are also highly recommended. There are two Mario Crepes sites on Takeshita street, the first is closest to the metro station and always has ridiculously long lines. But the second is next door to the Pompompurin cafe just a five minute walk away, and we were served in a couple of minutes by walking here instead.
Not a fan of giving your kids a sugar high?
There’s also a Seven Eleven on Takeshita Street, and we got picnic supplies from here and then walked over to Yoyogi Park (it’s only a five minute walk away) to sit on the grass, eat, and relax after the stressful crowds of Harajuku!
Feeling time poor and cash rich? I understand (although the time poor bit more than the cash rich bit, to be fair!) You could consider booking a Harajuku food tour. This one offers FREE TICKETS FOR KIDS which makes it good value for families.
This is a private half day tour that will take you to the best sweet vendors in Harajuku. Get insights into Harajuku’s local culture from your guide and they’ll also take you to the Meiji Jingu shrine, which I think is a must visit spot in the area. You can read about the Meiji Jingu in my post here.
👉 Check availability for this limited tour and book your spaces here
Grab Your Coins And Hunt For Gashapon
Harajuku is a great place to explore gashapon (capsule toy) shops. My kids are absolutely obsessed with these, and they’re such as affordable activity too!
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Each capsule toy varies in price from 200 yen to around 600 yen depending on their quality and brand. And you can find items ranging from Sanrio and Pokemon toys to more specific or unusual Japanese-themed collectibles.
My boys love gashapon machines so much that they each have a shelf in their bedroom filled with their gashapon treasures! I think this is one of those uniquely Japanese experiences that kids just love.
Our favourite gashapon shop in Harajuku is Capsule Lab on Takeshita Street. Go downstairs and you’ll find a huge selection of machines (much bigger and quieter than the upstairs floor). But you’ll find capsule toy shops all the way along this street, so hunting for the next one is great way to get reluctant kids to enjoy the Harajuku experience!
Explore The Animal Cafes
I thought really hard before I included animal cafes on this list, but they’re something that Harajuku is famous for, and for many families exploring Harajuku with kids, they’re a huge attraction of the area.
We have visited the MiPig micropig cafe in Harajuku (you can read my full review of this here) and felt that the animals were well-cared for. We have also visited Kew Little Pigs (in Kew, London) which is the farm that breeds the micro pigs that are sent to Japan, and those breeders don’t have any concerns about the welfare of the animals they send to Japan.
👉 Click here to check availability and book a table at the Micropig cafe!
By contrast, on our last trip we visited the Otter cafe. You couldn’t see into this cafe from the street, and although we all loved the chance to hold and play with the otters, once I was inside and had seen the area I had HUGE concerns about the welfare of the animals, and the very small areas in which they were kept. I wouldn’t recommend this to others for this reason, and I certainly won’t visit again. (Which is why I haven’t written a post about this).
I can’t, and won’t speak for all animal cafes. That’s for you to make your own decision about! I can only give my opinion on the cafes that we’ve visited. But other animal cafes in Harajuku to do some research on are:
- Harajuku Mama Shiba Cafe (where you can meet Mame Shiba Inu dogs)
- HARRY Hedgehog cafe
- Owl’s Garden (there are a mix of 12 owls and hawks here)
- Harajuku Kawaii Zoo Land (this offers a menagerie of animals)
Other cafes that have RAVE reviews are the Moff Cute Cube cat cafe and the Samoyed dog cafe. These are BOTH on our list to visit on our next trip:
👉Photos and reservations of the Moff Cat Cafe Here
👉 Check availability and book the Samoyed Experience here.
Hit The Shops
Perhaps the thing that Harajuku is most famous for its shops. For young adults this is a fashion haven! But there are plenty of shops in Harajuku to appeal to kids too! Unless, of course, your kids don’t like toy shops…
Don’t miss Kiddy Land Harajuku (Omotesando) which has 5 floors packed full of character-themed toys and collectibles. If you’re a Sanrio fan then Sanrio World Harajuku sells everything Hello Kitty, My Melody, Cinnamoroll, Kuromi, and more.
Travelling with mini fashion icons? Head to WEGO Harajuku (Takeshita Dori) where you’ll find Harajuku-inspired fashions aimed at kids and teens. This is a fun but trendy shop that specialises in fun accessories, hats, bags, and character collabs.
Visit The Togo Shrine
You probably don’t associate the mania of Harajuku with the calm of an ancient shrine. But in the heart of Harajuku, just behind the public toilets, you’ll find the Togo Shrine. This is a tranquil Shinto shrine that was established in 1940, but was destroyed during WWII, meaning it was rebuilt in 1964.
It has a wonderfully calm atmosphere, entrance is free, and it’s a great place to take a break for a moment of tranquility.If your kids aren’t big fans of exploring shrines/cultural attractions, then this is a great one to visit because its so close to the vibrant Harajuku district, so they won’t need to have a huge attention span!
Getting To Harajuku
Getting to Harajuku is pretty easy, and its iconic centre of Takeshita Street is less than a minutes walk away from Harajuku station.
If you’re in central Tokyo then you can hop on the JR Yamanote Line (a loop line) and this will take you straight to Harajuku Station. You want to Takeshita exit to get as close to the action as possible.
You could also take the Chiyoda Line or the Fukutoshin Line to Meiji-Jingumae Station. This station is right next to Harajuku Station, so just as convenient for exploring the area!
Tip: Leave your buggy at home! Those pictures of streets so crowded it’s hard to walk are no exaggeration. Harajuku is busy! I kept the boys glued to me so I wouldn’t lose them in the crowd. And navigating this with a buggy would be ridiculously tricky.
When To Visit Harajuku
If you don’t like crowds then the best time to visit Harajuku is on a weekday morning. This is when the streets and shops will be at their quietest.
If you want to see people dressed up in the unique and colourful clothing style that Harajuku is famous for (and you don’t mind crowds) then visit on Sundays. This is when the fashion centre is packed full of people wanting to see and be seen. The exit to the JR Harajuku station is a particularly good place to be!
The sweet spot for us? A week day afternoon. It’s not so crowded that you can’t move or breath, but there’s plenty of hustle and bustle to give the area its trademark atmosphere.
FAQS
Is Harajuku good for kids?
Yes! I hope that i’ve shown you in this post that Harajuku is surprisingly kid-friendly. Beyond the quirky fashion and colorful streets, you’ll find themed cafés, sweet shops, toy stores, and fun photo spots that children love. My boys could happily spend the whole day here shopping for gachapon alone!
What are the best kid-friendly places in Harajuku?
Some family favourites include Kiddy Land (a multi-level toy store), Takeshita Street where you can eat rainbow cotton candy and rainbow grilled cheese. Tweenage girls will love the LINE Friends and Sanrio stores. Yoyogi Park is also nearby for a nature break: we visited here in the afternoon after a morning in Harajuku and it was the perfect pallette cleanser.
Can I take a stroller around Harajuku?
Harajuku is stroller-accessible, but Takeshita Street can get very crowded, especially on weekends. A lightweight stroller or baby carrier is your best bet for navigating the area easily. But as I mentioned above, the idea of navigating a buggy through those crowded streets would be my own personal hell!
How much time should we spend in Harajuku with kids?
Plan for at least 2–3 hours to explore shops, grab a snack or lunch, and maybe enjoy a themed café. Most animal cafes allow either 30 minute or 1 hour slots (we spent 1 hour in MiPig and 30 minutes in the Otter Cafe) If your kids are older or big fans of character stores, you could spend half a day.
Is Harajuku safe for families?
Absolutely. Harajuku is a busy, well-patrolled neighborhood with lots of tourists and locals. Just keep an eye on little ones in busy areas like Takeshita Street and around the train station in case they wander off in the crowd, but there is no danger here!
What To Do In Harajuku With Kids?
So there you have it! What is there to do in Harajuku with kids? Plenty, actually! You can spend a full half day exploring this iconic destination with your children of all ages, and there’s something for everyone.
Tip: If you don’t like crowds then visit Harajuku on a weekday or earlier in the day. Weekends (when the young people this youth culture is aimed at) aren’t in school can be unbearably crowded. And the later in the day you arrive, the busier things will be.
Are you planning to visit Harajuku with your kids? I’d love to hear all about your awesome plans!
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