Yokohama Day Trip from Tokyo with Kids (2026): The Perfect One Day Itinerary

Using Tokyo as a base and planning to take day trips to explore wider Japan? Consider a Yokohama day trip! Yokohama is just 30 minutes away from Tokyo if you hop on the right train, making it one of the easiest and most rewarding day trips in Japan for families.

You can book an organised tour to Yokohama, but it’s also such an easy trip to plan independently too, which is what we did.

From designing your own Cup Noodles to riding one of Japan’s largest Ferris wheels, and then wandering through the country’s biggest Chinatown, there’s more to do in Yokohama than you might thing. And so much of it is family-friendly too: I honestly wasn’t expecting the boys to love the Cup Noodle museum as much as they did!

Although it’s a large city in its own right, Yokohama offers a completely different atmosphere from the busy streets of Tokyo. So, if you’re wondering whether Yokohama is worth adding to your Japan itinerary, our answer is a definite yes.

Here’s exactly how we spent our Yokohama day trip with our two boys, plus suggestions for other activities you could add to your own Yokohama itinerary:

Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the site going. Thanks for the support!

How to get to Yokohama from Tokyo

One of the elements that makes Yokohama such a good day trip destination is that Yokohama is incredibly easy to reach from Tokyo.

The fastest option is to take either the JR Tokaido Line, JR Keihin-Tohoku Line or Tokyu Toyoko Line, depending on where you’re staying. Journey times are typically between 25 and 40 minutes. Add more time if you need to take other lines to connect to these stops. You can either pay for your train ticket using your SUICA card or, if you’re not using public transport regularly, you can buy train tickets in advance.

👉 Save money by buying a Tokyu Line 1-day pass here

If you’re travelling extensively around Japan by train, it’s worth checking whether a Japan Rail Pass or individual rail tickets offer the best value for your trip. We break this down here: Is The Japan Rail Pass Worth It? Our Honest Experience

If you’d rather leave the planning to someone else, Klook also offers guided day trips combining Yokohama with nearby attractions. We have taken several Klook guided day trips, however we did our trip to Yokohama independently. I did some research, and if you do prefer the ease and convenience of a tour, this looks to be the best option for families:

👉 Kamakura & Yokohama Full-Day Sightseeing Tour
🎁 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK for an extra reader-exclusive discount

Stop 1: Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama

One of the boys favourite things we did in Yokohama, as well as a great activity we loved engaging in as a family, was the Cup Noodle Museum Yokohama. This should absolutely be your first stop!

I recommend arriving as close to opening time as possible, if you can. Especially if you want to do the ‘Make your own Cup Noodle’ experience (which is the highlight of the whole place) because this only gets busier as the day goes on. You can book this activity in advance when you book your tickets, and we managed to get the second slot of the day.

The museum is brilliantly interactive and much more fun than we expected. Even if you’re not a huge fan of cup noodles! Some of the best bits you definitely shouldn’t miss are:

• Designing your own Cup Noodles pot and then choosing your own soup flavour and toppings in the Cup Noodle factory.
  
• Letting the kids run wild in Cupnoodles Park. This is a huge, interactive indoor play area designed for kids. They play from the perspective of a noodle, being kneaded, fried and packaged as they passed through climbing nets, ball pits and slides. Our eldest was a little too tall for this experience (he’s 13) but our 10 year old LOVED this!
  
• Exploring the museum exhibits. Take the time to watch the 20 minute film about the history of the brand. It has English subtitles, and it was so interesting!
  
• The absolute highlight? The restaurant! Everything is insanely cheap and beautifully themed. You can try noodle flavours from around the world but the best bit is the cup noodle flavoured ice cream! Is it disgusting? Of course it is! Did we all have to try it? Absolutely!

Our boys enjoyed the whole experience and especially loved creating their own personalised Cup Noodles to bring home as souvenirs.

👉 You can pre-book your admission tickets, including timed entry to the Cup Noodle Factory experience, in advance on the official Cup Noodle Museum website.
👉 With adult tickets costing just 1,200 yen and kids tickets costing 500 yen, this is an incredibly affordable activity

Stop 2: Cosmo World & Cosmo Clock 21

You might not realise that Yokohama has its own theme park (read more about the best theme parks in Japan here). This is called Cosmo World, and although it’s small, it’s perfectly formed. It’s also a great choice for budget travellers, because visitors can simply pay for individual rides, rather than booking a full day tickets.

Cosmo World sits directly opposite the Yokohama Cup Noodle Museum, so it’s easy to combine these two activities into one adventure.

Even if you don’t fancy spending the afternoon here, it’s worth stopping to ride the enormous Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel. Once the world’s tallest Ferris wheel, it still offers incredible panoramic views across Yokohama Bay, Minato Mirai and, on a clear day, even Mount Fuji in the distance. Of course when we visited it was raining so we didn’t see any of that: we could barely see our hand in front of us!

But it’s still a fun experience, and for kids that love fair grounds and thrill seeking, it’s a great activity before you move into an afternoon of sightseeing and exploration.

Stop 3: Yokohama Chinatown

Our next stop was Yokohama China Town. From Minato Mirai it’s a pleasant walk to the Chinatown area, which is officially the largest Chinatown in Japan, and according to our research this should have taken around half an hour. However because of the above-mentioned rain, we hopped on the metro. This was an easy 10 minute ride, and the two stations are only a couple of stops apart.

Yokohama Chinatown is well worth exploring Packed with colourful gates, street food vendors and bustling restaurants, it’s a brilliant place to stop for lunch. Although many visitors snack their way around the streets, we chose to sit down for a proper meal, mostly because the boys absolutely love Peking duck, and we just couldn’t resist when we saw the freshly cooked ducks hanging in the windows of many of the restaurants.

But Yokohama Chinatown has more to offer than just restaurants. My highlight of the whole day was the change to explore Yokohama Kanteibyo.

This is a beautiful and vibrant Taoist temple dedicated to Guan Yu. It was first constructed by Chinese immigrants in 1862, then damaged during WW2, earthquakes, and other natural disasters before ultimately being rebuilt in its current form in the 1990s.

I lived in China for a while in my 20s, so I really do love Chinese architecture, and this is an incredible example. With its vibrant colours, intricate carvings and peaceful atmosphere, it’s well worth stepping inside and soaking it all in.

The temple is free to view from the outside, but to enter the main hall to pray and purchase incense, a small fee of approximately 500 yen per person applies. We paid this and lit the incense. There were handy cards in several languages (including English) explaining how to pray at the shrines, and this was such a fascinating experience for the boys.

The temple wardens were also so friendly and welcoming, especially to the boys, who they showered with Chinese candies!

Stop 4: Pokémon Centre Yokohama & Shopping

No family trip to Japan would be complete without a Pokémon stop. And if you’ve got kids that love Pokemon as much as mine do, that means a Pokemon stop in every city! If I heard ‘is there a Pokemon Centre in Yokohama’ once, I heard it a dozen times!

The Pokémon Centre Yokohama was, unsurprisingly, one of our boys’ favourite parts of the day, although its department store location meant we found it a little tricky to find. The full address to help you get there is: 8F Marui City Yokohama, 2-19-12 Takashima, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 220-0011

The unique statues you’ll find here show Pikachu as a sailor on the bay. Alongside Pokémon, the surrounding shopping centres offer plenty of family-friendly stores, cafés and places to browse before heading towards the waterfront.

Stop 5: Sunset over Yokohama Bay

We finished our day in the best possible way. With ice creams in hand, we wandered back towards the waterfront and watched the sun set over Yokohama Bay…..and then it started to rain again! We really didn’t have any luck with the weather.

Despite that, we had an amazing time in Yokohama, and this is a really lovely city to explore. After the crowds and bright lights of Tokyo, Yokohama felt noticeably more relaxed. We definitely felt the difference when we headed back into the chaos of Tokyo!

Optional attractions if you have more time

If you have more time to explore Yokohama, don’t want to do some of the attractions we added to our itinerary, or decide to stay overnight to explore more, then there are plenty of other attractions to explore in Yokohama. Our day trip was far from comprehensive! Some of the highlights include:

• Yokohama Air Cabin
• Red Brick Warehouse
• Yamashita Park
• Marine Tower
• Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal

Is Yokohama worth visiting with kids?

We really enjoyed our time in Yokohama, and the day we created worked perfectly for our kids.

While Tokyo offers endless attractions, Yokohama feels calmer and the city is definitely easier to explore in a single day.

The combination of interactive museums, amusement rides, waterfront views and fantastic food makes it an ideal family day trip, and there’s something for everyone. No one will ever day they’re bored!

If you’re spending a week or more in Tokyo, then I highly recommend setting aside one day to explore Yokohama. It’s one of our favourite day trips from Tokyo that we took during our most recent Japan adventure.

Planning Your Japan Itinerary

We love Japan, visiting for several extended trips in recent years. Planning your own family Japan adventure? Don’t miss our other family guides:

• Tokyo Family Travel Guide
• Mount Fuji Day Trip Review: Is It Worth It? Which Trip Should You Choose?
• Best Theme Parks in Japan for Kids. 2026 Guide, Tickets, Tips and Rankings
• Nara Day Trip: The Ultimate One Day Nara Itinerary With Kids
• Our Ultimate Japan Travel Hub

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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the site going. Thanks for the support!