Wild and Wacky Tokyo – 5 Must See Spots To See With Kids

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If you’re looking for a list of the most popular tourist attractions, the top temples, or info. on the major amusement parks, museums and zoos to take your kids to in Tokyo, this is not for you.  Yes, there is a Tokyo Disneyland, Legoland, museum of nature and science, and Ueno Zoo but there are also similar sights elsewhere.  If you’re looking for the wild, the wacky and the only-in-Tokyo experiences, you’ve come to the right place!  Here are 5 must-see spots to take your kids to while in Tokyo that are beyond wild and wacky.  These will leave you craving more of the colorful, crazy, and quirky “kawaii” that makes Tokyo the most memorable place to travel to.

  1. Maid Cafe

  2. Most typically found in the Akihabara district of Tokyo, these maid cafes promise to treat you as master as they welcome you into their girly, frilly world of cuteness.    maidWith a diverse mix of families celebrating a birthday, giggling girls coming in for an after-school treat, to tourists and the random old man, the room is filled with a curious audience entranced by the spell these girls cast.  These happy-go-lucky maids dressed in stereotypical maid costumes only seen during Halloween in the States, dance, sing, play toys and games, pose for photos and encourage you to singalong and cast a spell onto your food.  What?  Yes.  Form your hands into a heart and in your most adorable voice, repeat after me…”“moe, moe, kyun!”DSC_8468tokyo themed cafe, at home maid cafe I, as an American tourist did not understand.  But I didn’t care.  And neither did my 4 year old who was just as entranced as I was.  She had so much fun she even exclaimed that she changed her mind.  She didn’t want to be a doctor anymore.  She wanted to be a waitress!  Great.  Just great.  We left in bliss anyways. For more on Maid Cafes click here.
  3. Animal themed Cafe

  4. If dining with your family has become monotonous, don’t fret!  ‘Cuz in Tokyo you can choose to dine with an animal of your choice!  There are plenty of cat cafes, dog cafes, bunny cafes and even owl cafes to suit your fancy!  We chose the exotic-sounding owl cafe and weren’t disappointed.japan things to do, japan themed cafe, kyoto owl cafe, owls, owlHow is it that in the States, we were never allowed to touch owls?? Apparently they’re super friendly and enjoy being petted?! We got such a kick out of this place and couldn’t believe how many different owls there were..ones I didn’t even know existed.  It was surreal.  Every few steps, we met a wildly different owl. Check out this one that looked wooden!DSC_0351We got to pet (with the back of our hands) about 15 different owls that day.  How cool is that?  Juliet just learned about owls at school too and was super psyched.  Hoot Hoot!  What an amazing learning experience for the kids to learn fun facts about owls hands on. DSC_0356
  5. Read all about our experience at the Mini pig cafe HERE.
  6. Monster Cafe

  7. Better than Xanax (I would imagine).  ‘Cuz how can anyone be sad in a room that looked like a rainbow just exploded there?  I think if Lisa Frank, 80’s rainbow sticker creator had a restaurant it would look like this. things to do in japan, travel to tokyo with kids, cool things to do with kids in japan, kawaii japan A game of I spy in here could include unicorns, bunnies, and gigantic mushroom sightings that will have you feeling like you’re hallucinating in this trippy place.   Talk about wild and wacky Tokyo!cool things to see in tokyo, cool things to do in tokyo, places to eat tokyo, tokyo for kids, japan with kids, monster restaurantAnd don’t worry, while the name of the restaurant may sound scary, there is nothing scary about this place.  It’s more of a dream than a nightmare!  I would love to know what sort of dreams little J had after experiencing this place…DSC_8790Address: YM square building 4F, 4-31-10, Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo. Opening Hours: 11.30am-4.30pm and 6pm-10.30pm daily.
  8. Robot Restaurant

  9. “Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto” as the song goes, this place (more like a cafe with parade style entertainment) is the definition of wacky.  And it’s WONDERFUL!  robot restaurant review, things to do with kids in tokyo, things to do with kids japanIt’s so hard to find the words to describe how much I enjoyed this weird, highly Instagram-able wonderland. things to do japan, things to do tokyo, themed restaurants, themed cafes japan It’s burning man on a sugar high! Think dazzling lights, estatic costumed performers, beaming laser lights and Transformer-like robots coming at you…”roboto roboto” their main song will be singing in your head for days!  It’s sensory overload in the most over-the-top fashion and you will wonder how you’ll ever go back to normal life again..things to do tokyo, travel to japan with kids, robot cafe, themed japanese cafes, themed restaurants japanI’m uploading some insider videos of this place and all our Japan adventures on our Youtube channel soon so subscribe to see all the wild details.  TIP:  secure reservations beforehand.  get the biggest discount from the Metro Magazine at the airport when you land or click here.  And if your child scares easily from loud noises or large mechanical creatures stay away.
  10. Alice In Wonderland. Where else can you find not 1 but 5 (yes 5!) Alice in Wonderland themed restaurants in one city?  Tokyo, this is why we love you!  aliceinDiamond Dining (where these pictures are sourced from) owns Alice in a Labyrnith, Alice in Fantasy Book, Alice in Magical Land, Alice in an Old Castle, and Alice in a Dancing Land.  alicerestauranThese super cute meals and fantastical scenes are bound to make your child squeal in delight while making the momarazzi in us all marvel at all the amazing photo opps. alice in wonderland restaurant japanThe Japanese are so amazing at inspiring us moms to try creating food art at home.   themed restaurants japan, alice in wonderland restaurant in japan, cute japanese cafes, themed cafes in japanSo what do you think?  Which of these 5 hot spots would you most want to try? What would YOUR kids most enjoy?

Hello Kitty Cafe Pop-Up in Irvine, CA

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I feel so lucky to have accidentally timed our family vacation to the Orange County area with America’s first-ever Hello Kitty cafe.  Upon learning this, Juliet and I knew we just HAD to go.

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I made sure to pack her new Hello Kitty printed romper for the occasion. DSC_7085

And what better to accessorize with than a giant bow a la Hello Kitty style?

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This adorable pop-up was actually just a girly pink shipping container that dramatically unfolded out into a sprawling cafe.

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We got there early and got to watch the transformation.  Juliet was enthralled!

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Good thing we got there at opening (thanks dad for saving our spot while we enjoyed the nearby kid-friendly rides).

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I say this because the line quickly grew out of control as Hello Kitty fans descended at a rapid pace for a taste of this cuteness overload! Thankfully, living up to the hype, the Sanrio sips and sweets were as adorable as one would expect.

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There were so many Hello Kitty adorned pies, cakes and cookies to choose from.  Juliet’s favorite was the heavily sprinkled ‘birthday cake’ shown on the left.  But unfortunately 30minutes after opening, it sold out to the person directly in front of us who we overheard saying that she came back 3x trying to get that sold out cake.  So I suggest that if you want this, you make sure to get there before opening time!

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The news has broken out that this cafe has actually had to close as early as 2pm because they had sold out of EVERYTHING. So Hello Kitty fans, let that be a warning to you.  If you have your heart set on a specific dessert, get there EARLY.  The below tiramisu type dessert is what Juliet chose.  She called it the golden Hello Kitty.DSC_7156

DSC_7174I for one had to try the Hello Kitty faced cookie and bow.

hello kitty cookie, hello kitty pop up, hello kitty cafe, hello kitty bow DSC_7179Here’s the full menu.  Overpriced, yes.  But worth it?  If you’re a Hello Kitty fan like me, then YES!

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Thanks for reading!  Check out my Hello Kitty themed play date that I threw at my house here!

Let me know why YOU are a Hello Kitty fan!

 

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