Japan family travel advisor
Plan Japan With Kids With Nicole Damiano
I’m Nicole Damiano, an ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel, and Japan with kids is the trip I plan most. I lived in Japan, I have taken my own kids back, and I have planned more than 300 trips for families. My planning fee starts at $500. Trips are booked through Favorite Grampy Travels.
Every week a family asks me where to even start with Japan. Tokyo or Kyoto first. How many days. Which hotel fits five people. What to do about the ADHD medicine. Why the good rooms for cherry blossom week are already gone in July. Those are the questions I answer for a living. This page is what working with me on Japan looks like, and what it costs.
Why families hire me for Japan
“I lived in Japan. I have been back with my own kids, and Tokyo got its own edition of my newsletter because they could not stop talking about it. I know which hotels actually sleep five, which tickets sell out in minutes, and which medicines will get stopped at the airport.”
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel. Eight years teaching social studies, mom of three, 60+ countries. Japan and South Korea are the two trips I plan most.
Start planning with meOur Japan
The trip my kids still talk about
These are our photos, not stock. Tokyo, Kamakura and Kyoto with my kids, the same trip I now build for other families.
I put Jake in charge of the subway
I told my 10 year old where we needed to go and let him figure it out. He did. Japan is safe enough to let kids lead.
Ramen so good we wore bibs
We landed at 8pm and got to the hotel near midnight, starving. A closet sized ramen spot around the block was the best meal of the trip.
Kyoto in a yukata
Bamboo, the silkworm shop, matcha soft serve and a woman who makes tiny animals out of cocoons. Kyoto is the calm half of the trip.
What I handle
Everything on a Japan trip that trips families up
Rooms that fit your family
Most Japanese hotel rooms sleep two or three. I know which hotels have real family rooms, which ones connect, and when an apartment or a ryokan is the better call for four or five of you.
The route
Tokyo and Kyoto first, then Osaka, Nara or Hakone if the days allow. Two bases, not five. Kids do not want to repack.
Trains
Reserved Shinkansen seats so you sit together, the kids’ fare rules (under 6 free, 6 to 11 half), and a straight answer on the JR Pass after the 2026 price rise.
The tickets that sell out
Ghibli Museum, Tokyo Disney and DisneySea, teamLab, Universal Studios Japan. I know the release dates and I set the alarms.
Medicines
I check every prescription against Japan’s rules before anything is booked. Adderall and Sudafed are the big surprises.
The calendar
Cherry blossoms against a US spring break, Golden Week, summer heat, fall color over Thanksgiving. I tell you when your dates work and when they do not.
Your app
Every family gets a custom Tern app with the day by day plan, confirmations, city guides and packing lists in one place.
During the trip
You can message me. Where it is offered, there is 24/7 in country support as well.
How it works
Four steps, and what it costs
- 1Today
Tell me about your family
Who is coming, roughly when, and what you are hoping the trip feels like. Start on my Plan Your Trip page. I answer within 24 hours, except on weekends.
- 2Free
A consultation
A call or a Zoom where I ask the questions that shape a Japan trip: ages, school dates, how your kids handle long days, what you want to spend.
- 3Starting at $500
The planning fee
My professional fee starts at $500 and is paid up front after the consultation. Work begins the moment it is confirmed. It covers the research, the itinerary, every booking and me on call before, during and after the trip.
- 4Then
The plan, then the booking
You get a proposal, we edit it together, and I book it. Trips are booked through Favorite Grampy Travels.
What the fee does: it buys you the hours I would otherwise spend on the family who pays it, and it means the plan is built around your kids and not around what pays me best. I would rather tell you a hotel is wrong for a family of five than sell it to you.
Start on your own
Free Japan tools, preloaded for you
Read first
My Japan guides, all free
Everything I know about Japan with kids is on this site. Start here, then bring me your questions.
Ready to talk about Japan?
Tell me who is coming and roughly when. That is enough for me to start.
Hire me to plan JapanQuestions families ask me about Japan
How much does a travel advisor cost for a Japan trip?
My professional planning fee starts at $500 for a family trip to Japan. It is paid up front after our free consultation, and the work starts the moment it is confirmed. The fee covers the planning, the booking and me on call before, during and after the trip.
Do you book flights to Japan?
Yes. Flights, hotels, Shinkansen seats, Ghibli Museum and Tokyo Disney tickets, guides and transfers. Trips are booked through Favorite Grampy Travels.
How far ahead should we plan Japan with kids?
Nine to twelve months for cherry blossom season or fall color. Kyoto hotels that sleep four or five go first. Six months is workable for summer or winter.
Can a family of five share a hotel room in Japan?
Rarely. Most Japanese hotel rooms sleep two or three. I usually book connecting rooms, a family room at one of the handful of hotels that have them, an apartment hotel or a ryokan with a tatami room that sleeps everyone.
Can we bring our child’s ADHD medicine to Japan?
Adderall and anything with amphetamine are not allowed in Japan, even with a prescription. Pseudoephedrine, the decongestant in Sudafed, is also banned. Other medicines are fine for up to a one month supply. I check your list before you book. The full rules are here.
Is Japan a good first big trip with kids?
Yes. It is clean, safe, easy to get around and full of things kids love. The hard parts are the flight, the rooms and the booking windows, which is where I come in.
Do you plan Japan and South Korea together?
Yes. I lived in both countries. Two weeks does both well with one flight between Tokyo or Osaka and Seoul.
What happens if something goes wrong during the trip?
You message me. Every family gets a custom Tern app with the whole itinerary, and I am reachable during the trip. Where it is offered, there is 24/7 in country support too.
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel. Adventures We Seek is my travel blog and planning resource. Trips are booked through Favorite Grampy Travels.
