Japan with kids
The Poop Museum and 22 More Silly Things to Do in Japan With Kids
My favorite silly things to do in Tokyo with kids are the Unko (Poop) Museum and the Trick Art Museum in Odaiba, the free Fire Museum and Police Museum, the parasite museum in Meguro, and a day in Yokohama making your own Cup Noodles and eating mini bowls at the Ramen Museum. Group them by neighborhood and do two in a day.
Japan has a museum for everything. Swords. Kites. Salt. Parasites. Poop.
I taught social studies for eight years, and half of this list is a field trip I’d have loved to take my students on. The other half is just silly, and that’s the point.
These are the ones I’d put in front of kids, grouped by neighborhood so you’re not crossing the city twice in one day.
How I’d group them
Five silly days
- 1Odaiba
Poop, tricks and teamLab
The Unko Museum and the Trick Art Museum, then the waterfront. We walked across the Rainbow Bridge into Odaiba from Shibaura-futo Station when we lived in Japan, and I’d still do it on a sunny day.
- 2Ryogoku and Asakusa
Swords and samurai
The Japanese Sword Museum in the morning, armor and a sword lesson in Asakusa in the afternoon.
- 3Yotsuya and Shibuya
Fire trucks, toys and Pikachu
The free Fire Museum and the Tokyo Toy Museum, then Shibuya Parco for Pokémon and Nintendo.
- 4Ginza and Yokohama
Cars, cars, cars
Nissan Crossing in the afternoon, then an evening car culture tour out to Daikoku.
- 5Yokohama
Noodles all day
Make your own Cup Noodles, then mini bowls at the Ramen Museum. Skip Tuesdays, the Cup Noodles Museum is closed.
Odaiba and Toyosu
Odaiba and Toyosu
Out on the bay, and the best rainy day cluster in the city.
Unko (Poop) Museum
Yes, a whole museum of cute, sparkly poop. It’s on the 2nd floor of DiverCity Tokyo Plaza and it’s all photo spots and silly games. Entry is by timed slot and prices change by date, about ¥2,000 for adults and about ¥1,100 for kids 3 and up.
Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tokyo Trick Art Museum
On the 4th floor of Decks Tokyo Beach. You pose in front of the paintings and the photos look like you’re falling off a cliff or being eaten by a fish.
Miraikan
Japan’s big hands on science museum, with a giant glowing globe hanging over the main hall. It’s closed for refurbishment from October 1, 2026 to April 22, 2027. When it reopens, adults are ¥630, kids 18 and under ¥210 and preschoolers free. Closed Tuesdays.
teamLab
Not weird so much as wow. You walk through rooms of light and water and the kids never want to leave. Here’s my teamLab guide.
Photo: Big Ben in Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
KidZania Tokyo
A kid sized city at LaLaport Toyosu where kids do real jobs, from pilot to firefighter, and get paid in KidZania money. Two sessions a day, and on Wednesdays about half the jobs run in English. Our kids did KidZania in Korea. Book ahead.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ryogoku, Sumida and Asakusa
Ryogoku, Sumida and Asakusa
Old Tokyo, east side of the river, near the Skytree.
Japanese Sword Museum
Real katana, polished like mirrors. About 7 minutes on foot from Ryogoku Station. Adults ¥1,000. Closed Mondays.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Samurai Ninja Museum Asakusa
The hands on one. Kids try on armor, and there’s a 2 hour family sword lesson where they change into hakama and learn katana forms from a samurai master.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Tobacco and Salt Museum
Stay with me. Both used to be government monopolies in Japan, so they share a museum, and the history is surprisingly good. Near Honjo-Azumabashi Station.
Yotsuya
Yotsuya
Two great ones a few minutes apart, off Yotsuya-sanchome Station.
Fire Museum
Run by the Tokyo Fire Department, with old fire trucks, pumps and uniforms from the Edo period to now. Right by Exit 2 of Yotsuya-sanchome. Closed Mondays.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Tokyo Toy Museum
Inside an old elementary school, with more than 10,000 toys from Japan and around the world, and you’re meant to play with them. About 7 minutes on foot from Yotsuya-sanchome. Closed Thursdays.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Gross, cute and characters
Gross, cute and characters
For the kids who want parasites, Pikachu or Hello Kitty. Sometimes all three.
Meguro Parasitological Museum
Jars of parasites, including an 8.8 meter tapeworm. Gross, and they LOVE it. About 12 minutes on foot from Meguro Station. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Pokémon Center and Nintendo Tokyo
Both on the 6th floor of Shibuya Parco, open 10 to 9. Look for Mewtwo at the Pokémon Center and Mario at Nintendo. Nintendo hands out numbered entry tickets on weekends and holidays. (Photo is a different Pokémon Center in Tokyo.)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Sanrio Puroland
Hello Kitty’s indoor theme park, 5 minutes from Tama Center Station. Day tickets change by date, from ¥3,900 for adults and ¥2,800 for kids 3 to 17, under 3 free. You need an arrival reservation as well as a ticket now.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ghibli Museum
Totoro fans, this is it. Tickets are advance only and go on sale at 10am Japan time on the 10th of the month before. Adults ¥1,000, ages 7 to 12 ¥400, 4 to 6 ¥100, under 4 free. Closed Tuesdays.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
For car fans
For car fans
Tokyo Drift energy, without anyone driving.
Daikoku Futo Parking Area
The famous car meet spot from the Tokyo Drift world. You can only get there by car, so families go with an evening car culture tour from Shibuya, about 3 hours, from about ¥35,000 a car. The police clear it on busy nights, and good tours switch to another meet.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Nissan Crossing
A free showroom of concept cars, a minute from Exit A3 of Ginza Station, open 10 to 8. Kids can sit in some of the cars.
Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Toyota Automobile Museum
About 120 cars from around the world, near Nagoya. Adults ¥1,200, elementary kids ¥400. Closed Mondays. A good stop if you’re riding the train between Tokyo and Kyoto.
Central Tokyo
Central Tokyo
Small, quick stops you can tuck into a sightseeing day.
Police Museum
Now in the TOC Building in Nishi-Gotanda, about 8 minutes from Gotanda Station. A real police helicopter, motorcycles and police cars. Kids can try on an officer’s uniform for photos on weekends and holidays. Closed Mondays.
Kite Museum
A small room with kites covering almost every inch. It moved to its current spot in 2020. Check the hours before you go.
Origami Kaikan
An origami gallery and shop with a studio where they make washi paper. Workshops run in Japanese or English, so check the schedule. Closed Sundays.
Day trips
Day trips
Worth the train ride.
Cup Noodles Museum
Design your own Cup Noodles cup, pick the soup and toppings, and take it home. Adults ¥500, high school and younger free, and the My CUPNOODLES Factory is an extra fee. Closed Tuesdays.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum
A retro Tokyo street built indoors, lined with ramen shops from around Japan. Most do mini bowls, so you can try three. 5 minutes from Shin-Yokohama Station, under 6 free.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Omiya Bonsai Art Museum
Tiny trees that are hundreds of years old. Five minutes on foot from Toro Station. Closed Thursdays.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
“Half of this list is silly and half is a history lesson in disguise. I’d plan a Tokyo week with one of each, every day.”
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel and FTA Certified Family Travel Advisor. Former social studies teacher who lived in Japan.
Before you go
Silly museum checklist
- Check closed days. A lot of these close Mondays, a few close Tuesdays or Thursdays
- Book timed tickets for the Unko Museum and KidZania
- Set an alarm for Ghibli tickets, the 10th of the month before
- Make the Sanrio Puroland arrival reservation
- Book the samurai sword lesson and any car tour ahead
- Miraikan reopens April 23, 2027
Read next
More Japan with kids
Tell me what your kids are into.
Swords, cars, robots, Pokémon or poop. I’ll build the Tokyo days around it, with the closed days already sorted.
Quick answers
What is the Unko Museum in Tokyo?
A museum all about poop, made cute. It’s on the 2nd floor of DiverCity Tokyo Plaza in Odaiba, with photo spots and silly games, and entry is by timed ticket.
Is the giant Gundam still in Odaiba?
No. The life size Unicorn Gundam outside DiverCity Tokyo Plaza ended its display on August 31, 2026, and no replacement has been announced.
Which weird museums in Tokyo are free?
The Fire Museum in Yotsuya, the Police Museum in Gotanda, the Meguro Parasitological Museum and Nissan Crossing in Ginza are all free. The Japanese Sword Museum is free for kids under 15.
Is Miraikan open?
Not right now. Miraikan is closed for refurbishment from October 1, 2026 to April 22, 2027.
Can you make your own Cup Noodles in Japan?
Yes, at the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama. You design the cup and pick the soup and toppings at the My CUPNOODLES Factory, which costs extra on top of the ¥500 adult entry.
Can kids go to the Daikoku car meet?
Only by car, since there’s no train or bus, so families book an evening car culture tour. The police clear the lot on busy nights, so pick a tour that switches to another meet if it’s closed.
Is KidZania Tokyo in English?
Partly. On Wednesdays about half of the roughly 100 jobs can be done in English. Kids need to be 3 to 15.
What can kids do in Tokyo on a rainy day?
Odaiba is my pick. The Unko Museum, the Trick Art Museum and teamLab are all indoors. Yotsuya works too, with the Fire Museum and the Tokyo Toy Museum a short walk apart.
Keep planning: the Tokyo stops that wow kids, our Odaiba guide, when to go to Japan with kids and rooms for a family of 5.
Hero and Skytree photos via Unsplash. Museum photos are shared by other travelers on Wikimedia Commons, credited on each card.
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. Prices, hours and closures last checked October 2026 and change often.
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