Taking young kids to Japan Help Please?

[Tara2004]

Hi Fellow Dis'ers

We are thinking of taking a trip to Disneyland Japan with 2 kids aged 4.5 and 8.
Do you think we will have any problems if one of the kids get separated from us in Japan? More worried about the language barrier.

I was thinking about getting a Japanese tattoo made up (in Jap) to put on my son's arm that says if LOST CALL etc and give a mobile phone number. Also stating that we dont speak Japanese. So it would be all written in Japanese so anyone reads it will understand.

Have anyone else taken small kids to TDL and Universal and even a day out in the city with small kids?

And what was your experiences? We are thinking of just a week. How did you find the prices etc?

Thanks for your help

Any advice would be welcomed

 

[BelleBway]

Hi Fellow Dis'ers

We are thinking of taking a trip to Disneyland Japan with 2 kids aged 4.5 and 8.
Do you think we will have any problems if one of the kids get separated from us in Japan? More worried about the language barrier.

I was thinking about getting a Japanese tattoo made up (in Jap) to put on my son's arm that says if LOST CALL etc and give a mobile phone number. Also stating that we dont speak Japanese. So it would be all written in Japanese so anyone reads it will understand.

Have anyone else taken small kids to TDL and Universal and even a day out in the city with small kids?

And what was your experiences? We are thinking of just a week. How did you find the prices etc?

Thanks for your help

Any advice would be welcomed

Based on what I've seen in Japan in general, I would strongly suspect that on the rare chance one of your children got lost and they were found by someone who for some reason didn't speak English, that person would move heaven and earth to find someone who could speak to the child in English. (and there's always someone who speaks English nearby- especially at theme parks) I wouldn't worry any more about this than you would in the US; less, in fact, because I've found that Japanese people are extremely kind and helpful to foreigners.

Also, I don't necessarily think a tattoo is a good idea because in Japan, having a tattoo means you are part of the Yakuza (mafia) So it's culturally frowned upon in general.

Unfortunately, the dollar is down right now so prices are more expensive now than they have been in the past. But it's such a wonderful, rewarding place to visit that I think it's worth it.

 

[chris31997]

Hi Fellow Dis'ers

We are thinking of taking a trip to Disneyland Japan with 2 kids aged 4.5 and 8.
Do you think we will have any problems if one of the kids get separated from us in Japan? More worried about the language barrier.

I was thinking about getting a Japanese tattoo made up (in Jap) to put on my son's arm that says if LOST CALL etc and give a mobile phone number. Also stating that we dont speak Japanese. So it would be all written in Japanese so anyone reads it will understand.

Have anyone else taken small kids to TDL and Universal and even a day out in the city with small kids?

And what was your experiences? We are thinking of just a week. How did you find the prices etc?

Thanks for your help

Any advice would be welcomed

I would also skip the tattoo. Not only are they frowned upon but most likly you will need to rent a phone here and wont have the number. It all depends on where you are coming from.

I second that the Japanese are very friendly and love kids. If for some reason you get sperated they would try to find you and get the kids to someone they could talk to. I would "drill" into your kids to find a policeman or a young person(most like to speak English). I would also give them the buisness card or paper that has the name of the hotel you are staying at.

I would think longer than a week, again this depends on where you are coming from and other factors. But a week gives you barely time to adjust to the time change. Odds are you are losing a day and it will be hard and tiring. Another thing is a week barely gives you a chance to see other sites besides TDL and Universal.

Like the PP said, the exchange rate is crazy and will effect the price. I think yesterday(I live in Okinawa, 5/14) I got 79 Yen to 1 Dollar. However, 3 weeks ago I was looking at 83 Yen to 1 Dollar. You don't have to come over here with tons of Yen, but do not expect every place to accept a CC. Hotels, bigger restraunts, and the like will/might take one but many place are on a "cash/Yen" basis. The hotel should be able to get you more Yen if need be or point you to an atm/bank.


Good Luck and have fun planning

 

[corgi_monster]

A lost child in the red light district (Kabukicho) of Tokyo is probably safer than a lost child in WDW or DLR. You could pin a little card on the back of your child's shirt that says: "If lost, return to <insert hotel name here>."

Your child will probably be waiting for you in the lobby when you return.

The tattoo idea is not so good, but not necessarily for the reasons stated above. A tattoo on a westerner is not that shocking unless it's in a bath house. A child with his name/number tattooed on his arm is not going to attract scornful stares. However, there will likely be kanji used, and altering the kanji just a tiny bit can change the whole meaning. For example, some characters have a little hook on the bottom of the brush stroke. If that hook were to rub off after a few days, you could go from "My name is Bob" to "I am a kitten."

Kids will LOVE LOVE LOVE Tokyo! There's a Pokemon Center, Kiddy Land in Harajuku, a character row in Tokyo station (with my favorite, a Snoopy Town store!), Puroland (Hello Kitty/Sanrio theme park) and so much more. Even ritzy areas like Ginza have awesome toy stores that adults can spend hours in. There are themed restaurants like the Alice in Wonderland restaurant . . . I could go on for hours! So yes, take your kids to Tokyo - it's wonderful!

Another thought - if you think the Main Street Exodus after the fireworks is crazy, that's nothing compared to some train stations during rush hour. Secure your kids, carry them, leash them, whatever. On Main Street, most people are going in one direction. In train stations, they will be going right left, towards you, away from you, etc. And at times, you may feel like a salmon swimming upstream while trying to make your way to the doors to get off the train. A lost kid on a train may be a problem, mostly because other riders are so wrapped up in whatever they're doing they may not notice him.

 

[ChrisFL]

A lost child in the red light district (Kabukicho) of Tokyo is probably safer than a lost child in WDW or DLR. You could pin a little card on the back of your child's shirt that says: "If lost, return to <insert hotel name here>."

Your child will probably be waiting for you in the lobby when you return.

and its so true!!

 

[danceintherain]

Also, if you and your children are Western-looking, I imagine they'll figure out that you're separated before you do.

If not, kids got lost before there were cell phones and they got back to their parents perfectly fine regardless of language barriers. They're not going to just ignore you or your child if there's a problem.

 

[danceintherain]

The prices are listed on the Tokyo Disney website. I use www.xe.com to convert currency for a better idea of much something is going to cost. Mousesavers.com has some good information about hotels and such.

Where are you coming from and have you traveled as far with your kids before? The jet lag could throw you for a loop, and you may need more than a week in order to really enjoy your trip.
EDIT: Never mind, you're in Australia, it will probably be easier to deal with coming here than WDW.

 

[mudd]

just came back from disney japan did not have any kids with us but the feel i got is that japan would be one of the safest place for a lost child. I did see one child that had lost sight of his mother at one of the food courts, one of the workers caught the look of fear in the childs eyes before the child even had time to panic and was immediately at the boys side squatted down to the childs eye level and asked if he was lost, his mother was only a couple of steps away.