Best Things to Do in Shinjuku, Tokyo with Kids

Traveled in October 2025

Shinjuku is best known for being a transportation and shopping hub, but there is plenty for kids to do in the area too! Just outside of the busy station area, you’ll find open green spaces and interactive museums that kids will love. We dedicated a day of our first trip to Japan with our kid to exploring Shinjuku and it was a great intro to Tokyo for our kiddo. Bookmark this list of things to do in Shinjuku with kids for your next trip to Tokyo!

Tokyo Fire Museum

• Age Range: all ages!
• Cost: FREE!!
• Location: Shinjuku
• How to Get There: from Tokyo Station, take the Marunouchi (red) subway line to Yotsuya-sanchome station (stop M11). Take exit 2 at Yotsuya-sanchome station, which is directly connected to the museum’s basement floor.
• Hours: Tues-Sun 9:30am – 5pm, closed Mondays and New Year’s Holidays (12/29-1/3)

If your little kid loves fire trucks (because of course they do), then they’ll have a great time at the Tokyo Fire Museum! This free museum has a collection of antique fire trucks and fire equipment for kids to admire, and a floor of interactive fireman-related activities and exhibits.

There are 5 floors to explore in this museum. The basement floor is where all of the shiny red historical fire trucks are parked. The museum entrance is on the first floor, and this is where we checked in with a volunteer to get a visitor’s badge. There is a fire helicopter on display on the first floor. Floors 4 and 5 are exhibits of historical fire-fighting technology in Japan. Since it’s mostly pictures and dioramas, we breezed through these floors pretty quickly.

The 3rd floor is the highlight of this museum for kids. This floor is where all the interactive exhibits are. There is a cartoon movie with a moving diorama about fire fighters in action, a firefighter helicopter simulator, an interactive fire truck simulator game where you drive a fire truck to a fire and then put out a fire, and an arts and crafts area where you can color a fire truck and see it driving on screen. There are also fireman dress up stations, and videos about firefighting to watch. Not surprisingly, we spent the majority of our time on this floor. Since we visited on a weekday morning, there weren’t too many other kids and we did not have to wait for any of the simulators. This museum was one of the best free things to do in Tokyo with kids!

Tokyo Toy Museum

• Age Range: 0 – 8 years old
• Cost: Adults 1100 yen online/1300 yen on site, child (6 mo-elementary school) 800 yen online/1000 yen on site
  • Buy tickets online here. I bought our tickets online the same day before we walked into the museum!
• Location: Shinjuku
• How to Get There: from Tokyo Station, take the Marunouchi (red) subway line to Yotsuya-sanchome station (stop M11). Take exit 2 at Yotsuya-sanchome station. The Tokyo Toy Museum is a 6 minute walk from the Tokyo Fire Museum so it’s convenient to combine the two museums in one day.
• Hours: 10am – 4pm (last admission 3:30pm), closed Thursdays

The Tokyo Toy Museum is a hands-on museum housed inside a former elementary school. There are exhibits and play areas here for all ages, from infants to elementary school aged kids. Because it is a museum of historical toys, most of the toys are wood-based, so it has a very Montessori feel. If you’re looking for fun things to do in Tokyo with kids, the Tokyo Toy Museum is a great stop for families.

The museum has three floors of play and discovery. The entrance on the second floor opens to the Good Toy Gallery, filled with popular wooden toys kids can play with, a Special Exhibition Room showcasing rare toys, and the Wood Toy Forest, an indoor play area with slides and a wooden ball pit that my kid loved. Downstairs, the first floor is designed for infants, featuring a Wooden Baby Room with toys for ages 0–2, a nursing room, and a cozy play space. The third floor caters to older children, with a Toy Factory for hands-on workshops and rooms full of traditional Japanese toys, instruments, and science games. We spent most of our time on the second floor since the third-floor activities were a bit advanced for our 3-year-old, but older kids were having a blast playing the games together there.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

• Age Range: all ages!
• Cost: 500 yen
• Location: Shinjuku
• How to Get There: from Tokyo Station, take the Marunouchi (red) subway line to Shinjuku-gyoemmae station (stop M10). Take exit 1 at the station. The Tokyo Toy Museum is a 10 minute walk from the Okido Gate of the Garden.
• Hours: 9am – 6pm (March 15 to June 30 and August 21 to September 30), 9am – 7pm (July 1 to August 20, 9am – 4:30pm (October 1 to March 14)

If you’re looking for a green escape from Tokyo’s concrete jungle, then the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. While there aren’t any play structures, the wide open lawns are perfect for kids to run and play. In spring, it’s also one of the best spots for cherry blossom viewing. It’s the perfect place for little ones to burn off energy, or even nap, while parents can relax. The garden opens earlier than most other attractions, which was perfect for us with jet lag. I much preferred letting our kid run free here than trying to keep him entertained and quiet in the hotel room!

Outdoor Playground

When we’re sightseeing with our kiddo, I usually like to break up the day with a playground stop so that he can have a chance to just run around and play. But Tokyo being the big city that it is, we found that playgrounds weren’t always conveniently located along our route to the attractions. They do exist, but you’ll usually need to walk a bit out of your way to find them. The play structures are also a little more basic (you won’t find many themed structures), but they’re still great for climbing, sliding, and burning off energy. Sometimes that short detour is totally worth it to give kids a break from sightseeing and help them get their wiggles out. Here are a few playgrounds I bookmarked near the areas we visited during our trip.

Shinjuku:

• Shinjuku Chuo Park Children’s Square: close to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (which has a free observatory).

Godzilla & Shopping

The giant Godzilla peeking out from the top of Hotel Gracery in Kabukicho was less interesting for our kid than we thought it would be. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk from the Fire Museum and Toy Museum area, and it’s right in the heart of the busy area of Shinjuku by Shinjuku JR Station. It’s right behind a giant Don Quijote. And there is a Muji nearby.

The flagship Tokyo Disney store is also in this area. You can create your own customized Disney merchandise here, which is a great souvenir for Disney fans!

If shopping in Japan feels overwhelming, narrow down your list with my curated Japan shopping guide for moms here!

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatory

• Age Range: all ages!
• Cost: FREE!!
• How to Get There: from Tokyo Station, take the Marunouchi (red) subway line to Nishi-shinjuku Station and exit via E2. To access the observation deck, take the Observation Deck Elevator from the first floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government No. 1 Building.
• Hours:
  • South Observation Deck: 9:30am to 9:30pm. Closed the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month and New Year’s Holidays (12/29-31, 1/2-3).
  • North Observation Deck: 9:30am to 5pm. Closed the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month and New Year’s Holidays (12/29-31, 1/2-3).

There are a lot of observation decks in Tokyo, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatory is one of the best free ones! On a clear day, you can even see Mount Fuji. From the observation deck, you pretty much have a 360 degree view all around Tokyo. There is usually a line to get in. So if it’s a cloudy day, then it may not be worth it to wait in line with a kid.

Where to Eat in Shinjuku with Kids

Kirimugi Ya Jinroku

This tiny restaurant turns out some of the most flavorful udon and light, crispy, not greasy tempura that we have had. The restaurant is small, with a row of short counter seats and 3 tables. We visited on a weekday for lunch and had to wait about 15 minutes in line to be seated.

They do have an English menu. Staff speak mostly Japanese, but we ordered with no problem by pointing on the menu. Staff will come outside to take your order while you are in line so the food comes pretty quickly once you are seated. We were seated at a table. They did not have a kids menu but we just ordered a plain bowl of udon for our kiddo. It seemed like they did not expect us to order anything for our kid, so I think they would be ok with young kids sharing. They did have kids bowls and utensils. Since the restaurant is small, they asked us to collapse the stroller and leave it outside.

Bookmark our handy list of kid-friendly (and delicious!) restaurants in Tokyo to avoid a hangry meltdown!

Where to Stay in Shinjuku

Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo Premier Grand ($$)

For a luxury stay in the most convenient location, I would book the Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo Premier Grand. This plush hotel is located only a couple minutes walk from Shinjuku Station and has amazing views of Tokyo from the lounge. The rooms are spacious (by Asian standards) and along with the cozy bedding ensure you have a peaceful cocoon to come home to after a day out in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo ($)

If you prefer an aparthotel with a kitchenette, the Citadines Shinjuku Tokyo is a great option close to Shinjuku Station. (Not to be confused with the Citadines Central Shinjuku Tokyo, which is located in the nightlife district of Kabukicho.) This is where we stayed, and we were pleasantly surprised by the large size of the rooms (by Asian standards, of course) since it is an apartment style hotel. The hotel is located about 10 minutes walk from Shinjuku Station, in a much more peaceful area. This large sized rooms, kitchenette, and quieter location makes this hotel a great option for families. The price is also reasonable by Tokyo standards for a room this size.

Mimaru Tokyo Shinjuku West ($$$)

Mimaru Tokyo Shinjuku West is another aparthotel option on the west side of JR Shinjuku Station. These apartments are fantastic for families. The Mimaru brand of hotels is one of the few that has multiple beds for families of all sizes, and a kitchen with a dining area. You get the privacy, space, and convenience of a home rental, but with the assistance of front desk staff. This Mimaru hotel is just a block away from Shinjuku Central Park, which has a great kid’s playground with a play structure.

If those stays are not quite perfect, check out these other highly rated stays near Shinjuku Station!

Check out our recommendations for the best places to stay in Tokyo with kids here!