Originally Posted by
evergrn
I don’t know about your son and what you want for him out of this trip. But generally speaking, I think most kids would hate the idea of crowded tourist attractions esp in sweltering heat, unless it’s Disney or Pokémon shop or something that interests them. That being the case, I’m not sure why you would need to hit the usual tourist spots like those historical sites in Kyoto, when you could just go to the quieter places in Kyushu and Shikoku that you would’ve otherwise opted for. Think they have Pokémon shops in Fukuoka. I’m sure they have Namcoland everywhere, too. And whatever sights and experiences you come upon in off-the-beaten-path Jpn, your son may take interest in some things, may be bored by others, but it may turn out to be no less enriching to him than a visit to crowded major sights. You could still hit a couple of major attractions on your trip. But maybe you don’t necessarily need to make your entire trip to be on the tourist trail or off it.
Obviously, it varies person to person, but we were also very aware that an 8yo wasn't going to want to do the same things as a 50yo. But children have a habit of surprising you. Yes, he loved the Pokémon, Nintendo and Gacha shops everywhere, though the big ones in Tokyo were the favourite. Kids and parents were lovely with him on the Pokémon arcade games, as he had no cards to start with!
But then he loved the shrines and temples, the associated beliefs and rituals, the imagery, animals and spirits. And he wanted to see the big sites too - the Skytree, Shibuya Crossing, the Nara deer (and the Buddha's nostril), Fushimi Inari. He still wants to see the Itsukushima Shrine, go to some places around Nagano prefecture, and is intrigued by Hokkaido (not least to eat butter and melon). So I am sure we'll take this approach on a future visit. But the well beated tourist trail worked for us this time. Sometimes the most popular sites are the ones you want to see first!