u/everslackheat

Three families, 15 of us, doing Tokyo and Kyoto over Thanksgiving week (Nov 21-28). Kids from 5 to 17. With a group this size we're doing one main thing a day that everyone joins, and letting families split off for lunch or an afternoon. We're using vans and taxis in Tokyo rather than trains.

Questions at the bottom.

Sat 21. Land Narita mid-afternoon, hotels by 5:30, easy dinner, bed.

Sun 22. Senso-ji early, Tokyo National Museum, gyoza lunch in Asakusa. In the afternoon the grandmother and younger kids do a washi paper-making class. The rest of us haven't decided: Sumida river boat down to Hamarikyu and the tea house, Nezu Museum, or Skytree. Dinner for the adults is a wagyu counter in Azabu-Juban.

Mon 23 (holiday). Dads and kids: Meiji Jingu at 8, Harajuku, pizza lunch in Azabu-Juban at noon, teamLab Planets at 1, then Shibuya Sky at 3:30 to be up there an hour before sunset. The mums have a shopping day (Cat Street, Aoyama, Ginza). One family is trying for the Ghibli Museum in the morning. Everyone back together for dinner in Ginza.

Tue 24. A couple of dads do the Toyosu auction and Tsukiji at dawn. Slow morning for everyone else, lunch in Asakusa, sumo show at 3. Sushi dinner in Nakameguro for the adults and older kids.

Wed 25. teamLab Borderless at 9 with all 15, finishing at the tea house inside around 10:45. Out by 11:15, Nozomi at noon, Kyoto by 2:15. Check in, private tea ceremony at 4 near Ninenzaka, Kiyomizu-dera illumination at 5:45, dinner at the hotel.

Thu 26. Arashiyama. Bamboo grove at 8, Tenryu-ji, then the Sagano torokko at 10:02 to Kameoka and the Hozugawa boat at 11 back down to Arashiyama. Monkey park after for whoever wants the climb. Back to the hotel by 3 for a samurai thing with the kids. Group dinner in Gion.

Fri 27. Free day. Options on the table are cycling, a pottery wheel, Kinkaku-ji, Nara, Philosopher's Path, or sleeping in. Hamburg steak lunch in Gion, a wagashi-making class for the kids in the afternoon, and four adults are doing a geiko dinner.

Sat 28. Fushimi Inari at 7 for anyone awake, pack, teamLab Biovortex by Kyoto Station at 12:30, then vans to KIX for an evening flight.

Questions

1. Monday: is 1h45 inside Planets enough with four kids, and is Toyosu to Shibuya by car on a holiday afternoon really about 30 minutes? Or should I push Shibuya Sky to 4 and live with being closer to sunset?
2. Wednesday: leaving Borderless at 11:15 for a noon Nozomi from Tokyo Station, by van, with 15 people. Enough time, or take the 12:30?
3. Thursday: the torokko gets to Kameoka at 10:27 and the boat leaves at 11, with a bus connection in between. Does that hold in peak foliage week with 11 of us, or should I book the 11:30 boat / take taxis? Any reason to do the boat first and train back?
4. What have we missed for the 8–13s in Tokyo? We have the two teamLabs, Shibuya Sky, PARCO, sumo, Harajuku, a washi class and maybe Ghibli.
5. If you had to cut one thing from this week, what would it be and why?

Happy to report back afterwards on what worked for a big mixed-age group.

Hi all - planning a family trip Jul 30 to Aug 6 2026 (very soon) and would love a reality check from people who actually know Iceland.

Party: 3 adults, 3 kids (13, 12, 5) - renting an automatic van

The plan (Jul 30–Aug 6):

• Jul 30: land KEF ~9am, drive to Black Sand Hotel (Ölfus), 1 night
• Jul 31: drive the south coast east (Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, Reynisfjara, Fjaðrárgljúfur), and sleep at Eldhraun Holiday Home near Kirkjubæjarklaustur
• Aug 1: day out to Skaftafell + Jökulsárlón + Diamond Beach, come back and stay at Eldhraun
• Aug 2: drive to Torfhús in the Golden Circle, 2 nights
• Aug 3: Golden Circle (Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss)
• Aug 4–6: Reykjavík, fly home Aug 6

Questions

1) Vegetarian / allergy friendly food: My wife is vegetarian, the two older kids are mostly vegetarian and a bit picky, and our 5-year-old has allergies to egg, wheat, sesame, nuts, and he's vegetarian too. He reliably eats rice/quinoa, plain steamed veg, fruit, dairy, and GF pasta. The plan is to cook for him at Eldhraun (it has a kitchen) but honestly not sure if there are options outside of that. Any veg-friendly spots or grocery tips? Is cooking at Eldhraun the right move?

2) Eldhraun Holiday Home: Has anyone stayed? It's an 8-bedroom guesthouse (private toilets but shared showers). We're kinda wimpy, is it going to be too rustic? There aren't a lot of available alternatives at this time.

3) Pacing: is this too much car time for a 5-year-old? Jul 31 and Aug 2 are the big drive days. Would you cut the Jökulsárlón run or restructure it?

Most of our stays are still flexible, so honest feedback is deeply appreciated.

Thank you in advance!