Why Travel Abroad with Kids?
To what country do you want to travel with children born after 2010? It’s not necessarily the most frequented 2023 tourest destinations (Spain, Turkey, Italy, Fiji), or the most family-feiendly countries (Italy, Sweden, New Zealand).
Other reasons to visit a country with your family is that you may have a family of origin, relative, friend, organization, work, and/or interest connection. For example, you might have connections in Japan If you are traveling during a school vacation, you may choose to narrow down your destination to one city in the country you have selected, such as Tokyo.
Who Wants To Travel Where?
There’s a delecate balance of what experiences you want to take in and what experiences your child would prefer. A nine-year old might be drawn to Akihabara, a district of Tokyo that features a Pandora’s box of games, anime, and electronics shops, https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-akihabara/article-a0000110/..
After all these high tech vibes, you might choose to visit quieter spots, such as the Sensoji Temple, Meiji Shrine, and Ryugoku Kokugikan or other national shrines.or parks in the historic Asakusa region.
Now that you and your kids have chosen a destination, how can you prepare?
Preparing To Travel Activities
Following are a few activities to prepare for a family trip to Tokyo with an “almost pre-teen:”
Documenary Films: View age-appropriate family films, tv shows, podcasts, and tech games, such as the following:
1.a. “More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story.” Born to Japanese parents, Pat Morita was the martial arts master in The Karate Kid (1984). Suffering from Spinal Tuberculosis as a child, he spent several years in the hospital, immobilized in a body cast, entertaining other children and staff with sock puppets, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pat-Morita.
1.b. “Neverr-ending Man Hayao Miyazaki, ” https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Never-ending+man+hayao+miyazaki&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:70a03707,vid:7od_hvrGeHo,st:0, is a family documentary about one of the most popular Japanese anime producers
Anime Films, developed in Japan, are popular with kids, such as the “The Wind Rises,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhHoCnRg1Yw. Hayao Miyazaki’s most recent anime film is “The Boy and the Heron, “ https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/09/miyazaki-the-boy-and-the-heron/.
Language: Japanese people have a reputation for being polite. If you plan to visit Japan, it can be helpful to learn ” Top 30 Japanese Travel Phrases for Travelers, “ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GMLXqMu8tc
Book: Following is a book for 10 years olds, and upon which Hayao Miyazaki based his newest film, “The Boy and the Heron:” Entitled “How Do You Live?” by Genzaburo Yoshins, you can listen to an audio sample here: https://www.overdrive.com/media/7411293/how-do-you-live.
Travel Book: For a travel book to Tokyo for kids, check out “Lonely Planet Kids Tokyo City Trails,” https://shop.lonelyplanet.com/collections/kids/products/city-trails-tokyo-us-1.
Expanding Intergenerational Worldviews
Whether you travel to Japan physically, or take an armchair travel to Japan, sharing intergenerational activities related to a journey to that country (or sharing intergenerational activites related to a jouney to another country) can open horions for both elders and youth. To expand intergenerational worldviews, you can feature a different country every month or every few months.
Reflections
When you watch a film, play a game, or read a book, ask yourself the following questions:
What did you like about the film/game/book?
What would you do differently if you were the author/producer/designer?
Did you identify with anyone in the film/game/book? if so who and why?