Best kids' spots in Tokyo

Whether you're on a longer vacation or just looking for a day's fun, central Tokyo is no easy option.

The crowded, noisy and polluted Big Ringo is notorious for quickly sucking dry all your physical and mental energies. And things get even tougher if you have kids in tow, lost between salaryman legs on crushed commuter trains or in a forest of pedestrians on Omotesando.

So what to do?

Take them to a beautiful garden like the calm of Rikugien? Your children will be bored to tears.

Luckily though, Tokyo has no shortage of kid-centric fun palaces where the little bundles of joy can be entertained, or even better, kept active to the point that they'll go home exhausted.

Best of all, most of the best kids' spots in Tokyo have the added appeal of being free. Read on for a few of the best in our book.

Tokyo Toy Museum

The ball pool -- what's not to like about thousands of wooden beads?

Why go? First established in Nakano in 1984 by an avid toy collector, this veritable toy paradise has been recently shifted by his son into a beautiful elementary school in Yotsuya to become one of the best kids' spots in Tokyo.

Actually, the name “museum” is a little misleading because the museum proper only occupies one and a half rooms. This is the only area where you can look but not touch.

The rest of the place is a huge hands-on playing field. After buying the tickets, you first find a room full of simple wooden toys that everybody is free to play with.

There are two more floors to explore. One of the most popular attractions is the Toy Forest, where you can find, among other things, a big dollhouse, a corner devoted to the abacus (featuring the biggest example we've ever seen) and a sandbox-like area filled with more than 20,000 wooden beads the kids can dive into and roll around. 

The Game Room is suited for older children (and young-at-heart parents), as the games here require some thinking and more skilled handy-work. There is also a workshop devoted to such projects as simple toy-making.

Dedicated staff are always on hand to help and explain how to play the trickier games.

Top tip: “Wood” and “low-tech” are the keywords here. When the museum moved to Yotsuya, 80 craftsmen from all over Japan were asked to create 500 wooden toys in building one of the best kids' spots in Tokyo.

Also, the entire floor in the Toy Forest room was made from cypress especially shipped from Kyushu (visitors are required to take off their shoes before entering).

Price: Adult: ¥700 (junior high school and above); Child: ¥500 (aged three and above); Adult and child pair ticket: ¥1,000.

Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (last admission: 3:30 p.m.). Closed on Thursday (unless it is a national holiday) and during the New Year holidays.

4-20 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku. +81 (0) 3 5367 9601.

http://goodtoy.org/ttm/ (Japanese only)

Getting there: From Yotsuya Sanchome station (Tokyo Metro, Marunouchi Line, Exit 2) when you reach the street, turn right and walk straight. Take the third street on the right.

The museum is on the right-hand side. Walking time -- five minutes.