Taiwan & Japan With a 2-Year-Old

What worked, what didn't & what I'd do differently after 10 days in Asia with a toddler.

WHEN: February 2024

AGE: Just turned 2

LENGTH: About 10 days

TAIWAN: Taichung — 5 days

JAPAN: Osaka → Kyoto → Tokyo — 6 days

TRAVEL STYLE: One hotel base in Taiwan, city-hopping in Japan

STROLLER: Ultra-compact umbrella stroller, used sparingly

CAR SEAT: RideSafer travel vest

JET LAG: Very real

WOULD WE DO IT AGAIN? Absolutely.

We ended up in Taiwan because my husband was traveling there for work, and we decided that if we were already taking our two-year-old halfway around the world, we might as well turn it into a family adventure.

So after several days in Taiwan, we flew to Japan and made our way through Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo.

Was traveling through Asia with a newly two-year-old always easy?

Definitely not. But it was also one of those trips that reminded me that life doesn't have to stop just because you're in a stage that requires frequent potty stops, naps and the occasional public temper tantrum.

Here's what actually helped.

THE QUICK TAKE

EASIER WITH A TODDLER Taiwan

MORE ADVENTUROUS Japan

BEST FLIGHT PURCHASE Flyaway Kids Bed

MOST EXTRA THING I PACKED A homemade vacuum-packed toddler mattress topper

DID IT WORK? Annoyingly, yes.

BEST TRANSPORTATION DECISION Leaving the full-size car seat at home

BIGGEST LOGISTICAL HEADACHE Luggage + toddler + subway stairs in Japan

MOST OVERRATED ATTRACTION teamLab Tokyo

MOST EXPENSIVE MISTAKE Not researching a restaurant before sitting down

MOST UNEXPECTEDLY AMAZING MISTAKE That same restaurant

WOULD I BRING A FULL-SIZE STROLLER? No.

WOULD I CITY-HOP JAPAN AGAIN? Yes.

01 | SURVIVING THE FLIGHT

★★★★★ Flyaway Kids Bed

We flew from Maryland to California and then continued on to Taiwan on United.

Our son had his own airplane seat, and for sleeping we used a Flyaway Kids Bed, an inflatable bed designed to fill the space between the airplane seats and create a larger sleep surface for a child.

This was a win.

But apparently I didn't think that was enough.

THE RIDICULOUS DIY MATTRESS TOPPER

Before the trip, I bought an inexpensive foam mattress topper from Amazon, cut it down to toddler size and put it inside a vacuum storage bag.

The idea was that we'd compress it for travel, then use it to give him a softer sleeping surface.

My husband hated this idea.

And, in his defense, even vacuum sealed, it still took up an obnoxious amount of our carry-on space.

But here's the problem:

Our son slept really well.

So was this necessary?

✕ Absolutely not.

Would I recommend every parent do this?

✕ Probably not.

Do I regret it?

Also no.

Sometimes the ridiculous thing works.

02 | BRING THE TABLET

★★★★★

We gave our son an Amazon Fire tablet for his second birthday shortly before the trip for use on long travel days.

And yes, we let him watch movies on the plane.

A very long international flight was not the moment we decided to take a philosophical stand against screen time.

It gave him something familiar to do during a very unfamiliar day and helped all three of us get through an extremely long travel stretch.

VERDICT: PACK IT ✓

Download content before leaving home rather than relying on airplane Wi-Fi.

03 | PREPARE FOR JET LAG

★★☆☆☆

This trip was very different from taking our little man to Europe.

The jet lag hit us hard.

The time difference was huge, and it took us a while to adjust.

There isn't a magical travel product I can recommend here.

We just had to get through it.

In Taiwan, we made more of an effort to maintain a normal nap schedule. Once we started moving around Japan, naps became much more of a take-it-when-you-can-get-it situation.

There were temper tantrums.

There was overstimulation.

There were moments when someone desperately needed a nap.

That's traveling with a two-year-old.

VERDICT: Don't expect your toddler to suddenly stop being a toddler because you're in Japan.

04 | WE SKIPPED THE TRADITIONAL CAR SEAT

Instead of hauling our bulky everyday car seat across Asia, we brought a RideSafer travel vest for situations where we needed to travel by car.

This was especially useful in Taiwan, where we occasionally used taxis.

For our particular trip, having a compact restraint option rather than hauling a large traditional car seat from city to city made an enormous difference.

VERDICT: ONE OF OUR BEST PACKING DECISIONS ✓

IMPORTANT: Travel restraints have age, size, vehicle and usage requirements. Check the manufacturer's current instructions and the laws/rules for every destination and vehicle situation before deciding what's appropriate for your child.

05 | STROLLER OR NO STROLLER?

We mostly planned to go without one.

Our son was too big for us to comfortably rely on a baby carrier anymore, and we knew we'd encounter plenty of stairs.

We did ultimately bring an ultra-small umbrella stroller, but we used it sparingly.

A lot of the time?

He walked.

Or rode on our shoulders.

And when he fell asleep at the Taiwan night market, we carried a completely limp sleeping two-year-old around.

He was not light.

WOULD I BRING A STROLLER AGAIN?

Yes—but only a tiny one.

I wouldn't want to drag a full-size stroller through this particular itinerary.

A very compact stroller gave us an option without becoming another giant piece of luggage we had to manage.

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06 | TAIWAN WITH A 2-YEAR-OLD

EASE WITH A TODDLER: ★★★★★

Taiwan was the easier half of our trip.

Not necessarily because Taiwan itself is inherently easier with children, but because of how we traveled there.

We stayed in one place.

No constantly packing.

No dragging luggage between cities.

No changing hotels every couple of nights.

That matters enormously with a two-year-old.

We stayed at The Lin Hotel in Taichung, which was beautiful and gave us a comfortable home base.

There was a park nearby, and we could walk to quite a bit—including a nice mall a few miles away when we wanted to venture farther.

We felt comfortable walking around the area and mostly explored on foot.

07 | GETTING AROUND TAICHUNG

From the airport, we used arranged transportation to get to Taichung and our hotel.

Once there, we primarily:

WALKED

with an occasional:

TAXI

The RideSafer vest was particularly useful when we needed a car.

Having one hotel as our home base made the whole experience noticeably easier.

LESSON LEARNED: Sometimes the most toddler-friendly travel decision isn't about what you pack.

It's simply moving less.

08 | EATING IN TAIWAN WITH A TODDLER

★★★★★

Food was not nearly as difficult as you might imagine.

Our son happily ate ramen, little Asian snacks and what became essentially his Taiwanese version of a PB&J from a nearby convenience store.

And convenience stores became surprisingly useful.

We also ate at Din Tai Fung, which was one of our favorite meals in Taiwan.

It was extremely easy with our son—they had child-size utensils, a bowl and cup, and we found high chairs readily available.

And the food was SO good.

VERDICT: DIN TAI FUNG ★★★★★

09 | THE NIGHT MARKET

★★★★★ FOR THE EXPERIENCE

★★★☆☆ WITH A SLEEPING 2-YEAR-OLD

Go.

It was such a unique experience and exactly the kind of thing I don't want to skip just because we're traveling with a child.

But eventually our son fell asleep.

Without a carrier.

So we carried him.

And carried him.

And carried him.

Two-year-olds become approximately 400 pounds when they're unconscious.

WOULD I DO IT AGAIN? ✓ Yes.

I'd just think harder about the exit strategy before bedtime.

10 | DON DON DONKI

FAMILY VERDICT: MIXED

My husband and son thought it was fun.

I found the crowds, noise and music completely overwhelming.

And that's worth mentioning because not every supposedly “fun” travel experience is going to work for every member of the family.

VERDICT: Worth seeing if that high-energy shopping experience sounds fun to you. If you're easily overstimulated by crowds and noise, you've been warned.

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11 | THEN CAME JAPAN

ADVENTURE: ★★★★★

TODDLER LOGISTICS: ★★★☆☆

Japan was harder.

And I liked the adventure more.

We traveled through:

OSAKA → KYOTO → TOKYO

Moving between cities meant we got to experience dramatically different parts of Japan in a short amount of time.

It also meant:

LUGGAGE.

Lots of luggage.

Combined with a toddler.

Combined with train and subway stations where we frequently struggled to locate a convenient elevator and ended up dealing with stairs.

That was probably the biggest logistical headache of the trip.

At particularly desperate moments, our luggage even became toddler transportation—he'd perch on top while we carefully moved through the station.

Not exactly an official travel hack.

LESSON LEARNED: Pack lighter than you think you need to if you're moving between Japanese cities.

12 | TAKE THE BULLET TRAIN

★★★★★

We traveled by bullet train while moving around Japan.

Even with the logistics of traveling with a toddler and all our belongings, taking the train was part of the experience.

VERDICT: DO IT ✓

And if you're city-hopping, give yourself more time than you think you'll need to navigate stations with a child.

13 | KYOTO

★★★★★

Kyoto was beautiful.

It also involved a lot of walking and stairs.

Without a carrier and with only limited stroller use, there was a lot of toddler carrying involved.

Was it easy?

No.

Would I skip Kyoto because of that?

Absolutely not.

This is one of those times when I'm glad we accepted that something could be difficult and still worth doing.

VERDICT: GO ✓

14 | JAPAN REALLY DOES THINK ABOUT LITTLE KIDS

One of the things that stood out to us was how many little accommodations we encountered for children.

Even some public bathrooms had tiny child-size urinals.

Restaurants and public spaces frequently felt prepared for families, and people were incredibly sweet toward our son.

Those little things don't eliminate the challenges of traveling with a toddler.

But they make a difference.

15 | THE $400 DINNER WE DID NOT MEAN TO HAVE

FOOD: ★★★★★

FINANCIAL PLANNING: ★☆☆☆☆

This might be my favorite travel mistake.

We went into a restaurant in Osaka without properly researching it first.

We didn't completely understand the menu.

And somewhere along the way it became apparent that we had accidentally signed ourselves up for a very high-end multi-course dining experience.

Approximately $400 USD later...

Yikes.

But here's the worst part:

It was incredible.

We had multiple courses, including wagyu, and it was genuinely some of the most delicious food I've ever eaten.

The service was immaculate—attentive, thoughtful and incredibly polished.

Would I casually spend $400 on dinner again?

No.

Would I like to eat that meal again?

Immediately.

LESSON LEARNED: LOOK UP THE RESTAURANT BEFORE YOU SIT DOWN.

Especially when you don't fully understand the menu.

16 | SUSHI IN JAPAN

★★★★★

Yes, eat the sushi.

We loved the conveyor-belt sushi experience in particular.

It's casual, interactive and lets everyone try different things.

Just read what you're ordering carefully.

There were options that were considerably more adventurous than what we were accustomed to seeing on an American sushi menu.

VERDICT: CONVEYOR-BELT SUSHI ✓

17 | TEAMLAB

★★★☆☆

This was probably the most overrated thing we did.

There were some genuinely cool moments and visually impressive spaces.

But overall?

It didn't live up to the hype for us.

The barefoot portions and shared footwear aspects also weren't particularly appealing to us, and my husband especially wasn't a fan of the experience.

I'm glad we saw it.

I wouldn't build a return trip around doing it again.

VERDICT: FINE ONCE. WOULD SKIP NEXT TIME ✕

18 | PACK FOR TWO DIFFERENT TRIPS

This caught us off guard.

TAIWAN: Sunny, warm, short sleeves.

Then Japan:

SNOW.

Not a blizzard—but enough of a weather change that we needed completely different clothing.

For one roughly 10-day trip, we needed everything from:

SWIMSUITS → COATS

That doesn't exactly help with the aforementioned luggage problem.

LESSON LEARNED: Don't assume nearby stops on the same Asia itinerary will require the same wardrobe. Check each destination separately before packing.

19 | THE THINGS THAT ACTUALLY EARNED THEIR LUGGAGE SPACE

★★★★★ FLYAWAY KIDS BED

Our best flight item.

★★★★★ AMAZON FIRE TABLET

International-flight rules are different from everyday-at-home rules in our house.

★★★★★ RIDESAFER TRAVEL VEST

Far easier for our particular itinerary than hauling our bulky everyday car seat.

★★★★☆ ULTRA-COMPACT UMBRELLA STROLLER

Didn't use it constantly, but small enough that I was glad we had the option.

★★★★★ MEDICINE KIT

I always travel with one.

★★★★☆ DIY FOAM MATTRESS TOPPER

Objectively ridiculous.

Unfortunately effective.

20 | TAIWAN VS. JAPAN WITH A TODDLER

TAIWAN

EASIER ✓

Staying in one hotel made a huge difference.

It felt slower, more manageable and easier to maintain things like naps.

JAPAN

MORE ADVENTUROUS ✓

Moving through Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo made it harder logistically, but it also made this half of the trip feel like a bigger adventure.

If I were doing Japan again?

I'd still visit multiple cities.

They're too different to pick one and assume you've experienced Japan.

I'd just pack lighter.

Much lighter.

WHAT I'D DO AGAIN

✓ Give our toddler his own airplane seat

✓ Bring the Flyaway Kids Bed

✓ Bring entertainment for the plane

✓ Pack a tiny stroller rather than a full-size one

✓ Visit multiple cities in Japan

✓ Take the bullet train

✓ Eat lots of sushi

✓ Wander the night market in Taiwan

✓ Try foods we don't recognize

✓ Keep our plans flexible

WHAT I'D DO DIFFERENTLY

✕ Bring luggage with better wheels

✕ Assume we'd easily find an elevator whenever we needed one

✕ Walk into an expensive-looking restaurant without figuring out what it costs

✕ Expect naps and schedules to work exactly like they do at home

✕ Devote precious itinerary space to things just because they're popular online

MY THREE PIECES OF ADVICE

1 | MAKE THE FLIGHT AS COMFORTABLE AS YOU CAN

For us, the Flyaway bed was worth the luggage space.

So was the tablet.

And apparently so was my absurd homemade mattress topper.

2 | IN JAPAN, SEE MORE THAN ONE CITY

Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo felt different enough that I'm very glad we didn't stay in one place.

Just pack accordingly.

3 | DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW

Not everything will go according to plan.

Your toddler may melt down.

Someone will need a nap at an inconvenient time.

You may accidentally spend $400 on dinner.

Go anyway.

“WHY NOT WAIT UNTIL HE'LL REMEMBER IT?”

I've heard versions of this argument about traveling with very young kids:

Why spend all that money? They won't even remember it.

But his memory isn't the only reason we travel.

Life doesn't stop while we're waiting for our children to reach the perfect age.

There is beauty in every stage of family life, and it was incredibly fun for us as parents to experience Taiwan and Japan with him.

He is part of our family.

So he was part of our adventure.

There were temper tantrums. There was jet lag. There were missed naps and tired arms and moments that were harder because we had a two-year-old with us.

And there were also ramen dinners, bullet trains, night markets and a tiny two-year-old experiencing a part of the world completely different from home.

He may not remember that trip.

We do.

And I'd go again.

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Last updated: August 2026