Shinkansen with Kids in Japan: Quiet Activities for Ages 3–6

Many families in Japan travel back to their hometowns over the year-end and New Year holidays. Before the trip, it’s common to wonder whether your child will get bored on a long ride, and what to bring without adding to your luggage. This guide is for parents riding the Shinkansen (bullet train) with children aged 3 to 6.

We compare activities that work well on the train by noise, mess, what you need to bring, how involved a parent needs to be, and how easy they are to pack away. You’ll also find:

• Example plans by journey length
• A checklist for the small bag you keep at your seat
• A simple window bingo game you can copy onto paper

The activities and plans here are suggestions from our editorial team. Not every idea will suit every child, so start with the ones closest to how your child usually plays. This article does not cover fares or how to choose seats.

Choose Shinkansen activities by noise, small parts, and how easily they pack away

On the train, it’s worth thinking beyond whether an activity is fun: where will your child spread it out, and how will you put it away? Planning for both makes the ride less hectic. Choose things with few parts that are easy to stop partway through.

Even “silent” toys can make noise, depending on how they’re used

Toys without electronic sounds or music can still make other noises on a train, such as:

• A pen tapping on the tray table
• Blocks or crayons dropping on the floor
• A case lid being opened and shut again and again

That’s why we describe these as quiet activities rather than silent ones. With any activity, a child may get excited and start talking loudly. That doesn’t mean you prepared badly. The aim is simply to choose items that are less likely to make noise during play.

Three rules of thumb for choosing items:

• Paper or fabric rather than hard materials
• Flat shapes rather than things that roll
• One-piece items rather than things that come apart

Items like these tend to make less noise when dropped and are easier to pick up. Weight and shape matter too, though, so it’s worth trying out the things your child normally uses before the trip.

Plan where each activity will go when it’s time to pack away

The tray table and your lap offer less space than you might expect. Instead of taking everything out at once, make “one thing out, one thing away” your basic rule. It also shortens the tidy-up before you get off.

Activities that spread into the aisle or onto the next seat affect other passengers’ movement and use of their seats, so we’ve left them out of our main suggestions.

Keep play materials in a pouch inside a small bag you can reach from your seat:

• Activity pouch: holds only play items
• Small bag: holds the things you’ll take out during the journey, such as drinks and a change of clothes

Keep the small bag within easy reach, separate from your main luggage. We list what goes in each in the packing section below.

Activity comparison (our editorial summary)

It helps to have one game that needs no props at all. It works as a backup when your other activities run out, or when it’s hard to get into your bag.

Easy activities for the train, and how to wrap each one up

Window games, paper-based play, and screen-based play each need different preparation. Choose based on what your child enjoys and where you’re sitting, and decide in advance what you’ll do instead if one doesn’t work.

Window bingo

Reference video in Japanese: children playing a bingo game on a walk.

How to play: While staying seated, look for things you can see from the window. When your child spots one, they point to it or circle it on the paper.

Parent’s role: For ages 3–4, an adult reads out the items and searches together with the child. Around ages 5–6, children may be able to read the sheet and search on their own.

Packing away: When you’re done, fold the paper and put it back in the activity pouch.

If it doesn’t work: If it’s dark outside, or you can’t see much from your seat, switch to something like a seek-and-find picture book.

Simple window bingo (3×3)

You can copy this grid onto a small sheet of paper.

How to play bingo

• Look for things you can see while staying seated.
• When you find something, point to it or circle it. For the center square, “Your choice,” your child picks something before the ride (for example, “something red”) and circles it when they spot it.
• A full line, whether across, down, or diagonal, is a good place to stop. It’s also fine to finish without one.

Depending on the route and your seat, some squares may never turn up. When you copy the grid, swap any squares that don’t suit your route. For example, if the line runs along the coast, you could change one to “Sea.”

“Tunnel” counts as soon as you can tell you’ve gone through one, for example when it suddenly goes dark outside. Your child doesn’t need to press their face to the window.

Picture books / seek-and-find

Reference video in Japanese: a spot-the-difference animation for young children.

How to play: Using a book you already have at home, look for a favorite picture or an object you’ve chosen together.

Parent’s role: Search together for the first few pages, then step back once your child gets the hang of it. A book that’s still fun when you talk in quiet voices means you won’t have to worry as much about reading aloud.

Packing away: Say something like, “Let’s finish after these two pages,” then put the book away.

If it doesn’t work: If the train’s motion seems to make the pages hard to look at, don’t push it. Switch to a game that needs no props, or to some rest time.

Sticker books

Reference video in Japanese: a simple sticker binder made with items from Daiso, a Japanese 100-yen shop chain.

How to play: Stickers go only on their own sheets or in the sticker book.

Parent’s role: Mostly watching. Lifting the edge of hard-to-peel stickers in advance means fewer requests for help.

Packing away: Put used backing sheets and scraps into a bag right away. Anything that falls under the seat tends to become a last-minute search just before you get off.

Things to note: Don’t stick anything on the train’s fittings, seats, or windows. Choose a sticker book that fits on the tray table without spreading onto nearby seats.

Drawing with a small pad and a few pens

How to play: Your child draws one subject of their choice, such as “the train we just saw” or “the people we’re going to see.”

Parent’s role: Choosing a subject together at the start makes it easier for your child to begin.

Packing away: The pad and pens go back into the same case.

Things to note: Bringing lots of capped pens or round colored pencils means more things get dropped. Limit how many you bring, or choose shapes that don’t roll.

Photo memory quiz

Reference video in Japanese.

How to play: Look through photos saved on your phone and chat about them: “Where was this?” “What did we eat here?”

Parent’s role: Talk it through together. Photos of the family you’re visiting also give you something to talk about when you arrive.

Packing away: Stop after a few photos and put the device away.

Things to note: Don’t turn this into a game of taking photos of other passengers.

Finger shapes / copycat game

Reference video in Japanese: a copycat game for young children.

How to play: Staying in your own seats, take turns making hand shapes and copying them. Simple one-handed shapes work well, such as holding up one or two fingers or making a circle with your thumb and index finger.

Parent’s role: Play together. Since it needs no props, it also works when your bag is hard to get into.

Packing away: Finish by agreeing, “This shape is the last one.”

Things to note: Skip clapping, singing, and hand games with big movements. Keep to movements that fit within your seat.

Downloaded videos / apps that work offline

How to play: Before you leave, check that videos play and apps open without an internet connection.

Sound: On the train, don’t play sound through the device’s speaker. Watch with the sound off, or use headphones your child can wear, and keep the volume low enough that other passengers cannot hear it.

Parent’s role: Mostly watching. It can also give you a short break.

Packing away: Agree in advance on when to stop, such as “when this episode ends” or “before we reach the station.” It makes putting the device away easier.

If it doesn’t work: In case your child won’t wear headphones, or they can’t be used, also download some things that are fun with the sound off. We cover what to check before boarding in the packing section.

Treat snacks and meals as a “break”

Reference video in Japanese: one family’s 1.5-hour Shinkansen ride with a 2-year-old. The child is younger than this article’s 3–6 focus.

Think of snacks and meals as a break between activities. We don’t recommend keeping a child eating continuously just to keep them quiet. Using mealtime as a natural pause, and switching activities before and after it, helps the ride flow.

Play for ages 3–6, and example plans by journey length

Match how much you bring to the length of the ride and how your child usually plays. A long ride doesn’t necessarily call for lots of toys. When you choose, allow for rest time, and for some things coming home unused.

Go by what your child can do and enjoys, not just their age

The same activity can be adjusted to different ages by changing who does what. The table below shows examples of adjustments, not developmental benchmarks.

If siblings are traveling together, giving each child a role makes it easier to share one activity. For example, the older child can be in charge of giving prompts.

Separate your main activities from your backups, by journey length

As one example, for a 1–2 hour ride you might bring “a thin seek-and-find book and a sticker book, with the finger copycat game as a backup.” Both books are flat and fit easily into one activity pouch. This doesn’t mean the combination will fill the whole ride; use it as a starting point when choosing.

Rather than planning a detailed schedule, it can help to think in terms of a loose flow like this, so you can decide on the spot:

• Just after boarding: Time to settle in. Decide where your bags go, and look out the window before taking out any toys.
• Once you’re settled: Bring out one main activity, such as bingo or a picture book.
• When interest fades: Switch to a different type of activity, or take a snack or rest break. This is when the backup comes out.
• Before getting off: Shortly before arrival, say “We’ll finish at the next station,” and put things back in the pouch. A final check under the seat and on the tray table helps prevent leaving things behind.

Pack the things you play with and the things for tidying up together

Organize what you’ll use during the ride into the activity pouch and the small bag at your seat. Keep a bag for used paper and small bits in the same place as the play items.

What goes in your small bag

Activity pouch

• □ Books and play items your child normally uses
• □ Small sheets of paper for bingo
• □ The pens or pencils you need (kept together in a case)
• □ A bag for used sticker sheets and trash

Small bag (with the activity pouch inside)

• □ Wet wipes, if needed
• □ Drinks, a change of clothes, and other everyday items your child needs
• □ If using a device: charger and headphones

This list focuses on what you’ll take out at your seat, not everything you need for the trip. “Things your child normally uses” come first because your child can start on their own without needing an explanation.

Check videos and apps work before you board

The internet may not always work well on board. According to JR West, free onboard Wi-Fi on the Shinkansen uses mobile phone signals, so it may be unavailable depending on signal conditions. Bandwidth is also limited, so data-heavy use may not run smoothly.
(Source: Free Wi-Fi on Shinkansen Trains | JR Odekake Net (JR West), in Japanese)

If you plan to use videos or apps, check the following before leaving home:

• Do they play or open without an internet connection?
• Will you need to sign in again? Will downloaded videos still be available on the day you travel?
• Could ads, notifications, or sounds pop up suddenly?
• Is the device charged? Do the headphones connect, and will your child wear them?

Whether something works offline depends on the app or service. Check the information provided by the service you use.

If your child won’t play or gets loud, it’s fine to change plans

Some days, the activities you brought won’t get used at all. Before reaching for one thing after another, check how your child is doing: sleepy, tired, needing the toilet? Resting is also an option.

Before adding more activities, look at how your child is doing

When a child isn’t interested in playing or is getting louder, the problem may not be a lack of activities. They may be sleepy, too warm, hungry, or need the toilet. Rather than assuming you prepared badly, try these adjustments you can make from your seat, one at a time:

• Talk quietly about something your child likes
• Put things away for a while and simply do nothing
• Rest: adjust their jacket, or have a drink

Using a video is one of these adjustments, too. Turning to one doesn’t mean things went wrong.

If you need to move, check your surroundings and your footing

When getting up from your seat, watch out for the train’s motion, people passing in the aisle, and bags at your feet. The aisle and the vestibule (the entrance area by the carriage doors, often signed as the “deck” on Japanese trains) are for moving through or waiting briefly, not for playing. If you need help, you can also speak to the train crew.

JR West explains that the Shinkansen multipurpose room can be used for breastfeeding, changing clothes, or when someone feels unwell, when it is not in use by a passenger with a disability. To use it, ask a member of the train crew.
(Source: For Passengers Traveling with Children | JR Odekake Net (JR West), in Japanese)

Shinkansen with kids: frequently asked questions

Q1. Can my child still play if we don’t get a window seat?

Yes. If you can’t see much from your seat, focus on activities your child can do at their seat, such as seek-and-find books, drawing, or the finger copycat game. For bingo, an adult can describe what they see and the child circles it.

Q2. How many toys should we bring?

There’s no set number. As in the example plans by journey length, separate your main activities from your backups, and aim for an amount that fits in one activity pouch. Knowing one game that needs no props makes it easier to switch, even if you’ve brought only a few things.

Q3. Is it okay to use a phone or videos?

Yes. Whether to use them is each family’s decision. On the train, don’t play sound through the device’s speaker. Turn the sound off or use headphones, and keep the volume low enough that other passengers cannot hear it. If your child won’t wear headphones, switch to something that’s fun with the sound off. Before boarding, check that it plays without an internet connection.

Q4. Can siblings share the same activities?

Yes. With bingo, for example, the older child can read out the items while the younger one searches. Giving each child a role makes it easier to play together. For stickers and drawing, packing a separate set for each child in its own bag helps avoid squabbles.

Q5. What if my child doesn’t want to play?

There’s no need to push; it’s fine to put things away. Sleepiness or tiredness may be the reason, so start with adjustments you can make from your seat: rest, talk, or take some time to do nothing.

Q6. Where can I check seating and the multipurpose room?

Where facilities are located, and whether there’s a multipurpose room, varies by train and by car. Check the information from the JR company that runs your train.
(Source: N700/N700A Seating Layout and Onboard Facilities | JR Central, in Japanese)
(Source: For Passengers Traveling with Children | JR Odekake Net (JR West), in Japanese)

If you’re deciding which type of seat to book, you can also check the fares and rules for riding the Green Car, JR’s premium-class car, with children (article in Japanese).

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