Tokyo on a rainy day with kids

Rain in Tokyo is not a problem to endure — it's a chance to do some of the city's best family things anyway. Between the rainy season in June, the odd typhoon and plain bad luck, most trips catch at least one wet day, and Tokyo is so richly stocked with indoor attractions that many families barely notice. The one habit worth building is keeping a mental rainy list ready so a grim forecast becomes a plan rather than a scramble.

A practical note before you head out: many of these are connected to or near stations, so you can often go door-to-door with minimal soaking. Pack a small towel and a spare pair of socks and you're set.

The big indoor headliners

If you're only choosing one thing, make it one of these — each easily fills half a day:

• teamLab Borderless — immersive digital art that spans every age from toddler to teen, and feels like a completely different world once you're inside.
• Small Worlds Tokyo — a vast, detailed miniature museum where primary kids and teens lose all track of time.
• Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo — the Making of Harry Potter — a fully indoor, book-ahead experience that turns a washout into a trip highlight.

Aquariums and hands-on museums

Aquariums are the classic rainy-day move: dark, warm and mesmerising for every age. Sumida Aquarium sits right under the Skytree — so you can pair it with the shops and cafés in Solamachi if the weather really sets in — and Sunshine Aquarium in Ikebukuro adds a rooftop penguin walk you can enjoy even between showers.

For older kids, Miraikan brings robots, space and hands-on science under one roof and rewards a slow, question-filled visit. The Railway Museum at Omiya is entirely indoors too, with a driving simulator and enormous model layout that keeps train fans happy for hours regardless of what's falling outside.

Indoor play and character cafés

When you just need to let younger kids off the leash somewhere warm and safe, ASOBono! at Tokyo Dome City and the gentle Tokyo Toy Museum are ideal, and KidZania Tokyo turns a whole rainy day into an imaginative role-play adventure (book ahead).

A character café is a lovely way to make a wet lunch feel like a treat. The Pokémon Café in Nihonbashi is the obvious crowd-pleaser but needs a reservation, often well in advance. If you can't get in, a short, well-behaved visit to a cat café like Cat Cafe MoCHA is a warm, calm way to wait out a downpour. As always, check each venue page for current opening hours, prices and booking rules before you set off — timed entry and reservations are the norm at the busiest spots.