Anpanman Museum Hotels for Families: Yokohama, Sendai, Kobe, Nagoya and Fukuoka

The Anpanman Children's Museum, built around the beloved Japanese picture-book and cartoon hero Anpanman, is the play space that two and three year olds fall hardest for. They sing, they dance, they run around clutching a plush doll, and by the time you leave their batteries are completely flat. Hauling the bags and the stroller on a long journey after that is the hardest part of the day for a family. So the plan that rarely goes wrong is to stay one night nearby, close enough that you can head straight back to the room the moment everyone runs out of steam.

The Yokohama museum is in Minatomirai 6-chome, Nishi Ward, with Shin-Takashima Station on the Minatomirai Line as the nearest stop. Hilton Yokohama stands on the same block, and a few minutes on foot away, Hilton Garden Inn Yokohama Minatomirai lends out cribs and baby baths and provides diaper bins, so you can travel with less in the suitcase. The Westin Yokohama lends cribs and bed guards and offers a toddler meal menu, which covers slightly older children too.

The Kobe museum sits inside Kobe Harborland, within walking distance of JR Kobe Station. Also in Harborland, Kobe Harborland Onsen Manyo Club is a hot-spring hotel with Japanese-style tatami rooms, private baths you can reserve for your family, a baby bed in the bath changing room, and permission to bring in baby food and have it warmed, which makes for a gentle end to a busy day. Kobe Hotel Juraku and the Kobe Marriott Hotel are in the same area. In Fukuoka, the museum is inside the Hakata Riverain complex, and Hotel Okura Fukuoka is in the same complex, with a nursing room, a formula preparation space, baby bath rental, and a toddler meal menu. The Nagoya location is inside Nagashima Resort in Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture, where Hotel Hanamizuki offers large Japanese-style tatami rooms, meals served in your room, and the option to bring in baby food and have it warmed. In Sendai the museum is on the east side of JR Sendai Station, while The Westin Sendai listed here is in Ichibancho on the opposite side of the tracks, with crib rental and allergy support.

Loaner items are limited in number, and each hotel sets its own age limits and its own rules on children sharing a parent's bed. If a hotel catches your eye, look through the verified features on its page here, then confirm against the latest information on the hotel's official site and your booking site.