Kichojouji is one of the cooler areas of Tokyo. It has the beautiful Inokashira park with its lovely man-made lake. The lake is surrounded by beautiful cherry blossom trees and is often filled with all manner of interesting buskers and street performers on the weekends.

You can buy some pellets or bread and feed the huge carp in the lake, or even take out a row boat or one of those swan boats that you pedal. There is a playground at the east end of the park for kids.Of note for a rainy day is the Ghibli Museum. This is not to be missed as the kids will just love it. It is very popular so try to get your tickets in advance. You can take a bus from the station to the museum but it is just over a kilometer if you go through the park and it is a lovely walk. The Ghibli museum is a Japanese Anime museum created by Ghibli Studios. The building itself is a sprawling architechtural anomaly and is very playful. This is not your typical museum as it has lots of nooks and crannies, and so much of it is oriented towards kids.

There are the usual memorabilia of anime movie production but they are presented in quirky and original ways. The decor is bright and their are sculptures of robots, and all manner of animation pictures over walls and ceilings. Some exhibitions involved strobe lights and models to make them look like they are moving. There are several short animation clips to look at and a huge stuffed catbus which all the kids jump on. The place will be a trip for both you and the kids so definitely check it out.