Well the kids will probably be relieved to hear that most museums are closed on Mondays....

See whether the followings are of interest or not:

Kidzania in Urban Dock Lalaport Toyosu shopping complex, www.kidzania.jp/about/e_index.html

Muscle Park in Odaiba Decks Tokyo, www.musclepark.jp

Odaiba - Went there last month and has the following attractions:

Toyota world (Mega Web)- Sit in a car that drives itself in and around the building. Or sit in a race car simulator

Large Ferris Wheel

Observation Tower

Monorail/boat ride in order to get there

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3008.html

Hmmm, can I still think like a 12 and 9 year old?

Well, so much for my thought about suggesting the Ueno Zoo to check out the giant pandas...closed on Mondays.

Akihabara could be fun...a hunt for crazy kid stuff. I always find some crazy stuff that kids seem to really like in Akihabara. On my last trip I found pens that have moving gears inside a clear plastic frame and they light up and make noise when writing. Problem was that when I brought them home the adults wanted them.

I think the aquariums are open on Mondays. Check out the Japan with Kids website: tokyowithkids.com/entertainment/aquarium.htm… After a stop in Akihabara head up to Ikebukuro and check out the fishes.

How about a river cruise??? About 45 minutes and won't break the bank. See suijobus.co.jp/english/…index_su_line.html.

Not sure if they're still there, but a few months ago Nissan had a couple of race cars on display in their show room in the Ginza.

If you like the outdoors and want to get out of the city on a day trip how about Mt. Takao and the Monkey Park? Lots on web you can peruse, here's a Herald Tribune article: iht.com/articles/…trtokyo.php.

Good luck...have fun!

How about the Tokyo Dome, I'm sure they will love the amusement park there. Be careful if your boys love the Japanese cartoon, a few shops there selling the character toys and related merchandise will cost you a fortune.

I haven't been here but a friend with a teen raved about it:

http://risupia.panasonic.co.jp/en/

As well as being closed on Mondays, there are no longer Pandas at Ueno Zoo.

A belated follow up and thanks to everyone who replied. The Panasonic center is closed on Monday which is unfortunate as it looks interesting.

We chose to see the earliest single act at Kubukiza, tracked down a small dance celebration in suburban Tokyo and then went to the festival at the Yasukuni Shrine. The kids didn't really like the dancing but the trip out was time that they could listen to ipods and play DS so they didn't really mind. The festival was a hit with everyone. I know that the shrine itself has significant controversy but it was really fun to see the Japanese version of a small US county fair.