How to Travel Japan with a Baby (Updated 2023)

Posted: 10/9/2023 | October

I really like Japan. It’s one in all my favourite international locations on the earth. But is it a appropriate vacation spot to talk over with with a youngster? Solo feminine go back and forth skilled Kristin Addis from Be My Travel Muse was once not too long ago there with her youngster and has heaps of pointers and recommendation for vacationers considering of taking a youngster with them to Japan.

Japan was once our first primary global shuttle with our then six-month-old. I’d heard combined issues about how youngster pleasant Japan can be, from DMs telling me it wouldn’t be a nice shuttle to the whole reverse with folks gushing about how youngster pleasant it was once.

We made up our minds to opt for it, hitting 4 spots in two weeks, taking public transportation and staying in a mixture of residences and resorts. Traveling with a youngster in Japan comes with some particular concerns, however general, it may be a nice shuttle IF you intend it proper. Here’s the entirety to know:

Japan Baby and Toddler Friendliness

With a few bizarre exceptions, just like the loss of cribs, Japan is without doubt one of the maximum youngster and family-friendly puts I’ve been. It all began after we had been in my view escorted to the airplane through a Japan Airlines gate agent when boarding our flight to Osaka. They even presented me a position to take a seat with the infant whilst I waited. It felt like top quality remedy.

Each time we encountered an airport queue in Japan, whether or not it was once for safety or boarding, they all the time had a relations line, which is unfortunately lacking from each US airport I’ve encountered.

There are relations restrooms in all places as nicely, and I in reality imply in all places. Even the smallest metro and teach stations had them, and I by no means encountered person who wasn’t glowing blank. People revered that they had been simplest intended for the ones with disabilities and babies, as nicely. I by no means had to wait to use one and not noticed an able-bodied unmarried individual stroll out of them, which I see always in the United States.

The toilets also are stuffed with helpful pieces like a youngster holder, which I’ve simplest in a different way noticed in Singapore, converting tables, and padded benches for nursing. I’ve in point of fact by no means noticed a relations toilet as supplied as those in Japan.

The locals additionally LOVED our youngster. Everywhere we went, folks would play peek a boo with him, smile at him, and remove darkness from once they noticed him. We felt very welcome in all places we went with him.
 

Getting Around Japan with a Baby

Generally, making plans fewer issues is more uncomplicated than a packed itinerary when touring with a youngster any place on the earth. This is particularly true for Japan the place you’re in all probability taking a mixture of trains and buses across the nation. The extra faraway you’re going, the extra connections you’re most probably to have as nicely.

Although they’re dearer, we tended to choose teach go back and forth to bus go back and forth in Japan in order that shall we employ the converting tables at the trains. They had been extra spacious, and the buses hardly ever had a position to trade diapers.

If you’re touring all the way through prime season, be certain to guide teach tickets forward of time and reserve seats to keep away from having to stand with your youngster.

Alternatively, believe renting a car to get round. They can also be expensive, and for those who’re North American you’ll be using at the reverse facet of the street, however it additionally will provide you with final flexibility.
 

Packing Light is Wise for Japan

If you’ll be taking the Japan Rail and/or metro to get round, you’ll need to pack as mild as conceivable. Realistically, simplest what you and whoever you’re touring with can raise goes to paintings. This turns out to be the most important factor for households touring in Japan. They pack an excessive amount of and it affects their shuttle enjoyment.

We opted to depart the stroller at house and simply go back and forth with a soft baby carrier. While a stroller can also be useful every now and then, Japan has a lot of stairs and a few metro stations, even in Tokyo, don’t have elevators. We all the time discovered them at JR stations, despite the fact that.

I’ve combined emotions about this resolution as we had been aching through the tip of the shuttle. If I had been to do it with a infant or older youngster I’d most likely go for a hiking baby carrier as an alternative. It distributes weight higher and is a extra relaxed revel in, plus they have got space for storing. Just remember that they’re cumbersome and also you’ll in all probability want to take away it when the usage of public delivery.

If you completely have to convey greater than you’ll bodily raise, there are luggage forwarding services in Japan that may lend a hand delivery your baggage from lodge to lodge for you.
 

Renting Baby Gear in Japan

Since our youngster was once a bit more youthful and now not but cellular after we visited Japan, we felt OK with now not having a devoted napping area and using the ground beds as an alternative. However now that he’s older, he wishes a devoted napping area and preferably a stroller. If we had been to talk over with now, I’d make the most of condo products and services to stay our suitcases mild and also have get entry to to the pieces we want for protection and luxury.

It’s conceivable to rent strollers in various cities in Japan, relying on how faraway you’re going. You too can rent other baby gear in some portions of Japan, in particular within the extra primary towns.
 

Buying Baby Essentials in Japan

One approach to pack lighter is to plan to purchase youngster necessities in Japan. It’s simple to to find diapers, components, and youngster meals if you recognize the place to glance.

If you’re doing baby-led weaning, which we had been on the time, you’ll store at any Japanese grocery store for fruits and vegetables.

It was once in truth a deal with to talk over with the grocery shops there since they’d nearly completely other snacks and types than I’ve noticed somewhere else. The produce was once additionally approach higher, because it was once most commonly domestically grown. Even within the iciness, we had been consuming completely ripe, locally-grown strawberries.

If you want diapers, youngster meals, or components, you gained’t to find them at a grocery retailer. These pieces are on the market in drug shops simplest. Matsumoto Kiyoshi (with brown lettering) is the only we got here throughout probably the most continuously.

Diapers had been simple to purchase. They could have the burden obviously displayed in kilograms. Jarred youngster meals and components had been in the similar segment of the shop. If you want a specialised (non-cow) components, that can be tougher to to find. Since we did for my youngster, we introduced sufficient with us from house for the entire shuttle.

Download the Google translate app as a way to dangle your telephone digital camera up to the Japanese Kanji and browse what the components and youngster meals flavors are. Don’t be expecting to see English translations in shops.
 

Choosing Where to Stay in Japan with a Baby

We did a mixture of resorts and residences in Japan and so they each had their advantages.

Unless you’re prepared to pay up a bit extra, particularly in Tokyo, you’ll be expecting lodge rooms to be at the smaller facet. However they have a tendency to come with breakfast, which makes lifestyles more uncomplicated for folks with babies.

Apartments, which you’ll guide on Airbnb, normally have two flooring and a kitchen. The kitchen was once useful for meals prepping for the infant, and the 2 we stayed in had microwaves. I go back and forth with microwave steam baggage to sanitize our bottles, so this was once a great marvel.

The two flooring additionally gave us a position to hang around whilst he took his naps. Apartment leases are nearly all the time better, and in my revel in, extra inexpensive than lodge rooms can also be. Sometimes they have got washers and dryers as nicely.

Hot water kettles are a great characteristic whether or not you’re in an condominium or lodge room. They appear to be the usual in Japan, which makes sanitizing, washing, and heating water for components more uncomplicated. Tap water in Japan is in most cases secure to drink and wash with.
 

Baby Sleep in Japan

The maximum bewildering and disappointing factor about touring in Japan with our youngster was once the loss of cribs. Even within the 5-star ryokan we stayed at in Kawaguchiko, there was once no youngster crib on be offering. It made me marvel what locals do. Do they carry their very own? Do they co-sleep?

In part of the puts we stayed, the beds had been traditional-style mattresses at the ground, so it was once positive for our youngster to sleep at the ground mattresses, on the other hand now that he’s extra cellular, I’d need to convey alongside our go back and forth mattress.

Feeding and Meals in Japan

One of the destructive issues I heard was once that we’d be grew to become clear of eating places in Japan with our youngster. While I’m certain it occurs, I didn’t come across this, even at kaiseki (which is the easiest stage of eating in Japan) eating places. Sometimes they even had toys they’d convey out for our son.

We had been informed that the living room within the lodge we stayed at in Tokyo wouldn’t be to be had to the infant within the evenings when alcohol was once served, on the other hand. Some eating places, together with the Michelin celebrity ones you may well be hoping to devour at, may just dangle the similar coverage. There are some eating places in Japan which can be particularly geared against households. The maximum commonplace you’ll to find are Bikkuri Donkey, Joyfull, and Gusto.

Most eating places in Japan could have prime chairs, but if at extra informal ramen or yakitori eating places, you’re much less most probably to come throughout them.

If you’re nursing, my sense in Japan was once that it’s easiest achieved in personal. I by no means noticed any person brazenly nursing in Japan, despite the fact that I noticed a lot of bottle feeding. The relations restrooms are most likely your easiest guess for a relaxed and personal revel in. I noticed a nursing pod (a little room that gives nursing privateness, identical to the Mamava pods at US airports) at a few primary teach stations in Japan as nicely.
 

Medical Services in Japan

As a father or mother, I’m extra involved with the provision of healthcare products and services than I ever was once ahead of touring with a youngster. Thankfully Japan has a superb clinical device with completely succesful medical doctors.

I do know this firsthand as I wished to talk over with a physician in Kyoto when my bronchial asthma flared up. I used to be ready to talk over with a world physician at a sanatorium that products and services foreigners the similar day. All of the medicine the physician prescribed was once to be had there as nicely. In maximum circumstances they’ll need a money cost which you’ll then post to your travel insurance for repayment.

In non-emergency scenarios, search for a physician that focuses on global sufferers as there can also be language limitations. I used to be ready to to find mine simply on Google Maps. Otherwise, hospitals are broadly to be had, even in smaller cities.

Overall, I cherished touring in Japan with our youngster. The blank relations toilets supplied a very simple position to trade him, feeding and purchasing provides had been simple, and getting round was once easy with such a well-connected rail device.

I used to be frightened with such a lot of stops and logistics that it may well be a nightmare, however the entirety is so well-organized in Japan, all of it labored out. Plus, the cute interactions between our son and the locals made it a heartwarming revel in.

Kristin Addis is a solo feminine go back and forth skilled who conjures up girls to go back and forth the arena in an original and adventurous approach. A former funding banker who offered all of her assets in 2012, Kristin has been touring the arena ever since. You can to find extra of her musings at Be My Travel Muse or on Instagram and Facebook.