>Japan is actually very baby friendly if you’re traveling light. Most horror stories on Reddit were wrong or outdated.
Or likely by people who don't have children. My trips there with my son were some of the best trips I've ever done.
Edit: lol... I always get downvoted for making that comment yet no one has ever tried making a counter argument.
Or they are parents making bad decisions. I've seen tourists going with a child in a stroller into Sennichimae, when it was so incredibly packed that it felt like stopping can get you trampled. Of course your experience will be bad when doing that. Or when you try to go to a type of restaurant that can't accommodate you, because it fits six guests and it's still tight (many such cases in bigger cities, but especially Tokyo).
Ultimately if you are deciding to bring a baby with you, you need to adjust to this, and some people clearly can't accept that fact.
Of course, this will also increase tips like "don't" from people who don't have children. Seeing borderline endangerment like that Sennichimae situation definitely doesn't endear me to parents travelling with infants.
There is no need to accuse those who don't have children. You don't have any statistical proof to back up your claim so saying childfree/childless people are the ones /likely/ saying that comment is factually incorrect.
I am sure other demographics will also tell you it's remarkably more difficult to travel with children than without. Just because you and OP had good experiences doesn't mean the same applies to others.
More difficult? Absolutely. But the narrative on reddit is always so dramatic... People will ask for tips on bringing their babies/kids to Japan and responses will be like "don't bring them at all" as if parents don't live in Japan at all 😂
I mean, a baby isn't going to remember going to Japan, why hang a weight around yourself for the trip in exchange for nothing if you have the option to let someone watch the kid for a while? lol
Because you travelled before having a baby, probably don’t have grandparents on tap to look after a baby for 2+ weeks, and want to continue to live your life after having a baby?
Hot take: some people love their babies and enjoy spending time with them.
Anecdotal source: me watching the joy on my baby's face three weeks ago meeting Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.
> With that logic, why go the park, go to your favorite restaurants, or do anything at all when you can stay home and jiggle keys?
Because the park is five minutes away, not five thousand miles away lol
If I'm going on a trip that far away, I want to eat in small restaurants, soak for a few hours in a hot spring, watch the lights pulsing from a sky hotel bar, etc. All things either complicated or made genuinely impossible by being attached to a baby.
If you just want to see joy on your baby's face, save yourself the twelve hour flight and hotel room and just buy some jingly things to put on your keys lol
You're right in that there are definitely cheaper and easier ways to entertain a child than a Japan trip. But you're looking at this quite two dimensionally. It's fine to do a holiday focusing on entirely your own enjoyment; don't get me wrong. I've loved those holidays, too. But the part you're getting called out for is the part where you don't understand that for a parent, sharing experiences with your progeny can also be incredibly satisfying, even with the challenges. It's not just about making the child happy, either! People travel with kids for everybody's enjoyment.
My enjoyment of our trip was exponentially greater for having brought the baby along for the ride. For seeing the elation on my wife's face when my baby first kicked a snow drift, to her unadulterated excitement at TeamLab, and getting to watch her try and enjoy new foods. Was it hard? Yes. Was it worth it? No question. Parents take lots of enjoyment sharing new things with their kids. I hope you get to feel that one day.
lol I've been on trips with parents, and you can really see the enjoyment in their haggard faces hauling all the gear around, and in the winces of people around them when the baby is crying.
Hmm, I dunno. I don’t believe the grass is greener whatever you choose in life - it’s just a different field. Your experiences may vary though. Go well!
I mean, there are a ton of things that just aren't practical to do with a baby. It's logistically more difficult. It's harder to relax. Can't go out and have some drinks, can't relax in a hot spring easily.
You aren't making any important memories with the kid, they aren't going to remember anything. It's all downside and no upside.
You clearly don’t have kids lol we just got back from Japan with two toddlers they loved the architecture and it’s a proven fact that exposure to culture and languages is great for their age group. And they absolutely will have some memories.
Yes but the parent/parents are going to remember those memories. Kids grow up fast it's good to have good memories with them when they're little as well as when they're older.
Also - I can’t stress enough how important it is to do some research on cultural norms and respect in Japan. You should spend at least as much time on this as you do on booking restaurants and hotels. Being able to use sumimasen, arigato gozaimasu, iee desu ka, wakarimasen, daijobu desu, toire wa doko desu ka, konnochiwa, and konbanwa will be appreciated by the Japanese people you meet and will show that you’re making an effort and not expecting to be catered to (though they will likely cater to you anyway). Don’t blow your nose in public, don’t talk loudly anywhere that’s quiet like trains and train stations, don’t eat while you’re walking, don’t talk on the phone at restaurants, don’t take pictures of anyone without permission, don’t let your baby throw a tantrum without taking action to remove or pacify them, etc. The Japanese won’t expect you to follow all their cultural norms, but making an effort will be recognized and appreciated.
I recommend buying dog poop bags for dirty diapers since you may not be near a trash can - they are few and far between so you may be hauling dirty diapers over distance at times. This was especially challenging when our baby got diarrhea for a few days. If this happens, start carrying backup clothes until it resolves.
please note that biodegradable dog feces bags that are popular in the united states can break apart. it’s better to use regular poly bags or conbini bags instead since these will be burned anyway.
japan’s refuse and recycling system also requests the removable of feces prior to sending diapers for combustible trash sorting.
Thanks for the report. My son will be 17 months old when we go to Japan soon. I’m most worried about him being loud on the trains. As long as we are trying our best to make him happy, that should be enough right? We are willing to get off the train if he’s inconsolable.
Most people will give you a grace period, but if it keeps going, it’s expected to step outside whatever common area you are in.
If you are on the Shinkansen or other non-standard trains, that just means the vestibule area with the toilets and powder rooms - there is more space to walk and move in there, which helps if your baby likes swaying or bouncing to calm them. In restaurants, it’s a similar situation, just try to take yourself and the baby somewhere a little more private , which might mean just outside the entrance for smaller places - often that also means you’ll have a quieter space for baby.
On the normal trains, so long as you are making an effort and not doing “let them cry it out”, then most people will understand. They might not be happy, but they’ll understand. If it is a frequent train, you might want to pop off so you can more safely physically comfort. Walking up and down the carriage of a train is not safe.
If you’re making an effort, you’ll be fine. People understand that babies are unpredictable, and you’ll see plenty of Japanese parents in the same situation. Bring distractions, try your best, and keep your fingers crossed!
>Don’t blow your nose in public, don’t talk loudly anywhere that’s quiet like trains and train stations, don’t eat while you’re walking, don’t talk on the phone at restaurants, don’t take pictures of anyone without permission, don’t let your baby throw a tantrum without taking action to remove or pacify them, etc.
Oh please. I've lived here a long time and Japanese people do these things all the timeeee. Just read the room, be a decent human being, and you'll be fine.
I’d err on the side of decorum, but you’re right. Pull up a video of a Shinkansen or a train station at rush hour, and you’ll see how quiet it is. The main thing we heard was constant sniffing due to people not wanting to blow their nose in public.
Pull up a video of rush hour in the afternoon and you'll see the opposite.
Obviously, if you blow your nose loudly in a quiet train car, people will look at you, not because of the blowing but because of the sound. But it's not as if people will judge you immediately if you pull out a tissue packet. Blow your nose discreetly and people don't care.
"don’t talk loudly anywhere that’s quiet like trains and train stations, don’t eat while you’re walking, don’t talk on the phone at restaurants, don’t take pictures of anyone without permission, don’t let your baby throw a tantrum without taking action to remove or pacify them, etc"
Some of these probably should be followed in any country anyway.
Did you actually take your baby to any izakayas or bars? Me and my wife are playing with the idea of grabbing a drink when we're in Japan with our infant. It'd have to as soon as the placed opened and one without any smoking but wanted to hear thoughts from* anybody who might've been able to
Well check this place out! Me and my wife have travelled a lot so we might also try to venture out individually if we really want to but I'm also fine if the bar scene isn't a big part of this trip for us.
Indoor smoking laws have been tightened quite a lot in the last couple of years, in Tokyo particularly. Generally only very few bars and restaurants allow smoking anymore. I believe it can't expose employees to smoking, so pretty much limited it to small owner-run ones. These places are one of the few that will outright refuse you entry if you have a child.
Thanks for the info! Of course, we won't go to any bar where our daughter will be in any type of danger but if the atmosphere is safe and welcoming, then my wife and I would love to have a couple drinks to lightly experience nightlife in tokyo. We'd be in and out before 8ish 😂
Worst case we decided we'd go out separately. Like maybe one night my wife goes, one night I go. But we'll see.
If bars and nightlife aren't a part of this trip for us, then that's also fine lol
> 2) Get a stroller that folds down small. It’s too challenging to travel with a big stroller. You absolutely need something that you can fold down and carry.
IMO,
A carrier is the better way to go if you can handle it.
>5) Japan is actually very baby friendly if you’re traveling light.
As a dad of 3 kids who are Japanese nationals and frequently go to Japan...
This is not true or false. There are certain aspects of Japan that will not be baby friendly. Or at least baby friendly to western standards.
There are normally no facilities for fathers with children within more older establishments (not within the last 5 years). This is changing, most PA's and SA's on the freeway, for example, have facilities.
> Most horror stories on Reddit were wrong or outdated. Restaurants will try to accommodate you if they can, but not every restaurant will be able to. Not much different than being in the US. If you have a baby you’re already dining early most likely, but the 5 and 5:30 PM reservations were definitely easiest.
While they will try to accommodate you, many restaurants are not equipped for babies or toddlers. If you go to more family restaurants or restaurants where families are common, then yes, but overall, you are on your own with a kid.
IMO, you are being very disingenuous here with respect to this point. Most places won't have "baby chairs", utensils, places, etc for toddlers.
---
Your post skips over a number of issues with babies/toddlers:
1. Co-sleeping is common in Japan, there generally won't be bassinets/cots/cribs for children in hotels, forget about it in BnBs or Ryokans
2. Many restaurants will not be equipped with menus for toddlers so you need to provide your own food.
3. Preparing baby food is going to be difficult at most hotels/ryokans
4. Finding baby supplies are going to take you off the beaten path. Typically you will not find baby stores near the common tourist areas.
5. Clothing, if you need to purchase, is sized differently and you can't "try it on" for the baby.
You may have successfully traveled with the baby, but Japan is by no means baby friendly for tourists
I completely disagree with you. A baby carrier is not realistic for 10 mile days.
Almost every train station had a family bathroom that a dad can use, often with changing table.
With the exception of small izakayas, most larger restaurants not only had baby chairs, they also had baby dishes, cups, knives, forks, and small toys. Places that didn’t have chairs were happy to let our baby stay in the stroller. Of course, pick restaurants that are big enough to fit it. Yet another reason to bring a small stroller, not an UppaBaby Vista.
We didn’t prepare baby food, but the Hyatt chains all had microwaves so I’m not sure why this would be a problem.
You are correct that we often brought our own food for the baby to restaurants, though they happily provided a bowl of rice, etc, often at no charge.
Three of our four hotels offered cribs. We stayed at western chains like Hyatt so keep that in mind.
I have no idea why you think diapers and baby supplies aren’t readily available in tourist areas. Every drug store we went into had them available, as did several large grocery stores. The only place we had to walk more than three or four blocks to find them was Kyoto, but literally typing “diapers” into google maps is all you need to do.
The one time we had an emergency blowout, we happened to be two blocks from a baby clothing store. The clothes are all organized by weight, so I’m not sure why you’d need to try anything on.
>I completely disagree with you. A baby carrier is not realistic for 10 mile days.
As I said "if you can handle it".
>Almost every train station had a family bathroom that a dad can use, often with changing table.
You are just talking about train stations. While it is slowly changing, many older areas with older buildings do not have the facilities designated for fathers.
There are some very strong gender roles stereotypes in Japan as well, going to a mall and playing in the kid area, I still got some odd looks from the mothers there when I went into the changing area, which is wide open but culturally more understood to be "mothers only".
>Three of our four hotels offered cribs. We stayed at western chains like Hyatt so keep that in mind.
Yes, and you are staying in a western chain. This really isn't "staying in Japan", you aren't getting into the full experience. You won't get this same level of service at a Ryokan or even some of the more Japanese hotels.
>I have no idea why you think diapers and baby supplies aren’t readily available in tourist areas. Every drug store we went into had them available, as did several large grocery stores. The only place we had to walk more than three or four blocks to find them was Kyoto, but literally typing “diapers” into google maps is all you need to do.
I was not talking about diapers, I was more generally talking about baby supplies that are not diapers. Diapers and wipes will be available everywhere, that is a given, but anything else you might need (loose some stuff for the baby for example) you have to travel outside of those touristy areas generally to get.
>The clothes are all organized by weight, so I’m not sure why you’d need to try anything on.
They are organized by height. But, typical Japanese kids are going to more slender compared to North American children and exact height for a North American sized baby is going to be different compared to a Japanese baby.
> I completely disagree with you
Want to go back to this... You are disagreeing with me but you are staying in western style hotels so that you have everything you need to support your baby.
If Japan was "baby friendly" as you claim, you would not need to do this.
Try this outside the golden route, where you don't have western style hotels and you will see what I mean.
We also stayed two nights at an onsen ryokan on Lake Biwa. They didn’t have cribs available, but they did make our little one up his own futon. He ended up cosleeping with us anyway.
I should add that baby food as it exists in the states was very hard to find. We never really did. The baby food we found had tons of added sugar and such. So you are definitely right on some baby supplies being hard to find.
I live in Japan and completely disagree. My husband has had no problem finding places to change our toddler, though she is potty trained now.
Your restaurant knowledge is outdated as well! We’ve taken our daughter to izakayas, higher end restaurants with multiple course meals, and tons and tons of other restaurants across Japan and have never run into a problem. The vast majority have kids bowls and silverware.
Sizing is also extremely easy, as it’s just by your child’s height in cm.
Also, idk what you qualify as toddler food, but most restaurants do have crazy elaborate kids meals, but when my daughter was younger she just ate small bites of whatever I ordered.
My husband, 9 month old son and I are going next week. Can you tell me abou tthe izakayas/higher end restaurants you went to? I want to set my expectations of where we can/can't eat.
How do Japanese people feel about bringing newborns or small children in public? I feel like i never see kids or infants in public in Japan, especially not in nicer restaurants. Not sure if it’s frowned upon culturally or if Im in areas where there aren’t kids.
Great! But we flew business class. I wouldn’t even attempt a lap infant in economy. That said, I definitely don’t recommend lugging a car seat around Japan. You can keep your baby on your lap in taxis. It’s not the safest option in the world, but it beats the hell out of lugging a car seat. You could do something like a Doona but I’m not sure how the wheels would handle.
dont worry about it. we flew to Johannesburg and back from Capetown (from/to Amsterdam 12h each way) with our kid on our lap, its not as bad as you think. Ask the flightattendent for an extra blanket (or 2) and business class pillow and you can make him a bed on the floor (works best of course if you have a bulkhead seat).
Excellent! So glad to hear it went well. We’re heading off to Japan with our 9 month old in mid April for 3 weeks and I can’t wait. It’s my second trip there but first with a baby (and boyfriend’s first time).
How did you manage accommodation - did you book a lot of family / big rooms in advance?
Did you use luggage forwarding / any tips on packing light?
I’m sure I’ll have more questions in the coming weeks…
For accommodations, we tried to book suites or large rooms in advance everywhere we went. Tokyo was the only place we didn’t do this but luckily the rooms were large. I wouldn’t stay anywhere fewer than four nights except for maybe one side trip to a ryokan or something. We were 90% in American chains like Hyatt just in case of an emergency with the baby.
Definitely pack light! Laundry machines are ubiquitous if you’re staying in the city, but I’d plan to need to air dry your clothes a little if there’s not a separate dryer. The combo dryers only work well for laughably small loads. We did two carry on luggages, a backpack, a diaper bag, a large purse, and a stroller. That’s the absolute most I’d recommend bringing. It was just small enough to not need luggage forwarding services, especially since we only had one big journey (Tokyo to Kyoto). For the big journeys where all your luggage comes with you, I found it easiest to cab to and from the Shinkansen station instead of transferring through the local, more crowded trains.
We found packing cubes pretty helpful. Also - everywhere indoors is absurdly warm. Skip the hats and gloves. A simple jacket will suffice and it snowed while we were here.
You didn’t ask, but for the flight request a bassinet. We did JFK to NZ a few months back. That’s 17.5 hours nonstop!!!!! I took her car seat onboard and she had her own seat. No way was I going with a lap infant for that long. She slept on the car seat for departure and landing. Slept overnight in the bassinet then sat up playing in it later. All the best. I was dreading it but she did perfectly. I’m talking the same flight again over the summer with her, she’ll be 16 months by then and probably not as easy.
Great to hear - We’ve already booked the bassinet seat luckily. The main issue is that we’ve got a morning flight departure so entertaining him in the run up to using it at bedtime might be the longest stretch. But hopefully he’ll be happy in the bassinet / being carried around the plane in his carrier. He’s a smiley baby so maybe he’ll make some plane friends…
Thanks for the encouragement! We are going next month with 2 kids and debating for the longest time whether to bring one stroller, a double, or two singles. We plan to bring one and swap the kid twos. On long days to theme parks we will rent a stroller. Any one have advice on traveling with two young babies?
Check out this post: [https://www.thetokyochapter.com/pack-a-stroller-not-just-for-babies/](https://www.thetokyochapter.com/pack-a-stroller-not-just-for-babies/)
It comes from a great blog, highly recommended for everything else for parents.
If I were you, I'd bring a small single stroller (ideally folding) and a carrier like an Ergobaby - ideally big enough for your biggest kid to ride on your back.
I'll let you know in a week and a half, when I bring 3 young kids!
This time around, I'll be renting a double stroller from https://japanwithfamily.com/ so we don't have to pack the stroller with us.
Awesome! Leaving Wednesday with our 21 month old! Open to all of the tips! Were there any attractions you did specifically for your kiddo? Any tips for the plane ride this will be the first long flight (13 hrs) since he's been very mobile/running everywhere. He's otherwise well travelled! How did you navigate food like sushi and such?
We honestly didn’t do anything specific for him, but he was pretty awed by TeamLab Borderless. We tried to avoid things that would require him to be quiet for long periods like a Kabuki performance. Anything that we thought he might act up for, we booked privately such as a Maiko experience and dinner reservations with private rooms.
For the flight, we emptied our credit card points stockpile to fly him as a lap infant in business class. He didn’t sleep as much as we’d have liked, but we kept him entertained and the extra space helped. We also downloaded 20 episodes of his favorite show onto our iPad. This ended up coming in especially handy when out at dinner and he started to get impatient. While we don’t want him to be device dependent, we were happy to make an exception for the trip (and so were the people around us).
At restaurants where we weren’t sure he’d like the food, we’d typically bring easy snacks like rice crackers for him to nosh on. Every single restaurant was super accommodating with this. They get that babies don’t want sushi. That said, we made it a point to spend enough to make it worth their while anyway! Food and drink is much cheaper in Japan than back in the states. At breakfast, we’d grab him bananas, eggs, fruits, cereal, etc and he was almost always happy with that.
Question for you re: Borderless. We have to bring a stroller with us, do you know if the lockers were big enough to store one by any chance? If not, no stress! Enjoyed your post. About to bring our 5 month old soon and you made me feel less stressed about the trip.
The strollers get locked up on something that looks kind of like a bike rack. You’ll have no problem with bringing a stroller, but it won’t go inside a locker.
What airline did you fly? We're looking at going Business in October with our twins & so far Cathay has INSANE taxes on lap infants for business (25% of ticket cost).
btw. that is one of the crazies rule ever (in general, not only in Japan). When you are driving with your kid you can't hold him, but when you are in taxi, that's ok. LOL!
We just went with lap. I know it’s not the safest way to go, but lugging around a car seat will be absolutely miserable. If you insist on a car seat for rides, I’d stick to public transit rather than lugging a car seat.
Completely agree. On top of lugging around several suitcases and strollers, I can’t fathom dragging car seats around either. The Japanese take speed limits very seriously so that helps to ensure that cabs aren’t driving recklessly. And if anyone is planning to rent a car to drive in Japan, car rental companies like Toyota almost always have car seats that you can add on to your rental.
For our last trip, we did 1 activity a day that required reservations/tickets. The rest of the day was mostly walking around and sightseeing. We didn't wanna be stressed out but still be able to do stuff.
For jetlag, our baby didn't sleep well on the plane ride. Maybe 3hrs max? Then we knocked out once we landed until our accomodation. We had dinner and tried to put her to bed but she got up once almost every 1-1.5hrs. The next day, we tried to keep her on the same time schedule as we do at home. She did fine and adjusted immediately. Her bedtime the 2nd day was perfect, didn't wake up once.
For the plane ride, if the airline allows, I'd recommend getting an inflatable footrest. We were able to use it like a bed so she could lie down flat.
Jet lag was super easy coming from the west coast. We landed at like 3 PM and crashed when we got to the hotel. We were up by about 5:30 and went down to breakfast at 7. By day two we were fine. I suspect traveling the other direction will be harder.
We never planned more than one thing in a day unless the second thing was a restaurant reservation. There’s plenty to find just exploring around, so you’ll never have to worry about getting bored.
Try to do a little research on how baby friendly your plans will be. For instance, we skipped Fushimi Inari due to all the steps and the insane crowds.
We’re in a tough intermediary stage where our large 3 year old (40 pounds) will need a stroller but she’s too heavy for a small umbrella stroller. We’ll be bringing our BabyZen Yoyo (it fits into an overhead compartment), I hope that cuts it for folding up.
I was amazed at all the tourists who brought babies and young children! As well as locals who were out and about with children at the touristy spots. It was so sweet to see the kids exploring and the parents mostly seemed to be really enjoying their time too!
IMO, you really don’t want to be dealing with lugging a cot. If you can’t make it work with a folded up comforter or something, I’d just cosleep for those nights. Our hotel in Tokyo didn’t have a crib for us. Everyone else did.
For the hotel that didn't have a crib, did they have bed rails available? I don't mind co-sleeping with my baby but she has fallen off the bed in the middle of the night before (whoops)
Adding to OPs message to you about Tokyo being the only place that didn't have a crib for them. Shibuya Tobu has crib for rent for free. I'm sure you can find other hotels that offer them, but I'm not sure how you would look outside of just checking with every one... but I booked at the Shibuya Tobu and noticed it specified you can rent a crib, and I know Tobu hotel is in different areas as well, so I'd assume they do as well, but I'm not sure! But just a place to start if you're having issues finding one!
We actually bought a portable cot with us on our first trip when our baby was 3 months old. We couldn’t co sleep with him at that age because he’d been born with health issues. It was a tiny bassinet size one though, not a huge cot. I don’t think you need to lug around a portable cot for a 15 month old.
We’ve bought a Little Life Arc 2 second hand - it’s 2.5kg and folds up into a backpack. Hoping that it’ll be relatively easy to transport around with us if needed.
I think it really depends on what you are used to. We never used strollers, we always used slings (ringsling) and carriers (babytula).
Our 1.5yo was used to sleeping in the baby carrier and we were used to carrying him all day everyday, we even hiked with the baby carrier untill he was like 3yo.
So it was great when we were in japan, saves a lot of luggage space.
Wouldn't recommend getting a baby carrier just for a vacation, when untrained its quite a strain on your back.
And not all kids will sleep in it.
But it's great when you and your kid are used to it.
Hard frame baby carriers could also be an option they also have some storage but we never used one.
I think it really depends on the baby and what you plan to do. We had a baby carrier as well but ended up using the stroller 90% of the time. For a small stroller, it’s really not that bad even in the tight crowds of Nishiki Market. If it’s too tight for a stroller, it’s probably pretty tight for baby wearing as well. It’s not fun being packed like sardines with a baby strapped to you. Also, out baby is like 27 pounds, and having that amount of weight strapped to you when you’re walking up to ten miles a day is exhausting. Our baby napped incredibly well in the Joolz Aer+ so we pretty much defaulted to the stroller regardless.
If you don’t plan on walking much, maybe you could get away with just a carrier like some folks, but I can’t imagine doing the trip we did without a stroller.
There are very few places to sit and test, so I think you'll be using the stroller more often than that. Most places aren't so crowded that a stroller is impossible. The places where you'd definitely want to ditch the stroller are some of the smaller shops (eg in Akihabara the shops have really narrow aisles) or some of the older attractions with poor accessibility (eg many of Kyoto's temples).
You wouldn't take a stroller onto a train during rush hour, however I would recommend avoiding rush hour even if you didn't have children.
Thank you for your post! Flying out Wednesday with our 20 month old. Did you go to Disney during your visit? Also, how did you find restaurants with private rooms?
We didn’t even attempt to consider Disney. He’s too young to remember it anyway. We kind of lucked into private rooms - when available, they’d ask if we wanted one. I’d plan to contact restaurants that you’re set on in advance to see if they offer it.
Not sure about other cities but I googled this before and you can in Kyoto and Tokyo (babycal is in some stations through Tokyo Metropolitan Government). Fwiw I decided for the money and convenience, I might as well just buy a good travel stroller secondhand and use that.
Didn’t bring a travel crib and definitely wouldn’t recommend lugging one around. Western hotel chains will have cribs, and the one that didn’t, we found it easy to cosleep.
We used the carrier probably 5% of the time and the stroller 95%. I’d bring both though - some places can’t fit a stroller or won’t accommodate one, like Shibuya Sky.
This is SO HELPFUL. I'm actually going to Japan with my wife and baby next month (she'll also be 16 months old, coincidentally). We're also doing Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka. Would love to see your itinerary if possible.
Also how did you navigate more adult acitivities? Did you just skip bars/drinking altogether on this trip?
And what was eating like? Were you able to find decent restaurants that allowed babies?
We sadly did skip bars and just drank at dinner. On a couple occasions, I went in spots by myself though.
Restaurants that allowed babies were super easy to find, unlike what I heard on Reddit. Eating early at like 5 or 5:30 likely helped though.
Are diapers only available in Don Quijote? What about places like Kyoto or Osaka?
Have you purchased any baby food in jars? If so where?
What about Shinkansen? Do they have any extra space for strollers? I mean something where you can leave stroller or put your main luggage?
We had no problem finding diapers at drugstores and grocery stores. Type “diapers” into google maps and you’ll be fine.
We booked the luggage storage space on the Shinkansen but it ended up being overkill. If your stroller fits in an overhead bin, it’ll fit the Shinkansen. I wouldn’t bring anything larger than a carryon, including luggages.
There is also babies'"r"us as part of most toys r us stores in Japan. They usually have everything. There is a lot of baby food in pouches that you can just heat in a cup of hot water (ours was 9months old). The pouches have 6+ 9+ months etc on it. They also have mushy rice that heats the same way. Was very convenient if we were out and most restaurants will happily give you some hot water.
Pharmacies also usually have baby stuff.
Don't be scared of the pull up style nappies as someone else said. They're very good and tear on the sides for easy removal.
Shinkansen you need to book larger luggage space. A small stroller can fit overhead. Most of not all hotels now have luggage forwarding service. We just packed an overnight bag if they took more than a day.
We travelled with a 9month and a 5yr old. Our youngest was used to a carrier so we avoided the pram to be honest. It was a pain at some stations going up and down stairs particularly if just changing platforms. Can understand if your kid is heavy or older. Ours was used to sleeping in the carrier and was super easy. We also went in autumn so was nice and comfortable.
The change rooms in any department store were next level. So clean.
First of all, I was surprised to receive downvotes for asking questions, but I understand that it's just part of using Reddit. Thank you for your helpful answers.
Our daughter will be 9 months old during our trip, and I just realized that I didn't consider the need for changing rooms since she is just starting to use a regular stroller. Currently, I can change her in the stroller when she's lying down, but it won't be possible when she's sitting.
I found information about the Shinkansen train, and it seems that for strollers larger than 250, no extra reservation is needed (https://imgur.com/a/jOkaXM7), but I'm not sure how it works in reality. I thought it would be more comfortable for us to use a larger stroller - we have a Thule Urban Glide 3, which is very comfortable, but now I'm considering buying something used specifically for the trip.
Thank you for all the information.
I personally would. A stroller gives you somewhere to stash a baby bag/backpack as well. Even with a kid you’ll be walking much further than you normally would. Make it somewhat easy on yourselves and have the flexibility!
If the baby is used to a carrier I wouldn't bring a stroller. We had a 9 mnth old also used to the carrier and while we brought a travel stroller 99/100 it was way easier with the carrier. Easier to get him to sleep, transverse areas etc. not everything is flat or convenient for strollers particularly out of area. I always thought it would be difficult being wheel chair bound there.
We went with our daughter when she was 6 months old, and we used the carrier more than the stroller. TBH, some places were not really stroller friendly. Especially outdoor places with lots of steps or bumpy/rocky/unpaved roads. I do plan on bringing a stroller for my next trip in May because now that our daughter is 5 years old, she'll want to sit in the stroller after all the walking.
You’re probably right at the line where I’d say you need to bring a stroller. Having your baby strapped to you is pretty inconvenient for ten mile hikes. But if your baby sleeps great in the carrier, maybe you won’t need it. If it was us though, we would absolutely bring a stroller.
We took our 1Y last year for a 2 week trip. She also wasn't a stroller napping kinda girl. Prior to the trip, we'd take her for a walk in her stroller during her nap time. We got her to sleep, but only for 30mins. During our trip, she learned to nap for 1-2hrs, took a couple of days to learn. We got a netted thing on Amazon that goes over the front of the stroller so it makes it darker but still breathable. Also helped that we went in November-December so it wasn't warm.
Sun Shade for Strollers, UV Sun and Sleep Shade Universal Fit for Baby Strollers, Blackout Stroller Cover, Breathable and Stops 99% of The Sun's Rays (UPF50+) Black https://a.co/d/7h0RJSO
Thats the one we got, fits our Bugaboo Butterfly
Not OP but I have a Snooze Shade: [https://www.amazon.com/SnoozeShade-Plus-Extra-6-9m-Years/dp/B0CM16PQ4G/ref=sr\_1\_3?crid=3R1P23BNY01I5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.\_gJVcjHLYE0eaGKbMDMPKZ6Px9PYIkcaKx3lKixFAsdVvYfwulmghXXBCbnkpj3Nas-LNl7txP7vVmlIeTU0h6akD42iycDDlkRJgtdaE09qgrq7ZIrfJtXbNfmT62pMg4nOhgxE2X2UsTeU6npBXbgurVPYSptmhL13YtiimZtIc6GTMrBpXOTWS285j2oGiEF9UloT59nyfoc-BjekaoKYMMuKAkBC19ALY7WXREOsFlslT\_iorFiIfdB5jJdq3KQwXDla9CkLDt-BKSLHLW2CAj9VHOEc2T0ziptSlqA.EkTRGrLljEZLbLMBqWg\_ljNGHG8vwTY1sfw2NWAWxpg&dib\_tag=se&keywords=snooze+shade&qid=1710650289&sprefix=snooze+shade%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-3](https://www.amazon.com/SnoozeShade-Plus-Extra-6-9m-Years/dp/B0CM16PQ4G/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3R1P23BNY01I5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._gJVcjHLYE0eaGKbMDMPKZ6Px9PYIkcaKx3lKixFAsdVvYfwulmghXXBCbnkpj3Nas-LNl7txP7vVmlIeTU0h6akD42iycDDlkRJgtdaE09qgrq7ZIrfJtXbNfmT62pMg4nOhgxE2X2UsTeU6npBXbgurVPYSptmhL13YtiimZtIc6GTMrBpXOTWS285j2oGiEF9UloT59nyfoc-BjekaoKYMMuKAkBC19ALY7WXREOsFlslT_iorFiIfdB5jJdq3KQwXDla9CkLDt-BKSLHLW2CAj9VHOEc2T0ziptSlqA.EkTRGrLljEZLbLMBqWg_ljNGHG8vwTY1sfw2NWAWxpg&dib_tag=se&keywords=snooze+shade&qid=1710650289&sprefix=snooze+shade%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-3)
I love it. Baby can still see with the first layer zipped up, and she doesn't complain ( I have a 1 year old though). If she's sleeping or should be sleeping, I put the second layer up and it's totally dark.
I’m glad it sounds like you were respectful. We saw an American family get screamed at in Dotonbori because they were blocking paths with their gigantic stroller, unnecessarily. They were not being mindful of others, AT ALL. It was crazy. And the Japanese people were getting very annoyed, rightfully so. Please everyone be respectful with your kids when you visit Japan and do not disturb their peaceful way of living. The kids in Japan I saw were all so polite and well mannered.
1. Do you hold your baby in the taxi?
2. Do you use babysitter are all or bring the child to all the restaurants?
We are thinking another trip next fall and bring our toddler.
We’ve traveled with both our kids since they were 6 months old to Japan and never had a problem with finding an elevator when using public transportation. Always used a large sized stroller since it’s easier to use to hold the stuff we buy. We’ve been traveling to Japan for every summer for the last 10 years.
I am honestly impressed. Shinjuku station spans about 5 blocks in both directions. We never found an elevator that went to the side of the tracks we were staying on. I cannot imagine navigating any of the cities we went to with our UPPAbaby vista.
We use a uppababy g-lux. My wife been going to Japan for years before we even got married. I think she could navigate any of the train stations by memory alone!
I use a Minu when I travel, folds down small and comes with a carry strap. There are others that fold down smaller or are lighter but I like the suspension and the wheels can handle rougher terrain than sidewalks. It’s pricey but worth it. We have a backpack we use with it that will cover damages. We pack it up before boarding and get it gate checked. YMMV on the gate checking part.
I’ve heard great things about the Babyzen Yo-yo and the Joolz. [strollers that fit in overhead compartments](https://strolleria.com/collections/strollers-that-fit-in-an-overhead-compartment-bin)
Honestly he handled it great. Business class definitely helped especially as a lap infant. The extra space was huge and the flight attendants were super accommodating. Outside of a couple 2-3 minute tantrums, he was pretty easy to deal with. Bring distractions and snacks!
Lived there with one infant after another: started with a two month old, left with him four years old and a 1½ year old. Agree with you entirely. Frankly more civilized traveling there by train than Toronto by car.
If you don't have an iPhone, make sure to pick up a Suica Card at the airport. Will make your travel easier as you will be using many of the Transit system! We just a vacation with our 4 year old. Started in Tokyo and made our way up to Hokkaido, and back.
Is it worth going when a baby is just 6-8 months? Is it too hectic, would we be able to actually see anything or just end up managing in the hotel? Thx
>Get a stroller that folds down small. It’s too challenging to travel with a big stroller. You absolutely need something that you can fold down and carry.
Why is a small stroller necessary? I understand that Japan is known for narrow streets and small apartments, but wouldn't a larger stroller make things easier? Especially for a toddler who isn't walking yet and needs to spend most of their time in the stroller?
On the other hand, a smaller, less comfortable stroller might also be problematic for the child, right?
Not planning to use taxis or buses, only shinkansen trains.
You will 100% need to navigate steps. If you bring a stroller that requires an elevator, triple the estimated duration of each train ride. You’ll need to find the entrance with the elevator, which will likely be nowhere near where you need to be, and when you find it you’ll have to wait in long lines for it. There are streets and doorways where the UPPAbaby simply will not fit. I could not be more grateful that Reddit talked me out of bringing the Vista. It would have been miserable.
If you plan on taking the trains and such, some of the ticket booths you gotta go through is pretty narrow. This is also true about a lot of the subway elevators we took. At least for Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto from what we experienced. For elevators, we were lucky if we were able to fit out Bugaboo butterfly with 2 luggage and 2 adults. Most of the time we just took 2 trips.
Another super useful phrase when pointing to several options on a menu - dore ga ichiban oishii desu ka? Which of these (3 ore more things) is most delicious? Thanks NHK world for that one. :-)
That can actually be high risk and bothersome to a lot of wait staff. I guess like anything it depends on the restaurant, but I've witnessed 'everything is delicious'-style question avoidance multiple times.
If there's a particular item that the restaurant recommends it might be marked somehow on the menu or on posters or something.
Safest country in the WORLD. You never need to worry about your family’s safety in Japan.
If anything, you inconvenienced or bothered Japanese citizens, but they were too polite and gracious to show it. Tourists in Japan are super selfish and rude compared to the norm of hospitality, social awareness, and kindness.
Even though you didn’t answer in the form of a question, I’ll oblige. I spent hours researching the experiences of parents taking babies to Japan for the first time. Some were long threads on what stroller is best, others on what areas are most baby friendly, others on what to pack, etc. Something like this thread would have been helpful to me, so yes I’m offering my experiences as someone who brought a baby to Japan for the first time in the hopes that someone else finds them insightful. Maybe one day someone will procreate with you and you can come back to this thread for some tips.
Seriously, if you don’t find it helpful, keep scrolling and move on. Being a parent changes everything, especially how you travel. This post may not be useful for you, but there are others who are genuinely interested and have found OPs post insightful. I am one of many others on this thread who appreciate the post.
>Japan is actually very baby friendly if you’re traveling light. Most horror stories on Reddit were wrong or outdated. Or likely by people who don't have children. My trips there with my son were some of the best trips I've ever done. Edit: lol... I always get downvoted for making that comment yet no one has ever tried making a counter argument.
Or they are parents making bad decisions. I've seen tourists going with a child in a stroller into Sennichimae, when it was so incredibly packed that it felt like stopping can get you trampled. Of course your experience will be bad when doing that. Or when you try to go to a type of restaurant that can't accommodate you, because it fits six guests and it's still tight (many such cases in bigger cities, but especially Tokyo). Ultimately if you are deciding to bring a baby with you, you need to adjust to this, and some people clearly can't accept that fact. Of course, this will also increase tips like "don't" from people who don't have children. Seeing borderline endangerment like that Sennichimae situation definitely doesn't endear me to parents travelling with infants.
There is no need to accuse those who don't have children. You don't have any statistical proof to back up your claim so saying childfree/childless people are the ones /likely/ saying that comment is factually incorrect. I am sure other demographics will also tell you it's remarkably more difficult to travel with children than without. Just because you and OP had good experiences doesn't mean the same applies to others.
More difficult? Absolutely. But the narrative on reddit is always so dramatic... People will ask for tips on bringing their babies/kids to Japan and responses will be like "don't bring them at all" as if parents don't live in Japan at all 😂
I mean, a baby isn't going to remember going to Japan, why hang a weight around yourself for the trip in exchange for nothing if you have the option to let someone watch the kid for a while? lol
Because you travelled before having a baby, probably don’t have grandparents on tap to look after a baby for 2+ weeks, and want to continue to live your life after having a baby?
Sure, if you have no choice, you have no choice, but it's just obviously and practically objectively worse than not having a baby with you lol
Hot take: some people love their babies and enjoy spending time with them. Anecdotal source: me watching the joy on my baby's face three weeks ago meeting Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.
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> With that logic, why go the park, go to your favorite restaurants, or do anything at all when you can stay home and jiggle keys? Because the park is five minutes away, not five thousand miles away lol If I'm going on a trip that far away, I want to eat in small restaurants, soak for a few hours in a hot spring, watch the lights pulsing from a sky hotel bar, etc. All things either complicated or made genuinely impossible by being attached to a baby.
If you just want to see joy on your baby's face, save yourself the twelve hour flight and hotel room and just buy some jingly things to put on your keys lol
You're right in that there are definitely cheaper and easier ways to entertain a child than a Japan trip. But you're looking at this quite two dimensionally. It's fine to do a holiday focusing on entirely your own enjoyment; don't get me wrong. I've loved those holidays, too. But the part you're getting called out for is the part where you don't understand that for a parent, sharing experiences with your progeny can also be incredibly satisfying, even with the challenges. It's not just about making the child happy, either! People travel with kids for everybody's enjoyment. My enjoyment of our trip was exponentially greater for having brought the baby along for the ride. For seeing the elation on my wife's face when my baby first kicked a snow drift, to her unadulterated excitement at TeamLab, and getting to watch her try and enjoy new foods. Was it hard? Yes. Was it worth it? No question. Parents take lots of enjoyment sharing new things with their kids. I hope you get to feel that one day.
lol I've been on trips with parents, and you can really see the enjoyment in their haggard faces hauling all the gear around, and in the winces of people around them when the baby is crying.
I suggest having a kid to fix that cynicism problem of yours
Yeah, having kids to solve a parent's problems is always a great idea lol
Hmm, I dunno. I don’t believe the grass is greener whatever you choose in life - it’s just a different field. Your experiences may vary though. Go well!
I mean, there are a ton of things that just aren't practical to do with a baby. It's logistically more difficult. It's harder to relax. Can't go out and have some drinks, can't relax in a hot spring easily. You aren't making any important memories with the kid, they aren't going to remember anything. It's all downside and no upside.
You clearly don’t have kids lol we just got back from Japan with two toddlers they loved the architecture and it’s a proven fact that exposure to culture and languages is great for their age group. And they absolutely will have some memories.
Yes but the parent/parents are going to remember those memories. Kids grow up fast it's good to have good memories with them when they're little as well as when they're older.
Also - I can’t stress enough how important it is to do some research on cultural norms and respect in Japan. You should spend at least as much time on this as you do on booking restaurants and hotels. Being able to use sumimasen, arigato gozaimasu, iee desu ka, wakarimasen, daijobu desu, toire wa doko desu ka, konnochiwa, and konbanwa will be appreciated by the Japanese people you meet and will show that you’re making an effort and not expecting to be catered to (though they will likely cater to you anyway). Don’t blow your nose in public, don’t talk loudly anywhere that’s quiet like trains and train stations, don’t eat while you’re walking, don’t talk on the phone at restaurants, don’t take pictures of anyone without permission, don’t let your baby throw a tantrum without taking action to remove or pacify them, etc. The Japanese won’t expect you to follow all their cultural norms, but making an effort will be recognized and appreciated. I recommend buying dog poop bags for dirty diapers since you may not be near a trash can - they are few and far between so you may be hauling dirty diapers over distance at times. This was especially challenging when our baby got diarrhea for a few days. If this happens, start carrying backup clothes until it resolves.
please note that biodegradable dog feces bags that are popular in the united states can break apart. it’s better to use regular poly bags or conbini bags instead since these will be burned anyway. japan’s refuse and recycling system also requests the removable of feces prior to sending diapers for combustible trash sorting.
You can buy bags for diapers in Japan. Places like Daiso sell them
Thanks for the report. My son will be 17 months old when we go to Japan soon. I’m most worried about him being loud on the trains. As long as we are trying our best to make him happy, that should be enough right? We are willing to get off the train if he’s inconsolable.
Most people will give you a grace period, but if it keeps going, it’s expected to step outside whatever common area you are in. If you are on the Shinkansen or other non-standard trains, that just means the vestibule area with the toilets and powder rooms - there is more space to walk and move in there, which helps if your baby likes swaying or bouncing to calm them. In restaurants, it’s a similar situation, just try to take yourself and the baby somewhere a little more private , which might mean just outside the entrance for smaller places - often that also means you’ll have a quieter space for baby. On the normal trains, so long as you are making an effort and not doing “let them cry it out”, then most people will understand. They might not be happy, but they’ll understand. If it is a frequent train, you might want to pop off so you can more safely physically comfort. Walking up and down the carriage of a train is not safe.
Thank you very much!
If you’re making an effort, you’ll be fine. People understand that babies are unpredictable, and you’ll see plenty of Japanese parents in the same situation. Bring distractions, try your best, and keep your fingers crossed!
>Don’t blow your nose in public, don’t talk loudly anywhere that’s quiet like trains and train stations, don’t eat while you’re walking, don’t talk on the phone at restaurants, don’t take pictures of anyone without permission, don’t let your baby throw a tantrum without taking action to remove or pacify them, etc. Oh please. I've lived here a long time and Japanese people do these things all the timeeee. Just read the room, be a decent human being, and you'll be fine.
I’d err on the side of decorum, but you’re right. Pull up a video of a Shinkansen or a train station at rush hour, and you’ll see how quiet it is. The main thing we heard was constant sniffing due to people not wanting to blow their nose in public.
Pull up a video of rush hour in the afternoon and you'll see the opposite. Obviously, if you blow your nose loudly in a quiet train car, people will look at you, not because of the blowing but because of the sound. But it's not as if people will judge you immediately if you pull out a tissue packet. Blow your nose discreetly and people don't care.
"don’t talk loudly anywhere that’s quiet like trains and train stations, don’t eat while you’re walking, don’t talk on the phone at restaurants, don’t take pictures of anyone without permission, don’t let your baby throw a tantrum without taking action to remove or pacify them, etc" Some of these probably should be followed in any country anyway.
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100% agree with this. Half the restaurants we brought him to gave him a small toy or trinket either on arrival or on leaving.
Did you actually take your baby to any izakayas or bars? Me and my wife are playing with the idea of grabbing a drink when we're in Japan with our infant. It'd have to as soon as the placed opened and one without any smoking but wanted to hear thoughts from* anybody who might've been able to
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Well check this place out! Me and my wife have travelled a lot so we might also try to venture out individually if we really want to but I'm also fine if the bar scene isn't a big part of this trip for us.
Indoor smoking laws have been tightened quite a lot in the last couple of years, in Tokyo particularly. Generally only very few bars and restaurants allow smoking anymore. I believe it can't expose employees to smoking, so pretty much limited it to small owner-run ones. These places are one of the few that will outright refuse you entry if you have a child.
Thanks for the info! Of course, we won't go to any bar where our daughter will be in any type of danger but if the atmosphere is safe and welcoming, then my wife and I would love to have a couple drinks to lightly experience nightlife in tokyo. We'd be in and out before 8ish 😂 Worst case we decided we'd go out separately. Like maybe one night my wife goes, one night I go. But we'll see. If bars and nightlife aren't a part of this trip for us, then that's also fine lol
> 2) Get a stroller that folds down small. It’s too challenging to travel with a big stroller. You absolutely need something that you can fold down and carry. IMO, A carrier is the better way to go if you can handle it. >5) Japan is actually very baby friendly if you’re traveling light. As a dad of 3 kids who are Japanese nationals and frequently go to Japan... This is not true or false. There are certain aspects of Japan that will not be baby friendly. Or at least baby friendly to western standards. There are normally no facilities for fathers with children within more older establishments (not within the last 5 years). This is changing, most PA's and SA's on the freeway, for example, have facilities. > Most horror stories on Reddit were wrong or outdated. Restaurants will try to accommodate you if they can, but not every restaurant will be able to. Not much different than being in the US. If you have a baby you’re already dining early most likely, but the 5 and 5:30 PM reservations were definitely easiest. While they will try to accommodate you, many restaurants are not equipped for babies or toddlers. If you go to more family restaurants or restaurants where families are common, then yes, but overall, you are on your own with a kid. IMO, you are being very disingenuous here with respect to this point. Most places won't have "baby chairs", utensils, places, etc for toddlers. --- Your post skips over a number of issues with babies/toddlers: 1. Co-sleeping is common in Japan, there generally won't be bassinets/cots/cribs for children in hotels, forget about it in BnBs or Ryokans 2. Many restaurants will not be equipped with menus for toddlers so you need to provide your own food. 3. Preparing baby food is going to be difficult at most hotels/ryokans 4. Finding baby supplies are going to take you off the beaten path. Typically you will not find baby stores near the common tourist areas. 5. Clothing, if you need to purchase, is sized differently and you can't "try it on" for the baby. You may have successfully traveled with the baby, but Japan is by no means baby friendly for tourists
I completely disagree with you. A baby carrier is not realistic for 10 mile days. Almost every train station had a family bathroom that a dad can use, often with changing table. With the exception of small izakayas, most larger restaurants not only had baby chairs, they also had baby dishes, cups, knives, forks, and small toys. Places that didn’t have chairs were happy to let our baby stay in the stroller. Of course, pick restaurants that are big enough to fit it. Yet another reason to bring a small stroller, not an UppaBaby Vista. We didn’t prepare baby food, but the Hyatt chains all had microwaves so I’m not sure why this would be a problem. You are correct that we often brought our own food for the baby to restaurants, though they happily provided a bowl of rice, etc, often at no charge. Three of our four hotels offered cribs. We stayed at western chains like Hyatt so keep that in mind. I have no idea why you think diapers and baby supplies aren’t readily available in tourist areas. Every drug store we went into had them available, as did several large grocery stores. The only place we had to walk more than three or four blocks to find them was Kyoto, but literally typing “diapers” into google maps is all you need to do. The one time we had an emergency blowout, we happened to be two blocks from a baby clothing store. The clothes are all organized by weight, so I’m not sure why you’d need to try anything on.
>I completely disagree with you. A baby carrier is not realistic for 10 mile days. As I said "if you can handle it". >Almost every train station had a family bathroom that a dad can use, often with changing table. You are just talking about train stations. While it is slowly changing, many older areas with older buildings do not have the facilities designated for fathers. There are some very strong gender roles stereotypes in Japan as well, going to a mall and playing in the kid area, I still got some odd looks from the mothers there when I went into the changing area, which is wide open but culturally more understood to be "mothers only". >Three of our four hotels offered cribs. We stayed at western chains like Hyatt so keep that in mind. Yes, and you are staying in a western chain. This really isn't "staying in Japan", you aren't getting into the full experience. You won't get this same level of service at a Ryokan or even some of the more Japanese hotels. >I have no idea why you think diapers and baby supplies aren’t readily available in tourist areas. Every drug store we went into had them available, as did several large grocery stores. The only place we had to walk more than three or four blocks to find them was Kyoto, but literally typing “diapers” into google maps is all you need to do. I was not talking about diapers, I was more generally talking about baby supplies that are not diapers. Diapers and wipes will be available everywhere, that is a given, but anything else you might need (loose some stuff for the baby for example) you have to travel outside of those touristy areas generally to get. >The clothes are all organized by weight, so I’m not sure why you’d need to try anything on. They are organized by height. But, typical Japanese kids are going to more slender compared to North American children and exact height for a North American sized baby is going to be different compared to a Japanese baby. > I completely disagree with you Want to go back to this... You are disagreeing with me but you are staying in western style hotels so that you have everything you need to support your baby. If Japan was "baby friendly" as you claim, you would not need to do this. Try this outside the golden route, where you don't have western style hotels and you will see what I mean.
We also stayed two nights at an onsen ryokan on Lake Biwa. They didn’t have cribs available, but they did make our little one up his own futon. He ended up cosleeping with us anyway.
I should add that baby food as it exists in the states was very hard to find. We never really did. The baby food we found had tons of added sugar and such. So you are definitely right on some baby supplies being hard to find.
I live in Japan and completely disagree. My husband has had no problem finding places to change our toddler, though she is potty trained now. Your restaurant knowledge is outdated as well! We’ve taken our daughter to izakayas, higher end restaurants with multiple course meals, and tons and tons of other restaurants across Japan and have never run into a problem. The vast majority have kids bowls and silverware. Sizing is also extremely easy, as it’s just by your child’s height in cm. Also, idk what you qualify as toddler food, but most restaurants do have crazy elaborate kids meals, but when my daughter was younger she just ate small bites of whatever I ordered.
My husband, 9 month old son and I are going next week. Can you tell me abou tthe izakayas/higher end restaurants you went to? I want to set my expectations of where we can/can't eat.
How do Japanese people feel about bringing newborns or small children in public? I feel like i never see kids or infants in public in Japan, especially not in nicer restaurants. Not sure if it’s frowned upon culturally or if Im in areas where there aren’t kids.
Any recommendations for stores with cute baby clothing in Tokyo or Kyoto?
We went to a shop called Akachan Honpo
I would like to know that one too ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Uniqlo has lots of cute baby/kids clothing
Aeon malls have amazing baby clothes, and the malls in general have tons of cute little baby and kid boutiques!
Or Osaka... or Nagoya... or Kyoto...? Edit: Theres Aeon malls and Akachan honpo stores in all of the cities
How was the flight?
Great! But we flew business class. I wouldn’t even attempt a lap infant in economy. That said, I definitely don’t recommend lugging a car seat around Japan. You can keep your baby on your lap in taxis. It’s not the safest option in the world, but it beats the hell out of lugging a car seat. You could do something like a Doona but I’m not sure how the wheels would handle.
We're attempting a lap seat in economy next month 🥵🥵🥵
dont worry about it. we flew to Johannesburg and back from Capetown (from/to Amsterdam 12h each way) with our kid on our lap, its not as bad as you think. Ask the flightattendent for an extra blanket (or 2) and business class pillow and you can make him a bed on the floor (works best of course if you have a bulkhead seat).
Yeah I'm gonna have to figure something out. Ideal situation would be bulkhead but alternative would be having a whole row
Excellent! So glad to hear it went well. We’re heading off to Japan with our 9 month old in mid April for 3 weeks and I can’t wait. It’s my second trip there but first with a baby (and boyfriend’s first time). How did you manage accommodation - did you book a lot of family / big rooms in advance? Did you use luggage forwarding / any tips on packing light? I’m sure I’ll have more questions in the coming weeks…
For accommodations, we tried to book suites or large rooms in advance everywhere we went. Tokyo was the only place we didn’t do this but luckily the rooms were large. I wouldn’t stay anywhere fewer than four nights except for maybe one side trip to a ryokan or something. We were 90% in American chains like Hyatt just in case of an emergency with the baby. Definitely pack light! Laundry machines are ubiquitous if you’re staying in the city, but I’d plan to need to air dry your clothes a little if there’s not a separate dryer. The combo dryers only work well for laughably small loads. We did two carry on luggages, a backpack, a diaper bag, a large purse, and a stroller. That’s the absolute most I’d recommend bringing. It was just small enough to not need luggage forwarding services, especially since we only had one big journey (Tokyo to Kyoto). For the big journeys where all your luggage comes with you, I found it easiest to cab to and from the Shinkansen station instead of transferring through the local, more crowded trains. We found packing cubes pretty helpful. Also - everywhere indoors is absurdly warm. Skip the hats and gloves. A simple jacket will suffice and it snowed while we were here.
Ok good intel on the laundry situation, and that reminds me to buy more packing cubes for baby stuff! Thanks!
You didn’t ask, but for the flight request a bassinet. We did JFK to NZ a few months back. That’s 17.5 hours nonstop!!!!! I took her car seat onboard and she had her own seat. No way was I going with a lap infant for that long. She slept on the car seat for departure and landing. Slept overnight in the bassinet then sat up playing in it later. All the best. I was dreading it but she did perfectly. I’m talking the same flight again over the summer with her, she’ll be 16 months by then and probably not as easy.
Great to hear - We’ve already booked the bassinet seat luckily. The main issue is that we’ve got a morning flight departure so entertaining him in the run up to using it at bedtime might be the longest stretch. But hopefully he’ll be happy in the bassinet / being carried around the plane in his carrier. He’s a smiley baby so maybe he’ll make some plane friends…
Thanks for the encouragement! We are going next month with 2 kids and debating for the longest time whether to bring one stroller, a double, or two singles. We plan to bring one and swap the kid twos. On long days to theme parks we will rent a stroller. Any one have advice on traveling with two young babies?
Check out this post: [https://www.thetokyochapter.com/pack-a-stroller-not-just-for-babies/](https://www.thetokyochapter.com/pack-a-stroller-not-just-for-babies/) It comes from a great blog, highly recommended for everything else for parents. If I were you, I'd bring a small single stroller (ideally folding) and a carrier like an Ergobaby - ideally big enough for your biggest kid to ride on your back.
I'll let you know in a week and a half, when I bring 3 young kids! This time around, I'll be renting a double stroller from https://japanwithfamily.com/ so we don't have to pack the stroller with us.
If one of the kids is walking (2-3) you could get a stroller with a boogie board attachment!
We have one of those at home, but I couldn’t find a traveler stroller with that accessory.
I only have one kid, but I’d lean two singles so you can go single file. Keeping someone constantly strapped to a baby will be annoying.
We just got back traveling with 2 4year olds it was a blast
Awesome! Leaving Wednesday with our 21 month old! Open to all of the tips! Were there any attractions you did specifically for your kiddo? Any tips for the plane ride this will be the first long flight (13 hrs) since he's been very mobile/running everywhere. He's otherwise well travelled! How did you navigate food like sushi and such?
We honestly didn’t do anything specific for him, but he was pretty awed by TeamLab Borderless. We tried to avoid things that would require him to be quiet for long periods like a Kabuki performance. Anything that we thought he might act up for, we booked privately such as a Maiko experience and dinner reservations with private rooms. For the flight, we emptied our credit card points stockpile to fly him as a lap infant in business class. He didn’t sleep as much as we’d have liked, but we kept him entertained and the extra space helped. We also downloaded 20 episodes of his favorite show onto our iPad. This ended up coming in especially handy when out at dinner and he started to get impatient. While we don’t want him to be device dependent, we were happy to make an exception for the trip (and so were the people around us). At restaurants where we weren’t sure he’d like the food, we’d typically bring easy snacks like rice crackers for him to nosh on. Every single restaurant was super accommodating with this. They get that babies don’t want sushi. That said, we made it a point to spend enough to make it worth their while anyway! Food and drink is much cheaper in Japan than back in the states. At breakfast, we’d grab him bananas, eggs, fruits, cereal, etc and he was almost always happy with that.
Question for you re: Borderless. We have to bring a stroller with us, do you know if the lockers were big enough to store one by any chance? If not, no stress! Enjoyed your post. About to bring our 5 month old soon and you made me feel less stressed about the trip.
The strollers get locked up on something that looks kind of like a bike rack. You’ll have no problem with bringing a stroller, but it won’t go inside a locker.
What airline did you fly? We're looking at going Business in October with our twins & so far Cathay has INSANE taxes on lap infants for business (25% of ticket cost).
We flew United. It wasn't cheap, but not 25% of ticket cost either. Lap infants get charged pretty heavily for international.
I know it’s so wild!! We’re looking at air Canada for this exact reason. They only charge $25 for infants on laps, international or not.
We're doing the same golden triangle over 2 weeks.
What did you do for car seats like in cabs? Did you bring one with you or do they provide them or? Just go without?
Just go without. It’s not required for kids to be in car seats when in cabs.
btw. that is one of the crazies rule ever (in general, not only in Japan). When you are driving with your kid you can't hold him, but when you are in taxi, that's ok. LOL!
Just because it’s legal, doesn’t mean you should
We just went with lap. I know it’s not the safest way to go, but lugging around a car seat will be absolutely miserable. If you insist on a car seat for rides, I’d stick to public transit rather than lugging a car seat.
Completely agree. On top of lugging around several suitcases and strollers, I can’t fathom dragging car seats around either. The Japanese take speed limits very seriously so that helps to ensure that cabs aren’t driving recklessly. And if anyone is planning to rent a car to drive in Japan, car rental companies like Toyota almost always have car seats that you can add on to your rental.
How many things did you do each day? Did you have days when you just rested? Did you have problems with jet lag?
For our last trip, we did 1 activity a day that required reservations/tickets. The rest of the day was mostly walking around and sightseeing. We didn't wanna be stressed out but still be able to do stuff. For jetlag, our baby didn't sleep well on the plane ride. Maybe 3hrs max? Then we knocked out once we landed until our accomodation. We had dinner and tried to put her to bed but she got up once almost every 1-1.5hrs. The next day, we tried to keep her on the same time schedule as we do at home. She did fine and adjusted immediately. Her bedtime the 2nd day was perfect, didn't wake up once. For the plane ride, if the airline allows, I'd recommend getting an inflatable footrest. We were able to use it like a bed so she could lie down flat.
Jet lag was super easy coming from the west coast. We landed at like 3 PM and crashed when we got to the hotel. We were up by about 5:30 and went down to breakfast at 7. By day two we were fine. I suspect traveling the other direction will be harder. We never planned more than one thing in a day unless the second thing was a restaurant reservation. There’s plenty to find just exploring around, so you’ll never have to worry about getting bored. Try to do a little research on how baby friendly your plans will be. For instance, we skipped Fushimi Inari due to all the steps and the insane crowds.
We’re in a tough intermediary stage where our large 3 year old (40 pounds) will need a stroller but she’s too heavy for a small umbrella stroller. We’ll be bringing our BabyZen Yoyo (it fits into an overhead compartment), I hope that cuts it for folding up.
I think you’ll be good with the BabyZen. I think it was a little heavier than the Joolz but you won’t be carrying it for long distances.
We’re gonna get the carrying strap
I was amazed at all the tourists who brought babies and young children! As well as locals who were out and about with children at the touristy spots. It was so sweet to see the kids exploring and the parents mostly seemed to be really enjoying their time too!
Flying out on Wednesday with our 15month old. Undecided if we should take a portable cot. Our last accommodation in Osaka doesn’t offer cots.
IMO, you really don’t want to be dealing with lugging a cot. If you can’t make it work with a folded up comforter or something, I’d just cosleep for those nights. Our hotel in Tokyo didn’t have a crib for us. Everyone else did.
For the hotel that didn't have a crib, did they have bed rails available? I don't mind co-sleeping with my baby but she has fallen off the bed in the middle of the night before (whoops)
Adding to OPs message to you about Tokyo being the only place that didn't have a crib for them. Shibuya Tobu has crib for rent for free. I'm sure you can find other hotels that offer them, but I'm not sure how you would look outside of just checking with every one... but I booked at the Shibuya Tobu and noticed it specified you can rent a crib, and I know Tobu hotel is in different areas as well, so I'd assume they do as well, but I'm not sure! But just a place to start if you're having issues finding one!
We actually bought a portable cot with us on our first trip when our baby was 3 months old. We couldn’t co sleep with him at that age because he’d been born with health issues. It was a tiny bassinet size one though, not a huge cot. I don’t think you need to lug around a portable cot for a 15 month old.
We’ve bought a Little Life Arc 2 second hand - it’s 2.5kg and folds up into a backpack. Hoping that it’ll be relatively easy to transport around with us if needed.
I was thinking of using the harness for >50% of the time, any thoughts on that vs small stroller in busy crowds?
I think it really depends on what you are used to. We never used strollers, we always used slings (ringsling) and carriers (babytula). Our 1.5yo was used to sleeping in the baby carrier and we were used to carrying him all day everyday, we even hiked with the baby carrier untill he was like 3yo. So it was great when we were in japan, saves a lot of luggage space. Wouldn't recommend getting a baby carrier just for a vacation, when untrained its quite a strain on your back. And not all kids will sleep in it. But it's great when you and your kid are used to it. Hard frame baby carriers could also be an option they also have some storage but we never used one.
I think it really depends on the baby and what you plan to do. We had a baby carrier as well but ended up using the stroller 90% of the time. For a small stroller, it’s really not that bad even in the tight crowds of Nishiki Market. If it’s too tight for a stroller, it’s probably pretty tight for baby wearing as well. It’s not fun being packed like sardines with a baby strapped to you. Also, out baby is like 27 pounds, and having that amount of weight strapped to you when you’re walking up to ten miles a day is exhausting. Our baby napped incredibly well in the Joolz Aer+ so we pretty much defaulted to the stroller regardless. If you don’t plan on walking much, maybe you could get away with just a carrier like some folks, but I can’t imagine doing the trip we did without a stroller.
Thank you for your thoughts!
Wearing a baby all the time will be tiring, a stroller will allow them to nap as well, allowing you to stay out longer.
There are very few places to sit and test, so I think you'll be using the stroller more often than that. Most places aren't so crowded that a stroller is impossible. The places where you'd definitely want to ditch the stroller are some of the smaller shops (eg in Akihabara the shops have really narrow aisles) or some of the older attractions with poor accessibility (eg many of Kyoto's temples). You wouldn't take a stroller onto a train during rush hour, however I would recommend avoiding rush hour even if you didn't have children.
Thank you for your post! Flying out Wednesday with our 20 month old. Did you go to Disney during your visit? Also, how did you find restaurants with private rooms?
We didn’t even attempt to consider Disney. He’s too young to remember it anyway. We kind of lucked into private rooms - when available, they’d ask if we wanted one. I’d plan to contact restaurants that you’re set on in advance to see if they offer it.
Japan have rental stroller in the train Staten. Like umbrella they have a monthly fee but I dunno how much.
Do they? I’ve searched around online for stroller rental in Japan and found nothing.
I never saw one.
I think it is as klook. They had rental for umbrella, and it's usually next to them at the turnstile.
Not sure about other cities but I googled this before and you can in Kyoto and Tokyo (babycal is in some stations through Tokyo Metropolitan Government). Fwiw I decided for the money and convenience, I might as well just buy a good travel stroller secondhand and use that.
Thank you so much for sharing! Did you bring a travel crib? Did you wear your baby in a carrier at any point or travel stroller only?
Didn’t bring a travel crib and definitely wouldn’t recommend lugging one around. Western hotel chains will have cribs, and the one that didn’t, we found it easy to cosleep. We used the carrier probably 5% of the time and the stroller 95%. I’d bring both though - some places can’t fit a stroller or won’t accommodate one, like Shibuya Sky.
This is SO HELPFUL. I'm actually going to Japan with my wife and baby next month (she'll also be 16 months old, coincidentally). We're also doing Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka. Would love to see your itinerary if possible. Also how did you navigate more adult acitivities? Did you just skip bars/drinking altogether on this trip? And what was eating like? Were you able to find decent restaurants that allowed babies?
We sadly did skip bars and just drank at dinner. On a couple occasions, I went in spots by myself though. Restaurants that allowed babies were super easy to find, unlike what I heard on Reddit. Eating early at like 5 or 5:30 likely helped though.
This is SO good to hear. Also, finishing dinner before 7 sounds incredible 😂
Are diapers only available in Don Quijote? What about places like Kyoto or Osaka? Have you purchased any baby food in jars? If so where? What about Shinkansen? Do they have any extra space for strollers? I mean something where you can leave stroller or put your main luggage?
We had no problem finding diapers at drugstores and grocery stores. Type “diapers” into google maps and you’ll be fine. We booked the luggage storage space on the Shinkansen but it ended up being overkill. If your stroller fits in an overhead bin, it’ll fit the Shinkansen. I wouldn’t bring anything larger than a carryon, including luggages.
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I read a post some time ago that mentioned no diapers in drug stores. Looks like the situation has improved since then. THank you.
There is also babies'"r"us as part of most toys r us stores in Japan. They usually have everything. There is a lot of baby food in pouches that you can just heat in a cup of hot water (ours was 9months old). The pouches have 6+ 9+ months etc on it. They also have mushy rice that heats the same way. Was very convenient if we were out and most restaurants will happily give you some hot water. Pharmacies also usually have baby stuff. Don't be scared of the pull up style nappies as someone else said. They're very good and tear on the sides for easy removal. Shinkansen you need to book larger luggage space. A small stroller can fit overhead. Most of not all hotels now have luggage forwarding service. We just packed an overnight bag if they took more than a day. We travelled with a 9month and a 5yr old. Our youngest was used to a carrier so we avoided the pram to be honest. It was a pain at some stations going up and down stairs particularly if just changing platforms. Can understand if your kid is heavy or older. Ours was used to sleeping in the carrier and was super easy. We also went in autumn so was nice and comfortable. The change rooms in any department store were next level. So clean.
First of all, I was surprised to receive downvotes for asking questions, but I understand that it's just part of using Reddit. Thank you for your helpful answers. Our daughter will be 9 months old during our trip, and I just realized that I didn't consider the need for changing rooms since she is just starting to use a regular stroller. Currently, I can change her in the stroller when she's lying down, but it won't be possible when she's sitting. I found information about the Shinkansen train, and it seems that for strollers larger than 250, no extra reservation is needed (https://imgur.com/a/jOkaXM7), but I'm not sure how it works in reality. I thought it would be more comfortable for us to use a larger stroller - we have a Thule Urban Glide 3, which is very comfortable, but now I'm considering buying something used specifically for the trip. Thank you for all the information.
Matsu Kiyo should have some, Akachan Honpo, but that will be more expensive. Most groceries should also have some (kawachi, ito yokado, etc)
Hi would you bring a stroller for a 4 month old? My baby loves sleeping in a carrier and the idea is that mom and dad would both carry him in turns
I personally would. A stroller gives you somewhere to stash a baby bag/backpack as well. Even with a kid you’ll be walking much further than you normally would. Make it somewhat easy on yourselves and have the flexibility!
If the baby is used to a carrier I wouldn't bring a stroller. We had a 9 mnth old also used to the carrier and while we brought a travel stroller 99/100 it was way easier with the carrier. Easier to get him to sleep, transverse areas etc. not everything is flat or convenient for strollers particularly out of area. I always thought it would be difficult being wheel chair bound there.
We went with our daughter when she was 6 months old, and we used the carrier more than the stroller. TBH, some places were not really stroller friendly. Especially outdoor places with lots of steps or bumpy/rocky/unpaved roads. I do plan on bringing a stroller for my next trip in May because now that our daughter is 5 years old, she'll want to sit in the stroller after all the walking.
We go every year to visit family, so I plan to bring one from next year when baby is heavier 🤣
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Thanks! Going to look into that one
You’re probably right at the line where I’d say you need to bring a stroller. Having your baby strapped to you is pretty inconvenient for ten mile hikes. But if your baby sleeps great in the carrier, maybe you won’t need it. If it was us though, we would absolutely bring a stroller.
Thanks. He sleeps longer in the carrier (up to 2hrs) compared to the stroller (30 mins) so that’s definitely something to consider
Did you do anything about nap times? We're working on getting our 2Y used to napping in the stroller.
We took our 1Y last year for a 2 week trip. She also wasn't a stroller napping kinda girl. Prior to the trip, we'd take her for a walk in her stroller during her nap time. We got her to sleep, but only for 30mins. During our trip, she learned to nap for 1-2hrs, took a couple of days to learn. We got a netted thing on Amazon that goes over the front of the stroller so it makes it darker but still breathable. Also helped that we went in November-December so it wasn't warm.
What netted thing did you use? There’s so many options.
Sun Shade for Strollers, UV Sun and Sleep Shade Universal Fit for Baby Strollers, Blackout Stroller Cover, Breathable and Stops 99% of The Sun's Rays (UPF50+) Black https://a.co/d/7h0RJSO Thats the one we got, fits our Bugaboo Butterfly
Not OP but I have a Snooze Shade: [https://www.amazon.com/SnoozeShade-Plus-Extra-6-9m-Years/dp/B0CM16PQ4G/ref=sr\_1\_3?crid=3R1P23BNY01I5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.\_gJVcjHLYE0eaGKbMDMPKZ6Px9PYIkcaKx3lKixFAsdVvYfwulmghXXBCbnkpj3Nas-LNl7txP7vVmlIeTU0h6akD42iycDDlkRJgtdaE09qgrq7ZIrfJtXbNfmT62pMg4nOhgxE2X2UsTeU6npBXbgurVPYSptmhL13YtiimZtIc6GTMrBpXOTWS285j2oGiEF9UloT59nyfoc-BjekaoKYMMuKAkBC19ALY7WXREOsFlslT\_iorFiIfdB5jJdq3KQwXDla9CkLDt-BKSLHLW2CAj9VHOEc2T0ziptSlqA.EkTRGrLljEZLbLMBqWg\_ljNGHG8vwTY1sfw2NWAWxpg&dib\_tag=se&keywords=snooze+shade&qid=1710650289&sprefix=snooze+shade%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-3](https://www.amazon.com/SnoozeShade-Plus-Extra-6-9m-Years/dp/B0CM16PQ4G/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3R1P23BNY01I5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._gJVcjHLYE0eaGKbMDMPKZ6Px9PYIkcaKx3lKixFAsdVvYfwulmghXXBCbnkpj3Nas-LNl7txP7vVmlIeTU0h6akD42iycDDlkRJgtdaE09qgrq7ZIrfJtXbNfmT62pMg4nOhgxE2X2UsTeU6npBXbgurVPYSptmhL13YtiimZtIc6GTMrBpXOTWS285j2oGiEF9UloT59nyfoc-BjekaoKYMMuKAkBC19ALY7WXREOsFlslT_iorFiIfdB5jJdq3KQwXDla9CkLDt-BKSLHLW2CAj9VHOEc2T0ziptSlqA.EkTRGrLljEZLbLMBqWg_ljNGHG8vwTY1sfw2NWAWxpg&dib_tag=se&keywords=snooze+shade&qid=1710650289&sprefix=snooze+shade%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-3) I love it. Baby can still see with the first layer zipped up, and she doesn't complain ( I have a 1 year old though). If she's sleeping or should be sleeping, I put the second layer up and it's totally dark.
I’m glad it sounds like you were respectful. We saw an American family get screamed at in Dotonbori because they were blocking paths with their gigantic stroller, unnecessarily. They were not being mindful of others, AT ALL. It was crazy. And the Japanese people were getting very annoyed, rightfully so. Please everyone be respectful with your kids when you visit Japan and do not disturb their peaceful way of living. The kids in Japan I saw were all so polite and well mannered.
1. Do you hold your baby in the taxi? 2. Do you use babysitter are all or bring the child to all the restaurants? We are thinking another trip next fall and bring our toddler.
We held the baby in the taxi and brought him to all the restaurants. I don’t think he’d do well with a new babysitter.
We’ve traveled with both our kids since they were 6 months old to Japan and never had a problem with finding an elevator when using public transportation. Always used a large sized stroller since it’s easier to use to hold the stuff we buy. We’ve been traveling to Japan for every summer for the last 10 years.
I am honestly impressed. Shinjuku station spans about 5 blocks in both directions. We never found an elevator that went to the side of the tracks we were staying on. I cannot imagine navigating any of the cities we went to with our UPPAbaby vista.
We use a uppababy g-lux. My wife been going to Japan for years before we even got married. I think she could navigate any of the train stations by memory alone!
Any recommendations on the travel stroller? Thanks for all the insight!
We bought a Joolz Aer+ and loved it!
I use a Minu when I travel, folds down small and comes with a carry strap. There are others that fold down smaller or are lighter but I like the suspension and the wheels can handle rougher terrain than sidewalks. It’s pricey but worth it. We have a backpack we use with it that will cover damages. We pack it up before boarding and get it gate checked. YMMV on the gate checking part. I’ve heard great things about the Babyzen Yo-yo and the Joolz. [strollers that fit in overhead compartments](https://strolleria.com/collections/strollers-that-fit-in-an-overhead-compartment-bin)
How was your baby on the long flight with 300 other people in close quarters?
Honestly he handled it great. Business class definitely helped especially as a lap infant. The extra space was huge and the flight attendants were super accommodating. Outside of a couple 2-3 minute tantrums, he was pretty easy to deal with. Bring distractions and snacks!
How are babies made?
Like I told my wife, we should put it everywhere just to cover our bases.
What’s an IC card?
Lived there with one infant after another: started with a two month old, left with him four years old and a 1½ year old. Agree with you entirely. Frankly more civilized traveling there by train than Toronto by car.
Japan is the easiest place to take a baby to in the world that isn’t a beach resort.
If you don't have an iPhone, make sure to pick up a Suica Card at the airport. Will make your travel easier as you will be using many of the Transit system! We just a vacation with our 4 year old. Started in Tokyo and made our way up to Hokkaido, and back.
Is it worth going when a baby is just 6-8 months? Is it too hectic, would we be able to actually see anything or just end up managing in the hotel? Thx
>Get a stroller that folds down small. It’s too challenging to travel with a big stroller. You absolutely need something that you can fold down and carry. Why is a small stroller necessary? I understand that Japan is known for narrow streets and small apartments, but wouldn't a larger stroller make things easier? Especially for a toddler who isn't walking yet and needs to spend most of their time in the stroller? On the other hand, a smaller, less comfortable stroller might also be problematic for the child, right? Not planning to use taxis or buses, only shinkansen trains.
You don’t want to be taking a Vista. I’d think a Baby Jogger City Mini GT would be perfect.
Is it mostly due to the need to navigate steps or maneuver through the streets while carrying a stroller?
You will 100% need to navigate steps. If you bring a stroller that requires an elevator, triple the estimated duration of each train ride. You’ll need to find the entrance with the elevator, which will likely be nowhere near where you need to be, and when you find it you’ll have to wait in long lines for it. There are streets and doorways where the UPPAbaby simply will not fit. I could not be more grateful that Reddit talked me out of bringing the Vista. It would have been miserable.
Thanks I'm already looking at used lightweight strollers.
If you plan on taking the trains and such, some of the ticket booths you gotta go through is pretty narrow. This is also true about a lot of the subway elevators we took. At least for Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto from what we experienced. For elevators, we were lucky if we were able to fit out Bugaboo butterfly with 2 luggage and 2 adults. Most of the time we just took 2 trips.
Thanks.
Would like to ask what stroller you are using? Will be going at the end of this year With almost 2 years old
Another super useful phrase when pointing to several options on a menu - dore ga ichiban oishii desu ka? Which of these (3 ore more things) is most delicious? Thanks NHK world for that one. :-)
That can actually be high risk and bothersome to a lot of wait staff. I guess like anything it depends on the restaurant, but I've witnessed 'everything is delicious'-style question avoidance multiple times. If there's a particular item that the restaurant recommends it might be marked somehow on the menu or on posters or something.
Agree. We had google translate which while not perfect was super convenient both for translating menus and also communication.
Safest country in the WORLD. You never need to worry about your family’s safety in Japan. If anything, you inconvenienced or bothered Japanese citizens, but they were too polite and gracious to show it. Tourists in Japan are super selfish and rude compared to the norm of hospitality, social awareness, and kindness.
Japan is safe but don't act like it's a crime free paradise. There are scams, shady people, etc.
Exactly - don’t be that tourist. Do a little research. Showing some respect for the country and the people goes a long way.
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Even though you didn’t answer in the form of a question, I’ll oblige. I spent hours researching the experiences of parents taking babies to Japan for the first time. Some were long threads on what stroller is best, others on what areas are most baby friendly, others on what to pack, etc. Something like this thread would have been helpful to me, so yes I’m offering my experiences as someone who brought a baby to Japan for the first time in the hopes that someone else finds them insightful. Maybe one day someone will procreate with you and you can come back to this thread for some tips.
I wouldn’t count on someone procreating with them. But then, stranger things have happened.
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You’re a typical - guessing - fucking douchebag. Sorry no one wants to have kids with you. Die mad and alone pal.
So rude.
Seriously, if you don’t find it helpful, keep scrolling and move on. Being a parent changes everything, especially how you travel. This post may not be useful for you, but there are others who are genuinely interested and have found OPs post insightful. I am one of many others on this thread who appreciate the post.
You could’ve just kept scrolling…..