No toothbrush at your hotel or ryokan in Japan? Why, and where to get one tonight

Japan's Act on the Promotion of Resource Circulation for Plastics was promulgated on 11 June 2021 and took effect on 1 April 2022. It names 12 mainly plastic products that shops and services hand out free with what they sell. Five of them are designated for the accommodation business: hairbrushes, combs, razors, shower caps and toothbrushes. The others are forks, spoons, table knives, stirrers and drinking straws, plus clothes hangers and garment covers.

It isn't a ban. According to the Ministry of the Environment, businesses that give these items away free must set reduction targets and choose their own measures: charging for them, offering points or similar rewards to customers who decline, checking whether the customer actually wants one, encouraging reuse, or switching to thinner, lighter or alternative materials. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) stresses that this applies however small the amount handed out. Businesses that provided 5 tonnes or more in the previous year may receive recommendations, be named publicly or be ordered to act if their efforts are clearly inadequate.

One example the environment ministry gives is exactly what many travellers now meet: lodgings that no longer place amenities in the room, so guests who need them ask at the front desk or collect them from an amenity corner. In other words, a missing toothbrush may still be free downstairs, may be for sale, or may not be stocked at all, and asking is the fastest way to find out.

Several inns in our directory have moved amenities out of the room. At Mimatsu in Awara Onsen you pick up toothbrushes at the amenity corner near the front desk. At Jozankei Yuraku Soan most amenities sit at a lobby amenity bar, and a January 2026 guest found the in-room set thin. Mizunoto in Hakone has no room attendants and toiletries are collected in the lobby; at Ichinoyu Honkan in Tonosawa you also pick up amenities yourself. In the 'smart stay' wings of Kasuien Minami in Tamatsukuri Onsen, you collect your yukata and amenities yourself.

Elsewhere the toothbrush has gone or costs extra. Mukaitaki in Aizu dropped free toothbrushes in 2022, so bring your own. In September 2026 several guests at Musashi in Shirahama found no toothbrush or comb in the room; both were sold at the shop instead. At Gora Kansuiro in Hakone some amenities are now sold rather than provided, and a December 2025 blogger found no comb among the amenities at Bosenkan in Gero. Families should note that Furutakiya in Iwaki-Yumoto gives pre-schoolers no yukata, towels or toothbrushes.

When you ask, the words on the law's own list help: ha-burashi (歯ブラシ, toothbrush), kamisori (かみそり, razor), kushi (くし, comb), hea-burashi (ヘアブラシ, hairbrush) and shawā kyappu (シャワーキャップ, shower cap). If the inn has none, the konbini is next.

The big convenience-store chains list toothbrushes and razors in their own catalogues. 7-Eleven's site shows its Seven Premium toothbrushes at 192.50 yen including tax, sold nationwide, and its shelf of razors and grooming goods includes a razor travel set at 364.10 yen and a 40 g shaving foam at 324.50 yen. FamilyMart lists a single toothbrush at 198 yen including tax in every region it covers.

Lawson sells MUJI products in about 13,000 of its stores (as of the end of February 2026, not counting Lawson Store 100). From 31 March 2026 it added two Lawson-only travel-size sets made with MUJI: a shampoo and conditioner set at 1,089 yen and a skincare trial set at 1,650 yen.

Not every store carries every item: 7-Eleven says listed products may not be stocked in some stores, and Lawson's MUJI range isn't in all of its stores. We couldn't find hairbrushes, combs or shower caps in the chains' online catalogues, so for those a drugstore or 100-yen shop is the safer bet.

Japan's national tourism organisation (JNTO) says drugstores sell far more than medicine, are a good place for cosmetics and toiletries, and should be your first stop if you forgot to pack something. It names Kokumin, SunDrug and Matsumoto Kiyoshi as the largest chains.

For the cheapest fix, JNTO points to 100-yen shops, where items cost 100 yen plus tax; the chains with the most shops include Daiso, Seria, Watts and Can Do. Daiso's official online store lists a toothbrush with a case and a folding hairbrush with a mirror, each at 110 yen including tax.

If your ryokan is in a small onsen village, do this shopping in town before you set off: at some inns in our directory the nearest shop is a long walk or a drive away (see below).

Amazon.co.jp's next-day delivery arrives roughly between 7:00 and 22:30, though some places such as remote islands aren't covered by its expedited shipping. With Amazon Pickup you can have items shipped by Amazon.co.jp held at a Lawson, FamilyMart or MiniStop counter (collect within 4 days), a FamiLocker, Amazon Locker or PUDO locker (3 days), or an Amazon Counter or Yamato Transport centre (7 days).

Rakuten Ichiba offers konbini pickup at FamilyMart, Lawson and MiniStop, with 2–3 days to collect after the parcel arrives; it isn't available for parcels over 100 cm or 10 kg, for date- or time-specified delivery, or for cash on delivery. To have a parcel sent to your inn instead, check first: Yamato Transport says hotels and ryokan can receive parcels if they are willing to accept them, and some limit where and when you can collect.

At remote inns, plan ahead rather than order late. Yachi Onsen in the Hakkoda mountains has no mobile signal, no shop for miles and minimal amenities (a toothbrush). From Ao no Za at Lake Shikotsu the nearest convenience store is about 30 minutes by car, Yuwaku Onsen, home to Kokarian, has no convenience store in the village, and the nearest shop to Okamotoya in Beppu is about 20 minutes on foot. Ask what the inn provides when you book, and shop on the way.

A toothbrush with a case, a pocket comb or folding brush, a razor and a shower cap take up very little room, and a kit you carry from inn to inn means you never depend on what a room provides. Add small refill bottles for the shampoo, cleanser or lotion you rely on.

Mind the liquids rule if you fly out of Japan. For international flights departing from Japan, the transport ministry (MLIT) says toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, shaving cream and similar liquids, gels and aerosols in your cabin bag must be in containers of 100 ml (or g) or less, all in one clear, resealable plastic bag of about 1 litre. Liquids bought after the security check are exempt, but MLIT warns they may be confiscated if you transfer abroad under another country's rules.

If you'd rather not shop for the kit yourself, add it to an Amazon or Rakuten order delivered to your first hotel or a konbini near it.