Travelling Japan with a baby or toddler: what to buy there and where

If you've run short, start with what's open. JNTO notes that baby food is easy to find at most convenience stores. For nappies and formula, the travel site MATCHA lists baby-goods chains such as Akachan Honpo and Nishimatsuya, drugstores and discount stores such as Don Quijote — so for a pack in your baby's size, head for one of those rather than counting on a konbini.

Japanese nappies come in two main types. Tape-type (テープ) nappies fasten at the sides and, MATCHA says, suit newborns because they can be changed while the baby sleeps; pants-type (パンツ) nappies pull up and are the usual switch once a baby rolls, sits and crawls. Sizes run from newborn (新生児) through S, M and L and up, and each pack carries a weight guide — Kao's newborn Merries, for example, is labelled 'up to 3,000 g' — so compare the weight on the pack with your baby's rather than going by the size letter.

Used nappies need a plan. Kao's instructions say not to flush nappies down the toilet, to take nappies used while you're out back with you, and to follow local rules for throwing them away. At an inn, ask the staff where they should go: Kozantei Ubuya on Lake Kawaguchi, for one, sets out a nappy bin on request.

Formula in Japan comes in several formats. MATCHA lists powdered formula in cans, in single-serve sticks and in cubes. With cubes you count cubes, not scoops: Meiji's instructions for its cube formula say one cube makes 40 ml, that it dissolves in water boiled once and still at 70°C or more, and that made-up milk should be used within two hours. Labels and instructions are in Japanese, so photograph the pack and run it through a translation app before the first feed.

Ready-to-drink liquid formula (乳児用液体ミルク) is the newer option: the health ministry brought in the safety standards that allowed it to be made and sold in Japan in August 2018. The Consumer Affairs Agency's leaflet says it needs no mixing or warming, its nutrition is the same as made-up powder formula, and it keeps at room temperature away from direct sun and hot cars. Shelf life depends on the pack — roughly six months for cartons and about a year for cans — so check the date. The agency says to use it as soon as it's opened, pour carton or can contents into a clean container, and never give leftovers. Meiji adds that its canned liquid formula must be used within two hours of opening and must not be heated in a microwave or over a flame.

We can't tell you which formula suits your baby. The agency itself suggests talking to a doctor, dietitian or midwife before using it, so if your baby relies on a particular formula, ask your own doctor before you travel and bring enough to cover the trip. Some inns help with feeding: Hyoe Koyokaku in Arima lists baby-food warming, Nishimuraya Hotel Shogetsutei in Kinosaki provides bottle sterilisers, and Ryotei Hanzuiryo in Unzen can arrange baby food.

Big packs are heavy and bulky, which makes them a good thing to order online — see our guide to delivery to your ryokan for the details. The essentials: Yamato Transport says it delivers to a hotel or ryokan only if the inn is willing to accept the parcel, that some inns limit where and when you can collect it, and that delivery times can't be specified. Its Japanese FAQ asks for parcels to reach the inn by the day before your stay and warns that a parcel arriving earlier may incur a storage fee at some inns, so email the inn before you order.

Paying with a foreign card: Rakuten accepts cards issued abroad that carry a Visa, JCB, Mastercard, Diners Club or American Express logo, including debit cards, though some shops don't take every card. Amazon.co.jp lists Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club, JCB and UnionPay (credit cards only), and charges ¥1 when you order to check the card is valid.

Konbini pickup suits city stays, but check the size and the deadline. Rakuten's konbini service won't take parcels over 100 cm (length, width and height combined) or over 10 kg, so a large box may not qualify, and you have two or three days from arrival to collect, depending on the store and carrier. Amazon gives four days at Lawson and Ministop, three at FamilyMart and PUDO lockers and seven at a Yamato office; after that the parcel goes back and the order is cancelled. You may be asked for ID, and the parcel is handed over in its box, without a bag.

For clothes, bottles, carriers, strollers and bigger packs, Japan's specialist chains are the places to look. Nishimatsuya, a baby and children's goods chain founded in 1956 and based in Himeji, reports 1,198 stores including its Taiwan subsidiary as of August 2026. Akachan Honpo's catalogue runs from nappies, wipes and swim nappies to feeding goods, carriers and strollers, and its tax-free service is available only at selected stores, which it lists on its site.

Tax-free shopping changed on 1 November 2026. Akachan Honpo explains that you now pay the tax-included price in the shop and the consumption tax is refunded after customs checks the goods when you leave Japan. Its conditions: a single transaction of ¥5,000 or more before tax, a tax-free service fee of 1.1% of the price at the till, departure within 90 days of purchase, and customs verification — at a tax-refund kiosk in the departure lobby — before you check your bags. Customs checks each receipt as a whole, so if one item on it is missing, nothing on that receipt is refunded.

That matters for families. Akachan Honpo says consumable goods such as food, drinks and cosmetics that are opened or used in Japan can't be verified, and goods posted abroad aren't eligible either. So anything you'll open during the trip — nappies, wipes, formula — won't earn a refund; keep tax-free for things you'll carry home unopened, and keep each tax-free receipt's items together until departure.

Nursing rooms are easy to find in cities. JNTO says you'll find them in department stores, stations and malls, many with hot-water dispensers, microwaves for baby food, private feeding cubicles and changing mats, and mentions the free Mama Papa app for finding the nearest one.

On trains, certain carriages have spaces for strollers and wheelchairs, marked on the platform, and most major stations have lifts; many city buses are low-floor. JNTO adds that theme parks, large parks, museums, aquariums, airports and some stations lend strollers free or cheaply. Outside the big cities, expect more stairs and walking: JNTO notes that parents often switch to a carrier where there are no lifts or ramps, and that rental car companies often offer child seats as an optional extra.

Flying home: Japan's civil aviation bureau exempts baby milk and baby food from the 100 ml liquids limit on international flights from Japanese airports, but only the amount you need on board, only when you're travelling with a baby, and you must declare it at the security check. Wet wipes aren't restricted. Airline services vary; ANA, for example, lends strollers from check-in to the gate at some airports (limited numbers, no reservations), checks your own stroller free, takes bassinet requests for babies up to 10 kg at least 48 hours before departure and baby-meal requests at least 24 hours before, and carries some powdered milk and M and L nappies on board but recommends bringing your own.

Each inn sets its own child policy — see our guide to family-friendly ryokan for the inns that welcome children and the ones that restrict them. Beds are the first thing to check: JNTO warns that many ryokan put the whole family on futons on tatami and that Western beds or travel cots might not be available, so ask before you book.

Baths are the second. Babies still in nappies are often kept out of shared baths: Atami Onsen Furuya Ryokan doesn't let them use its shared baths, and The Prince Hakone Lake Ashinoko lists guests using nappies among those who can't use its onsen. Book a room with its own bath or an inn with a private bath instead. For older children, the health ministry's hygiene guidelines for public baths say males and females aged about seven and over should not bathe together, so a child may need to use the bath for their own sex; some inns set a lower age — at Tonosawa Ichinoyu Honkan in Hakone, children of mixed sex share a bath only before school age.

Ask what the inn lends before you pack it. Furuya lends baby baths, bouncers and children's yukata; Ichinoyu Honkan lends baby baths; Hyoe Koyokaku lists baby baths and chairs; Fukiya in Yugawara provides nappies, baby bedding, bath toys and children's yukata; and Nishimuraya Hotel Shogetsutei provides baby futons. Strollers are another question: Fukiya doesn't allow them inside, and at Gero Onsen Bosenkan the large baths are down steep stairs from the lift, where a carrier is easier.

Some family inns, such as Otani Sanso in Nagato and Shogetsutei, have summer pools. Ask about nappy rules there too; for comparison, Nagahama's municipal pool bans ordinary nappies in the water but allows swim nappies worn under a swimsuit.