bonsai baby - travelling in Japan

August 6, 2006 5:47 PM

We're shortly travelling in Japan with an infant, and I have questions.

He's five months old - how hard is this going to be?

* Do hotels have cots available? Will there be enough floorspace to set up a portacot? Are there microwaves or kettles in hotel rooms? Should we be looking at boring business type hotels, or ryokans or bed and breakfast type?
* Can you discreetly breastfeed in public? What about changing him, are there change rooms or can we do it in a park without offending people?
* Should we totally forget travelling on trains anywhere near peak periods?
* I presume disposable nappies are the same in Japan as elsewhere (Australia)?
* Are we going to get a lot of attention (he's a cherubic blue-eyed blonde)?
* Any gratuitous advice?

Also, just how hot and muggy will it be on the main island in two weeks?

posted by wilful to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

Hotels are really going to vary, depending on how much you spend and how large a city you are in. We traveled there in June with no baby, so I can only answer some of your questions, but here goes.

1) Better hotels, such as the New Otani in Tokyo, have rooms comparable in size to good western hotels (we're from the US). I don't know if they have cots (guessing this means what I think of as a crib), but they had EVERYTHING, so I bet they would.

2) Again, we weren't looking for baby services, but the bathrooms varied WILDLY. Some were Japanese-style toilets only with no changing tables. But when we went to a place aimed at parents and kids, Sanrio Puroland (a Hello Kitty amusement park), there was a changing table in the bathroom. (FYI, most public bathrooms in public places had at least one Western-style stall.)

3) I didn't see a lot of babies on trains, but don't know why you couldn't do it. We certainly did have to stand on some trains, but seats later opened up. It would be my guess that the oh-so-kind Japanese citizenry might offer you a seat if you had a baby. Also, we were on tons of trains, both subway, locals, and bullet trains, with large luggage--taking up the same amount of room as a stroller (push chair? pram?) would.

In June it was indeed hot and muggy, but hotels, etc were airconditioned.

We did love it there. I hope you will, too.
posted by GaelFC at 5:58 PM on August 6, 2006

* Do hotels have cots available? Will there be enough floorspace to set up a portacot? Are there microwaves or kettles in hotel rooms? Should we be looking at boring business type hotels, or ryokans or bed and breakfast type?

Generally if you ask them in advance (westen style) you can get an extra bed, or sometimes we just put the extra blankets on the floor next to the bed (instead of risking a roll-off). The Ryokans are better, since you all sleep on the floor, and there generally is 4-6 futons to a room. They will all have the Japanese style hot water kettles, which simply keep the water hot, and are child proof. Microwaves, probably not, but we have had no problems finding one to use for sterilisation, sometimes we had to ask though.


* Can you discreetly breastfeed in public? What about changing him, are there change rooms or can we do it in a park without offending people?

You can breastfeed in public, and change if needed. However, the amenities are fabulous (in Tokyo at least). All big departos have baby changing areas (big rooms with 6-7 strap-down beds, and private breastfeeding room). The parks generally have toilets but, well.. we've changed our son in the park when needed too.

* Should we totally forget travelling on trains anywhere near peak periods?

Depends on the trainline. Yamanote at 9-10 am, it's going to be packed. So a babybjorn, with the stroller folded-up could do, but is unpleasant. The evening commute is much more spread out and not a big a problem (people tend to finish work somewhere between 20:00 and 22:00.) Also, you can take the local trains over the expresses as they generally are not as packed even during the worst time. Some train lines just don't get busy.


* I presume disposable nappies are the same in Japan as elsewhere (Australia)?

They are better here IMHO. We found the nappies (even though they are still Huggies!) gave nappy rash, and some sort of crystal/gelatin material off it. The Japan nappies however are superb. Try to size them first though, as you might need to buy one size up.


* Are we going to get a lot of attention (he's a cherubic blue-eyed blonde)?

Oh yes, very much. Try not to freak out when 40 year old salary men do it too. It is just acceptable to do here.


* Any gratuitous advice?

If you are to take a stroller, make sure its not so wide it doesn't fit through the train-gates (the popular strollers in NZ are the SUV-kind and are often too wide). Many departo's have stroller rentals on the other hand.

Be very prepared that if you need to go up/down stairs, or through doors, that nobody will help you. It is just not something drilled into them here.

Also, just how hot and muggy will it be on the main island in two weeks?

Oh wee it is already. Drink water, lots of it. In the first couple of days and you start getting a headache, that's because you haven't drunk enough water. For some reason our son don't appear bothered by the heat as much as we, he'll happy run around, sweating profusely. But there are vending machines everywhere.

We have a little wiki for places to go with kids if you don't mind the self-promotion, alas mainly focused around were we live. Maybe one day others will help add things :)

http://www.lundman.net/wiki/index.php/Tokyo
posted by lundman at 6:15 PM on August 6, 2006

I can confirm that it is going to be very very hot.

As for changing rooms, a lot of places where you would expect the bathrooms to be "nice" have changing rooms. Departments stores, amusement places, even city hall has a place to change babies.

I've seen a lot of babies on the trains, but never in what I would call "peak periods," which are probably not times when you would be going out with the baby anyway. Probably up until about 8:30 in the morning would be really difficult on some trains, depending on which way you were heading. The evening rush hour tends to be more diffuse, with everyone drinking after work, but the trains would be pretty crowded from 6-9 or so. (This is only regarding subway-type trains; trains with reserved seats, such as a shinkansen, would be different.)

Are you going to be carrying the baby around, or pushing it in a stroller or whatever you call it? There's seats at the end of each car on regular subway and JR lines that are reserved for old people, handicapped or injured people, and people with babies. If the train isn't completely full, and someone outside of those groups is sitting in those seats, they may give up their seat for you if you are carrying the baby.
posted by donkeymon at 6:16 PM on August 6, 2006

I just returned to the States after three years in rural Japan, so here's how I remember baby things working.

1) What's available in hotel rooms depends a lot on the hotel. Almost anywhere you stay will have a hot water pot available (the Japanese must have their tea, even on vacation), but the rest is up in the air. I can tell you, though, that I've stayed in business hotels with microwaves and cots available. I can also tell you that Japanese service is second-to-none, so hotel staff will often go out of their way to help you out (especially with a little one in tow).

2) Some public restrooms have changing rooms/tables (especially ones in kid-friendly places, chain restaurants and big shopping centers), others don't. I've never had to worry about public breastfeeding, so I'm less sure on that question, but I don't recall ever seeing any Japanese person doing it.

3) You should be fine traveling on trains most of the time. Every Japanese train I've been on has "priority seats" for passengers who are elderly/pregnant/with child, and most people are pretty good about giving up those seats if they see you need them. Even so, you might want to avoid the morning rush hour trains in big cities, as they are sometimes too full to even get to a seat, much less sit in one.

4) Never had the need for nappies/diapers, but you can find them in any grocery store.

5) If you're traveling in big cities, neither you or your baby should attract too much attention. Set foot into the countryside, though, and be prepared to have Japanese kids point you out to their parents and strangers tell you how cute your kiddo is.

6) Overall I'd say Japan is really kid-friendly, so, while you may have a few minor hiccups, you shouldn't come across any major problems to stop you from enjoying your trip. Have fun!

7) It's going to be hot and muggy, but you're never more than a few blocks away from some sweet, sweet air con'd place in the big cities.
posted by that_one_guy at 6:33 PM on August 6, 2006

I liked to stay in ryokans with our son when he was that small, because he just loved rolling and crawling around on the tatami (no shoes, unlike floor of biz hotels), and smaller, less expensive ryokan are often family run, and even when they aren't there are nice old lady attendants who come and play with the baby, and instinctively know all the things you are going to need as a parent of an infant. Hotels are just about giving you the luxury expereince proper to their class. Ryokan are personal. img
posted by planetkyoto at 7:13 PM on August 6, 2006

It's hot and muggy, but the parks are usually much cooler.

A lot of Mums I see travelling on the trains opt for baby slings over strollers. Train stations here have a lot of stairs, and not all of them have elevators or escalators yet.

Don't even think about being on the train at the peak times (morning 7-9am, evening - the last train is the worst). Also trains are pretty cold - if you are going to be on one for an hour I'd recommend a light jacket. One of the carriages on each train is marked as having weaker air conditioning, but I still find these to be chilly on a longer trip.

Also any baby within a 2 metre radius of a group of obaa-san (older women) is going to attract attention from what I've noticed.

Have a great trip!
posted by gomichild at 8:06 PM on August 6, 2006

Thanks everyone (and keep the advice coming). We'll be using the baby bjorn a lot I predict, the three wheeler pram might be a bit too much for the urban jungle.

So ryokans are the way to go with accommodation? We're pretty tough, looking forward to the cultural experience rather than keeping everything like at home.

Lundman, nice wiki, but keeping a 5 month old entertained isn't quite the same. planetkyoto, your image link is broken/forbidden.
posted by wilful at 8:26 PM on August 6, 2006

Lundman, nice wiki, but keeping a 5 month old entertained isn't quite the same.

Yeah I know.. 5 month old is way easier :) You'll know whatImeanSoon..

But anyway, we flew with the boy at 3 months, and 1 year and it all went fine. Ch3 has kids tv Mon-Sat from 7:30 to 9 that is great for that age.

Enjoy.
posted by lundman at 8:41 PM on August 6, 2006