When Chloe was 16 months old, we traveled to Japan (Tokyo and Kyoto) and Hong Kong. Our trip was 17 days in total including travel days. We hadn’t traveled internationally since over a year before Chloe was born, and we were itching to explore! The trip turned out wonderfully. We were blessed to have seen so many beautiful places with Chloe, including gorgeous autumn foliage in Japan.
This trip was our big family project of the year. We did many hours of research, planning, and purchasing things for the trip. I’m excited to share everything we learned with you here in hopes that it will make your trip to Japan a blast.
What We Packed for Baby
We packed a small box of powder formula. We didn’t expect to use much because all the grocery and convenience stores in Tokyo and Kyoto have whole milk, which is what Chloe normally drinks now. We also packed two milk bottles, one toddler water bottle, and one set of plastic snack cups with lids. This turned out to be just the right amount.
Among our essential gear was our travel stroller (the Babyzen Yoyo) and our handy Ergobaby carrier. We used both of these easily and frequently during the trip, so highly recommend. I explain below when we would use the baby carrier vs. stroller, and vice versa.
We also packed two pairs of shoes, 7 sets of clothes, two onesie pajamas, and pretty much all the bibs we had (which is more than 15)! All of that got great use, but the thick winter jackets not so much. Next time I’d leave behind the winter jackets and just bring the same amount of layering undershirts, jackets, and sweaters. Bibs are probably not essential for everyone. Our little one’s always wearing one to protect her eczema-prone skin.
Flying to Japan with a Baby
We took Zipair from SFO (San Francisco) to NRT (Narita) after reading this encouraging Reddit review about the Japanese budget airline and were SO impressed with it! The service, the amount of legroom, and the free wifi onboard were beyond what we expected for a budget flight. We booked our baby her own seat which was only $125 (not including baggage). In total, it was $1100 for the three of us including all luggage.
I highly recommend booking your baby their own seat. Zipair will provide a comfy carseat for those younger than 2 years. You will be much more comfortable too. The carseat helped our daughter sleep almost the whole 11-hour flight to Tokyo! One caveat: Zipair is a relatively new airline and may not be available everywhere so do use their website to check departure availability.
Many people recommended packing a bunch of toys to entertain baby on the flight. We instead packed a bunch of baby snacks because she’s highly food-motivated. This was very effective. It also helped keep her ears unplugged during takeoff and landing.
For milk, we packed powder formula into an empty milk bottle and asked the flight attendants for warm water when we needed to give the milk to baby.
Getting around the Narita and Kansai airports was easy and stress-free (After Japan, we flew out from the Kansai airport to Hong Kong.). This was both because the airports are designed well with plenty of clean, spacious changing stations, and also because we didn’t overpack. We had a travel stroller, two standard sized backpacks, two check-ins, and two carry-on suitcases. I think this amount was a great balance between manageable and still enough room to carry home a lot of goodies from Japan!
The Sleep Arrangements
Sleeping was one of the most challenging parts of the trip. In Japan, even five-star hotels typically don’t have cribs. Instead, our hotel in Tokyo (Hotel New Otani, highly recommend) provided bed bumpers to keep baby from falling off our bed when she slept with us. The one in Kyoto was also a five-star hotel (Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Sanjo) but there were no baby sleeping accommodations available. Even so, we loved our stay and the service there and would highly recommend.
If you’ve ever had your baby sleep with you, you know what a struggle it is. Our daughter would shift to horizontal mode in the middle of the night, taking up all the space. She would wack us in the face while she was tossing and turning. It was rough, but we survived!
The only alternative I can think of is to bring a travel crib. We had one but decided against it because we wouldn’t have been able to carry all the luggage and baby gear from the airport to the hotel (and definitely not on the trains).
Baby-Friendly Restaurants in Japan
Probably not a surprise, but we ate a LOT in Japan! The food there is incredible. High quality, relatively healthy and affordable compared to the US. However, many restaurants in Japan (especially the really high-end ones) do not accommodate babies.
When I was doing research, I used Google Maps and searched for reviews that mentioned “baby” to see if a place was baby-friendly. I also looked at pictures to see if the interior looked roomy enough to store a stroller.
It’s also safer to bring a baby carrier with you to the restaurants. That way, even if they don’t have a high chair, you can carry your little one on your chest (just avoid dropping food onto the top of their little head!). This is what we did at Genki Sushi and it worked out very well. They only have bar-style seating since it’s conveyor belt sushi. We ate sushi to our heart’s desire while Chloe slurped up their steamed egg and udon. It was a win for all!
Tip: avoid making restaurant reservations unless it’s a true must-go place that is super popular. We learned this the hard way. I had booked several reservations for our first few days in Japan. With a ba by and being unfamiliar with all the train stations though, we ended up being over 20 minutes late to most of the restaurants. Luckily, we didn’t have any reservations in Kyoto (the second half of our Japan stay).
Taking Trains in Japan with a Baby
The smaller train stations in Japan can be quite hard to get around because there might not be an elevator. Also, it’s very hard to squeeze in and can be seen as inconsiderate if you’re boarding a packed train with an open stroller. If you need to take the train during rush hour, make sure to fold up the stroller. Usually, I carried the folded up Yoyo while Jon carried Chloe.
If we were only going out for a few hours, we would just bring Chloe in the baby carrier and leave the stroller in our room. This made it a lot easier to get around stations and ride the trains.
For our full day trips to Nara/Osaka and Arashiyama, we did bring both the stroller and baby carrier. I’d recommend this if you are out the whole day. You’re more likely to strain your back by relying on just the carrier.
Want to know our full itinerary, including exactly which hotels we stayed at (we loved them!), where we ate, and what we did (like our unforgettable kimono family photoshoot)? Let me know below and I’ll respond to your comment when the full itinerary post is up!
Our Verdict
So was Japan a good destination for our 16-month old baby’s first international trip? Yes, absolutely and we would choose it again. There are so many reasons for this. It is so clean everywhere. People only smoke in very specific designated areas, the malls are super nursing and baby-friendly, and hospitality is always above and beyond.
If you’re on the fence about going and that’s why you’re reading this post – just do it! You and your little one will have an unforgettable time. I know travel planning (especially with a toddler) is tough. If you have any other questions about our experience in Japan, just drop a comment below! I read every one 🙂
Great tips! Would love to get your full itinerary if possible. Thanks!