Where to Buy Diapers, Formula & Baby Food in Japan: A Practical Shopping Guide

August 2, 2026 Maternity Prep Navigator Editorial ~10 min read

Whether you're visiting Japan with a baby, have just moved here, or are preparing for a birth abroad, one practical question comes up again and again: where can I actually buy diapers, formula, and baby food once I'm here? The short answer is that Japan makes this easy — but knowing which type of store to head for saves time, especially if you're jet-lagged, unfamiliar with the area, or trying to find something outside normal hours. This guide walks through each option, from drugstores to convenience stores to online delivery, with honest notes on what each one is (and isn't) good for.

1. Quick Reference: Which Store for What

If you only read one section, read this one. Here's a general overview of what each type of store typically carries — actual stock varies by location and branch size.

2. Drugstores (Doraggusutoa): Your Everyday Go-To

For day-to-day shopping, a Japanese drugstore (doraggusutoa) is usually your fastest and most reliable option. Major nationwide chains — Matsumoto Kiyoshi (matsukiyo), Sundrug, Tsuruha, Sugi Yakkyoku, Cocokara Fine, Welcia, and Kirindo, among others — are found in nearly every train station area, shopping street, and residential neighborhood, and most carry a baby aisle with diapers across common sizes, baby wipes, powdered formula, liquid formula (at larger branches), and a small selection of baby food jars or pouches.

A few practical notes:

• Point card programs — Most chains offer a loyalty point card, and diapers/formula are frequently discounted in weekly flyers. If you're staying long-term, signing up (often free, sometimes requiring a Japanese phone number) can add up to real savings over months of purchases.
• Pharmacist availability — Larger drugstores have a licensed pharmacist on-site who can answer general questions about over-the-counter products. For anything related to your baby's specific formula needs (allergies, digestive issues, switching brands), your pediatrician remains the right person to ask — a store pharmacist can point you to products but should not be treated as a substitute for medical advice.
• Store size varies — A small drugstore in a train station may only carry the most common diaper sizes (S/M) and one or two formula brands. Larger suburban locations tend to have a much fuller baby section.

3. Baby Specialty Stores: Akachan Honpo, Nishimatsuya & Birthday

When you want to compare brands, buy in bulk, or pick up things beyond diapers and formula (clothing, strollers, car seats, feeding gear), Japan's baby specialty store chains are worth the trip.

Akachan Honpo (アカチャンホンポ)

Operated by AEON, Akachan Honpo has a smaller store count than some competitors but is known for a wide, well-organized product range and its own private-label baby items, making it a popular choice for stocking up before birth. Larger locations often have nursing rooms, changing areas, and staff who can help even if your Japanese is limited (pointing at packaging and using a translation app works well).

Nishimatsuya (西松屋)

Nishimatsuya is one of Japan's largest baby and kids' goods chains by store count, with locations across nearly all 47 prefectures — including many suburban, roadside stores that are easy to reach by car. It's generally positioned as a budget-friendly option, useful for a quick, no-frills diaper and formula run.

Birthday (バースデイ)

Birthday is a baby and kids' goods chain operated by the Shimamura clothing group. Pricing varies by product category and by season, so it's worth comparing before you buy. Store count is smaller than Nishimatsuya's, so availability depends on your area.

4. Supermarkets & Discount Stores: Don Quijote, AEON & More

General supermarkets (AEON, Ito-Yokado, and regional chains) typically carry a baby corner with the essentials — diapers, formula, and baby food — alongside your regular grocery shopping, which can save a separate trip.

Don Quijote (ドン・キホーテ), the discount variety store chain, is also a common source. Baby items — diapers, wipes, formula, and baby food — are usually found in a dedicated baby goods corner, though placement can vary by store. Larger locations, including the MEGA Don Quijote format, tend to have a wider selection of brands than smaller city-center branches. Many Don Quijote locations keep long opening hours, and some operate 24 hours, though this varies store by store — check the specific branch before counting on late-night availability.

Membership warehouse stores such as Costco also carry baby products in bulk formats (large diaper boxes, big formula tins), which can be cost-effective if you're staying long enough to use a large quantity and have a membership.

5. Convenience Stores: Emergency Top-Ups Only

Japan's convenience stores (konbini) — 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart, and station-based chains like NewDays — are everywhere and open around the clock, which makes them tempting to rely on. In practice, treat them as a backup, not a shopping destination.

• Diapers: Some konbini locations stock small packs (often around four diapers) of one or two common brands, generally in the most popular sizes. This is genuinely useful if you run out at 2 a.m., but it's not a substitute for a proper shopping trip — selection, brand, and whether diapers are stocked at all vary significantly by branch, especially depending on the neighborhood (locations near hospitals or in residential areas are more likely to carry them).
• Liquid formula: Since domestically manufactured liquid formula became available in Japan in 2019 (see the spotlight section below), some convenience stores have started carrying it — typically the paper-carton or canned single-serving formats designed for on-the-go use. Again, availability is branch-dependent; don't count on finding it at every location.
• Baby food: Jarred or pouch baby food is not a typical convenience store item. Plan to buy this at a drugstore, supermarket, or baby store instead.

If you're out and about and need something urgently, it's worth checking the nearest konbini — but for planned purchases, a drugstore or baby store will be far more reliable.

6. Airports: Narita & Haneda

If you're arriving with a baby and realize you're short on supplies, both of Japan's major international airports have some options — but don't expect a full baby store.

Haneda Airport has drugstore counters in the terminal buildings that carry diapers (in a limited range of sizes), baby wipes, and powdered formula, according to the airport's own facilities guide. Haneda's baby rooms (nursing rooms) include nursing booths, baby seats, sinks, and hot water dispensers, which is useful if you need to prepare a bottle.

Narita Airport has several drugstore-type shops across its terminals (including counters branded AIRPORT+DRUG and DRUG BOX), which primarily stock travel essentials, medicine, and cosmetics — baby supplies may be limited, so check availability on arrival rather than relying on it. Narita's baby rooms, located throughout the terminals, include nursing booths, changing tables, sinks, and hot water.

7. Online: Amazon & Rakuten

For bulk buying, avoiding the weight of carrying diaper boxes, or simply comparing brands and reading reviews, Japan's major online marketplaces are a practical option — and often the most economical one over time.

• Amazon.co.jp offers a subscription program for household and baby goods that applies ongoing discounts to regular deliveries of items like diapers, along with occasional coupons. Same-day or next-day delivery is available in many urban areas.
• Rakuten hosts numerous baby-goods specialty shops (including Rakuten 24's baby section) within its marketplace, which can be useful for comparing prices and reading customer reviews before buying.

If you're staying at a hotel, note that packages can sometimes be delivered there, but you should confirm with the front desk first — some hotels are happy to hold a package for a guest, while others are not set up for it. If you're renting an apartment short-term, ask your host or property manager about delivery.

8. Spotlight: Liquid Baby Formula (Ekitai Milk)

If you're used to ready-to-feed liquid formula from your home country, you may wonder whether it's available in Japan. It is, though the domestic market is newer than in some Western countries.

Japan revised its food regulations in August 2018 to establish quality standards allowing domestic manufacture of liquid infant formula (nyuuji-you ekitai miruku — 乳児用液体ミルク). In January 2019, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省, MHLW) approved domestic manufacturing applications from Meiji and Ezaki Glico — the first such approvals for Japanese-made liquid formula. Ezaki Glico's "icreo Baby Milk" (アイクレオ赤ちゃんミルク) went on nationwide sale in March 2019, followed by Meiji's "Hohoemi Raku-Raku Milk" (明治ほほえみ らくらくミルク) in April 2019.

Two common formats are available: a lightweight paper carton (around 125 mL — this can be poured into a bottle, and depending on your baby's age, some products are also designed to be drunk directly through the attached straw) and a canned format (around 240 mL, with a longer shelf life, often marketed for disaster preparedness stockpiling as well as everyday convenience). Both require no mixing or heating — a practical option when clean water or a way to warm a bottle isn't readily available, such as while traveling.

Liquid formula is sold at drugstores, larger supermarkets, baby specialty stores, some convenience stores, and online. Because it is a newer product category, not every small store carries it — larger drugstores and baby stores are the most reliable places to look.

9. Diaper Sizes & Formula Brands: What to Expect

Diaper sizing

Japanese disposable diapers (kami omutsu — 紙おむつ) are sized in weight-based steps — commonly Newborn/S, S, M, L, XL, and XXL — but the exact weight range for each size step differs between manufacturers, so an "M" from one brand won't necessarily fit the same as an "M" from another. Major domestic brands include Merries (Kao), Moony (Unicharm), and Goo.N (Daio Paper / Elleair); some international brands such as Pampers are also sold in Japan. If you're not sure which will suit your baby, buying a small trial pack of one or two brands before committing to a large box is a sensible approach — this is standard practice among parents in Japan too.

Formula brands

Japan's major infant formula manufacturers include Meiji, Morinaga, Glico, and Wakodo, among others, each offering a range of standard and specialized formulas (including options formulated for specific needs, such as reduced-allergen formulas — ask a pharmacist or your pediatrician for guidance if you need one of these). This article does not rank or recommend specific formula brands; product choice is a personal and often medical decision best made with your pediatrician.

10. Tips for Travelers vs. Tips for New Residents

If you're visiting Japan with a baby

• Pack enough diapers and formula for the first day or two, then plan to restock at a drugstore near where you're staying rather than relying on the airport.
• A map app search for "drugstore" or "doraggusutoa" near your hotel will usually turn up several options within walking distance in most cities.
• If you use a specific imported formula brand at home, note that Japan's shelves are dominated by domestic brands (Meiji, Morinaga, Glico, Wakodo); imported formula is uncommon outside of specialty import stores or online marketplaces, so it may be worth bringing what you need or planning to transition your baby to a Japanese brand under your pediatrician's guidance before the trip.
• For popular products or items that are running low in stock, some stores may limit the number of units per customer, at the store's discretion — this is done so the available stock can reach as many customers as possible, so don't be surprised if asked to keep quantities reasonable.

If you've just moved to Japan

• Sign up for a point card at whichever drugstore chain is closest to home — the savings add up over months of regular purchases.
• Consider a subscription service for diapers through Amazon or a similar service once you've settled on a brand and size, to avoid running out.
• Many maternity hospitals in Japan provide a small supply of newborn diapers and sample packs of formula (often from the formula maker that supplied the hospital) around the time of discharge — a helpful head start, though not enough to skip your first shopping trip.
• See our baby essentials shopping guide for a full pre-birth checklist beyond diapers and formula.

11. FAQ

Are drugstores open on Sundays and public holidays in Japan?

Yes, generally. Most Japanese drugstores, supermarkets, and baby stores are open daily, including Sundays and most public holidays, though hours may be slightly shorter on some holidays. Checking a specific store's hours on a map app before heading out is a good habit, especially in smaller towns.

Do convenience stores sell baby formula?

Some do, particularly liquid formula in individual cartons or cans, since this became more widely available after 2019. Availability varies significantly by branch and shouldn't be relied upon for planned shopping — a drugstore or supermarket is a more dependable choice.

Can I find my home country's formula brand in Japan?

Generally, Japanese retail shelves are dominated by domestic brands (Meiji, Morinaga, Glico, Wakodo). Imported formula brands are not commonly stocked outside of specialty import grocery stores or occasional online marketplace listings. If your baby is used to a specific imported formula, it's worth discussing a transition plan with your pediatrician before or shortly after arrival.

What if my baby has a milk allergy or other dietary need?

Japan's major formula manufacturers do offer specialized formulas for specific needs, including reduced-allergen options, but these are not necessarily stocked at every store and some may need to be special-ordered or discussed with a pharmacist. If your baby has a diagnosed allergy or medical dietary requirement, this is a conversation to have with your pediatrician, who can advise on suitable products available in Japan.

Is it cheaper to buy diapers and formula online or in-store?

It depends on the specific product, promotions, and whether you use a subscription discount. Drugstores frequently run point-card promotions that can rival or beat online prices, while online shopping saves you from carrying heavy boxes and can be more convenient for regular, predictable purchases. Comparing a few options before committing to a large purchase is a reasonable approach either way.

Can I have diapers or formula delivered to my hotel?

Sometimes — many hotels will hold a package for a guest, but policies vary, so confirm with the front desk before placing an online order. If you're staying in a short-term rental or serviced apartment, ask your host or property manager about their delivery policy.

12. Related Resources