👨👩👧 Traveling with Children in Japan
Japan is very family-friendly. Here's what to know about traveling with kids on public transport.
🎒 Children's Fares
| Age | Fare | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Under 6 | Free | When accompanied by adult. Max 2 per adult. |
| 6–11 (Elementary school) | Half price | Child IC cards available at stations |
| 12+ (Middle school and above) | Full adult fare | — |
💡 Extra free children: If you have more than 2 children under 6, the extra children are charged at child fare. Always best to keep young children close at ticket gates.
🛺 Stroller (ベビーカー) Guide
✅ Stroller-Friendly
- • Most major stations have elevators
- • Strollers allowed on all trains (folding preferred during rush hour)
- • Priority car (優先車両) near elevator exits
- • Baby changing rooms in most station restrooms
⚠️ Watch Out
- • Fold stroller during rush hour (7–9am, 5–8pm)
- • Some older stations lack elevators — check ahead
- • Escalators: face the door side when using with stroller
- • Tokyo Metro app shows elevator locations
💡 Find elevators: Use the "バリアフリーマップ" (barrier-free map) at any station, or search your station name + "elevator" on Google Maps. Tokyo Metro's website has station elevator maps in English.
🤱 Nursing Rooms (授乳室)
Nursing rooms are widely available in Japan — at major stations, department stores, and shopping centers.
- 🏪 Department stores (デパート) — 3rd to 5th floor usually
- 🚉 Major stations — near elevators or station offices
- 🏬 AEON, Ito-Yokado shopping centers
- 🔍 Search "授乳室" (jueishitsu) on Google Maps
💺 Priority Seating (優先席)
Every train car has priority seats (優先席 — blue/marked seats) near the doors. These are reserved for:
Pregnant womenElderly passengersPeople with disabilitiesPassengers with small children
💡 Phones: In the priority seating section, phones should be on silent mode (マナーモード) and you should avoid making calls. Japanese etiquette takes this seriously.
🗺️ Best Family-Friendly Stations
🚉 Tokyo Station
Multiple elevators, large restrooms with baby changing
🚉 Shinjuku Station
Large baby care room on B1F near South exit
🚉 Kyoto Station
Excellent facilities, multiple nursing rooms
🚉 Osaka Umeda
Connected to Hankyu dept store baby floor
🚉 Shin-Yokohama
Good for Shinkansen transfers with stroller
🚉 Narita Airport
Multiple nursing rooms on all terminals