I’ve decided to dedicate and entire blog post to cots and cribs in Japan – as I’m asked just so often about it.
Most major hotels in Japan will provide a cot or crib ( in Japan, they are referred to as “baby beds” – in case that makes your communication easier.)
In a ryokan it is less common as the idea is to all sleep on tatami mats on a futon as a family – so if this doesn’t suit your family sleeping arrangements, it is worth checking in advance.
I haven’t heard very much about renting cots or cribs for babies in Japan.
For this reason, I recommend setting it up to use the facilities at your accommodation OR bringing your own portacot ( I think they are called “a pack’n’play in some parts of the world.)
If you decide to buy a portacot once you arrive in Japan, I recommend looking into Toys R Us, Akachanhompo or one of the big malls outside of the city such as a LalaPort. Once you are in the store, it is easiest to ask for (or show this to someone) a ポータブルベビーベッド = a portable baby bed.
In case you’re interested, I have also written an additional blog post for if you are looking for places to buy nappies/ diapers in central Tokyo.
Please note that some hotels in Japan have funny rules about kids over 12 months using cots in their hotels – this is mostly down to cultural differences as most Japanese families bedshare so assume that everyone else will too.
So.. you’ll either need to just leave babies age off the booking OR bring your own cot if the hotel states that they are strict on this rule in pre-travel communications.
