Travel in Taiwan/Japan--bring suitcase of pull-up diapers for 5yo?
I'm travelling for 5 weeks with a 5yr old who still needs overnight pull-up diapers. Do they sell big kid pull-ups at a store there, or should I bring 5 wks worth of pull-ups? I will be in Taipei and Sapporo.
May 6, 2017
Parent Replies
Taipei should be ok - there are diapers at Family Marts/convenience shops and department stores. Definitely bring some for Japan as there's lack of diapers in the city/downtown area. We ran out of them during our visit for our 2 year old and could not find any department store/pharmarcy/drug store within Shinjuku/Shibuya that had diapers. After 5 hours of challenge hunting and communicating, we eventually found a very tiny pharmacy that sold diapers but in travel packs of 2 pieces only. I am sure there are department stores that carry children's stuff and in larger quantities but not in the city center.
You can find them locally, but I would just bring them if you have space. It can be a pain to find the right size and type, especially the larger sizes. When we travel with our little ones around Asia, we stuff extra items in the stroller bag and check it at the ticket counter. If you have friends in Taiwan or Japan, they can help you order them online. There are definitely stores that sell kids diapers, just not as easily found as in the US. It will depend on what part of Taiwan and Japan you are traveling to, too. Or at the very least, you can pack some in case and begin looking when you get there.
There are diapers in Japan, but they are very hard to find. We were there for a month with our big kid who still needed overnight diapers, and I think that we ended up having to buy small-sized adult diapers for her (it's a fact that due to the low childbirth rate in Japan, they now sell more adult diapers than children's diapers). You need to go to a real grocery store to find them, not a convenience store, market, department store, or pharmacy. I would suggest bringing 5 weeks worth, which has the added advantage of freeing up room in your suitcases for souvenirs. We ended up having to buy new suitcases in Japan for all the stuff we bought, so I think that you will welcome some extra space in your suitcase at the end of your trip! Have a great time!