A couple of weeks ago I had to take Cora to get her first round of vaccinations at the clinic in Tokyo (we have to go there to get her the "American" vaccines on the "American" schedule---the Japanese versions are different and
not in a good way). I was a little worried about taking a small baby by myself on the trains and subways for a two hour trip. So I did what I usually do and scoured the Internet for tips on taking a baby through Tokyo's public transportation. And whenever I look up something on the Internet I try to do a blog about it so that the next person looking it up gets another hit. :)
So first...the train trip. It's a one hour express train trip into the city. I wasn't too worried about this part because the seats are reserved and private enough to feed her. I also bought two seats this time just for my peace of mind. Let me stop right here and say that for the purposes of this post you can assume I'm feeding her with a bottle. I don't want to get into breast-feeding etiquette....if anyone reading this wants to know my thoughts on breast-feeding in public here you can email me.
There is one larger restroom on the train with a changing table---it's not the ideal place to change a baby (a little grimy plus the motion of the train) but it would work if we were desperate. So I knew that if she started yelling I could probably calm her down. Unfortunately while we were waiting on the train (we got there too early) she got upset by the autumn wind whipping through the station (this happens in a lot of stations). I would recommend dressing a baby really warmly if you're going to be spending some time on a train platform in autumn.
My biggest dilemma was whether to take the sling carrier or the stroller or both. A lot of my online research was on using a stroller in the subways. I found differing opinions---some reviewers thought Tokyo was easy with a stroller (or a wheelchair for that matter) and some didn't. I can see how it might be easier than old European cities. But, to a person who only became accustomed to public transportation in a huge city recently, navigating Tokyo's subways alone with a big stroller would be a huge pain.
Subway/train stations are labyrinthine with lots of stairs and they may or may not have elevators. If one does have an elevator, good luck finding it. Some spots don't even have escalators and technically you're not supposed to take a stroller on an escalator although I've seen people doing it (and would try it myself ). For example, our little local train station has a lot of stairs and no other options. So taking a stroller to it while alone would not be a good idea. If there were two people to carry it up stairs, or if you have an older child who can use a small foldable umbrella stroller, it would be doable. I've read rumors online of subway maps that indicate which stations are fully handicap accessible but I haven't found a link that works yet.
So I went with just the sling carrier. It worked out OK, but was hard on my back. I managed to keep her asleep the whole trip. While I was on the subway she would get scrunched if I tried to sit down and would start to wake up. I was a little nervous about her crying on the subway because we would've been stuck with me not able to do much (except the pacifier, which is a must-have). Even if we were to get off at a stop for a take-care-of-baby break there isn't really anywhere in the subways to go. Some station restrooms have a changing table but that's it. You may not even find that. The station restroom I always stop at on the way (in Ningyocho) is little more than two holes in the ground and a sink. There isn't even soap, much less a changing table.
This trip I made it to the clinic (which has a baby room) without having to tend to her too much. I did find
this link to a great list of baby-friendly places and baby rooms in the city, but none are in subways. And they aren't all conveniently located.
So for the next round of vaccines we're going to go on a Saturday with Chad in the car. That's not to say I won't try taking her into the city by myself again. Just maybe when she's a little older. And not when we have to keep an appointment so I can take the stroller and have time to find elevators in the subway stations. I'll let you all know how it goes. :)
