Travelling Japan when pregnant

Hi, my wife and I will be visiting Japan in May/June and we are mindful that she will be in her 2nd trimester. Do you have any tips for travelling when pregnant? Tips for safe food options and general logistics would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I think Japan is save enough with food.
Public transport is good.

If you travel and go outside the big cities it is possible she has to walk some up hils or stairs.

The rest I have no idea what to inform you and I guess doing some research by yourself would also contribute.

Bear in mind that some stations don't have lifts and that getting around with luggage can be difficult, so travel light.

Try to get reasonable sized beds in hotel rooms-rooms are small and beds can be really small.

It could be pretty hot in May/June, so if you're from a colder climate be aware of the effect of the on-board heating that pregnancy brings.

Wear comfy shoes and be ready for puffy feet in the heat.

Enjoy the time together-the next twenty years will be really busy!

Eggs will tend to be runny, and meat will tend to be cooked rare (or sometimes eaten raw). And then, of course, there's the raw fish.

People's views about eating the things above during pregnancy will differ. There's also different food production standards in Japan from some other countries: I'd happily eat raw eggs in Japan, for instance...not so much in the UK, my home country.

If you are trying to avoid any of these sort of things, then (your wife will miss out on some foods, but) it can be done. It'll be particularly difficult in Kaiseki cuisine (but maybe you might find somewhere that would do vegetarian food - and just skip the egg if needs be?)

Make sure your wife (and you as well!) speaks to her doctor about travel and food. That advice will be the most useful.

Hi!

I actually went to Japan when I was 5+ months pregnant in June/July in 2010. Now, I take my daughter to Japan with me. I found for me personally the following helped.

JR/the subways/buses all have a little cellphone strap/badge/wristlet you can get that says in Japanese pretty much that you're pregnant. Any train without reserved seats/subways/buses have a few seats reserved for pregnant women/elderly/handicapped/someone with a baby. I found sometimes I just needed to sit and having that dangle to show helped. I have read the article in Medium about issues with the badge some women have, but all the women in question were actually Japanese and not tourists. I also saw women with their badges in Tokyo last trip. I pointed one out to my daughter since I had worn one when pregnant with her.

Slow down your touring. Usually I am one of those relatively fast tourers, but that trip I took everything slower. I stopped at more cafes. I took time to sit sometimes. And I made sure to drink lots and lots of water.

Be careful with Japanese beds/pillows. Unless you are use to them they can be quite firm and when you're pregnant that can be really uncomfortable.

I personally had no food issues but I'm also vegetarian and I just don't like eggs. Staying hydrated is super important though.

Wear super comfortable shoes even if they are ugly. It's OK.

I was personally hot most of my pregnancy so I ate a lot of ice cream and ices when I was there in June.

I found Japan a great place to travel pregnant and I hope you do too!

Their are still high level of cesium in Japanese rice,even years after Fukushima nuclear accident Google Japan Cesium Rice

Beware of groundless rumors!

Rubella is among what a pregnant woman has to warn against.

Japan has been marked, since October 2018, as Alert Level 2 for rubella by the U.S. CDC.

Due to pregnancy, your wife is not allowed to get a vaccination for rubella.
If you are not sure whether you have enough immunity to rubella, I suppose getting a vaccination is worth considering.

Men at 40 or over (as of the 1st of April 2019) who grew up in Japan were outside the programs of regular public vaccination for rubella; in addition, some men in their 40s to mid-50s are considered to have neither had chances to acquire enough immunity naturally by suffering from rubella.

- The Japan Times (after Kyodo News):
"Japan to offer men aged 39 to 56 free rubella vaccinations for three years to combat outbreak" (December 2018)
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/12/11/national/science-health/j...