Can tourists use childcare in Japan?
Japan has a lot of childcare, but most of it is run by the city for people who live there. Here is how it works, what is closed to visitors, and what you can use instead.
The short answer
Not the public kind. City daycare, the city's drop-in care (一時保育) and sick-child care are for residents, and a tourist cannot register as one. Private providers are different: many private schools, nurseries, activity studios and babysitters take visiting children if you book ahead.
Why public childcare is for residents
Public childcare in Japan is run by each city or ward, for families registered as living there. Registration (住民登録) is only for mid- to long-term residents. People on a short-term visitor status, including tourists, cannot register.
Every city page we checked for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka says the same thing: you must live there. Some list narrow exceptions, such as a mother staying with her parents to give birth or a family evacuated after a disaster. A holiday is not one of them.
The kinds of childcare in Japan
- Licensed daycare (認可保育所): full-time care. You need a certificate from the city you live in. Not for visitors.
- Drop-in care (一時保育 / 一時預かり): a few hours or days at a nursery. Run by the city, usually with advance registration and an interview. Residents only in the cities we checked.
- Drop-in care for under-3s (こども誰でも通園制度): a new national scheme from April 2026. It is applied for through the city you live in.
- Sick-child care (病児保育): for a child who is unwell. Needs a doctor's form and advance registration, and is for residents.
- Private nurseries and schools (認可外): run privately. Each one sets its own rules, and some take visiting children.
- Babysitters (ベビーシッター): a sitter who comes to your hotel or rental. Every sitter business must register with the prefecture.
What a visiting family can use
The options open to you are private: a private nursery or international school that accepts short stays, a children's class or activity studio, a registered babysitter, or childcare run by your hotel. Hotel childcare is usually for staying guests only and needs a few days' notice.
What a provider may ask for
Expect to share your child's age, allergies and health notes, an emergency contact who can be reached in Japan, and sometimes vaccination records. Ask each provider before you go, because it varies.
"Registered" is not the same as "approved"
Private nurseries and babysitters must notify the prefecture, and the prefecture publishes lists. Being on the list shows the business told the authorities it exists. It is not an inspection result or a recommendation. The government's advice is to check the provider yourself as well.
Where TabiTots fits
TabiTots lists local schools, nurseries, activity studios and babysitters that take visiting children. We check every provider's registration before they can take a booking. You see the ages, times and what to bring up front, and book in English or Japanese. You do not need to live in Japan.
Sources
- 総務省 — 外国人住民に係る住民基本台帳制度
- こども家庭庁 — 一時預かり事業の実施について
- 東京都福祉局 — 一時預かり・定期利用保育
- 港区 — 一時預かり
- 京都市 — 一時保育
- 大阪市子育ていろいろ便利帳 — 一時保育
- こども家庭庁 — こども誰でも通園制度
- 渋谷区 — 病児・病後児保育
- こども家庭庁 — ベビーシッターを利用する際の留意点
- 東京都福祉局 — 認可外の居宅訪問型保育事業 一覧
- こども家庭庁 — 認可外保育施設の指導監督基準
Last checked September 2026. Rules change; confirm with the provider or city before you rely on a detail.