Japanese Grocery Store Food and Drinks for Kids and Toddlers
Last Updated on October 31, 2024 by Kay
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If you’re visiting a Japanese grocery store (supermarket) or have just moved to Japan, you might be wondering about what kind of food is good for kids and toddlers or that your little ones will like.
In this article, I’ll share kid-friendly Japanese food that my daughter likes from the grocery store. This includes food for babies and toddlers as well. Hopefully, this will help you out when deciding what to get for your little one, since the options can be overwhelming and we only have so much time to shop!
Make sure to use the Google Translate app to read the ingredients (原材料名, genzairyoumei) if you’re concerned about allergies.
Table of Contents
Grocery Stores in Japan
Before we get into kid-friendly grocery store food in Japan, I want to quickly talk about grocery stores.
Grocery stores in Japan are called スーパー (supa).
There are tons of different kinds of grocery store chains in Japan. For instance, some are specific to certain areas in Japan while others specialize in international food or are high-end or discount chains.
Supermarket chains you’re likely to find everywhere in Japan include:
- AEON
- SEIYU
- Daiei
- OK Supermarket
- LIFE (ライフ)
- CO-OP (コープ)
- Seijo Ishii (成城石井)
In Kanto (Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, etc), expect to find the following grocery stores:
In Kansai, you’ll see the following supermarkets:
You can also find groceries nationwide at Don Quijote!
Kid-Friendly Food from Supermarkets in Japan
Below are different kinds of Japanese food that my daughter likes and we purchase for her when we go to a grocery store in Japan.
Anime and Cartoon Character Instant Curry
These instant curry packages are a hit with kids, especially preschoolers. They’re sweet and not spicy and contain veggies such as potatoes and carrots, and pork. The packages come in a variety of characters, such as Pretty Cure, Pokemon, and Paw Patrol, and include a special sticker.
To prepare the curry, simply boil the package in water for 3-5 minutes or pour the contents into a bowl and microwave it at 500W for 1.5 minutes.
Each package contains one serving.
Anpanman Cheese
Anpanman is a Japanese superhero that’s beloved by little kids. Now that my daughter is five years old, she has technically outgrown Anpanman but she still loves this cheese.
The package contained individually wrapped bite-sized balls of processed cheese. I find these are perfect for giving my daughter if she’s hungry but lunch or dinner isn’t ready yet. I also like to put these in her bentos.
Note that the cheese should be refrigerated but if it’s a bento it should be fine until lunchtime.
There’s also a special cheese just for kids ages one and up — in fact, the name in Japanese translates to “Cheese from One and Up!”. The blue package contains extra calcium (カルシウム) while the pink package contains iron (鉄分). These also have 35% less salt than typical processed cheese.
Onigiri
I cover this in my article on kid-friendly convenience store food for kids but my daughter is absolutely obsessed with onigiri (rice balls). Her favorite is tuna mayo (ツナマヨ or シーチキンマヨネーズ) but there are lots of other flavors that kids will like such as:
- Shrimp and Mayo (エビマヨ or 海老マヨ)
- Salmon (しゃけ or さけ)
- Plain Salt (塩)
- Bonito Flakes (おかか)
Salads
Unsurprisingly, as parents we want our kids to be healthy and get their fill of vegetables. Thankfully, Japanese grocery stores are stocked with ready-made salads.
For some salads, ingredients aren’t listed on the packages so you’ll have to eyeball it to see what it contains but there’s nothing too surprising other than the occasional wakame.
Bento Boxes
These bento boxes are perfect if you don’t feel like eating at a restaurant and are affordable at around 500 yen each. Each contains a variety of food so you never get tired of what you’re eating and they’re usually well-balanced, too.
Grocery stores don’t tend to carry bento boxes specifically for kids but it’s easy to find bentos that kids like. My daughter usually gets one with onigiri and tamagoyaki, as pictured above in the upper left corner. You can also share a bigger bento with your child depending on how much they eat.
⭐️Tip: If you shop after 6 PM, bento boxes tend to be discounted. However, many people might be trying to snag these deals so it might get a little crowded!
Bread
One thing I really love about Japan are all the different kinds of baked bread. Now, I’m Canadian so I imagine people from Europe might not be as impressed as I am. But I find the bread here affordable and tastes great.
We usually pick up a package of bread such as the ones pictured above for breakfast. It’s especially good to have when you’re traveling so you’re not spending too much money eating at a restaurant every morning. (My daughter and I also don’t have much of an appetite until lunch.)
I also think original baked goods from the grocery store are far superior to convenience stores in Japan.
If your child is a fan of Pokemon, they’ll be delighted to know that there’s Pokemon bread too. The one pictured above is a pancake filled with chocolate cream and comes with a sticker.
These soft sticks of bread (not to be confused with bread sticks) are also great for kids, especially toddlers, since they contain calcium. The green package on the right is vegetable flavor while the blue package on the left is plain.
Sandwiches
You can’t go wrong with this universal meal when it comes to kids! Grocery stores are stocked with all sorts of sandwiches, including fruit ones if you want some dessert. And yes, they have egg salad sandwiches as well (my daughter’s favorite).
Yogurt
There’s a wide variety of yogurts in Japan, including Danone! Note that some have pieces of fruit in them or pulp.
If you want yogurt with no added sugar, look for プレーン 砂糖不使用.
My daughter was a huge fan of these small Danone yogurts that are just for babies and toddlers! The recommended age is written on the package — in the image above, the package on the left (apple flavor) is for children ages one and up (１歳) and the one on the left (strawberry) is for children six months and up (6ヶ月).
Japanese Baby Food
If you’re looking for ready-made baby food in Japan, major grocery stores will likely carry them. They come in various types, so to learn more, read my article about baby food in Japan.
Cup Ramen (Noodles) for Kids
If you’re looking for something quick and easy for your kids to eat, you might be interested in cup noodles. These are smaller in size than traditional cup noodles, making them perfect for tiny tummies.
(And no, these are not the healthiest option for kids but I don’t see the harm in letting my kid have these very occasionally.)
They also come in fun designs like Pikachu and Sumikko Gurashi. The Pikachu ramen contains cute Pikachu-shaped naruto (cured fish surimi) and comes with a sticker, which my daughter absolutely loves. Make sure not to forget to take the sticker out before pouring the hot water in!
Bento Food
If you have a microwave at your accommodation in Japan (or if you live here), these are good meal options for kids. These bite-sized dishes are usually warmed up in the tray they come in before being placed inside bento boxes, which kids then take to school or on outings.
I used these religiously with my daughter because it was easy and helped save time so I could make my bentos look cute. They taste pretty good, too. My daughter and I are fans of the saucy tonkatsu (ソースとんかつ) and chicken meatball skewers (鶏つくね串).
Note that these are supposed to be kept in the freezer, so if you’re not going to eat everything within a day and don’t have a freezer, I don’t recommend buying them.
Furikake
Furikake is a dry Japanese seasoning that’s poured on rice. It includes dry seaweed (nori), sesame deeds, and salt, and comes in different flavors like salmon (さけ), egg (たまご), vegetable (やさい), and okaka (おかか), which is a mix of bonito flakes and soy sauce.
Furikake for kids comes in various adorable packages featuring anime and cartoon characters like Pokemon and Paw Patrol. Each package contains individual packages of furikake in different flavors featuring different characters, which is fun for kids to look at and pour themselves.
I love how portable it is as well. When my daughter was younger, this was something we always had in our bag when we ate out so that her rice could have some extra flavor. (Although usually, kids’ meals in Japan come with furikake, unless it’s something like curry.)
Best of all, the main package contains a sticker!
Fruit
There are lots of different kinds of fruit in Japan, although they tend to be seasonal. You can find blueberries, apples, and bananas throughout the year.
Grocery stores in Japan also sell cut fruit in packages, which is great on the go or if you don’t feel like cutting an entire melon.
And no, the fruit isn’t crazy expensive. Those are usually fancy fruits that are given as gifts. Fruits at grocery stores in Japan are very reasonably priced.
Snacks and Chocolates
If you feel like you want to let your child have a little treat, Japanese grocery stores have a great selection of snacks and chocolates just for kids.
Some of these feature anime characters and come with a toy or sticker as well. If you want to learn more, read my article on Japanese snacks for kids.
Kid-Friendly Drinks from Supermarkets in Japan
100% Fruit Juice Boxes
There are plenty of juice boxes to choose from for kids that contain 100% juice. My daughter’s favorite is Anpanman and she’s been drinking these since she was a toddler.
Here’s a quick guide on flavors:
- ぶどう (budou) — grape
- りんご (ringo) — apple
- みかん (mikan) — Japanese citrus fruit
Yakult
This is a super healthy favorite for adults and kids alike in Japan. This is a probiotic lactic acid bacteria drink that is good for the intestines and tastes yummy as well! It’s a little on the sour side (after all, it’s a yogurt drink) so be warned!
Qoo Jelly Drink
My daughter absolutely loves these portable jelly drinks, which come in flavors like apple (りんご), muscat (マスカット) and mikan (みかん). They also contain calcium, iron, and vitamin D.
These are especially great for Japan’s hot and humid summers and for when kids are sick if they don’t feel like eating.
If you have a toddler, you may want to give them one of the jelly drinks pictured above, which are meant for children ages one and up.
They come in flavors such as yogurt, apple, vegetable, aqua light (アクアライト) (an ion drink), and Calpis.
Mugicha (Barley Tea)
This is our go-to drink for our daughter. Mugicha is barley tea so it contains no caffeine or sugar, so it’s undoubtedly a healthy drink option for kids. There’s also a touch of sweetness to it so kids enjoy drinking it.
It’s actually a common drink at daycares and preschools in Japan!
Calpis
Calpis Water (カルピスWater) is another favorite drink of my daughter’s. It’s sweet and tastes like yogurt but is thankfully not carbonated (my daughter dislikes carbonated drinks). Since it contains lactic acid, I don’t feel too bad about letting my daughter enjoy this.
Water
This is quite an obvious recommendation but yes, water is a good drink for kids in Japan! Be careful not to get a bottle with fruit on it because it’s likely fruit-flavored (which can be hit or miss).
Popular brands of bottled water include the following:
- いろはず
- 富士山系の天然水
- クリスタルガイザー (Crystal Geyser)
- エビアン (Evian)
- 南アルプスの天然水
I hope this look at grocery store food and drinks for kids in Japan was helpful to you! Please feel free to reach out and let me know if there’s anything else I should include.