Where to shop for maternity clothes in Japan (and online)

It's been a while now since I had my two children here in Japan, but I remember the struggle of knowing where on earth to shop for maternity clothes during that period. My first child was born a little over a year after we arrived, and I still felt very new to life here and honestly...a little stuck on where to start.

The good thing about maternity clothes in Japan is that a lot of stuff will fit you if you're on the shorter/smaller framed size, since flowy (dare I say, shapeless?) dresses and tops are fairly common. However, if you're taller/larger framed you may encounter some difficulty, so I'll also include a few resources online that ship internationally at the end of this blog.

Pic Credit: freestocks on Unsplash

Nishimatsuya

Nishimatsuya – or as I affectionately call it, the Bunny Store (because of its logo) – is a great place to shop for both maternity wear and for kids clothing. Their prices are very friendly on the budget, with a lot of maternity dresses around the 2500 yen mark, tops and tees starting at around 1000 yen, and pants from about 1700 yen. I wasn’t the kind of person who wanted to spend a small fortune on stuff I’d only be wearing for a relatively short period of time, so Nishimatsuya was a godsend. I still love them now for kids clothes that don’t cost a ton.

Akachan Honpo

Akachan Honpo is another chain which also does maternity stuff and babies/kids attire. They have physical stores but also do free shipping on orders over 5500 yen, so if you know the size you’d need it’s pretty convenient to just order from the comfort of your home. Along with all your standard maternity basics (tops, tees, pants/jeans, dresses) they also have a limited range of formal maternity items if you’ve got a special event to attend.

H&M

H&M have stores in a lot of major cities across the country, and I found that I was able to snag quite a few reasonably priced (and honestly, more my style) maternity pieces from their H&M Mama range during my pregnancies. They also seem to carry a lot more foreigner-friendly sizes, too, which is nice if you’re a taller or larger framed gal.

I’d also encourage you to check their regular range for any longer, stretchier garments that you can sub as maternity pieces even though they’re not “designated” maternity items. For instance, they have a lot of cute knit dresses as the weather cools down, and they typically have quite a bit of stretch. I did this a lot and just paired them with leggings when I was pregnant with my daughter and due in winter.

If you’re not “Japanese sized”

…you may find yourself having to order online from international stores, but don’t fret as there are a variety of options which ship globally these days. Some of them include:

Pink Blush Maternity

I got a few pieces from Pink Blush Maternity with my second pregnancy, and I just like their style and options overall – they didn't make me feel frumpy. Their international shipping varies by how much you order, with rate info listed on their website.

ASOS

ASOS is a retailer that a lot of my expat friends swear by, particularly those that have been pregnant. Lots of variety, a bit more pricey than my Nishimatsuya cheapies, but perhaps worth the investment if you’re planning on multiple children.

Soon Maternity

Soon Maternity is Australian-based but they ship overseas, and I’ve heard great things from friends back home who love their maternity wear.

For anyone else who has had children in Japan, are there any other maternity wear recommendations you'd care to share?