Baby milk and registering with doctor!

[GreatScot!]

Hi folks! I'ma newbie here but hoping I could tap into some of your knowledge and ask where the best place to buy baby formula for my 1 year old is? Any brand recommendations? Also how do you go about registering for a doctor? Thanks in advance x

[larabell]

Baby formula is sold in drug stores here. I don't remember which brand we used (it's been over 5 years ago) but it had a simplistic drawing of a round-faced happy baby dressed in green and sitting. The various brands also come in small cans and/or packets so you could always try a few and see which one the kid seems to like.

BTW, diapers and other baby supplies will also be in the drug store. It's rare to see them in supermarkets or convenience stores. Tokyo has at least one large shop that specializes in stuff for kids (though I'm sure there's more) and most of the Toys-R-Us that I've been in also have baby supplies, if you have one of those close by.

As for doctors, I've always just shown up. Bring your insurance card and they'll have you fill out some forms and, after that, you get a card for that particular clinic that you can use next time. Of course, all this is made more complicated if you need to find a clinic where the staff and doctor(s) speak English. For that, I'd suggest checking at your ward or city office -- some maintain lists of clinics that speak English as a service for their ex-pat citizens -- but the farther you are from Tokyo the less easy this will be.