CONTRIBUTED BY KAHO
I’ve seen a question about where to go to find maternity clothes in Okinawa before. I thought that I would put some information on maternity items sometime and finally I decided to do that this time even though I don’t have much helpful information to present. I figure that if I throw this question out there, readers will provide some information in the comment section. I’d appreciate whatever you can contribute to be posted here!
I don’t know any big places to buy maternity clothes in Japan like those you find in the U.S. If you don’t mind buying what you wear without trying them on, shopping on-line is the best bet for maternity items. I like Old Navy and Motherhood for maternity clothes. They are inexpensive and cute.
If you need something immediately or you don’t mind buying Japanese items, I know that JUSCO has a store for pregnant women. Another place is Nishimatsuya also known as a “white rabbit store” which is a baby and kids store that also sells maternity clothes. The sizes are limited at those places (or in Japan in general). I only saw medium and large size. I like nursing bras that I bought at JUSCO. They are comfortable. JUSCO has a fairly good variety of nursing bras and I find the prices reasonable there. Not cheap, but not pricy either.
Locations:
The maternity section at JUSCO in American village is located on the 2nd floor, all the way to the back next to the game center. The store has a nursery right by it, so it’s convenient for those moms who shop with babies.
Nishimatsuya is located on the street that runs parallel to the Highway 58 and is closer to the water. If you come from Lester, drive south on this street. You’ll pass Humby Town and keep going for a while. You’ll find a pink building with a white rabbit mascot on your left for Nishimatsuya.
What do you think? Do you have anything different from mine?
They Rabbit store also has some fabulous disposable breast pads for nursing moms. It’s a big pink box of 168 (I think?) pads for only like $8. MUCH cheaper than anything at the BX and they work great!
This information was so helpful. I will definitely check out the Birthday store and the Rabbit store for some maternity clothes. I’ve just been sticking to Oldnavy and motherhood.com.
Thanks so much!
Aviva> Thanks for the info. on Birthday Store. I’ve walked into the store over a year ago thinking that it would have party items, but I found out that it’s more like Nishimatsuya (White Rabbit Store). I didn’t realize that they have maternity clothes.
Joelle> Thanks for letting us know about the return policy of Old Navy. It’s great that they pay for the retuned maternity clothes.
Jennfier> I totally agree with you that you would think that AAFES would have a better selection of maternity clothes considering how many women get pregnant here! If you go to a flea market, I’ve seen maternity clothes and baby items on sale there.
Thanks Aviva for posting about the Birthday store. We always drive past it when my husband makes one of his many trips to Up Garage (insert eye roll here) and I have always wondered what it was. It looked like kids clothing to me, but the name Birthday threw me off! You would think with all of the babies born on this island and all of the pregnant women, AAFES would have a better selection of things.
If you are looking for newborn items, Babycenterstore.com ships here pretty fast. They even have some maternity clothes but they are rather pricey. There is also an abundance of baby/maternity related items on Japan Update.
Just a comment about Old Navy Maternity — they pay for returns if it’s for Maternity clothes (a return address label incl. postage is included in your package). So I just ordered 2 sizes for each item I wanted and sent back the one (for free) that didn’t fit. Worked great.
The other day on my hubby’s search for Yamada Electronics store (which was worth the trip for a gigantic “Best Buy” type of store, but rather expensive) we found the Birthday Store. It’s right next door to Yamada Electronics.
One side of the store was for adults (think TJ Maxx or Marshall’s with lots more shoes) and on the left there’s a baby/kids’ store with some maternity clothing as well. Not a huge selection, but the prices were incredible.
The shop is in the Awase area across the street from the huge Jusco on 33, which is what 85 north along the east coast turns into. I’d take 58 to 23 east, it turns into 85; then take a RIGHT on 85 AFTER Gate 2 street to stay on it. When it ends, the Jusco is on your right, for the Birthday Store make a left and it’ll be on your right side by Yamada.
So you could hit Jusco, the Body Shop AND Birthday Store for all your needs on a great shopping day! And there’s great food out there too.