TOKYO: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) has opened Children’s Smile Spot baby care facilities at Shinjuku Nishiguchi and Monzen-Nakacho Stations. The new facilities are part of TMG’s efforts to make the Tokyo subway more convenient for travelers with small children.
“The establishment of Children’s Smile Spot in the Toei Subway may be a small start, but we hope that initiatives to support outings with young children will expand beyond just the stations to society as a whole,” said TOKUDA Satomi, Deputy Director for Planning and Coordination Section at the Bureau of Transportation.
In addition to milk and diaper vending machines and stroller rentals at both stations, the facility at Shinjuku Nishiguchi Station will have its own nursing room within the Tourist Information Center.
The facilities are close to the ticket gates and most are available from the first train to the last train.
The nursing room at Shinjuku Nishiguchi Station is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and can be locked from the inside. However, users must take home all their garbage as there are no garbage facilities. There is also no water supply or drainage so users must bring their own water.
As with the first Children’s Smile Spot, which opened at Ueno-Okachimachi Station on the Oedo Line in July 2023, the two new facilities feature colorful designs that evoke the characteristics of the local area.