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Milk and Formula

Japan With Kids - Forums: Shopping in Japan: Foods: Milk and Formula
Related topics are:
Health Topics: Pregnancy/Birth/Childrearing: Breastfeeding / Nursing, and
Health Topics: Nutrition: Milk

By Shakiba Khan on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 8:10 pm:

Hi, I am looking for the information and method of how to Deliver milk at ur door step everyday... I see a guy who deliver bottles of milk in the morning at our Apartment building but coudlnt communicate with him because i cant speak japanese. If anyone knows anything about this please let me know Thanks


By Mei Mei on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 11:00 pm:

We are ordering our milk once a week (3 boxes)from SEIKYOU,which they also deliver a lot of things by only checking the ordering form.It is possible to ask them to deliver the milk everyday for you.The only thing is find someone who can speak Japanese and could make the first call for you .Here is the number0120-690-890


By Yuko Kubota on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 11:40 pm:

Seikyou (Coop) and various other health food organizations deliver food per week, but I think what Shakiba Khan saw was the milk man who specialises in dairy products and would deliver them very early in the morning right to your doorstep.

I think almost every major milk maker has this service. If possible take a look at your neighbor's milk box and see if there is a logo like Megmilk or Meiji or Morinaga or what not. Then you will know which maker to contact.

You can try contacting your favorite brand and ask them if they do delivery, but it would probably be convenient to call your neighbor's milk man.

If you can specify the brand, perhaps I can help some Japanese search on the internet. Also, if you happen to catch the milk man again, ask gyuunyuu-haitatsu onegai shimasu (= please deliver me milk).

He can give you a flyer. You can phone a number or fill in a card and state how many of what kind you need, and they can deliver it to you. Payment are usually monthly, and the milkman can either come to collect cash, or you can have it paid through your bank account. Sometimes they throw in some extra products for you to taste free of charge.


By Cornelia on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 10:19 pm:

I got a visit from my local Meiji milk delivery man. They opened a new shop and are busy letting the surrounding neighborhoods know. He gave me a bag with 6 products as a sample gift. I have no idea what any of the labels say. In fact I put them in my fridge and forgot about them because I'm so busy. He came by again 3 times just as I got out of the shower or just as I was leaving home... I couldn't figure out why he was so persistent until today, when I finally opened one of the bottles (though the date on top was, ahem, 05.02.05) and remembered that they are reusable bottles. I guess he wants to pick up the empty bottles and use that as an excuse to sell me milk... and yoghurt...milk coffee... and more that I can't even begin to guess at. The seal was unbroken so the milk was fine by the way. Here is a picture of the free samples. I really don't know what 5 of them are (or what makes the yoghurt special). There isn't really any English. If someone who reads Japanese would like to help out, I can email a more detailed picture for "translation".
picture of the 6 samples from Meiji milk delivery man at www.tokyowithkids.com/discussions/messages/333/1125.html


By Lea Watson on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 6:43 am:

I'm not sure how true this is but...
I was told never to accept the "free" samples. It kind of becomes a 'kiri' thing with an unspoken promise that you're willing to become a regular customer.
I wonder if his persistence is more focused on placing a regular order rather then his need to get back the bottles.
If I'm wrong about this custom I'd appreciate someone putting me straight! So next time I won't pass up those free samples.
Lea Watson
http://www.scooterwally.com


By Bethan Hutton on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 9:30 am:

I've had quite a few visits from Meiji milk too, and once accepted free samples. The yoghurts etc all seemed fine, but you have to put in a regular order for delivery twice a week, and our needs change from one week to the next, we're often away and so on. When the delivery man came back I explained that, and he didn't bother me again. But then a year or so later, someone else was given the round, so we got more visits...

I guess there is a kind of "giri" thing with accepting free samples, but they can't expect a 100 per cent take-up rate, and it's fair enough for you to try it before you decide, so I wouldn't be too bothered if you accept one batch of samples then decide against it.

The samples in the picture are, from left: milk with extra iron, milk with extra calcium, milk with live bifidus bacteria (good for the digestion), LG21 pro-biotic yoghurt, a marine collagen drink, and a honey and black vinegar drink. You can find similar things in most supermarkets/convenience stores, except perhaps the milk with extra iron, which I don't think I've seen.


By Cornelia on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 10:29 am:

It all seems a bit pricey to me. I would have to be very busy or physically unable to go shopping to require the delivery. All items shown above are priced at Y126 each except for the marine collagen drink which is Y158 for 125ml. (The two milk samples are 200ml each, the yoghurt cup is 90g, and the honey/vinegar drink is 125ml.) You can also order a 900ml milk for Y441 (not pictured). I can probably make a live culture drink with the help of a bit of plain yoghurt at home (check internet for instructions). Why pay Y126 for a mere 100ml? [Having finally matched up the price list on a separate sheet with the writing on the bottles!]

PS. If anyone is interested in this particular shop
(at 1-14-8 Sengoku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0011)
the phone number is 03-5319-2140, fax: 03-5976-2070. They can probably guide you to a Meiji delivery branches for your neighborhood. Here is a web site for Meiji dairies (I think all in Japanese): http://www.meinyu.co.jp
And they also deliver some other products as well such as Kagome carrot/vegetable juice.


By Kim Ellison on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 10:41 am:

I order 3 bottles of drinks (3 different types) every Saturday morning. I thought that the order was small but they didn't seem to mind and if I go away I just tell the "meiji boy" collecting the money.

I've had the odd new samples given to me but have never been pressured to order them. The only thing I have to remember is to return the bottles into the cooler box they provide outside my door. And those drinks come in handy as I don't have time to shop on a Friday.


By Yuko Kubota on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 11:59 pm:

So far, no one seems to have posted translations for Cornelia's photo, so here goes.

From left to right;
iron and fiber
satisfying calcium
tummy activating milk
[top] puropio yogurt (whatever that means)
[bottom] marine collagen
honey "kurozu (black vinegar)"

I'm sure these services have "ordinary" milk as well.

As for the free samples, I think the rule is universal. You should never accept free samples from cons, but you can accept free samples from decent salesmen. You can try to distinguish cons from decent people by asking around for reputations. Meiji is a very major company, so as long as you're looking at the right logo, I think you can trust them. Also, if memory serves me right, the Japanese law allows "cooling off" service cancellation if it's within a week after you have made your order. So whenever you notice anything suspicious, you can rush to your friends or your local ward office to see if the service is reliable.

But just as a recomfirmation and courtesy to the salesmen, I always try to say, "Oh, but we may not be able to buy anything from you." before I accept any samples from anyone.

As for the high cost of these milk, I think it really depends on each consumer's values. I notice that people who prefer milk delivery are A) those who like the taste of it (i.e. my son), B) those who prefer to drink freshly opened milk every morning (you hardly can get small bottles from the supermarkets), and C) those who cannot go shopping everyday (i.e. have babies or elderlies to look after).

Actually, I do think that milk that come in small glass bottles taste different than those in huge bottles or paper cartons, and I enjoy our Meg Milk delivery which is very flexible about amounts and frequency.

Just for the record, in my childhood days when supermarkets were more rare, almost every household accepted milk delivery.


By Yuko Kubota on Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 12:02 am:

Btw, I don't know about Meiji, but our Meg man accepts payment through bank accounts, and if we're away or want to change our order, I can leave a note in the box. So the system never bothers me.


By paula b on Tuesday, April 5, 2005 - 3:49 pm:

Hello! I love the milk that they have here in Tokyo but it's only in 1000 ml cartons, is there anything bigger available??? LOL we're used to 4 litres back home :) . Thanks in advance!


By Bethan Hutton on Tuesday, April 5, 2005 - 7:37 pm:

I've never seen any bigger cartons of milk here, even in Costco or other wholesale-type places. I don't think the huge ones would fit in Japanese fridges. Even in Starbucks (which gets through gallons of milk an hour) I've only ever seen the staff with standard size cartons. I think you'll just have to get used to it....


By paula b on Saturday, April 9, 2005 - 5:12 pm:

Thanks for the reply! If Starbucks can get by with those teeny things then I'm sure that I can get used to it too. At least I know now.


By Wich Otwo on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 10:21 pm:

Hi there,

This September my husband and I and our then 9 months old daughter will stay one month in Tokyo. At home (The Netherlands) we use powdered milk from Nutrilon/Nutricia to which you have to add water. Does anyone know if there is a Japanese equivalent and if so, which brand we should buy (we can’t read Japanese!)?

Thanks for your replies!


By Janine Boyd on Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 12:55 am:

If you are only coming one month and worried, why not bring a tin from home?
If you have no suitcase space then go into the baby section of a large department store and look for the cans with cartoon pictures of babies on them. The big cans hold about 950g of powdered milk. (Japanese milk mixes well in cold water too if baby cant wait to warm it!!)They will have a large number indicating from 0-9 months or 9mths to 3 yrs. Luckily for you 9 months seems to be the age to be as you can choose to go up or down in strength. Of course you wont be able to read the kanji but pick the best priced one with a big 9 on it. Inside there will be a spoon (if you dig for it) On the top of the lid you will see age in months at the left side followed by the kilograms of the baby, then the number of feeds in a day eg 5 (broken up into milk only feeds x 2 + milk after meals feeds x 3)
Next is the number of level spoons to water. Small number is spoons eg 4, larger number eg 200 is mls. The final number on the right is the total number of mls recommended for the day eg 600mls.
My favorte brand is called Gun Gun pronounced Guhn Guhn. If you get stuck ask to buy Gun Gun powdered milk for a 9 month old baby like this....
Kyuu ka getsu akachan no tame no Gun Gun to iu kohna miruku o katte itadakitai desu ga.

or more simply
akachan wa kyuu ka getsu. Kohna miruku o kudasai.
I hope you manage OK


By Lea Katrina Lombos on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 1:03 pm:

hello! i am new in the group. i was just wondering what brands of milk formulas are available in Japan, specifically Yokohama. you see, my sons and i are planning a visit next year to visit my husband who is currently working there right now and i want to know if i would have to bring milk formulas for my sons (aged 4 and 2)to last them the entire time. they are currently drinking milk formulas and have become accustomed to the taste of their milk so i would rather they continue drinking the current brands than switch to others. i hope someone could help me in this matter since i don't want to encounter problems when we do make it there.

thanks so much! Lea
PS. we will be staying in Yokohama for 3 months...


By Bilal Cheema on Sunday, May 13, 2007 - 10:48 pm:

I am working in tokyo and my wife and 6 monyh old daughter are cominf here next week. I went looking for formula milk and tried to read from the pack but could not understand much of it. Furthermore my daughter is a bit healthy and weight around 10 kgs while for the milk upto 9 month old, the weight range is only upto 9 KGs. Now i was wondering shall I buy the one for 9month - 3 years range, as it has weight range from 9-14 kgs. and can someone help me also about which rice cereal & wheat cereals to buy. i am clueless. thanks


By Bsc1280 on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 10:53 pm:

Hi All,

My daughter is 9 months old and we were thingking of changing her milk brand now. Currently she takes beanstalk. Can someone please let me know which one of these brands is teh best quality for children from 9 months to 3 years.

Icreo Follow Momo

Meiji Step -
Beanstalk Tsuyoiko -

Morigana Chirumiru -

Please let me know

thanks,
Bill


By Koalamama on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - 10:58 am:

It is my understanding that these milks are all Toddler Formulas and you should definitely look into them carefully before selecting as Toddler Formulas in our countries are often full of sugar and some even have flavouring.

If you intend to wean your daughter from formula to cows milk at around one you might just want to stick with your current infant formula. You might want to look for one which isnt sweetened.

The toddler milks here are labelled "from 9 months" but its my understanding, someone correct me if I'm wrong, that toddler milks are not necessary and a child with a good diet can change from infant formula to cows milk after 1.

I dont think its possible to say which is the best quality. Word of mouth is really the only way to find out which brand other people like but often babies will prefer a brand even though the contents are supposedly all the same.

You can often get free sample sticks if you write to the company or send them an email.

HTHs


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