What is a Japanese Cloth Diaper?

Japanese cloth diaper fabric is thin woven cotten. The thickness is approximately the same as a loosely woven tea towel. It is approximately 33-36 cm wide. The structure of the fabric has a diamond-shaped weave.

A pack of 20 diapers: (the height of this pack is the same as the width of one diaper)



The fabric is folded over and sewn (usually with a french seam) so it makes a loop.


To use the diaper, you fold it which ever way you choose. Put it on the baby and then put a waterproof diaper cover over the folded cotton diaper. To see different ways to fold the diaper please see my "how to fold" page.

The choice of what cover to use is endless. There are various Japanese covers made of waterproofed knitted cotton or poly fiber, there are felted wool covers, there are terrycloth covers. You can use the covers easily available online such as "bummis" brand or "bum genius". You can even use these inside a pocket diaper. The cover is your choice.

I should mention that this is not the only type of cloth diaper used in Japan. However, it is the only type I will discuss on this informational page. There are other diapering options available in Japan including fitted diapers and all-in-one diapers.

How to fold a Japanese cloth diaper (under construction)

A Japanese cloth diaper is a thin cotton flat diaper which is sewn into a loop. There are several ways to fold these diapers. Try them out and see what works best for you.

The most commonly used fold is the "Half Fold". This fold is particularly useful and simple with non-mobile babies. This fold uses one flat diaper. Start by folding the diaper in half lengthwise.

A variation of this is the "Thirds Fold". This fold is particularly useful with small, non-mobile babies. This fold uses one flat diaper. This is the same as the "half fold" except you start by folding the diaper in thirds, lengthwise.

Another variation of this is the "Horizontal thirds fold."

The "Hot-dog fold" offers some extra protection against leaking. Especially good for preventing blow-outs. This fold tends to stay in place better with non-mobile babies. This fold uses two flat diapers.

The "Iris fold" is good for non-mobile babies and gives a nice trim fit. This fold uses one flat diaper.

Slightly more complicated and useful for mobile babies is the "Origami Fold" (1) (2). This fold uses two
flat diapers.

The "T-fold" is also useful with mobile babies. This fold uses two flat diapers.

The "Y-fold" is quite sturdy and absorbant. This fold uses two flat diapers.