Suitability of different food items for tadpoles of the Japanese toad (Bufo japonicus formosus) was studied by rearing experiments. Tadpoles were fed single food items (leaf litter, algae, or sludgeworms) individually in the laboratory, and their survival, growth, and development were compared. All individuals metamorphosed successfully. Litter-fed tadpoles metamorphosed at a significantly smaller size than algae- or worm-fed tadpoles, but the latter two metamorphosed at a similar size. The larval period showed little difference among the three food treatments.