Tsukiji fish market: Old schooling for kids
A new year means new beginnings. For the Tsukiji fish market, that new beginning may finally arrive in 2018. News of the market's closure in Tsukiji and rebirth in the nearby Toyosu neighborhood has been a regular feature in the news. This year, however, ...
Debate continues over mothers taking their babies to work
The hashtag #KozurekaigiOK, which translates roughly as “It’s OK to bring a child to a meeting,” began trending in late November. The trigger was a female politician’s decision to bring her child to a Kumamoto assembly session, which sparked a nationwide debate on child ...
Living it up at the Hilton — Disney style
The seemingly simple act of checking into a hotel can be a recipe for disaster with tired young children: cue tackling mundane paperwork while trying to preempt high-volume meltdowns or contain hyperactive runarounds. So recently, it was something of a surprise to arrive at a ...
Slip back in time and into a kimono
One of our family's favorite ways to learn is through hands-on experiences. Sometimes it's cooking classes. Other times it may take the form of historical reenactments or clever interactive museum exhibits. Whatever the experience, we enjoy being immersed in it rather than just reading ...
Commercials reflect a subtle shift in traditional parenting roles
A series of TV commercials aimed at parents in recent months has sparked intense online debate over traditional family values and the reality of modern life. Manufacturer Cow Soap is the latest advertiser to generate discussion on this issue, releasing a commercial for Father's Day ...
A crafty way to give the kids a creative workout
It's one of those fleeting parenting moments when my normally nonstop high-volume children are awake, but silent. The reason for this? They are studiously poring over a table covered with a neatly aligned assortment of wood cutouts — a cat, a witch, a star, ...
Cooking classes can dish out plenty of culture bites
What's the best thing about exploring Japan with kids? For us, it may be the eating. With two kids born in Tokyo, I can say without doubt that one of our favorite things to do together is cook, eat and talk about Japanese food. ...
Weekend drama can be great for the kids
My two daughters rub the backs of their ears to retrieve some magic dust, which they then use to summon a pile of pizza and ice cream, before tucking into the newly created feast with arm-waving gusto. This sounds like the stuff of dreams for ...
Robotic window wiping For anyone who despises housework, robot home helpers are a blessing. Everyone knows iRobot's Roomba vacuum cleaner, perhaps you've even heard of the same company's Braava floor mop. But what about a robot window cleaner? Robotically cleaning vertical surfaces doesn't sound viable, but ...
Japan's traditional blues for bright and cheery kids
"It's stinky!" shouts my 4-year-old daughter, jumping up and down with an expression of pure glee on her face. The object of her fascination is a large vat containing a dark, murky substance that does indeed have a distinctly earthy aroma. Its contents? Pure indigo ...
Let kids seize the day, and an opponent
It's an all too familiar sight: my two young children, exhausted after a long day at nursery, return home and proceed to jump up and down, bounce off walls and throw toys at each other's heads in a rush of post-containment energy. For a long ...
