Time to let the kids get on their bikes
Like many Tokyo mothers, there is one ingenious invention that I can absolutely not live without: our much-loved electric mama chari bicycle. The list of things I love about Tokyo biking is endless, from being allowed to cycle on sidewalks to the fact I don't ...
Manner mode: Defusing tension on the train
Commuting to and from work during peak hours in Tokyo can be an utterly soul-destroying experience. With passengers jammed in like sardines in a can, the suffocating conditions on many trains can elevate stress levels and cause tempers to fray. Given the sheer number of ...
Trust robots to keep the kids occupied
'Can we go to the park?" In our household, this refrain is heard almost as frequently as "I want ice cream" and "I don't want to go to bed." It is a question asked on a near-daily basis, regardless of weather, season or time of ...
Workshops to keep the children sweet
You and I can talk all day about differences between this country and that, and we can detail any number of parenting strategies and discuss how they differ from one culture to the next, but there are more similarities than differences, and one of ...
LDP lawmaker faces off against his party's old guard over child care leave plan
Liberal Democratic Party Lower House lawmaker Kensuke Miyazaki wanted to do something to change the nation's declining birthrate, so he announced last month he planned to take child care leave after his wife gives birth. The representative from Kyoto's No. 3 district now has another ...
Crafty ways to have fun without mess
For some parents (or maybe it's just me), there is one particular festive word that causes instant anxiety: "craft." The seemingly innocuous "c" word conjures instant images of The Ideal Parents, sitting down patiently with their children, sprinkling glitter on freshly gathered pine cones before ...
Get kids' education down to a science
If you've read my earlier Child's Play columns, then you probably know that my family and I will visit just about any place that deals with science and technology. Lucky for me, Tokyo is full of these places, but it certainly isn't the only ...
One way to keep the kids on their toes
There are few certainties in parenthood, from the ever-changing sleeping habits of babies to the unpredictability of toddler tantrums. One fact, however, can almost always be depended upon. However hard a parent tries to avoid gender stereotyping, almost every little girl will at some point ...
It still takes a village to keep our kids safe
The murders of 13-year-old Natsumi Hirata and 12-year-old Ryoto Hoshino in Osaka last month sparked a heated conversation in the media about the state of parenting in Japan. Hirata and Hoshino were caught wandering the streets on security cameras during the wee hours of Aug. ...
TenQ can stop kids getting lost in space
There's something special about the sky at night. The stars may be clearer during the colder months, but right now it's easier for you and the kids to sprawl out on a patch of grass (or sand for you beach lovers) and gaze at ...
Japan to introduce video visitation system for parents in cross-border custody disputes
The Foreign Ministry will in September introduce a virtual visitation system to enable parents to meet children who have been abducted by their estranged partners under the Hague convention on cross-border custody disputes. Set to be the first of the convention's 93 signatory countries to ...
Let the kids get their hands on art
'No, don't touch!" These are probably the most infuriating words for young children to hear when they are being dragged around an art gallery by their parents. Their frustration is understandable. Often, they find themselves standing in front of an unimaginably eye-catching creation — maybe ...
