Category Archives: Japanese

The end is the beginning

Posted on March 31, 2016 by

Our daughter is now leaving nursery school. From her birth to my wife’s maternity leave to my paternity leave, from building a new house to finishing a doctorate to switching jobs, from one daughter to another (who’s a completely different … Continue reading →

Posted in coming of age, education, Japan, Japanese, parenting, school | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Come out, damned spot!

Posted on February 4, 2016 by

One aspect of bathrooms in Japan that surprised me at first was the water everywhere around the sink. I mean, everywhere. Not having a habit of waiting for people to wash their hands in public lavatories, I found it a … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, parenting, sickness, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Ugly Duckling in Japan

Posted on January 10, 2016 by

 Tomorrow is “Coming of Age Day” in Japan, when 20 year olds celebrate officially becoming “adults” in Japanese society. Today, my family went to a performance by a local civic group of The Ugly Duckling, billed as “a moving story … Continue reading →

Posted in entertainment, family outings, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, kids shows, parenting | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

O-shougatsu

Posted on January 3, 2016 by

New Year’s lasts one night of drinks and one day of college football in the US, but in Japan the holidays lasts for three days. Actually, for many the New Year’s holidays start on December 29th, giving the typical worker a … Continue reading →

Posted in eating, entertainment, family outings, festivals, food, hobbies, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, parenting | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Taking Leave: 2015 in review

Posted on December 30, 2015 by

Taking Leave: 2015 in Review! Continue reading →

Posted in book, book signing, child abuse, child safety, Japan, Japanese, Japanese society, parenting, Paternity leave, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

More updates on Amazon Japan’s child porn and abuse images

Posted on March 20, 2015 by

I previously posted in October about the child abuse images and pornographic materials being openly sold on Amazon (also on Rakuten and Tsutaya). An online protest was started shortly thereafter, and Amazon Japan responded by (partly) removing the most offensive items. … Continue reading →

Posted in child abuse, child safety, international hub, Japan, Japanese, Japanese law, Japanese society | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Joy of Reading

Posted on February 25, 2015 by

We were eager to have books readily available for our kids…and not just available, but in a location where the kids could choose the books they wanted, when they wanted. So we arranged for the cubbyhole built into the staircase in the living room, and we had two small bookcases put into the kids’ play room.

It was up to us to provide the materials… Continue reading →

Posted in education, Japan, Japanese, reading | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment