Tag Archives: child care

End of an Era: Goodbye, Nursery School

Posted on April 17, 2018 by

And so it begins. The end of the start of the rest of my children’s childhood. By which I mean our youngest daughter graduated from nursery school / kindergarten. Thinking back, we’ve been coming to our local nursery school every … Continue reading →

Posted in coming of age, day care, education, festivals, Japan, Japanese, Japanese society, nursery school, parenting, school, separation anxiety | 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

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

Taking Leave: the Book!

Posted on November 12, 2015 by

UPDATED. Published through Perceptia Press (Nagoya), Taking Leave: An American on Paternity Leave in Japan is currently available through englishbooks.jp in paperback/soft cover format (retail price: 1500 yen plus tax). I’d love to say the book is available through Amazon; … Continue reading →

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Summer Festival: Beat your own drum!

Posted on July 19, 2015 by

Four months ago, we gave away our long-used/abused baby barriers. Yesterday, we helped our children celebrate their nursery school’s summer festival. Time flies… Once again, my wife volunteered to be a member of the Ai-go-kai (愛護会, literally “love protection association,” … Continue reading →

Posted in education, festivals, Japan, Japanese culture, Japanese society, parenting, school, summertime | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The barriers go down…with the past…

Posted on March 30, 2015 by

The smiling bear stickers that adorned the walls of the barricade are long gone, sacrificial victims to an eager child’s exploring hands. But my kids loved these things. Continue reading →

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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