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First Birthday Traditions in Japan: Isshou Mochi and Erabitori
In July this year, my daughter turned one! Where has the time gone?! I can’t believe a year ago I was recovering from a C-section with a tiny new person in my life…
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Daycare Entrance Ceremony, Narashihoiku, and the Renrakucho
The third part of my series on daycare in Japan looks at the entrance ceremony as well as narashihoiku (慣らし保育) and the renrakucho (連絡帳). Just as a refresher (or in case you haven’t…
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Preparing for Daycare in Japan
In the second part of this series looking at daycare in Japan, I’ll be sharing how my husband and I prepared for daycare, which involved a lot of paperwork (of course, it wouldn’t…
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Applying to Daycares (Hoikuen) in Japan
Japan is known for having an overwhelmed daycare system, especially in large cities that have long waitlists due to a lack of daycares and daycare workers. I wasn’t expecting that my daughter would…
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Places to Take Baby in Japan (Summer-Edition): Jidoukan and Shien Centers
This is a special guest post that comes from Candace, an illustrator raising a soon-to-be three-year-old in Saitama, Japan. She’s a good friend who reached out to me when I was pregnant and…
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Keeping your Baby Cool During Summer in Japan
Summers in Japan are getting hotter by the year, so when I found out I was going to give birth in July when temperatures are at their peak, I was quite concerned. This…
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Reviewing Diapers in Japan for Newborn Babies
As a new parent, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out what kind of diaper is best for your newborn, and if you’re a foreign parent in Japan, perhaps you’re wondering what…
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IVF in Japan: Pippa’s Story
One of the reasons I started interviewing women in Japan about their pregnancies was to highlight that although we all gave birth in Japan, our pregnancies and birth stories were unique. And for…
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All About the Amazon Japan Baby Registry
Baby registries are very common in North America but not so much in Japan. To the best of my knowledge, the only place to make a baby registry in Japan is the Amazon…
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An Overview of Baby Food in Japan
We all love food, so it’s an exciting time when your baby is ready for solids. But if you’re anything like me, there are probably dozens of questions going through your head. What…
