Family & Children « GaijinPot Blog Network: Japan’s best blogs

Family & Children

Pop a (pretty difficult) squat: October 21st, 2009By Sylvia Saracino; Here is a challenge for you: try to squat just like the little boy in the picture. He was tired of walking all over the zoo and decided to just rest for a second. Notice how his knees are touching and his feet are perfectly flat, yet he had no problem balancing his weight for » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Taking a Japanese Name: September 16th, 2009By Ryan Solberg; I’ve been in Japan for almost 5 years and married for 6. I’m going to be applying for my PR soon but that’s another story. Anyways my wife never took my last name since we planned to live in Japan. Last week after doing my banking, my bank book was full. I went into the » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

How to Get Married Quickly and Inexpensively: June 28th, 2009By MikE EkiM; Tying the knot, getting hitched, and joining in an everlasting union of Holy Matrimony. Whether you see it as an attachment of the old ball and chain or the single greatest moment in your relationship, sooner or later, most of us will get married. I personally never thought I would ever » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Being a Kid: June 19th, 2009By ian; Catching frogs, chasing lizards, fishing for crayfish, that’s fun! Picture Japanese kids with dirty hands having clean fun! I’ve done it, and enjoyed it too. Getting back in touch with nature in the spring helps me feel young again. And, well, somebody has to show my daughter how to do » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

In-Flight Madness: June 2nd, 2009By Christina Bell; We are now reaching the end of the American school schedule, which means that, in the next few weeks, hundreds of expat families will pack up their toddlers and board planes bound for summer vacation destinations. They will also carry with them enough gear to open a daycare center, in the hope that something, anything, » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Sex, Lies, and Reproduction: May 19th, 2009By Christina Bell; As a teacher, I live and work under the assumption that we never stop learning. All knowledge is worthwhile. Even knowledge that seems irrelevant to our current situation is still input that adds to the general mental database. And, of course, the most valuable learning is that which further shines a light into one’s own » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Entertaining the kids: Easy in Japan: May 7th, 2009By Tracey Anne Yuki; photo credit: kawarano For six years, I worked as a tour co-coordinator at the Melbourne Branch of one of Japan’s major travel companies. It was during the boom years when Australia was one of the major destinations for honeymoon couples and indeed most time deficient Japanese travelers opting for the ‘package tour’, which catered for » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Kids learning Kanji: April 24th, 2009By Tracey Anne Yuki; photo credit: Kanko* At university I was required to memorize an inordinate number of kanji (Chinese characters) each week. However my motivation never quite reached sufficient levels to ensure the complete transference from short term to long-term memory. Until now!! Having recently arrived in Japan from Australia with my Japanese husband and our three children, my » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

The Reluctant Housewife: April 13th, 2009By shufuinjapan; photo credit: elbragon For various reasons, I find myself in Japan and a “Home-life Quality Technician”. Ok, so I am a housewife… with no children. In my own country, this is called being “unemployed”. In Japan being a housewife or shufu is a profession in itself, which requires years of practice and » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

Confessions of a Stage Mom: April 8th, 2009By Christina Bell; Today, I finished my day at work, ran out the door to grab my son, Max, and pulled him by the arm to the car so that we could make it to the train station in time to get him downtown for a modeling job. He’s been modeling in Tokyo for three years, so we’ve » Continue Reading; CommentsComments

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