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Coming Soon: Hiragana at Home!!

February 8, 2023

I’ve been keeping a secret!!

We are excited to announce the upcoming release of a brand-new home education resource:

Hiragana at Home!

As a mother living in Japan and a second-language speaker of Japanese, I longed for a home education resource for exposing young children to Japanese language in a way that was gentle, simple, play-based, and not time-consuming or filled with busy work.

Home-educating a bilingual child should not mean that their language skills have to suffer!

However, there are few home-education resources available for people who desire to teach the Japanese language to young children (including overseas), and little support is available to families in Japan who decide not to enroll their child in preschool.

Eventually, I realized that if I wanted a home education program for our family that met my expectations, as well as would allow our children to thrive without losing out on their language development, I would have to make it myself – and so, I did!

**Note: this post was updated on March 24th, 2023, to reflect updates regarding the spring 2023 release!!**

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Purchasing an Akiya in Japan

September 3, 2022

Photo: sunflower fields in Saiyo, Hyogo

It has now been a little over 2 months since we moved into our new residence!

Our “new” fixer-upper home located in rural Hyogo, Japan, was an akiya, a Japanese word used for homes that have been unoccupied or abandoned for some years.

In the past, Japanese houses were thought to have a “lifetime” that could be used up.

Older houses often fall into disrepair after their owners pass away and younger generations choose to remain in the city (resulting in over 8 million unoccupied houses in Japan!!), and newer houses, similar to housing boom suburbs in the U.S., frequently have weaker building standards than traditional houses and are often not built to last.

However, while newer homes and apartments are still generally preferred by consumers, reforming old houses is gradually becoming more popular in Japan.

There are many reasons to buy an akiya instead of a newer home!

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Eating Overseas

August 11, 2022

When I first moved to Japan, navigating the grocery store was a huge challenge.

I struggled with reading food labels, and had no idea what people ate on a regular basis, what food was available seasonally, or how to make a meal out of the random ingredients on the shelves.

I had plenty of experience cooking, and my mom made sure that I knew the basics of making good food and shopping thriftily.. but it took several years of living abroad before my language skills and foundational understanding of Japanese food ingredients matched my abilities in the kitchen and with a calculator.

The first few months of living overseas I had no idea that I was shopping at an “expensive” grocery store that closed early in the evening, and that there was an affordable, 24-hour grocery store just across the street!!

(Granted, the cheaper store was underground inside a shopping center so not super visible, but I would have had no clue without the tip-off from one of the ladies in my sharehouse!)

The first few weeks of my overseas life especially, I had very little money as I was 23 years old and had just bought the things to supply my basic living needs. I didn’t know when food went on sale, and often rushed into the grocery store after work just before closing time, grabbing whatever random pre-cooked items were left and hoping that they tasted okay.

As time went on, I began to realize the flow of sale times, what tasted good, and locate familiar ingredients and read basic labels. Slowly – very slowly – the grocery store became less intimidating, and I knew how to navigate the aisles, and even use the self-checkout machines using the Japanese language setting.

Eating became much easier (and tasty!)!

Yet, this was only the beginning of my overseas food journey!

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Early Potty Training

July 19, 2022

When you talk about early potty training, there are often several negative responses.

You shouldn’t potty train early, you’ll harm your child.

You have to wait until toddlers show “signs of readiness” and are developmentally ready to train.

You can’t train a child before they can talk. Why force your child to potty train early?

There is no rush. It’s not a race to grow up.

And so on..

The truth is that there is NO one way or perfect timeline to potty train a child, and every child (and family) is different.

A child is not “better” or “worse” for starting potty training later or earlier. However, it is also incorrect that early training is harmful, forced, or reflects a parent’s desire to “rush” childhood milestones.

In fact, early potty training can be gentle, relaxed, fun, and have many benefits.

Our son started early potty training in January 2022 at 10 months of age.

Below we share our experiences with early potty training as parents still currently in the thick of raising a toddler: the method we are using, how it’s going so far, and answers to some questions about early training for those who might be interested in trying it with their child.

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Cloth Diapering in Japan

July 18, 2022

Our son has used cloth diapers since about 3 months of age.

We love that cloth diapers can be gentle on baby’s skin, cost-effective (especially for families that hope to have more than one child), leak far less than disposable diapers, make transitioning to toilet training easier, and have the potential to be environmentally friendly, depending on how you launder them.

While cloth diapering is not for everyone, we have had a great experience so far with cloth diapering our son (now 16 months), and are excited to share what we’ve learned!

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We Are Moving!

May 12, 2022

✨We are moving!! ✨

This meaningful update has been in the works for a while, and a process full of hopeful anticipation and prayer.

We are so excited to finally share the news!!

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Keeping Warm in Rural Japan

January 23, 2022

When I tell people that it snows in Japan, they are often surprised! They seem to imagine that Japan is a warm, tropical island locale full of bamboo and monkeys.

In reality, Japan is geographically diverse, and has four distinct seasons and a multitude of climates. The scenery varies widely, from pristine beaches and fields of lavender to crowded cityscapes and deep forest – bamboo and monkeys included!

For example, the area where we live in Hyogo has been said to resemble Germany or Switzerland. The mountains are covered with towering evergreens that are blanketed with snow for much of the winter season.

Yet, unlike 90% of Swiss residential areas, homes in Japan do not normally have central heating, and the walls can be thin and lack insulation. This is perfect for allowing wooden beams to breathe naturally, and has many benefits including decreasing damage during earthquakes, as well as increasing air flow and reducing mold during Japan’s humid summers. However, it can make for some very, very chilly winters indoors!

To learn more about just how cold it gets during the winters in Japan and the traditional (and not so traditional) ways to keep warm in a rural home without central heating, read on!

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Nursery Reveal!

March 6, 2021

At 39 weeks and 3 days of pregnancy, we are nearly to baby’s due date!!

I am now officially on “maternity leave” from our home business, and trying to enjoy this time as much as possible while we wait for our son Jamie’s arrival.

One of the projects that I’ve been looking forward to completing is the nursery!

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Upstairs Bathroom Remodel

January 13, 2021

One thing that I have become passionate about during the last few years is interior design and decor.

I had the opportunity to work on several renovation / interior design projects for our business locations (which I will hopefully get to posting about at some point!), and now that those are completed, I’ve turned my creative energy toward redecorating and redesigning our home.

In this post, I will be sharing about one of the smaller projects I tackled, which was the tiny upstairs bathroom! This was a neat project because so many bathrooms in Japan are really just a closet-like space with a toilet. Making such a compact space look fresh was a lot of fun!

But first, a little background about our home..

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Create Social Distance Without Boredom

March 15, 2020

The new phrase of the month seems to be social distancing.

As school closures and event cancellations increase, communities are implementing “social distancing” as a means to reduce the rate of the spread of COVID-19.

Last week cases of the coronavirus were found in a city where we work (a 1.6 hour drive from our home), prompting us to shut down the classes we teach there on Saturdays for at least one month. Services at a church we attend in the same city are now available only through internet streaming.

See here: Simulations of Quarantine vs. Social Distancing

For some, the idea of reduced crowds and fewer social obligations is a welcome one. For others, it might feel just the opposite! Precautionary measures may seem drastic or inconvenient, but one of the biggest complaints I have heard from others is boredom.

However, regardless of whether you are outgoing or withdrawn, there are ways to make the most of time at home, as well as to prioritize mental health.

Below I have shared a list of fun and practical ideas of things you can do this spring while practicing social distancing.. without binging on Netflix!

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