Browsing Tag

overseas

Final Release: Hiragana at Home Part 3!!

January 7, 2024

Hi there everyone, we hope that everything is settling in well now that the winter holidays are over!

We also have an announcement.. Hiragana at Home, Part 3 has released!

Hiragana at Home is a home education resource that we lovingly created for our own family. 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.

Whether you live in Japan or overseas, if you want to introduce your preschool-aged (or older) child to hiragana and to teach them the Japanese language from home, this is the program for you. (Adults can also benefit from the extensive song links and book lists!)

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Hiragana Part 3: Release Update!

January 5, 2024

Happy New Year!!

Japan has had a tumultuous beginning of the year, including earthquakes, tsunami, fires, and a plane collision within just the first two days of 2024. Although our home was not affected directly, a friend of ours was in the danger zone when the events of January 1st occurred, and we are deeply grateful that they are safe.

Japan is a disaster-prone country, but full of resilient people that come together to help each other as a community when catastrophes happen. This is one of the things that I love about Japan!

Despite the unfortunate start to this new year, we pray for the victims of the recent disasters, and that Japan will overcome the recent challenges and experience a year of blessing!

We are also excited to announce the upcoming release date of Hiragana at Home, Part 3. The final installment in the Hiragana at Home series is nearly completed, and we are now in the stages of editing and previewing before publishing the material!

Part 3 will be available by January 9th, 2024! Until then, we will be offering a special discount for new customers of our program. When you purchase our program, you will receive the Part 1 and Part 2 downloads immediately in your purchase downloads, and Part 3 when it releases on or by January 9th, 2024 (Japan time).

Use the code TERM3 to take 10$ off of your purchase of the Hiragana at Home program! Purchase here.

Questions or comments? Message us on Instagram at @happilyeverharuna, or use our Contact Us page!

Hiragana at Home: Info, and FAQ

It’s Finally Here! Summer Release of Part 2

August 22, 2023

The dragonflies circling above and the slight yellowing of the rice fields signal that summer’s end is drawing close. Meanwhile, in Japan many students begin Term 2 of the school year, and some of their international counterparts start the first semester.

As the summer heat gives way and the “best” beach days become numbered, now is the perfect time to help your preschool-aged child jump into language immersion that is simple, fun, and play-based!

Children living outside of Japan can be given the tools to fluency in a second language by enjoying a Japanese language experience like no other, filled with hundreds of links to Japanese children’s songs, picture-book recommendations, art projects, crafts, physical activities, and more.

Children living in Japan can have the opportunity to benefit from a program that is the only one if its kind – a one year home education program that enables English speaking parents or caregivers to teach hiragana (the Japanese phonetic alphabet) with a schedule that is simple and easy to follow.

For more about our one year program and the Part 2 release, read below!

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Special Summer Sale!

August 18, 2023

Hiragana at Home, Part 2, is on track to release very soon!! 

Hiragana at Home is a one year home education program for learning hiragana (the Japanese language) using a downloadable PDF schedule that includes a variety of fun resources and activities. It is preschool-level, but can be adapted for older children as well. 

Whether you live outside of Japan and desire to immerse your young child in a second language, or live in Japan and want a home education alternative to preschool and learning hiragana (the Japanese phonetic “alphabet”), Hiragana at Home is a fun play-based option that builds language skills and fluency through a variety of multi-sensory resources and ideas.

This second installment of the Hiragana at Home program will feature 160 additional song links, as well as an extensive seasonal and theme-inspired booklist, and lots of new activities! 

If you have already purchased our 3-part program, you can expect the Part 2 digital file resources to appear in your Gumroad downloads soon!

If you have not yet purchased our program, you will have an opportunity for a special discount during our summer “back-to-school” sale! Whether you prefer to start school from the spring as is traditional in Japan, or in the autumn, our program is designed to be used at any time of the year!

From today through August 22nd, 2023 at 11:59pm (Japan time), you can visit our product page (see here) and use the code: TERM2 to receive 10$ off of our 50$ program. 

The price includes Part 1 (already released), Part 2 (scheduled to release next week!), and Part 3 (releasing at the end of this year).

To learn more about our program, see here. To purchase Hiragana at Home, click here

Giveaway Announcement!!

April 14, 2023

Special giveaway announcement!!

The Spring Release Sale of Hiragana at Home has ended..

But, if you missed the sale and would still like to get our preschool-level home education language program at a reduced price, you might have an opportunity to get it for free!!

We have partnered with the blogger Hiragana Mama, and are offering one person the complete Hiragana at Home program (a one year program with a 50$ value) for free!! If you are interested in entering the giveaway, please head over to her blog at the link below!

Enter the Giveaway at Hiragana Mama’s Post, here!

Or, to purchase the full Hiragana at Home program right now, click here!

Overseas Travel With An Infant

January 13, 2022

Overseas travel looks NOTHING like it did a few years ago. My husband and I are both seasoned travelers, having been to a combined total of more than 10 countries.

However due to the continually changing travel guidelines, under the pandemic that has stretched on for over 2 years, overseas travel has become a completely new experience.

There are still long queues, longer flights, and an array of pre-flight preparations to consider. Add to this extra regulations, unbelievable layovers, and the wildly unexpected, and you have today’s travel experience.

While single or married this might present its challenges, but add to the mix an infant, and everything has the potential to become just a little more overwhelming!

While traveling overseas with a baby does require more careful planning, it is manageable if you are willing to be flexible (and can deal with the possibility of temporary sleep deprivation – which most parents of infants are experts at already!).

Our most recent travels overseas took over 20.5 hours of flights and layovers from Japan to the U.S., and over 34.5 hours on return (that is not counting driving to and from the airports both ways!).

Based on our overseas travel experience, here are our tips for traveling with an infant overseas.

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10 Pregnancy Must-Haves

November 1, 2020

The word is out.. we are expecting a boy!

The 1st trimester of this pregnancy seemed to drag on and on forever, but now at over halfway through the 2nd trimester, time is flying past so quickly. As a result, I want to make sure not to forget what I’ve learned along the way, and document it to share!

For example, I recently compiled a list of my pregnancy must-haves so far.

So, whether you are preparing for a future pregnancy, are experiencing your first pregnancy overseas in Japan, or just a mom veteran looking for ideas, I hope that you find this list helpful!

Please note: this blog post uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from certain links. This does not affect your purchases or the price you may pay.

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Cost of Housing in Japan

January 5, 2020

I’ve heard it said that Japan is a very expensive place to live.. and while that may be true compared to low-cost countries such as Thailand, living in Japan does not have to be overwhelmingly expensive! It really depends on where you live, your lifestyle, effective budgeting, and your line of work.

Perhaps you are planning on moving overseas, or simply wonder how much it costs to live abroad.

While we feel that living in the countryside is one of the best housing options, Masashi and I have both experienced a variety of living conditions in Japan. You can read about our experiences and the pros and cons of different accommodations below.

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Welcome

December 24, 2019

Hello there! My name is Hannah, and The Haruna Home is a site for sharing about our international family, what it’s like to live overseas as an immigrant, and country life in rural Japan.

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