By Parenthood Japan | Updated May 2026 There is a moment many foreign families in Japan eventually experience. It often happens late at night at the kitchen table, surrounded by paperwork you cannot fully understand, while trying to balance work, children, school schedules, and everyday life at the same time. For some families, it begins during the first visa application process before arriving in Japan. For others, it comes later during visa renewals, dependent applications, permanent...

By Parenthood Japan | Updated May 2026 Every parent living in Japan eventually experiences the same kind of weekend You wake up hoping to take the children outside, open the curtains, and immediately see heavy rain, strong wind, unbearable summer heat, or another full day of bad weather. Meanwhile, the children already have endless energy. And after a few hours inside the apartment, everyone slowly starts feeling restless. For my family, the rainy season and extremely hot summer weekends...

By Parenthood Japan | Updated May 2026 When my family first moved to Japan, one of the most stressful things was not knowing where to go when someone suddenly got sick. Everything feels manageable at first until a real health problem happens unexpectedly. A fever late at night. A child suddenly felt unwell. Seasonal sickness during winter. Allergies. Ear infections. And suddenly, many foreign families realise they do not fully understand how healthcare works in Japan yet. Even some of our...