Discoveries from around the archipelago
Japan is full of densha otaku (train fans), but you don't have to be one to enjoy this hands-on museum in the Tokyo "suburb" of Omiya dedicated to all things railway-related. The Omiya Railway Museum opened in 2007 in one of Tokyo's largest bedroom communities just across the border in Saitama Prefecture. The museum sprawls over... Continue Reading →
My daughter turns four years old next week (eeek!) and my husband and I have been debating gifts for her. My husband has been lobbying hard for a set of Legos for a few months now. Our daughter likes to build with blocks but I can't help but think the Lego push is more on... Continue Reading →
My daughter is a pretty easy-going traveler, but there is a limit to how many museums you can drag a toddler to. Sometimes you just have to build in a little bit of playground time. Luckily, there are some fantastic recreational areas scattered around the islands that will entertain adults almost as much as their... Continue Reading →
I was going to write this post on the Kagoshima Aquarium, bit frankly, it wasn't all that awesome of a site and I've already written up far better aquariums in Japan. So after a trip to the local sento (public bathhouse) this past weekend with a VERY enthusiastic three-year-old, I thought I'd write a bit about... Continue Reading →
You wouldn't think the workaday city of Oita on the shores of Beppu Bay - a stone's throw from neighboring Beppu City - would be the ideal home for Japanese macaques. But with numerous mountains just a mile (or less) inland, the red-faced simians so often considered one of the symbol's of Japan have been... Continue Reading →
I happen to have a two-year-old who is obsessed with Sesame Street. Given that we don't get much American TV over here and we rarely watch Japanese TV (and yet she knows ALL the Anpanman characters, somehow), our kid-appropriate DVD collection consists mostly of various Sesame Street programs. (I'm a fan of old-school Sesame Street,... Continue Reading →
Pssst ... let me clue you in to my favorite "parent trick". Bookstores and toy stores in Japan always have free things out for kids to play with. Maybe it's the same case in the States and other countries as well. I'm not sure - my daughter was born and is being raised here, so... Continue Reading →
Twenty-five years ago, a new superhero debuted on Japanese television. His name was Anpanman, his motto was "love and courage" and his head ... was a jam-filled bun. Yes, in the pantheon of Japanese anime characters, Anpanman and his food-related cohorts are certainly ... unique. But they have stunning staying power and are just as... Continue Reading →
I had a bit of an unscheduled trip to Tokyo last week, tacked on right before a weekend in Kyoto from which I am just now returning as this posts. I'm not complaining, mind you. I love my former hometown of Tokyo as much as a girl can and will take any excuse to go... Continue Reading →
Heading to Japan with the little ones in tow? Pick up some picture books before your trip - they're guaranteed to get everyone excited about the upcoming adventure! Here are a few of my favorite choices: One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Mannis - A young girl goes on a poetic tour of a Japanese garden.... Continue Reading →
