Being a Dad in Japan

The wind was at my back. The road ahead was all downhill. A glance at my Fitbit and I see I’m on pace for my best 5k. Up ahead is the Toho Cinemas lot where you can find a statue of Godzilla nestled in amongst the studio warehouses. It marks 5k along the Sengawa river…

My fork was quivering, pointed at the horned turban shell on my plate. I scooped up the handful of pieces artfully assembled in the shell’s cavity and popped them all into my mouth in one go. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The horned turban shell meat repelling my chomps with…

My oldest son loves the word funky. He asked me how to define it once. I told him something a bit strange and cool. It’s his go-to adjective for when he wants an interesting story. “Tell me a funky story.” As a marketer, I love the challenge. Can’t say I’m nailing it, but I’m giving…

Bad news spreads like wildfire. Good old gossip. At a party, online, at dinner, a bit of bad news captivates our listeners. Reading the Whimpy Kid to my children, there was a passage around how Greg always likes hearing about what went wrong with the vacations of his friends, rather than what went right. Gives…

Work has begun. With one full week of work under my belt, the inbox is starting to bulge at the sides, my todo list is growing like a toddler, and the calendar more colorful than a Jackson Pollock piece. My wife and I are now relearning the working parents tango. Here are some of the…

Murphy’s Law was in full effect this week. After a couple of weeks at daycare with no sickness, the youngest came down with a bug and needed to stay home. When I had all the time in the world, he was healthy. As soon as I started back at work, the bug hit. Of course…

I laid out in a post last week a list of things I could accomplish during my last week of paternity leave. Here’s how things netted out. Plan the family investing strategy – minimal Hang with friends – yes Get in one more ski trip – planned for next week Review my Marketing Seminar materials…

Outlook is back on my phone. A few meetings are scheduled for next week. I’m thinking to just zero my inbox and start fresh from Monday. A year with my newborn has flown by and I’m struggling to feel the motivation to return. This phase of my life was precious. Spending the time with all…

Since having children, one of the greatest luxuries we’ve recently obtained is having a space for the children that is entirely theirs and a space that is not. Like any large city, but maybe more so than some others, Tokyo has a premium on space. When a square meter of your house can be used…

Parent after parent shared what they remember playing as a child. We were wrapping up a parent-teacher conference at daycare. The prompt was to share what your child likes to do as well as what you did as a child. An overwhelming majority of them remembered playing outside. Some in the mountains. Others in rice…

The proceedings were like previous parent-teacher meetings at the school. Then we got to hearing about the school slogan or mantra. The principal started by saying that the core slogan, while not being modified, was needing some further explanation or context and the school board had come up with a solution. I was excited to…

The kids are now all going to daycare or school from morning to late afternoon. My days and hours of caring for a child from wake to sleep are over for now. Work doesn’t start for another week. These next 10 days are so are the freest I’ll be for a long time. Some ways…

The cheapest cheese I’ve found in Tokyo has been at OK スーパー or OK Supermarket. It doesn’t look like there are a ton of them around in Tokyo, but if one is close to you, check it out. オーケー株式会社 | ディスカウントスーパーマーケット (ok-corporation.jp) Go there for big blocks of cheddar, gouda, and the like at discount…

With three kids, your lifetime expenses are going to be larger than if you had two kids or one kid. Maybe orders of magnitude larger. However, the Japanese government does try to make things easier for you in the early stages. Here are two things that will help out in the first few years. First,…

Looking for a way to have a restaurant-level dinner without having to worry about getting the kids to sit down or not blow bubbles in their drink? SHAREDINE （シェアダイン） – 食の専門家による出張シェフサービス The platform matches you with professional chefs that will come to your home and cook for you. You’ll need to pick the cuisine, the…

First day back at school in a new grade. First day back at daycare for the middle child. And the big one. First day of daycare for the youngest. It all happened so quickly this morning that I’m just now feeling it. The youngest hoped out of the nest for the first time today, away…

When planning a vacation, the longer the vacation is the better it will be feels enticing. There is a sweet spot, however, when the allure of your own bed, kitchen, and surroundings starts to sound better than another gorgeous buffet or urban stroll. Pre-vacation, I’m longing to break out of the routine, see something new,…

When I was 7 years old, I didn’t dream of speaking Japanese. I dreamed of building roller coasters. Designing of roller coasters didn’t work out and I’ve now found myself telling bedtime stories to my children in Japanese. The moment felt surreal and natural. My son wanted to hear about where I grew up. I…

Eight children, ranging from middle school to high school. Half had never had Mexican food in their life. The other half had since they are my kids. I rolled the dice here and the results came up mixed. The menu wasn’t way out there. Tortillas and taco shells with a mix of veggie fillings and…

Cruise control on long road trips is a blessing. Having the car also take the wheel for you is otherworldly. Exiting and entering big cities in Japan means you are going to hit traffic. 5km,10km, and 15km traffic jams are not uncommon. Not a good place for cruise control, I thought. Renting a Nissan Serena…