Mama in Japan

June 23, 2017

What’s different about being a mom in Japan? I don’t really know where to start. My mind races through topics when I get asked this question. Lucy is seven and a half months and I think it’s time to try to take this topic on. There is so much that I want to explain. Just this morning I was grocery shopping and forgot my baby carrier. I smiled to myself as I put Lucy in the shopping basket in my small Japanese size shopping cart. Everything is truly different then I imagined it, in every way. This blog will be about some of the practical differences I have experienced. 

Although this is my first experience as a mom, the world of all things baby isn’t completely new to me. I started babysitting when I was 11 after that I worked at my Aunt’s day care followed by working at a summer camp and then finally being a pediatric ICU nurse. I thought I had a good idea of what to expect entering motherhood. Little did I know that I would become a mom in another country. I have to laugh when I think of how humble it’s made me to realize I may be seen as doing everything wrong here. 

Baby showers: I feel like I should talk about this topic before explaining some other things. Most people in Japan wait to celebrate the baby until after they arrive because of superstitious reasons. It may be seen as tempting fate to gift something to a child not yet born. And then after the baby is born its normal to wait a month or two before visiting the family. When people do visit new baby its customary to give a gift of money. When we first had Lucy everyone would comment on her clothes and how many she had. I was taken back by this a little bit because to me she had a normal amount. It wasn’t until I started to ask questions and do some reading that I realized clothing wasn’t gifted to new parents and most newborn babies generally wear hand me downs because they grow so fast.

Car seats and strollers: All I have to say about this is think small. There is no room for strollers and infant car seats in a world where space is so limited. We live on an Island. Cars are very small, many without any trunk at all. Restaurants have limited space, sometimes only seating a couple people at a time. Shopping malls and grocery stores also have narrow isle ways and checkout lanes. There is simply no room. Infants and sometimes large children are carried pretty much everywhere. The first time I seen a small woman with a child about the same size strapped to her I couldn't help but laugh. I was in complete awe as I watched her. Needless to say, infant seats aren’t sold in stores and strollers are pretty small.

Baby supplies: Baby stores are limited in our area. There is one in our city with supplies such as high chairs and strollers. Then there are a couple baby specialty shops. When it comes to selection, the baby supply store has one or two options of each thing. For example, the largest baby store I shop in has just three different brand options of wipes and diapers. The grocery store has a few baby items with only one brand of baby food with a couple different flavors for each age. I should also mention that there are big department stores that have gorgeous clothes but outrageous prices. Other than that you might find a baby section with some things in pharmacies.

Clothing: Baby clothing is sold in cm sizes. All that means is measurements are by the length of the child not the age. I actually like this idea and it wasn’t that hard to figure out once I realized what the tag numbers stood for. Another little challenge was that clothing is all sold as one piece under six months of age. Before I realized that I searched for clothing and thought I was only finding pajamas. Since then I have kind of given up on buying clothes here in Japan and buy most things on clearance when we are back in America.

I hope you enjoyed reading about how things are here in Japan with a little babe. Stay tuned for the social differences I have experiences being a mom here in Japan. As always, please comment and let me know what you think and if you have any questions! Thank you for reading and following along with us on this journey.








Driving in Japan

June 20, 2017

When we first moved here we quickly realized that we needed a car. Although we live one minute away from a train station, the train only comes a few times throughout the day. Not only is the train infrequent but once we would take the train there was usually more transportation needed. We would often have to take a bus or a taxi after the train to reach our final destination. In our past visits to Japan we were in more populated areas and didn’t need a car at all to get around. It didn’t take long for us to realize the difficultly of life without a car in the countryside of Japan. I remember walking a mile, both ways, to the grocery store and back, eight months pregnant with sweat pouring off of me (do not feel bad for me, I needed the exercise). Not only did we need groceries but we also wanted to explore and be able to do things like go to dinner or the beach on our weekends off. Also, there were all of my prenatal appointments and needing a safe way to get to the hospital in case of an emergency. Needless to say, taking the leap and leasing a car during our time here was one of our best decisions.

Getting the car was not easy. There was a ton of paper work that needed to be filed. I honestly know very little about this because Sean is awesome and does all of the important stuff like that. After getting the process started we initially waited about a month for our car. When things are difficult and take a lot of time I am never really sure exactly why. The instant gratification American in me throws a little fit and stomps her feet like a two year old. I wonder if it’s because we are foreigners or many because not many people rent vehicles in this area. Or it’s possibly just because of the language barrier (my guess is all of the above). We have learned that being patient is the best way to deal with these kinds of things. 

Let me tell you, having a car gave me such freedom! I was able to drive all over hunting through thrift stores and baby stores getting the apartment set up. I was definitely nesting and went a little crazy feeling like I was running out of time. Little did I know that I would have two extra weeks to wait for her…

Car pick up day!

That brings me to the topic of this blog. An International Driver’s License can be obtained in the U.S. from a few different places. We got ours from AAA. It was a simple form with a picture and a small fee (I think it was $35.00). Honestly it was one of the easier steps in the process of driving in Japan. Having that was awesome and worked great for our first year. However, once we decided to stay a second year we were faced with the Japanese Drivers Test DUN DUN DUN! On average, foreigners take the test seven times! We were both terrified and not looking forward to it at all.

Before you can even take the test you need to set up an interview. The process was a little challenging. The interview cannot be completed on the same day as the test. The center is about an hour and twenty minutes away. Also, Sean and I could not do the interview on the same day. The actually interview was just a bunch of questions that felt kind of random. Asking things like if I got an eye exam before my test in NY, who dropped me off at the test, what my first vehicle was, the color and so on. After we finished the interview we went home and waited to hear if we “passed” and could schedule the test.

There are three parts to the actual exam. An eye test, a paper test and a road test. You also watch a short video during the process. The eye test was nothing really. There was a large 'C' and you had to tell the examiner what way the opening was facing as he moved it around. We got a good laugh trying to communicate during the eye test. I ended up using my hand and telling him the direction of the 'C' by changing the direction of my hand.

The written test was very easy, like extremely simple. That’s coming from someone with major test anxiety. If you have driven in the United States you would pass the test no problem. It is a randomized 10 question true or false exam asking things about basic road rules. For example, “What you do when you see an ambulance coming from behind?” Or “When people are walking in front of you should you stop?”

Then comes the road test. This is NOT easy and is the reason why you may have to take the exam so many times. The test is conducted on a driving course. The reason why it is so extremely hard to pass is not for reasons you would assume. You can easy fail this test even if you are a good driver. Every single little thing that you miss will require the instructor to deduct points. For example, if you look both ways before making a turn but fail to do so BEFORE coming to a complete stop you will have points taken away. That is the reason why I failed the first time. I needed to check for traffic both ways before the stop sign/ red light. Another example happened to Sean. He lost points on his test for turning his blinker on too late before making the turn.

It’s pretty stressful because the instructor just sits quietly and gives commands. The only movements he makes is to write things down on his clip board in red pen throughout the exam. Oh and the instructor is a police officer and may or may not know English. Thankfully my instructor did know some English and I was able to understand his directions. Over all it was quite the experience. I am thankful that we had friends to go with us that helped with paper work and communication throughout the process. The testing center is about an hour and twenty minutes away. It’s a huge relief to have the testing process behind us. I can now say I am a proud owner of a Japanese driver’s license!






Thankful that these two woman held Lucy during the times I needed to be interviewed and tested! Also thank you for a celebratory lunch after my pass! 


She is holding my licence! 


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