Why a Japanese Dad Started an English Blog About Japan with Kids

If you're planning a trip to Japan with small children, you've probably noticed something: most English guides are written by people who visited Japan once, maybe twice.

I'm different. I'm a Japanese dad, born and raised here, living in the Tokyo area with my wife and our 5-year-old daughter. Weekend after weekend, my daughter and I are out testing the exact places you're researching right now — KidZania, LEGOLAND, the big parks, the family hotels with the free baby gear.

What this blog will give you

Over the coming months, I'll publish detailed, first-hand guides including:

• Riding the Shinkansen (bullet train) with a toddler — where the stroller actually fits, and the quiet room most tourists never find
• KidZania Tokyo — how "English Wednesday" works for non-Japanese kids
• The Odaiba area — LEGOLAND, the famous "Poop Museum," and a science museum, all in one stroller-friendly day
• Family hotel reviews — near Tokyo Disney, in Odaiba, and in Kyoto, with the co-sleeping rules and baby amenities Japanese hotels don't explain well in English

Why "local knowledge" matters in Japan

Japan is incredibly kid-friendly — but a lot of that friendliness is invisible if you can't read Japanese. Free diaper rooms hidden on the 5th floor. Hotel plans where preschoolers sleep free. The one day of the week when a theme park is half empty.

That's the gap this blog fills. I'm not translating brochures; I'm telling you what we actually do.

See you in the next guide. My daughter has already picked our next "research" destination — it involves a lot of Hello Kitty.