Helping your children adjust to expat life in Japan

Moving to a brand new country like Japan is an exciting adventure - but along with the excitement there can be some nerves and some apprehension. This holds true not just for the grown ups, but for the little ones in your family too.

Before we moved out to the Niigata countryside, we were a military family - so location changes happened every three years anyway when my husband would receive a new assignment. We’ve had to get used to new houses, new surroundings, and new “normals” on the regular. The expat lifestyle is what many people near and dear to us are also used to - and they’ve given us a lot of tips that made transitions easier on their little ones, which we’ve incorporated in our family life too. Here’s some stuff we’ve found that has worked for us.

Keep up with those relatives and friends back home with technology (or snail mail!)

We’re fortunate in this day and age that we’re able to communicate with our loved ones all across the globe courtesy of Skype and FaceTime - the only hard part is keeping up with all the time zones that we have friends and family in! There’s something reassuring for our toddler when she’s still able to be “face to face” with the people near and dear to her.

As well as that, sending mail is always fun! You’ve got the benefit of having ready-made penpals that your kids can write with - friends, cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles - there are plenty of people that would love some drawings or a postcard from all the way here in Japan, and when they reciprocate it’s a fun feeling too. Added bonus: it’s a great way of keeping your child practicing their English if their school instruction is in Japanese.

We've got a big collection of cute stationery and stamps to send mail back home!

Get out and meet your neighbors (and start building those friendships!)

You’ve got to start building those connections in your new spot - and meeting some local families is a great way to do that. We were out on a walk recently near home when we met a few families with similar aged children that were out playing in their quiet street - bike riding, rollerblading and more. The kids were all having a blast together, and the wonderful thing about kids is they tend to play happily without necessarily needing a ton of language for that to happen. There are also other ways for your children to meet other similarly aged children, whether that be through school, sporting clubs or other extracurricular activities.

Realize that Japan is different from "home" - but with its own unique fun to embrace

There’s no denying that living in Japan is very different to what my children would experience either in my native country of Australia or my husband’s in the US. In saying that, there are loads of events here that are wonderful for children that help them embrace the new culture they’re living in. A perfect example is Children’s Day, held in Golden Week. Since living in Japan we’ve always picked up some koinobori (the carp streamers - you’ll find them at many places including supermarkets and 100 yen stores) to celebrate our little ones. We’ve also had places in our local areas where those streamers have been strung up that our toddler loves to check out. Living in Japan is an incredible cultural experience that gives your kids an amazing worldly view, and soaking this up makes the expat experience all the more enjoyable - both for you and for them!