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 Danielle Demetriou

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Danielle Demetriou
Danielle Demetriou is a writer who swapped her native London for Tokyo in 2007. From art and design to business and fashion, she writes about all things Japan-related for international newspapers and magazines.
For Danielle Demetriou's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Aug 8, 2015
Let the kids get their hands on art
'No, don't touch!" These are probably the most infuriating words for young children to hear when they are being dragged around an art gallery by their parents.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jul 11, 2015
Soaking up the fun in a Japanese spa
My 3-year-old daughter is in a public state of high excitement. She jumps up and down emitting toddler squeals of joy before darting away from me, past staring crowds, in the hope that I will chase her. Oh, and she's completely naked.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
May 9, 2015
If the kids get bored, let them bake cake
The oven is pre-heating, the flour mix is being stirred, the cupcake holders are laid out and a team of diminutive chefs, in white hats and flowered smocks, are running amok.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 30, 2015
Versace makes return to Tokyo
It is a fashion house that has long been the sartorial antithesis of subtle — as reflected in its bold designs, sexy silhouettes, splashes of hot colors and abundance of gold.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jan 9, 2015
Kids can benefit from a little community spirit
Frowning with concentration at a low table, a clutch of overall-clad toddlers set about their task: stamping potatoes into paints to create rainbow-bright artworks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 12, 2014
Shonan complex offers a curated lifestyle
A discreet black sign, concrete floors, industrial-style ceilings, wooden shelves filled with design toys and gourmet treats. This may sound like the minimal interior of an urban lifestyle store in some hip corner of Tokyo, but the reality is more surprising. It is, in fact, a new branch of one of Japan's most recognizable chains of convenience stores: FamilyMart (minus the neon lighting and the signature green sign).
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Nov 7, 2014
'S' is for 'Starting to teach your kids ABC'
My toddler is hissing like a pantomime villain as she runs along an S-shaped snake made from sticky tape curled across the living room floor.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Sep 12, 2014
For toddlers, Anpanman doesn't have a use-by date
He has a big red nose, two rosy cheeks and an edible head that is regularly rebaked in his uncle's oven.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 11, 2014
The Ritz-Carlton could be your kid's cup of tea
There are bone-china teacups, tiered silver trays, rainbow-bright macaroons, suited waiting staff catering to every whim, epic views across Tokyo and a piano tinkling in the background.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jun 6, 2014
Gallery proves a hit with young critic
The art critic wanders purposefully around the gallery, passing instant, scathing judgment on the surrounding artworks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
May 2, 2014
Conquering every parent's dread: a toddler trip to the hairdresser
It is perhaps one of the biggest challenges of parenthood. No, not teaching a child to how read, share toys or have good manners, but the task of trying to get a child to sit still — in particular when getting their hair cut.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 19, 2014
Deep feelings at high altitudes
The photographs, taken by artist Naoya Hatakeyama, hint at both the beauty and dangers of a mountain, as reflected in the shades of light and darkness alongside textures of soft-edged snow and sharply lined rocks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Mar 6, 2014
Go out for drinks and take the kids with you
With their "Kampai!"-bellowing salarymen, bible-sized menus and endless rounds of cheap beers, izakaya have long been an integral part of Japan's nightlife.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Feb 6, 2014
Exploring a land designed with children in mind
There are pros and cons to raising a child in the heart of one of the most densely populated places on the planet.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jan 2, 2014
'Baby cafe' lets moms unwind while the children play
Tokyo has long been a city that caters for pets, with its countless cat cafes, dog cafes and even rabbit cafes dotted across the capital. But what about cafes for babies of the human variety?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Dec 3, 2013
Nail salon with childcare is a rare treat for mom
Close your eyes and imagine the serene confines of a beauty salon with its minimalist white decor, gentle music and smiling therapists — and now add to the scene a hungry, red-faced toddler on the rampage.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Nov 5, 2013
Toy museum teaches there's pleasure in the simple things
Toy. The word may well evoke images of flashy plastic gadgets, singing and dancing polyglot dolls and rainbow-bright furry aliens — particularly if you are under the age of 5.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Oct 1, 2013
A welcome sign: Tantrums may be on the way out
Every parent is all too familiar with The Tantrum. The screaming, the flailing arms, the angry head butting — and the timing (normally in the most inconvenient public place possible).
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Sep 3, 2013
Closely knit friends in Daikanyama
I am sitting at a low wooden table with a group of Japanese mothers discussing the pros and cons of different knitting stitches.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Aug 6, 2013
Let your babies get loud at karaoke
It's Friday evening in Shibuya. The sun is setting, the neon is flashing and the crowds are swelling. And so with beginning-of-the-weekend fever in the air, it is perhaps little surprise that Madonna is already blaring in one karaoke room on the second floor of a building near the station.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree