Last January, the mayor of Chiba, Toshihito Kumagai, raised eyebrows when he called for increasing the number of male staff in the city's public day care program. Tending to children is still considered a woman's job in Japan, which is why pay remains criminally ...

My two daughters rub the backs of their ears to retrieve some magic dust, which they then use to summon a pile of pizza and ice cream, before tucking into the newly created feast with arm-waving gusto. This sounds like the stuff of dreams for ...

Robotic window wiping For anyone who despises housework, robot home helpers are a blessing. Everyone knows iRobot's Roomba vacuum cleaner, perhaps you've even heard of the same company's Braava floor mop. But what about a robot window cleaner? Robotically cleaning vertical surfaces doesn't sound viable, but ...

"It's stinky!" shouts my 4-year-old daughter, jumping up and down with an expression of pure glee on her face. The object of her fascination is a large vat containing a dark, murky substance that does indeed have a distinctly earthy aroma. Its contents? Pure indigo ...

It's an all too familiar sight: my two young children, exhausted after a long day at nursery, return home and proceed to jump up and down, bounce off walls and throw toys at each other's heads in a rush of post-containment energy. For a long ...

Wrapped up from head to toe in a white bag and gently rocking from side to side, five Japanese mothers are hopeful Tokyo's latest health trend can cure their post-pregnancy aches and pains. According to its exponents, otonamaki, which translates as "adult wrapping," was devised ...

It's the coldest part of the year in Japan. Combine frigid weather with cramped apartments, rambunctious kids and a dose of cabin fever and you have a parent's recipe for frustration. However, in Tokyo there are countless options for indoor family fun, and with ...

My 4-year-old daughter's eyes light up when she spies something sitting on the work table. Unlike her normal playtime preferences, it is not a rainbow-haired unicorn, felt tip pens or a plastic doll that has caught her attention — it's an industrial looking electric ...

With LGBT relationships starting to be recognized by authorities, questions are now being asked about whether such couples should have children.

Bachelors looking for love can now learn child-rearing skills to boost their chances of finding a partner. The all-male ikumen course teaches men how to bathe and dress a baby and also helps them understand a woman's perspective on child-rearing, according to Ikumen University, the ...

Hiking in Japan is always fun with family, and with summer subsiding, some of the best months for a mountain walk are around the corner. Japan offers countless choices in its vast mountain ranges, but one of my favorite family hikes is only 90 ...