Have you seen photos of kyara-ben (short for “Character Bento”)? They are lunchboxes packed with homemade food decorated to look like animals and anime characters. When I moved to Japan with my 3-year-old and saw these pieces of art, I was impressed...
The coronavirus pandemic has had severe effects on Japan and the rest of the world. The most devastating impacts are, of course, the millions who have succumbed to or have been infected with the disease. While Japan has fared better than other...
One in seven Japanese children live in poverty today. The negative effects of this on both individual and societal level are enormous. Children in need find it difficult if not impossible to break the cycle of poverty and improve their life...
Gender roles can be difficult for anyone to deal with. Japanese women are pressured to focus on marriage, raising children and housework before their own lives and careers. While this can limit their options and potential, the flip side is that...
Homes are a starting point in peoples’ lives. So it’s an admirable thing to create a business model that solves both issues of supporting single mothers and vacant houses. There are over 1.2 million single mothers and fathers in Japan. That...