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children (Page 4)

Survey shows “YouTuber” among top jobs Japanese kids want when they grow up

Scott Wilson
Mar 26, 2016
Tweet

Because they want to “make millions” and “not have to study…”

Japan
(children • dreams • elementary school • elementary school students • pranks • YouTube • YouTuber)

Singaporeans are getting creative when it comes to combating the low fertility rate

Jamie Koide
Feb 5, 2016

With one of the lowest birth rates in the world, activists in Singapore are using clever advertising campaigns and humor to try to trigger a baby boom.

SE Asia
(ads • birth rate • children • Parenting • relationships • Singapore • society)

Research from Tohoku University claims video games impair brain development in children

Scott Wilson
Jan 7, 2016

Should we be concerned or should we just keep pressing those sweet, sweet buttons?

Japan
(brain activity • children • kids • research • video game addiction • video games)

We break out the toys with the Toys “R” Us lucky bags【2016 Lucky Bag Roundup】

Krista Rogers
Jan 7, 2016

What did we find in our 2016 Toys “R” Us lucky bags? Join us as we open both a “boys’ version” and a “girls’ version” bag!

Japan
(children • fukubukuro • lucky bag • toys • Toys R Us)

Osaka police on the lookout for elementary students who stole equivalent to $1,000 in six thefts

Master Blaster
Nov 20, 2015

Tsurumi Ward in Osaka has been the scene of a crime wave since November 3 in which two young boys believed to be in the fifth or sixth grade have stolen cash and property from six separate homes so far. The suspects are still at large, unless class is in session.

Japan
(children • crime • Osaka • theft • toilet)

The top 20 anime/manga series Japanese fans would like to show to their kids

Krista Rogers
Oct 22, 2015

It’s time for another fun survey from anime informational website Charapedia!

The site recently asked 10,000 of its users to share their top picks for the top 20 manga/anime series that they would like to show to their children. If you think that the results are full of fluff and potty humor, you may be surprised at some of the more thought-provoking choices on the list.

Japan
(anime • children • Clannad • manga • Naruto • One Piece • Parenting)

Kid faithfully emulates classic arcade game Xevious out of paper in arts and crafts class

Master Blaster
Oct 8, 2015

In these days of modern video games, people seem to be losing sight of what gaming is all about. In all the glitz and glamour of motion control and Hollywood actors lending their voices and likeness to games, it sometimes feels like we’ve forgotten that games are meant to be incredibly difficult, repetitive tasks performed for an arbitrary and intangible reward system of “points.”

This is incredibly valuable experience to prepare young minds for entering the workforce, but thanks to free-roaming environments and checkpoints-a-plenty, we’ve gone from a generation of Mr. Do!‘s to bunch of Mr. Don’t!‘s.

But this nine-year-old kid, whose art class project based on a classic arcade shooter is shown above, gets it. And mark my words, he will become the future leader of this nation.

Japan
(art • children • twitter • video games • Xevious)

Japanese man’s parents present Notice of Expiration of Child-Rearing Services on 20th birthday

Casey Baseel
Oct 8, 2015

Unlike in the U.S., legal adulthood in Japan doesn’t begin until the age of 20. But while that means an extra two years to enjoy the benefits and protection society affords to minors, everyone has to grow up sometime, and for one Japanese Twitter user the transition was especially abrupt.

On his 20th birthday as his parents presented him with a written notice congratulating him on graduating from childhood and celebrating his newfound freedoms, while spelling out exactly what they, and the world, now expected of him as an adult.

Japan
(children • culture • funny • Parenting)

In Japanese elementary schools, lunchtime means serving classmates, cleaning the school 【Video】

Casey Baseel
Oct 6, 2015

Last month, we took a look at how in Japan many children are expected to commute to school without their parents’ help starting in elementary school. That’s not the only amazing display of responsibility that’s part of everyday life for Japanese kids, though.

Not only do Japanese schools not have school busses, they also don’t have food-serving or cleaning staff. That means it’s the students themselves who’re responsible for distributing school lunches and keeping the building clean, and the diligence with which they go about their tasks would put many full-blown adults to shame, as shown in this video of all the things Japanese grade schoolers are expected to do during a typical school day in addition to studying.

Japan
(children • culture • education • elementary school • society • video)

Famed director Hayao Miyazaki will create a nature sanctuary on a small island in Okinawa

KK Miller
Sep 12, 2015

If the Spirit of the Forest, Cat Bus or Totoro were real, you can be sure they would live in a nature sanctuary created by Hayao Miyazaki. The award-winning film maker has long included his stance on nature and the environment in his movies and now he is going one step further to ensure that at least one small corner of the Earth will stay pristine.

Japan
(children • Hayao Miyazaki • nature • preserve • sanctuary)

Short documentary explores the significance of Japanese children being independent from a young age 【Video】

Krista Rogers
Sep 11, 2015

Many foreigners in Japan are shocked to see young Japanese schoolchildren walking to and from school by themselves, or even taking the trains or buses alone. While these sights would probably lead to more than a few concerned stares in many countries overseas, they’re perfectly typical scenes in Japan.

Australian TV channel SBS 2 recently shared a mini-documentary titled “Japan’s independent kids” on YouTube, which gives a brief look at the differences between one young Japanese girl’s commute to school versus that of a young Australian girl, while examining some of the societal factors that lead to differing expectations regarding independence for children in each country.

Australia, Japan
(Australia • children • education • Parenting • society • video)

Japanese ad’s swimming salmon cutlets confuse, educate children about dinner comes from【Video】

Scott Wilson
Sep 5, 2015

In Japan, not only is sliced salmon a dinnertime staple, but it’s a cute mascot and candy too. And salmon also has one other crazy property that sets it apart from all other fish: it can still swim around even after it’s been sliced into cutlets. Apparently…

But while all of us adults know that’s not possible, some kids might not, and one Japanese television show decided to do an experiment to see how kids would react to swimming cuts of cooked salmon. Do the kids know where the fish on their plate actually comes from? Watch the video to find out!

Japan
(Aquarium • children • fish • food • funny • salmon)

Genius parents “trick” young children into not watching TV using clever kid logic

KK Miller
Aug 20, 2015

While television can be a useful way to distract children for a brief period of time, that usefulness can completely backfire on you when you can’t get them to stop watching TV. It gets especially hairy at night when you need them to go to sleep, but they are screaming bloody murder when you turn off Sesame Street.

Thankfully, a clever parent in Japan has an idea that distressed parents can try; just tell your little one to say, “Night night, Mr. TV.”

Japan
(bedtime • children • funny • kids • Parenting • TV)

Japanese people share 11 amusing tales relating to pregnancy and childbirth

Krista Rogers
Jun 28, 2015

Ah, childbirth. That lovely moment when the child you’ve been waiting to meet for months finally comes into the world and brings with it all the joys that come with parenthood. If you’re a woman, that moment also equates to the feeling of your body being ripped into bits as you forcefully expel a new human being from your body. (Sorry if you’re drinking your morning tea as you read this!)

Like the rest of the female population around the world, Japanese women are no strangers to the pains of birthing a child. Below, we have gathered eleven of amusing anecdotes that have been shared over social media relating to their pregnancies, the hysterical states they were in during childbirth, and the time after their child’s birth. And don’t miss the one story at the end that will positively melt your heart.

Japan
(babies • children • comic • funny • pregnancy • stories)

Hilton Odawara Resort & Spa is offering special ninja training and recognition for your children!

Krista Rogers
May 6, 2015

Hilton’s Odawara Resort & Spa, tucked away in Kanagawa Prefecture’s southwestern Odawara City, is offering something that you and your children simply can’t refuse: the opportunity for them to participate in special ninja training during your brief stay at the hotel!

Japan
(children • Hilton • Kanagawa • Ninja • Odawara • resort • spa)

Little kid falls out of third-story window and walks it off – Is this Wolverine’s son?!

Preston Phro
Feb 23, 2015

When we think of superheroes or other magical beings with fast-healing abilities, we rarely think of children. But if you’ve seen a toddler fall, smack itself in the face, cry for a few seconds, and then run off giggling, you might realize that we’re looking for our superpowered guardians in the wrong age groups.

Of course, that’s not to say that children aren’t vulnerable to all sorts of injury, and we most definitely need to be careful with them! It’s just that they seem to have a strange resiliency that’s somewhat rare in adult humans. Take, for example, this three-year-old who fell out of a window last week, hit a parked car, and then just walked the whole thing off!

China
(amazing • children • China • danger • safety • video)

Complaints lead to talks about whether noise from schools should be regulated

Meg Murphy
Dec 30, 2014

With Japan trying to figure out how to handle its issue of a declining population (predicted to decrease by one-third over the next half century if the current trend in birth rates continues), the country has been working to raise awareness of the problem and implement more resources for children and parents.

However, with a recent increase of new day cares, preschools, and kindergartens, there has also been an increase of complaints about noise, particularly from elderly residents.

Some of these cases have even gone to court, and have resulted in some schools having to restrict outdoor playtime for the children and keep their curtains closed.

Japan
(children • Japan problems • schools)

Elementary school student’s “robots of the future” drawing is too creepy for words!

Evie Nyan
Dec 11, 2014

As we speak, scientists in Japan are hard at work on inventing a myriad of robots whose sole raison d’être is to improve quality of life for humans. Whether it’s shoveling snow, helping people to walk, or generally spreading cheer through unbelievable cuteness and dexterity (we’re talking about you, Asimo!) it’s clear to see that robots are going to feature big in our lives during the years to come. But when a drawing contest was held in Japan for elementary school students to submit their impressions of a robot-filled future, one particular entry started to gain a lot of attention on twitter for being extremely creepy in an oddly knowing way…

Japan
(artwork • children • robot • robotics • science)

Japanese town axes milk from school lunches, debate likely to wage until cows come home

Casey Baseel
Dec 5, 2014

I’ve lost count of the number of Japanese people I’ve met who were disappointed to find out I don’t have what they consider quintessential American eating habits. The last time I had a steak was a year ago. I’m perfectly happy eating rice, and I love fish, since, you know, I grew up in California, which is a coastal state (same ocean as Japan has, too).

But there’s one stereotype I do conform with, and that’s how much I love milk, despite being a full-grown adult. Many Japanese people, on the other hand, associate the drink with their childhood, since it’s been served in elementary schools for decades.

One city in Niigata Prefecture, though, has decided it has no more tolerance for drinkable lactose, and starting this month, is removing milk from its school lunches.

Japan
(children • culture • drinks • education • food • milk)

Scandal in Los Angeles over child’s unconventional undies sparks anger online

Evie Nyan
Nov 14, 2014

Take a look at this picture – what’s your first impression? Personally (and perhaps due to my prior experiences as a kindergarten teacher in Japan) my first thought was: “How convenient that must be when it comes to potty-training!”

These Chinese “split pants” are considered completely normal for children to wear in China, so when a Chinese-American parent took their little boy out to play in Monterey Park in Los Angeles, they surely weren’t expecting a concerned citizen to call the police on them.