Asian meet on Dengue, Malaria and Vector Borne diseases August 26-27, 2020 Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto is a fantastic place to visit with children: it’s safe, clean and easy to get around. But it takes a bit of planning to keep your children happy – after all, not every child is a fan of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.

I have two young children, so I know how to keep children happy in Kyoto. For starters, I can assure you that Kyoto is a great place to travel with children. You don’t have to worry about safety; the food and drinks are safe (and tasty); and getting around the city is a breeze with Kyoto’s excellent public transport system and myriad taxis.

There are lots of child-friendly attractions in Kyoto, as well as plenty of green spaces where you can take the kids to play. Here, I’ll discuss the main issues that concern parents traveling with children in Kyoto and then I’ll introduce my favorite child-friendly attractions, restaurants and accommodations in the city.

While pregnancy and childbirth is a universal experience, having a baby in another culture can be full of surprises. Just ask any foreign woman who has given birth in Japan.

 

Maternal and infant mortality rates are among the lowest in the world, making Japan one of the safest places to have a baby. However, some aspects of Japanese prenatal care may leave foreign women bemused, bewildered — or even belligerent.

 

The K-A International Mothers in Japan is an online community for foreign women raising children in this country. More than 130 women whose youngest child is under the age of 15 participated in an online survey for this article. Of these, half gave birth within the past three years. The majority of participants come from Western nations.

Based on the survey results, the biggest single issue for these foreign mothers is the fairly limited weight gain recommended for pregnant women. More than 7 in 10 women received instructions about acceptable weight gain from their Japanese doctor or midwife, with 7-8 kg being the most commonly cited range (by 40 percent of respondents) for a singleton pregnancy. Somewhat alarmingly, at least from a Western viewpoint, 17 percent of the mothers who received guidance were told that the optimal gain was 6 kg or less.