When I was younger I was quite proficient in the French language. I read a lot and studied both in Sweden and France. I was passionate about the language and the culture and could have imagined myself living in France one day. Then other things happened and French came to occupy a smaller and smaller […]
Last Friday it was time for 発表会, happyoukai – the kindergarten’s annual on-stage presentation. Every February the children sing and perform plays on a big stage in a cultural center, and parents and relatives come to see their children perform. For our son this was the third happyoukai, and we were so happy to see
Coming home to Japan after an extended period in Sweden, I always look forward to the aerial view of Tokyo and Mount Fuji. Just like last year, we had the good fortune to get wonderful views of the cityscape below, and just like last year I struggled with the blue toned windows and strong backlight
Having covered the main events of our busy busy autumn, it is time for a little snow and winter, this time from Sweden. We spent the winter holidays in Sweden with my parents. Coming “home” is always a happy thing for me, and for my son as well coming to Sweden has become “coming home”.
Before moving on to write about our snowy winter adventures, I wanted to share a photo taken from the airplane flying far north on its way towards Denmark. It was the first time I saw auroras, northern lights, from an airplane and the first time ever for my wife and son – a really happy
Since our son turned 5 we have been practicing riding a bicycle. We found a second hand bicycle that looked like the right size for a toddler, and it included a bag with support wheels. But having heard that those could slow down the learning process or actually make it more difficult, I decided to
神待祭, Kamimachi Matsuri meaning waiting for kami festival, is an event held at our local shrine late every year. It is a festival to, with a bonfire, welcome the kami, god, who is said to return home from Izumo that night. We have never participated before, but since our son is growing up and had
One of the things we like about our kindergarten is that our son gets to experience all kinds of activities. This year there has been soccer, potato digging, art exhibition visit, a visit to the rescue and emergency center. And just before the winter holidays he got to go ice skating for the first time.
This spring my wife and I started a little company together. I was doing photography and photo editing work when I was living in Sweden, and since closing my company there I have been wanting to set up something in Japan and now finally it has come to fruition. In Sweden I was working closely
This September, my son and I started to participate in online classes organized by Swedish school in Tokyo. My son has joined a group where the focus is to better learn letters, easy reading and writing as well as general Swedish culture. He has really enjoyed being part of this group with other Swedish speaking
There have been so many things happening this autumn and I would have had to write a couple of posts per week to cover what I would like to share. But since I am on a one post per week pace, my autumn stories will focus on the highlights, albeit sometimes presented a bit late. But
Living in a multicultural family, I want our son to whenever possible experience the cultures that both of his parent’s grew up in. I do my best to highlight Swedish traditions in our home, and when we visit Sweden he gets plenty of that. But equally important to me is to value the Japanese cultural