If you like to see updates and what we are getting up to as it’s happening, please give me a follow on The Tokyo Chapter instagram here.
Hi, I’m Jo !
I’m a bilingual Mum.
I have lived in Japan for more than 14 years total – my first year as an exchange student in a small country town called Kurashiki when I was 16 years old.
Husband is from Scotland, I’m from Australia – we met in Kobe, Japan.
Our family is a tight little gang and we relocated to Tokyo from Australia when my youngest was 4 months and my eldest was 2 years old.
During our time in Tokyo I started writing a blog about Japan with kids. Mainly as I just had friends and friends of friends asking for information on what to do and how to do it all. Particularly as I was a Mum of two kids who loves going out and about – but also because I speak Japanese so was able to help friends with realistic restaurant recommendations and for more niche questions such as how to manage Japan as a holiday destination if your kids have food allergies, which souvenirs do I like to buy, what to wear in Japan, what to pack for Japan each month, how to pace a Japan vacation or where to find nappies etc.
I was writing answers to emails but, of course, the quality and depth of my answers varied depending on how deep in the trenches of parenting I was on that particular day. So my husband encouraged me to start writing down everything and then I could have a “set standard” guide to forward on to families – and so my blog was born. From memory my first article was about how to manage Flying with Kids (particularly as I was doing a lot of flights on my own with the children as my husband was travelling a lot for work) and my Harajuku with Kids article too.
At this moment in time, I am living in Melbourne, Australia.*
I travel to Japan every three months or so for work (often more than that these days and almost always with my kids) and to keep the blog details (restaurant information, special events etc) current and up-to-date. I take myself and my writing very seriously – I don’t like anything being incorrect and I work on, edit and add to my blog every single day. I review every hotel we stay in (and leave out those that I don’t feel are great for families – same goes for restaurants, actually.
My children are now 11 and 13 years old – but I still do cover events and considerations for those travelling to Japan with babies and younger children. I have made researching, checking and updating kid-friendly spots for families in Japan my ACTUAL full time job (how cool is that?)
*It’s not even a tiny bit as detailed as my Japan with kids articles, but here are the places I recommend staying in Melbourne with kids if you are coming for a holiday. I also have a blog post on some of our favourite places to eat as a family in Melbourne.
I now am the writer and creator of the most successful Japan with kids blog out there!
I’m beyond delighted and am feeling very grateful that my advice has been helping so many families.
I am a big advocate for slow travel with kids and not just “box checking travel” – however, I do list all the places we do love in the hope that assists families in deciding exactly what is write for them and their kids for this exact stage of their life.
In particular, my “Start Planning a Family Holiday in Japan” blog post where I try and make organizing a special Japan vacation easier by providing steps to follow so you know all of the options out there and can tailor them to what different families need.
I’m also delighted that my blog posts on culture shock and adjusting to life in Japan are resonating with so many The Tokyo Chapter readers.
Even though I speak the language and had a decent grasp on cultural etiquette and different expectations, it took me longer to adjust to life in Japan with children than I expected. My blog is me sharing my tips, findings and mistakes along the way in order to hopefully help other parents and their kids adjust to life in Japan or just make the best of their Japan holidays.
Our life in and out of Japan is colourful, adventurous and exciting – while, at the same time, we are boring too, in all the right ways.
If you’d like to know a little more about me and what I do here is my recent interview with Visit Japan UK.
I also was recently interviewed on the Snacks and Suitcases podcast where I speak about Japan with kids over two episodes.
Or perhaps you would like to listen to my interview on the Untethered Childhood Podcast.
This is my blog – my blog about me just being me and sharing:
– little snippets of my life
– mistakes I’ve made
– things I’m loving in Tokyo right now
– the tips and tricks that I wish I’d worked out much sooner in 14+ years, in total, living in Japan
I’m also extremely active on Instagram- so for daily Japan tips and what I’m up to, come follow me HERE.
The Tokyo Chapter Blog
I started my blog in pre-covid times and I’m still scratching my head and smiling over the amazing and warm response I’ve had.
Some people come by to get all nostalgic for a life or holiday they once had in Japan – others save my tips for a bucket-list rainy day.
Some people just want to see what we get up to in this bustling, fascinating, gigantic city.
Basically, my blog is the information and, hopefully, relatable content that I wish I’d had available to me when I first travelled to and moved here…Are you travelling to Japan soon?
I have a “Japan pre-travel checklist” right here!
Here is What to Pack (a month by month guide)
Are you travelling to Japan with children?
Here is the best place to start planning your trip to Japan
Are you moving to Japan?
I think these articles might help you settle in sooner and make your adventures a lot more colourful.
– The things that I found to be tricky when I first lived here with kiddies, and how we then settled in
-Things to consider when choosing a house/apartment in Japan
– Our family’s earthquake plan
– How to call an ambulance / seek medical help in Japan
– How I would go about learning Japanese if I was starting from scratch now
– Japanese phrases that will help you out of tricky situations
My story
I was an exchange student in the Japanese countryside for one year in high school. I lived in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture – a full year as a homestay student. I have written about my first few weeks as an exchange student in Japan here.
I fumbled and flopped my way through a language obstacle course that was my daily life, and then the deep and mucky swamps of culture shock – I’ve literally slipped and rode my bike into a rice field – and ultimately, fell head over heels in love with Japan.
Since then, I have lived in Japan on and off for years and years at a time. My Japanese experience includes life as a poor language student, an executive assistant, a bit of a party girl, a professional interpreter and a stay-at-home Mum of a little girl and a little boy.
I know what it is like to see Tokyo with a limited budget, as a single person who wants a mix of tradition and kawaii/kooky, as half of a loved up couple out on the town and as a parent who just wants the whole family to have a spectacularly safe and happy time.
Let’s be buddies
If you like to see updates and what we are getting up to as it’s happening, please give me a follow on The Tokyo Chapter instagram here.
I also have a “Jo’s Almost in Japan Playlist” on Spotify that I add to often – if you’d like to listen to some of my Japanese music faves.
I have an instagram that is not Japan related here that is our non-Japan related adventures (mostly Melbourne, holidays and trips to Scotland to see family.)
It’s very important to me that my readers know that my blog is in my voice and based on my opinions of places and restaurants that I have personally visited.
I talk about restaurants, services and specific places because I have visited, tried and tested them myself and feel they are worth recommending to my beautiful audience.
Should you find sponsored content on my site, I will make sure it is clearly disclosed. It is really important to me to only speak about places that I have tried personally and can, therefore, give an unbiased and honest review.
Occasionally I have affiliate links included in my content (and I make sure that every page with links is clearly marked to let my readers know.)
All affiliate links I include mean that I receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
Would you like to work with me?
For collaborations or freelance writing work (or if you’d just like to see my media kit), please send me an email: contactjoatthetokyochapter@gmail.com
Questions about how to become a travel blogger?
I was interviewed by Travel Payouts and answer many questions about this here. I also answer questions about how I make money from being a Japan with kids blogger here.
If you are a travel blogger or an aspiring travel blogger and would like to join the same affiliate platform – here is my referral link.
