Hello all, thank you in advance for your time and advice.
I might be asked to go – in late 2025 – to Japan for 5-6 months (Yokohama or Osaka) to accelerate some projects.
My wife and I have a toddler (~3yo) and a dog (30lb, 5yo). My son goes to daycare in the US. I have visited Japan many times for a week or so, but never for this long, and not with family. Are there things I should plan for in advance and difficulties I cannot foresee: primarily I am concerned how hard it would be for my son, who only speaks and understands English and is used to the US daycare system? (Although he is super adaptable). e.g. how long waits are for childcare centers or are in-home care options more preferable etc? I have very little idea about childcare in Japan, and have not yet done my due diligence in terms of online research (sorry).
Just wanted to get an idea before making a decision whether to go.
by Content-Toe2765
5 comments
This might sound odd but I would include researching how to bring your dog. Bringing a pet to Japan is a fairly long process with many steps including a quarantine period. Other than that maybe consider if you will be paid in yen or another currency. Good luck
Maybe you can consider leaving your wife and kid behind in the US if it’s just 5-6 months.
I’m currently in the process of bringing my dog from Canada to Japan.
I started the process earlier this year, And they’re still not allowed to enter the country until December 7th. Sort out what you need and on what dates because if you mess one thing up they tell you he can’t come, which would really suck to find out upon landing. Better to have more time then less. Especially if you have to leave on an exact date for a job.
If you do everything on the exact dates that you’re allowed to, it takes 7 months and 10 days to get permission to bring your dog into the country.
If you spread it out it can take longer. (Eg: for one of the steps, you need two rabies shots, at least 30 days apart, but I got the second rabies shot 60 days after the first one because I couldn’t get an appointment, which extended the wait for me to start the next step).
First of all, would you even be able to bring dependents with you? If so, what visa would you be here on, and would you be residents? This will matter for childcare purposes.
Second, childcare takes a while to set up & the change will be significant. At 3 years old, kids typically thrive on consistency. Kids are adaptable, but if this is only for a few months you’d just have to disrupt him again right as he’s probably starting to settle in and become more comfortable. It may be better for him to stay home with your wife and continue in his normal routine. It seems like it would be a huge change for a kid of his age just for a few months.
Third, bringing a dog is complicated and you would probably be better off leaving your dog home with a trusted friend or family member.
As to childcare, your first issue is the visa. Will your visa qualify for bringing dependents on a dependent visa?
Also, If you can’t get dependent visas for your spouse and child ahead of time, it’s likely not worth it. Some jobs will apply for the visa WITH your visa so your spouse and wife can travel with you. Some don’t. If they don’t, you have to apply once you arrive in the country and that can take some time (maybe months).
Second, if you’re looking for English-speaking daycare, you’ll only be looking at international preschools, not regular daycares (hoikuen). The bad thing is the quality of care/instruction at these places vary wildly. Some are reputable places part of well-known international IB schools, others are basically places for wealthy Japanese to drop their kids off at and “learn English.” The good thing is that they’re much more likely to accept a child rapidly and for a short period of time. We did this with our 2.5 year old when we first moved to Japan— international preschool for 6 months until she aged into the kindergarten (yochien) system. The place we went to wasn’t amazing in terms of education, and was honestly more of a place for wealthy parents to feel their kid got an “English education,” but it was clean, safe, and she was cared for just fine. But I’m glad we didn’t stay there. It was also expensive (but not by US childcare standards).
I know some good places in Yokohama if you’re looking for recommendations.
One thing to consider is that your spouse would only be able to work up to 28 hours a week anyway on a dependent visa and thus could essentially be a SAHP, and thus negate the need for childcare.