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[nomadder]

I think Yokohama has long had an international rep.

Re: Brooks-Yokohama always felt pretty crowded to me-moreso than many parts of Tokyo.

City vs. Rural-see Johanne's # of posts vs. Gordon's.

[abufletcher]

...

[Sherri]

I lived in Tokyo happily pre-children. But after having 2 while living there, I went steadily crazy. I hated the hassle of getting from A to B with 2 small children on public transport. I hated walking down the narrow streets pushing a stroller dodging cars and trucks zooming past. I couldn't go out in the morning or after 4 because I couldn't risk getting on a rush hour train with my kids. Apart from the sheer unpleasantness of it, the other commuters would send me such nasty looks. Even driving was awful because we would get stuck in traffic and the kids would get tired and cry.

Yes, there were some good things, like the international preschool within cycling distance of my house (but try cycling in the rain with a toddler and a baby in a carrier--not fun). People were good to us but at the same time I got tired of getting the movie star treatment whenever we went shopping with everyone stopping us to comment on the kids (we lived a 10 min walk from Ikebukero Station).

I know 1,000s of people raise their kids in Tokyo, but it was not the best place for us.

Best
Sherri

PS abufletcher, I love your avatar.

[johanne]

Gordon,

Well my daughter's 4 so well past the stroller stage. We only returned to Japan last summer, so I don't know what it would have been like in the stroller stage. At that age we were living in Vancouver and it wasn't too bad getting around on the bus (I've never had a car). At this age, it's easy for us to get around because she loves the train and is a great walker - usually can go a couple of hours before whining, so we just hop on and hop off as the mood strikes us. We live a five minute walk away from a huge park where she can run around all the time. Also, we both enjoy the old shopping streets that are pedestrian only. Plus, we go to Cosmo World once in a while to go on some kiddie rides, which are always a big thrill for her. She's going to an international school now about 20 minutes away by bike and will be going to a hoikuen from April also about 20 minutes away. He dad puts her in the back of the bike and takes her. Basically, there's very little hassle raising her here.

It's not that I don't see some advantages to a rural life, but sometimes I get a bit tired of people constantly saying the city is not a place to raise children. I was happily raised in one and for the moment anyone, my little family here in Yokohama is equally happy in one. Perhaps one day that will change, but for now the urban life is good for us. As I said before it's a personal choice and I just wanted to present another opinion of happy family life in a urban setting, as that point of view hadn't been mentionned yet in this thread.