Large families in Japan

jonasan · (#1 (**permalink**))

Hi,

This is my first post. I have a question for those who have families in Japan. In otherwords you are in Japan and you have more than say 2 or 3 children.

1. Do you find it difficult to find accomodations?

2. Have you been able to still get around on public transit or do you almost have to have a vehicle to make it work.

3. Do people ask you dumb or rude questions or do you feel you are discriminated against because you have a larger family?

Why I am asking these questions, well I spent 4 years in the UK and my family went from 2 children to 4 thanks to having twins. When we returned to Canada we had 2 more.

In Britain we were considered a huge family at 6 people (including parents) there is a lot of discrimination against parents with larger families (not direct but understated).

In Canada we have found that renting with this size of family is a challenge because most modern housing is just not built for families as large as ours. As well we can by exactly 4 vehicles unmodified in order to have room for everyone.

So long story short, I am just finishing my Degree and we are taking a look at several options including spending some time teaching in Japan. While I have considered it a fairly difficult process if not impossible, I am just curious to know if anyone else has tried to move over with a large family and what was the out come.

Really I am not usually this long winded...

jasonbvr · (#2 (**permalink**))

Dude! That is going to be chotto takai! I am from a family of six children and I couldn't imagine if I had grown up in Japan. You are probably going to want to live somewhere rural or at the least away from Tokyo to get housing at an affordable rate that has more than two rooms, kitchen, toilet and shower. Houses are actually affordable to rent, but I know jack about that.

Nyororin · (#3 (**permalink**))

I only have one child right now, but know a lot of families with 3 or 4 children. It seems to be pretty common to have 3 kids around here. I don`t really think 4 children is all that huge of a family...... But that`s just me.

I can only say by hearsay and by our house searching back when we planned to have 3 kids... But I hope it helps.

I would say that the difficulty of finding accommodations will probably depend upon how much space you feel you need. I know a family with FIVE kids all under 10 who live in a 4 room house (Dining/kitchen in one big room, living, and two bedrooms.)
All the kids sleep in one big room, and they all clear up the futons in the morning making the room into a play room. The parents` room becomes a study room for the kids who are in school. They seem quite happy with the arrangement and don`t have any plans to move soon as far as I know. Their rent is 55,000/month.

However, if you want everyone to have their own rooms... It will be a bit of a stretch in the city - especially Tokyo. If you would be comfortable living in the countryside or in a small town you can find HUGE houses up for rent, and they`re usually quite inexpensive. And when I say huge, I MEAN huge. It was common in the past to have 10 or more children, and out in the country they all had their own rooms.

The downside of living in the countryside is that there isn`t quite the infrastructure of a city. You would almost definitely need a car.
I believe that there is a limit on the trains in this area to 2 free children per adult. Any child after that, and you`ll have to pay a child (half) rate for their ticket regardless of age. I would say that if you feel you can handle your children on public transportation, then go for it. Managing has a lot more to do with whether you feel *you* can do it, rather than any limits in the system itself. I personally find it stressful to take my single child on public transportation, but spot larger families doing it like pros.

I have never seen anyone with a lot of children discriminated against. I think at the worst they would assume you must be quite rich - an education for all of the children would be quite a lot of money here. I`d say awe rather than discrimination. If you`re in the countryside, you may even get more "So when are you having your next?" than anything else.

As for a car... Most larger vehicles here have seating for 6 to 8. I don`t see why you wouldn`t be able to find a car to fit your entire family. The car we`re currently looking at has seating for 8, or for 2 adults in the front and 4 car seats (as they take up more room) or 6 regular passengers in the back.

Good luck!

jonasan · (#4 (**permalink**))

Thanks Nyororin I appreciate the help. I have really wanted to go see Japan for a number of years. I found that every time I was considering it something came up. So while I am seriously looking at it for an option it is by no means a sure thing.

TokyoFerrari · (#5 (**permalink**))

Depending on your budget there should be really no problem. You get massive tax breaks and am able to make use of Japan services. Check with your Shiyakusho when you get here.

TokyoFerrari · (#6 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonbvr

Dude! That is going to be chotto takai! I am from a family of six children and I couldn't imagine if I had grown up in Japan. You are probably going to want to live somewhere rural or at the least away from Tokyo to get housing at an affordable rate that has more than two rooms, kitchen, toilet and shower. Houses are actually affordable to rent, but I know jack about that.

Check this out. If you can find a Kodan in your area, go for it. They rock. you put 3 months of key money down and get 100% of it back when you leave.

http://www.ur-net.go.jp/