Soon after enrolling her daughter in hoikuen (daycare) during a summer stay in Tokyo, Lisa Katayama noticed her 4-year-old adopting a new sense of self-sufficiency at home: She began folding her clothes before putting them away, finished most of the food on her plate and used just the right amount of soap when washing her hands ¡ª a dramatic change from her daughter¡¯s previous habits.
Katayama, who is of Chinese and Japanese heritage, grew up in Tokyo but now raises her two daughters with her husband in San Francisco. Her new book, ¡°,¡± released April 21, recounts her exploration of a motherhood grounded in the Japanese culture of care and self-autonomy and provides a deep dive into the educational practices foundational to the collectivist nature of Japanese society.
Katayama, who is a former journalist and now CTO of the Japanese technology company Digital Garage, writes that when she became a mother, she ¡°found (herself) wanting to be closer to (her) Japanese roots.¡± While partly a parenting guide, ¡°The Japanese Way of Parenting¡± is also a reflection on the particular way motherhood manifests within Japanese society ¡ª and which elements might benefit mothers elsewhere around the world.
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