Parenting the Japanese Way

In this fascinating half-memoir, half-parenting guide, Lisa Katayama shares her quest to raise her American kids using Japanese parenting principles which combine unconditional love with unwavering rules While Bringing Up Bébé introduced readers to the French way of raising obedient children who are seen but not heard, and Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother shared an in iron-will parental approach to creating high-achieving kids, Lisa Katayama’s Parenting the Japanese Way brings the principles of Japanese parenting to Americans, emphasizing unconditional love, community, and harmony with nature, to nurture children who are well-behaved, respectful, and creative. Japan is well known for its culture of respect, technological innovations, delicious food, peaceful vibes, and deep connection to nature. The source code to all of it is the way the Japanese view childhood—as a time of rigorous training for societal participation, where they learn from the start that are just one part of a larger whole. Katayama takes readers along with her as she travels back and forth from her motherland of Tokyo to the East Bay of California to expose her two American, mixed-race kids to the Japanese way of parenting. Readers will be inspired to take some of her insights—the importance of routine and ritual or the benefits of simplified spaces or the power in making everyday things cute — and adopt them into their own parenting, no matter where they live.

Author Biography

Lisa Katayama is a mom and writer who was born and raised in Tokyo. She was the author of a popular Japan blog called TokyoMango, which had half a million views a month and was nominated for several web awards. She is also the author of two books, Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan (Chronicle Books, 2008) and Simply West African: Easy, Joyful Recipes for Every Kitchen (Clarkson Potter, 2023—with her chef husband Pierre Thiam). Katayama is a U.S. Japan Leadership Program Fellow, a 2015 Asia Society Young Leader, and was one of Forbes Japan’s Top Women to Watch in 2018. A former tech and culture journalist for outlets such as Wired, Popular Science, The New York Times Magazine, Boing Boing, The Japan Times, and PRI’s Studio360, she is currently the Chief Trust Officer at Digital Garage, a Japanese tech company. She also founded The Tofu Project, a small nonprofit that empowers social activists and entrepreneurs in Japan with leadership and design thinking tools. She lives in Oakland, CA with her family.