Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Aka-chan admin III: Applying for Baby’s first UK passport, from Japan
To complete the hat-trick of baby admin in Japan, we applied for Hope’s first passport on January 23. On April 11, it finally arrived! Documents required It has to be said that the UK Government guidelines about supporting documents are not particularly clear. Here are the documents we sent to Her Majesty’s Passport Office, in…
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Supporting Japan’s kids in care
Last week, Hope attended her first board meeting, for Mirai no Mori (MnM). This not-for-profit (NPO) organization was founded in 2011 and I became auditor in 2015. Our mission is to create life-changing outdoor programs for Japanese children living in care homes, supporting their growth into happy and successful young adults. Who does MnM support? According…
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The importance of a British-style education
This morning, I had the pleasure of contributing to a COBIS (Council of British International Schools) conference, at The British School in Tokyo’s (BST) Showa Campus. Our panel discussion, “At the Hub of Global British Business Communities” focused on the importance of British international schools to the communities they serve. Panelists were Chris Heffer (Director…
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Cash back for giving birth in Japan
Last month, I wrote a blog post about the cost of giving birth in Japan – which for us, was just over JPY1m or GBP7,175. An eye-watering credit card bill following a traumatic birth experience had left me a bit dazed and confused. Wasn’t this supposed to be the happiest time of our lives?! Well, just…
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Tax rebate for baby
We spent International Women’s Day tackling the gender-neutral issue of . . . Tax! A couple of weeks ago, I received a 3-page form in the post for filing an individual tax return. Ordinarily, each month my employer pays income and residence tax to the government on my behalf. However, since I’m currently on maternity…
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Baby Hero: gifts that do good
We’re so grateful for all the wonderful gifts Baby Hope has received over the past few months, from across the globe. Special mention goes to our super-soft, organic cotton Baby Hero outfit from friend Samar. What is Baby Hero? In 2013, Samar co-founded Baby Hero, a socially responsible children’s clothing brand that funds life-saving essentials…
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Our million yen baby: the cost of giving birth in Japan
Thinking about doing your bit for the declining population? Get your credit card ready! I’ve been putting off writing this blog post as, well, I thought it would be selfish of me to have a heart attack while my baby is still so young. Last year, I was one of about 980,000 mums to give…
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Your baby’s to-do list: 0-3 months
While I was pregnant, I wish someone had handed me a checklist of admin that would need to be taken care of by the time my baby was 3 months old. Who knew parenthood would come with so many unexpected demands – and cute distractions – that ‘popping down to the photocopier’ could take an…
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“Hello Baby” home visits in Japan
In our area of Tokyo (Minato-ku), and across Japan, families with new babies are entitled to a variety of post-natal services, for free. “Hello Baby” When registering your child’s birth at the city office, you’ll receive a pink flyer which invites you to call and arrange a “Hello Baby” home visit with a local midwife.…
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How Maternity leave affects your Residence Tax in Japan
Just as my maternity leave was beginning in October of last year, I received a mammoth Residence Tax bill for over JPY600,000 (GBP4,600). After I picked up my jaw from the floor, I did some research and found out that this bill would be for advance Residence Tax payments, while I take time off. Here’s…
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2020 Mum in Tokyo 