Don’t listen to mommy bloggers, just listen to me. *
*sarcasm is my joke of choice, and I’m probably not as funny as I think... but you know that about me already.
10 (MORE) Japanese baby names that work in English
My other post on Japanese names for girls and boys that work in English is my most-searched-for page, which makes my heart flutter a bit. I am so excited to know that folks are considering Japanese names for their baby, and hope this is helpful!
So let’s do 10 more names. The last batch were pretty modern names, so let’s go the other way with some traditional names that are still easy to pronounce in English.
Girl Names
Yuna
This is a 3-for-1, because Yuna is actually a popular Korean name as well. Truly global. I love the soft sound of it, and while it’s not a noun name so there’s no intrinsic meaning associated with it, there are lots of good kanji options available. Easy to spell and the pronunciation is intuitive. A win.
Kotomi
The trick with choosing longer Japanese names that are still beginner-friendly is threefold: spelling simplicity, intuitive pronunciation, and nickname potential. The trick is to avoid some of the more intense spelling conventions like the “tsu” and “ry” and “ae” that trip people up. Kotomi checks off all the boxes and is such a beautiful, classic name that is a nod to the traditional Japanese string instrument koto.
Hazuki
Speaking of intense spellings, you might think “zu” is off the table if “tsu” is, but with import words like Zumba and Yuzu becoming more mainstream, it’s pretty easy to get on the first try and to continue nailing it. This is perfect for an August baby, since Hazuki is one of the names the Japanese gave to the sweltering month and literally means “month of leaves,” and is such a pretty nature name.
Momoko
This is another long name with adorable nickname potential, “Momo” is just so cute you wanna eat them up. That’s because “momo” is peach is Japanese, so this means peach child—traditionally thought of as a Spring name since peaches are spring fruits in Japan, but over here it could work as a summer name!
Gender-neutral names
Asahi
If you were raised in a predominantly Japanese neighborhood you might recognize this as a name of a popular Japanese language school… and if you had to go to them, maybe you have some horrible memories of having to finish a week’s worth of homework on Friday night (shudder). But if you can get that association out of your head, this is a beautiful name that works for both boys and girls, meaning sunrise. It’s SO Japanese to me because Japan is the land of the rising sun, as they call themselves, and their flag depicts the sun rising (no, it’s not just a circle)
Nao
Naomi is one of those unicorn multi-cultural, multi-ethnic names, and this shortened version makes it doubly sweet because it becomes gender-neutral when you drop the -mi ending.
Boy Names
Gaku
This is one of my favorite boy names, and it surprisingly works in English with very little friction. I think G names are so fun, and this one is no exception. The danger here is that they’ll butcher the “Ga” with a long a instead of the short one, but even with that, the nickname potential of “Gak” is so cute. If you love Gus but it’s getting too trendy, this is a great alternative.
Kaito
If you’re looking for an alternative to the very popular Kai, adding the -to makes it very traditionally Japanese. Although the pronunciation could be a little tricky here if folks decide to say “Kai-two” (as in going “to” school) instead of “Kai-toe” (as in “to-ilet”) but it’s a pretty quick correction on the first try, and when that gets cumbersome you can always fall back on the popular Kai as a nickname.
Kota
I love this name for a boy. It has a surprisingly soft sound that rolls off the tongue, and while it’s very traditional, it still feels seamless within the English language. It’s pretty forgiving too, whether folks decide to use the long o or the short one, it doesn’t butcher it severely.
Shoma
If you love the traditional name Ryuma but worried about the “ry” spelling, then this is a great alternative to it that still feels classic and samurai and shogun and all the things. And speaking of Shogun, with the popularity of that show no one will butcher the pronunciation on this one. Of course the nickname of Sho works perfectly here.
There you have it, 10 more Japanese baby names for you to consider! Whether you have a connection to any of the meanings or just love the sound of it, there are so many amazing names in Japanese that you can choose from.
If you have any questions about baby names, or better yet, want me to take a crack at naming your baby, let me know!
You really only need these 15 things for a baby
What to buy for a second baby? Well shopping the second time around for us was much easier—besides the obvious reason of having most of what we need already, we’ve now been able to cut the fat and know exactly what we need and what we don’t for Aihara Baby 2.
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Baby Addie came in, and just like that the parents were outnumbered. As we were getting ready for this new add-ition (ha!) I realized that the list got even smaller the third time around. One reason is that I cannot let go of baby things (what if we use it again!?) and another is that even the pared-down list of baby gear with Baby #2 (as Mills was then called) proved to still have some fat that got trimmed.
So, here’s our official list of things we kept, bought new, or received as gifts that we still use for our third kid—representing the 15 of the baby gear you really need, that we still use with baby #3. Honestly, if I got to do it all over again I would just buy these 15 things and be done with it to keep it simple. The baby industry will have you believe you need ALLLL the things, but sometimes that just complicates things.
Want just the links? Here they are:
1. Doona infant car seat/stroller (affiliate link)
2. Boppy Nursing Pillow (affiliate link)
3. Lovey (affiliate link)
4-5. IKEA high chair + Yeah Baby Goods footrest
6-10. The ezpz set for all stages of eating: Oral Development Tool, Tiny Cup, Tiny Bowl, Mini Mat and the NumNum Baby Spoons Set (affiliate link)
11. Skip Hop Baby Bath Tub (affiliate link)
12-15. Baby parking spots for all stages: Play Gym, BabyBjörn Bouncer, Baby Chair, Jumper
Doona infant car seat/stroller
I tend to sell strollers and car seats when our babies outgrow them. It’s partially because we don’t have room in the house to hold onto those big items, we get a better resale value the newer they are (which serves us better than holding onto it for the next baby), and we like to get those items new anyway. It felt like the baby market changed between having Lu and Mills, so the chance of a new product to pique my interest seemed high too.
Doona is a stroller/car seat combo, which felt like the anti-travel system to me. We got it for the first time with Mills and loved it—it was the perfect all-in-one for having a baby + toddler who hated strollers. Now with a kindergartener + preschooler who don’t need strollers on an every day basis + a baby this solution still works for us. On outings where the bigs still require a vehicle we bring out the stroller wagon we have and I’ve been wearing the baby instead of taking the Doona, which keeps me lighter on my feet and allows me to chase down any bigs that wander off while Steven stays on wagon duty.
Boppy Nursing Pillow
We have had our nursing pillow with both babies, and this will be the third go around with this item. To be honest I don’t use it much for its intended purpose of wearing it while nursing, and use it more to prop up baby during her awake times—either on her back so she’s a bit more elevated to make eye contact, or on her belly for assisted tummy time, making sure to always supervise her.
As an added use, the nursing pillow works great as an assistant for when the bigs want to hold the baby, especially during those early weeks when their neck is all floppy. Rather than me freaking out and having to spot them, the nursing pillow helps keep the baby’s head supported while giving the kids more autonomy. They just pull out the pillow themselves to give her a much needed big-baby time.
Lovey
At this point it’s just wishful thinking because neither Lu nor Mills took to a lovey, but Addie will be my third time charm (maybe). I really love these Sshlumpies from Douglas Toys because they’re soft and flat. They wash well too, although I’ve only washed them the once at first since neither of the kids ever got it dirty.
They have a great selection of animals, bugs, and even kids to find the perfect companion for your little one. Let’s hope this one sticks!
High chair: IKEA Antilop with footrest from Yeah Baby Goods
I hated the high chair we had with Lu, so with Mills we tried the IKEA cult-favorite $20 high chair. We loved it, she loved it, and it came apart easily to store for the new baby. The footrest is a must-buy since babies need that support. The same company also makes super cute seat inserts but I found it wasn’t necessary—you can roll up a towel and give them the same support.
All things eating: Oral Development Tool, Tiny Cup, Tiny Bowl, Mini Mat, NumNum Baby Spoons Set
I definitely drank the ezpz koolaid and am here for their entire product line. It really takes you through all the stages of baby eating, and makes it simple.
Phase 1 is when the baby can start grabbing things, which happens around the same time they get much better at sitting assisted. This is the time when our babies get a seat at the dinner table, but instead of getting food they get a teether toy to play with and watch us eat. I was using suction toys but ezpz has since come out with this set of Oral Development Tools where they can explore textures with the bumpy bits and different shapes, practicing bringing things to their mouth. I love that these are specifically designed to help get babies used to utensils.
Phase 2 is when the baby is ready to start eating—we loosely follow BLW, and let them just go at it with their food, while practicing drinking with an open cup. The Tiny Cup is the perfect size and weight for practice, and after helping them with their first sips I leave a little bit of water in the cup for them to play with—just enough to wet their appetite (ha) and an amount I don’t mind wiping up. The Tiny Bowl is a new addition, and I think it will work better than the sectioned-off mat for the beginning when they’re really only trying one food at time.
Once they get going with the eating and they’re past the trial stage, at around 6+ months, introduce the NumNum Baby Spoons Set adorably called GOOtensils. If you don’t already follow Feeding Littles, their blog is a fantastic resource for when you’re getting started with baby eating. Their post on the three spoon circus will help you figure out how to preload food and get the baby practicing. With that said, Lu is almost 6 and although he knows how to use utensils he still prefers to eat with his hands so… I guess the practice doesn’t always ensure usage! Such is child rearing though.
Skip Hop Baby Bath Tub
Another item that’s going three strong is this super simple baby tub. The newborn insert hammock thing is super soft, it’s just small enough to leave in the bathroom and not get in the way, and I mean it’s a whale how cute is that?
We used the tub for about a year with both babies, and with Mills we even put the tub in with Lu while he took a bath outside of the whale just so she has her own safe area. I love that the newborn support has two configurations so that it’s still comfortable for the baby as they grow older and sit up. Have I also mentioned that it’s a whale?
Baby parking spots:Play Gym, BabyBjörn Bouncer, Baby Chair, Jumper
I fondly call this category Baby Parking Spots because that’s what they are—until the baby can move on their own, they need a safe parking spot where they’re contained and out of harm’s way. A pack and play also falls into this category but our living room is tiny and crowded with furniture as is, that it really didn’t make sense to add another large item in there. These are low-profile and allows Addie to be part of the action, wherever she is.
This isn’t the exact one we have but our flat, no-fuss play gym has been my favorite Baby Parking Spot from the day they come home from the hospital for all three babies. We just lay this sucker on the chaise of our sectional and that becomes the designated baby area—no toys allowed, no kids allowed unless loving on baby. I remove the two bars where you dangle toys from for the newborn time and attach it on as they grow bigger and enjoy batting at things, like around 3 months or so.
Once they’re out of the newborn-newborn of those first few weeks, I start to also put them in a baby bouncer. The BabyBjörn Bouncer is a new-to-us product that we got as a hand-me-down, and I love it so far. We had the Fisher-Price rocker thing that vibrates and then converts into a chair—which I don’t see on Amazon anymore so I wonder if there was a recall? It seems there’s always a recall that takes a beloved baby item out of commission between babies. The BabyBjörn is so far totally worth the hype, and the bigs like rocking the baby on it too.
When the baby has a stronger neck and can sit assisted, they can start spending some time on the floor seat. In the beginning they’ll only want to be in it for a little while before they start slumping too much or complaining, but it’s good practice and adds another parking spot into the rotation. This Baby Chair has been another favorite for all 3 kids, and I love that I can take it with me for an all-day hang-out at grandma’s house. It’s also big enough for the bigs to sit in, which they always try to do, and makes for a hilarious photo.
The last phase is the jumper, that last phase before all hell breaks loose and they start being mobile, rendering a Parking Spot useless. For active babies this jumper is a godsend because they’ll just jump for forever and tire themselves out without danger of picking up loose foods or lego pieces. The seat spins around so they can get to all the toys, and I have added other suction toys to the tray for them to explore and change up the scenery—since by this age they will complain and get bored with the same same (how dare they have opinions, right?)
The Business of Holding Yourself Back in Business
Setting boundaries are hard. As the firstborn Asian daughter, a lot of my self-worth and pride have been wrapped up in this notion of being helpful. Going above and beyond. Excelling and over-delivering on expectations. Pleasing people.
“Sugoine, oneechan wa,” my mother would say to me while growing up.
It’s a sentence that encapsulates this idea of being the eldest. "Wow, older sister, you are great." Setting an example. Inspiring awe in my parents.
It’s been the secret to my success and the curse that bound me throughout my childhood and young adult life.
I don’t fault my mother for any of the struggles I faced during my time as a people pleaser, though. Now on the other side of the parent-child relationship, I also find myself marveling at my kids when they outperform my expectations. I don’t necessarily believe that this need to excel is outright a bad thing. Like everything, it’s a complicated and nuanced issue here where one factor can’t be the end all be all cause or solution for it.
After all, we all have different motivations behind our inability to say no. Be it lack of confidence, fear of rejection, or need to please others to name a few—but no matter the cause, one outcome remains true. This lack of setting boundaries will forever bind us (irony, much?) to be nothing more than individual contributors rather than leaders. And this is a problem, especially for women and BIPOC in this age of “seize your spot on the table.”
There’s quite a bit of unconditioning and self-reflection that needs to happen.
If You Gave Up on the Bullet Journal, Maybe You Did It Wrong
New year, new me, amiright? Unlike the slew of daylight savings statistic articles that annoy the crap out of me, a seasonal article that I do love seeing are the planner related ones this time of year. There’s something about the new year and productivity that gets me in the mood for the upcoming year. The workout ones on the other hand, I totally ignore, and that could be a topic for another article.
If you’ve been floating around in the stationery/productivity space, you’ve probably already heard of Bullet Journaling, or BuJo as the cool kids call it (and no I am not cool nor brave enough to say that out loud in real life… if you dare to, apparently it’s pronounced “boo-joe,” like a scary cup of coffee). Developed by designer Ryder Carroll, it’s a method that promises to help you be more mindful and intentional about the “two most valuable resources in life: our time and our energy,” as summarized in Carroll’s book outlining the process The Bullet Journal Method (affiliate link). I mean, with a subtitle like “Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future,” it’s hard to ignore. What started as a little website where Carroll uploaded some tutorials, has taken on a cult following. In fact, it has been said to change lives. Pretty bold statement for a method that only requires a notebook.
But yes, I totally agree with these wild claims.
To Santa or not to Santa, that is the question
If you are under the age of 8 and somehow stumbled upon this page, turn back. You won’t be able to unsee this and I promise you, you will FOR SURE regret reading this if this is the way that this happens for you.
Go watch some episodes of Bluey on Netflix instead.
You gone?
Okay now that it’s just us adults who have no idea who Bluey is…
Growing up in a home that was a hybrid of fourth generation and shin-nisei, holiday traditions were a bit of a shitshow for us. I know my mom tried her best doing it all alone, but I don’t remember the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, or Santa being a huge part of my childhood. I think I got a few dollars here and there in my Tooth Pillow that I eventually lost, and my mom still gave us second gifts from “Santa” into our young adulthood. I definitely don’t have a hilarious story of when I found out Santa wasn’t real from my classmate and then crying myself to sleep over it.
My husband, on the other hand, comes from a family of Sanseis who grew up kind of like me and wanted to do better for their own children. His parents went pretty all out on the whimsy and magic of the holidays, so much so that when he found out that the last of his magical friends were in fact, not real (for him the Easter Bunny was his last hope even after Santa ended up being a fake fat man) he exclaimed “Is ANYTHING real??” causing a bit of an existentialist crisis—and I only half-joke about that. Which puts us at an interesting place for whether or not we Santa with our kids.
While this decision stresses me out, a simple google search on this topic gave me articles from the Times and the Atlantic and Washington Post. I certainly wasn’t the only one ruminating and worrying about this—and even more surprisingly, a lot of families actually opt out of the tradition all together these days.