Rainy season's end marks the beginning of a steamy summer in Japan! While in the past your family may have been able to escape the heat and humidity with a trip abroad, it seems this year we are still not quite at "normal," thanks to (very reasonable!) coronavirus precautions. If your family is one of the many that has had to shelve its plans for international travel this summer, there is a silver lining:

You can take advantage of a multicultural experience in the comfort of your own home!

CareFinder's babysitters come from dozens of countries and cultures around the world. And they're all here in Japan, ready to work with your family.

Foreign (or Familiar!) Cultures and Languages

With babysitters from places like the United States, the UK, France, Spain, Brazil, India and more, you can find a high-quality, qualified caregiver who also speaks your native language and/or can offer fun lessons for your kids (and you!) in languages you're trying to learn. Many international families in Japan use summer travel to return "home," where they can help reinforce language skills for their young children. If that's not in the cards for your family this summer, hiring a sitter — even if you don't necessarily need childcare — to converse with your kids is a great substitute.

Many of our sitters are also happy to share their cultures with your family! Whether that means whipping up a traditional dish in the kitchen or teaching the kids a dance, song or instrument, you can also experience a world of cultures without ever needing to leave Japan.

Check out CareFinder community member MaiMama's recent experience with one of our awesome sitters from Italy! (Post is in Japanese).

Additional Ideas & Resources

CareFinder has shared tips in the past for ways to expose your family to new places and people even when travel isn't an option. Check out some of our additional ideas below!

Make Your Own Olympics: Tokyo2020 kicks off this week! The Olympic Games are very different this year, but they're still great inspiration for your family to learn about and celebrate other cultures.

Festivals and Food Around the World: We've explored some of the summertime meals and celebrations that our sitters have told us about. Check them out here and here.

Explore Japan, too!: Domestic travel is also a bit tricky these days. Luckily, there are a lot of cool virtual ways to visit places outside of Tokyo.

Have Older Kids? They can also benefit from a sitter this summer, even if they don't need supervision, per se. We've outlined some ways to take advantage of a babysitter for your older children, as well.