From Mikko

I’m Mikko. I worked at Google for over ten years, became a father last year, and built TabiTots with my wife, a UX designer — by parents, for parents.

We started creating the app in June 2026, so we’re just getting started — we don’t have many partners yet, and I’m sorry if we’re not near you. Post in our parents group and I’ll take it straight to providers there; a real family asking is what encourages them to open their doors. You’d pay them directly in cash.

Something like: “We’re in Sapporo until the 12th. Two children, 3 and 5 — I couldn’t find any childcare near us.”
Join our Facebook group

Get the app

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play
TabiTots
EN
旅travel / journey
TabiTots
little ones

Discover and book vetted short-stay kids' programs at international schools and activity providers — wherever your family travels.

Browse programs Get the app

Booking is live — browse programs and reserve your child's place on the web or in the app.

Our partners
Kirakoko Kids Karuizawa Mika Ballet Studio New Life International School Kintsugiya SAIGROWTH Yanaka UpCraft Studio atelier2266 Shirusu Hitotoki Calligraphy School English Studio Shizen Ikuji Mori no Warabe Tajimi-en Risuyama Nursery Farm Tanaka Dojo Kids Rocket Academy Izumi International School MEIBU Kids Karate Kids Tinkering Studio Kichijoji Machida Kodomo MURA Michikusa Children's Art & Craft Kōjōkaikan Karate Tokyo Handmade Washi Studio Arigato Travel Japan for Kids CoffinChorus TOKYO travel TIPS

Free classes in Japan

To join, email hello@tabitots.com.

TabiTots

Ballet

Ballet 1/6 Ballet 2/6 Ballet 3/6 Ballet 4/6 Ballet 5/6 Ballet 6/6
Where
mika Ballet Studio, Nerima, Tokyo
Ages
4–15

A first taste of classical ballet (about 45–60 min). Stretches, barre work, and a little simple choreography, with a leotard and ballet shoes provided. Everyone finishes with a certificate in Japanese and English. No experience needed.

See instructor

Taught by Mika Nakayama, founder of mika Ballet Studio — a Paris Opéra–method dancer who trained in Paris, England, and Russia, danced as a soloist with the Japan Ballet Association (Swan Lake, Paquita), and has been named Best Instructor multiple times over 20 years of teaching.

TabiTots

Karate

Karate 1/6 Karate 2/6 Karate 3/6 Karate 4/6 Karate 5/6 Karate 6/6
Where
Junior-high budōjō, Komagome area, Bunkyō, Tokyo
Ages
5–18

Overseas visiting families join the dōjō's regular practice alongside local Japanese children as guest participants — so you feel the dōjō's atmosphere and Japanese martial-arts culture exactly as they are. It's set in a local Bunkyō-ward community, where members from age 4 to 89 all train in karate together.

See instructor

Classes are led by an instructor certified by the Tokyo Karatedo Federation, holding 3rd dan certified by the Japan Karatedo Federation and 5th dan from Bunkyō Karate Dojo.

TabiTots

Kendo

Kendo 1/4 Kendo 2/4 Kendo 3/4 Kendo 4/4
Where
Isshinjuku Kendo Dojo, Yamashina, Kyoto
Ages
6–18

A one-hour beginner's introduction at Isshinjuku, a Kyoto Prefecture Kendo Federation dojo, in a small group of four — etiquette, how to hold the shinai (bamboo sword), and the basics. A shinai and protective gear are provided; no experience needed.

See instructor

Led by Tsutsuida-sensei (7th dan), the dojo's head, with Fujita-sensei (6th dan) and Okamoto-sensei (4th dan).

TabiTots

Calligraphy

Calligraphy 1/3 Calligraphy 2/3 Calligraphy 3/3
Where
Deguchi Suikou Calligraphy School, Toyonaka, Osaka
Ages
5–18

A child can write their own name in Japanese. The teacher shows how to hold the brush and load it with ink, writes the name first in vermilion, in kanji or kana, and the child copies it stroke by stroke and takes home the one they are proudest of. The paper and ink are the classroom’s; no one needs to have held a brush before.

See instructor

Taught by Emiko Deguchi, who holds the full teaching licence in calligraphy and has taught in Toyonaka since 2010.

Booking with TabiTots.

What to know before you book — who looks after your child, what the day looks like, when your card is charged, and what happens when plans change.

Family 1 / 10

Childcare while you're in Japan

Book a few trusted hours of care in Japan. New places join every week — search your city to see what's open.

For families visiting Japan, international families living here, and Japanese families locally.
Mom 2 / 10

Add your children

Add each child once — a photo, allergies and emergency contacts.

Health details go only to the provider you book, for that booking.
With a severe allergy on file, you can book only providers trained in anaphylaxis and epinephrine.
Emergency contacts are saved once and shared across your children.
Also: diet, medications, chronic conditions, vaccinations and toilet training for under-4s.
Add the languages your child speaks, and little notes like “naps best after lunch”.
Mom 3 / 10

Find a place

Search by city and dates. Only places with real openings show up.

Filter by age, language, half or full day, and the kind of care.
Badges show what matters at a glance — Verified, Instant booking, Allergy-trained, Nappies OK, Adults welcome and more.
Each place shows the price, hours, lunch, what to bring, group size, the day's schedule and its cancellation rules.
Mom 4 / 10

Ask before you book

Message the place anytime — often even before you book.

Stuck? Message TabiTots too — we reply fast.
Mom 5 / 10

Pick the days

Pick one day, several in a row, or separate days.

Some providers confirm instantly; others review your request first. The listing tells you which.
Full? Join the waitlist. When a spot opens, you're offered it in turn.
Mom 6 / 10

Who drops off, who picks up

Choose who drops off and who picks up — anyone you trust.

Anyone else collecting — a grandparent, a friend — confirms their ID and a selfie once, on their own phone.
Staff check each adult against their verified photo and the name on the booking — at drop-off and at pickup.
Your child is never handed to anyone we can't name.
Mom 7 / 10

Check and book

One clear total, in yen, before you pay.

Add lunch or extras for just the days you want.
Your card is saved or held with Stripe — not charged until the free-cancel cutoff.
Free to cancel until the cutoff; after it, non-refundable. Declined, or no reply in time? You pay nothing.
Local families: ふるさと納税 coupons work here too, at places that accept them.
New here? Code TABITOTS takes 5% off your first booking.
Powered by Stripe
Mom 8 / 10

Drop-off

Staff check your face against your verified photo.

A few hours or a few days, with Japanese and international kids their age.
Somewhere safe for them, and maybe the best day of their trip — new friends, new games, a new culture.
Grandma 9 / 10

Pickup

Whoever collects them gets the same photo check.

Staff check the name on the booking and the verified photo. No match, no handover.
Depending on the place, you may get a message or photos about how their day went.
Mom 10 / 10

Leave a review

Leave a few stars and a few words for the next family.

We're new, so reviews are still few — but every one is from a family who really booked.
Only your first name, country and child's age are shown.
Yours helps the next family feel sure. It's how trust grows.
The TabiTots one-page flyer: the parenting app for leaving your kids with vetted, verified schools and providers across Japan. It lists every childcare partner and every experience partner by prefecture, explains that both sides are verified — registered operators with official documents checked, and ID-verified parents and carers matched against a verified photo at drop-off and pick-up — and ends with a note from the founders. The same partners are listed with links below.
Our partners

Every partner we work with

These are the schools, dojos and studios that took a chance on us before we had a single booking. None of them did it lightly: a Japanese nursery will not put its name beside a foreign company it hasn't satisfied itself about, and nor will a dojo or a calligraphy teacher. We've been asked for our company registration, our contract, our insurance position and how we handle children's data; some took weeks over it. Thirty-two of them have now run that check on us, in their own language and under their own law.

We would rather you checked them than took our word for it — most have their own website, map and Instagram below. Ages run from a few months to 18 — and where there's a kiln or a blade, the studio sets its own floor.

Childcare & schools
  • Izumi International School
    Setagaya-ku, Tokyo · ages 2–8
    WebsiteMapInstagram
  • New Life International School
    Kofu, Yamanashi · ages 5–18
    WebsiteMapInstagramEmail
  • Kids Rocket Academy
    Nihonbashi-Ningyocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo · ages 6 months–6 years
    WebsiteMap
  • Chibikko Land Kokuryo
    Chofu-shi, Tokyo · drop-in childcare · ages 0–12
    WebsiteMapInstagram
  • Poppochan-chi
    Kiyota-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido · drop-in childcare · ages 0–6
    WebsiteMap
  • Niji no Mahoroba
    Yonabaru-cho, Okinawa · hourly drop-in care · ages 1–12
    WebsiteMapInstagram
  • English Studio
    Okusawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo · summer school · ages 3–12
    WebsiteMap
  • Shidokan
    Shinjuku-ku & Suginami-ku, Tokyo · after-school care and judo · ages 4–12
    WebsiteMap
  • Kirakoko Kids Karuizawa
    Karuizawa, Nagano · drop-in childcare · ages 0–12
    WebsiteMapInstagram
  • Mori no Warabe Tajimi-en
    Tajimi, Gifu · forest kindergarten · ages 0–12
    WebsiteMapInstagram
  • Lauren Forest International School
    Ichikawa, Chiba · international preschool · ages 1–9
    WebsiteMap
  • Risuyama Nursery Farm
    Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, Aichi · satoyama farm nursery and drop-in care · ages 0–5
    WebsiteMapInstagram
  • Machida Kodomo MURA
    Machida-shi, Tokyo · drop-in childcare · ages 3–6
    WebsiteMapInstagram
  • SAIGROWTH
    Tokyo and nearby (comes to you) · babysitting at your home or hotel · ages 0–17
    Website
  • Tezukayama Global Academy Preschool
    Tezukayama, Abeno-ku, Osaka · bilingual Saturday & holiday school · ages 1–12
    WebsiteMap
Experiences
  • Gaigo Center Mitaka
    Mitaka-shi, Tokyo · art, soroban · ages 6–18
    WebsiteMap
  • Mika Ballet Studio
    Nerima-ku, Tokyo · ballet · ages 4–15
    WebsiteMapInstagramInquiry
  • Midori Piano Lesson
    Kyoto (travels to you) · piano · ages 4–18
    WebsiteInstagram
  • Bunkyo Karate Dojo
    Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo · karate · ages 5–18
    WebsiteMap
  • Shirusu Hitotoki Calligraphy School
    Kanazawa, Ishikawa · calligraphy · ages 5–18
    WebsiteMapEmail
  • Michikusa Children’s Art & Craft
    Kusado, Fukuyama, Hiroshima · art & craft · ages 4–12
    WebsiteMap
  • Kintsugiya
    Omiya-ku, Saitama · kintsugi gold-seam ceramic repair · ages 6–18
    WebsiteMapInstagram
  • TINKERING Studio Japan
    Kichijoji, Musashino-shi, Tokyo · art, making & programming · ages 4–15
    Website
  • MEIBU Kids Karate
    Dojos across Tokyo · karate · ages 3–12
    Website
  • Kōjōkaikan Karate
    Mihama-ku, Chiba · parent-and-child karate · ages 5–12
    WebsiteMap
  • Tanaka Dojo
    Akashi, Hyogo · karate · ages 6–18
    WebsiteMapInstagram
  • Isshinjuku Kendo Dojo
    Yamashina-ku, Kyoto · kendo · ages 6–18
    WebsiteMap
  • Yanaka UpCraft Studio
    Nishinippori, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo · kimono upcycling workshops · ages 6–18
    WebsiteMap
  • Tokyo Handmade Washi Studio
    Hinohara-mura, Nishitama-gun, Tokyo · handmade washi papermaking · ages 6–15
    WebsiteMap
  • Miyashiro Auto Campsite
    Ryujin-mura, Tanabe, Wakayama · riverside campsite day visits · ages 1–12
    WebsiteMapInstagram
  • Deguchi Suikou Calligraphy School
    Toyonaka, Osaka · calligraphy · ages 5–18
    WebsiteMap
  • Kamakura créer Kōbō
    Kamakura, Kanagawa · pottery & children’s art · ages 1–18
    WebsiteMap
  • Happiness Labo Art School
    Komaki & Kasugai, Aichi · painting & art-making · ages 1–18
    WebsiteMap
  • atelier2266
    Kichijoji, Musashino-shi, Tokyo · drawing & art-making · ages 2–12
    WebsiteMap
Coming next

Guides and babysitters

Two more kinds of people are joining TabiTots. Neither is bookable yet — we are working through their documents first, the same way we did for every school and studio above.

  • A guide

    Someone who comes with you for a day or half a day, showing your family around and interpreting as you go. You stay with your child throughout — a guide is never left alone with a child, and never takes one anywhere alone.

    Before we list one: photo ID, the right to work in Japan, their own insurance, and — where they drive the family — a national or regional interpreter-guide registration (通訳案内士) or an equivalent recognised qualification.

  • A babysitter

    Care that comes to you, at home or wherever you are staying, instead of you taking your child somewhere. They set their own hours, area and price, and you book them the way you book a class.

    Before we list one: their childcare filing (居宅訪問型保育事業の届出), photo ID, the right to work in Japan, their own insurance, and a video interview with us. No filing, no listing.

Why we built this

Love traveling with kids, but wish you could sometimes have a moment for yourself?

I'm Mikko Sysikaski. TabiTots is a project my wife and I have been pouring our hearts into.

It came about after we became parents last year and realized how drastically travel changes with a little one. We love having our son with us, and for the moments we can't, we want to know he's in good hands.

My wife is a UX designer. I spent over ten years as a Senior Software Engineer at Google — in Zurich, Los Angeles, and finally Tokyo, where we've been for the past six years. So we built the app we kept wishing existed.

TabiTots lets you find and reserve vetted, verified providers where you can leave your child for a few hours or a few days in Japan. You get your own moment, knowing your child is safe and well looked after.

And it isn't only a break for parents — it's genuinely exciting for the children. They join in with local kids at real Japanese schools and studios: soroban, calligraphy, ballet, karate, piano, art, English summer programs, or simply supervised free play. It's a real Japan experience for them too.

We have signed partners in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Kyoto, Osaka, Hokkaido, Saitama, Chiba, Nagano, Yamanashi, Gifu, Aichi, Ishikawa, Hyogo, Hiroshima and Okinawa, and we're in conversation with many more schools and facilities across Japan. We started building TabiTots in June 2026 and opened to families in August 2026. The app isn't perfect yet — we're improving it every day.

We're still small, and I'm sorry if we're not near you yet. If you post in our parents' group, I'll take it straight to providers in that area — a real family asking is what encourages them to open their doors. Join our Facebook group.

If this sounds like something you'd use, I'd love to hear what you think. Write to me at hello@tabitots.com.

Mikko Sysikaski

Founder, TabiTots · LinkedIn