Discover and book vetted short-stay kids' programs at international schools and activity providers — wherever your family travels.
Now live in Japan. Then Asia. Then the world.
Booking is live — browse programs and reserve your child's place right in the app.
We're giving away free spots in six real classes — part of a trial for TabiTots.
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.
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.
Taught by Midori Ogawa, founder of Midori Piano Lesson — a pianist trained at Nara University of Education and its graduate school, Grand Prix winner in the specialist division of the Kansai Piano Audition and 1st Prize at the 22nd “Great Wall Cup” International Music Competition, teaching one-to-one from a child’s very first notes.
An English-medium international preschool and kindergarten in Setagaya, Tokyo. Visiting children join a warm mixed-age class for a half-day morning — play, songs, and hands-on learning, all in English — welcoming ages 2 to 6.
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.
Led by Tsutsuida-sensei (7th dan), the dojo's head, with Fujita-sensei (6th dan) and Okamoto-sensei (4th dan).
An English-medium international school in Kofu, Yamanashi. Visiting children spend a real school day in their own grade-level class — anywhere from Grade 1 to Grade 12 — reading, writing, and learning alongside NLIS students, all in English.
Want any program free? Email hello@tabitots.com.
For families in Japan — local or traveling · ages 0 to 18
Every provider is real, registered, and verified before it's bookable — an international school, kindergarten, preschool or licensed childcare, an after-school program, a lessons or tutoring class, or a vetted in-home babysitter. Qualified staff, and the safety standards set by Japanese authorities. The same providers resident families use year-round, now bookable by the hour or day.
Your child spends the day with kids from expat, third-culture, and traveling families like yours. Most programs lead in English, with Japanese woven in naturally — kids find their footing in the group quickly, often within the first morning.
Some programs run a full day — art, music, outdoor play, lunch, sometimes a nap. Others are a focused class or supervised free play. Either way: qualified teachers and staff, English-friendly support when you need it, and a real day off for you.
TabiTots is live in Japan — get the app to browse and book. Sign up so we know how many families want this: we show that demand to schools and providers, and the more families sign up, the more of them open their doors.
Not in your prefecture yet? Post your area, your child’s age and whether a parent stays in our private parents group — we take real requests to providers there. If one says yes, you pay them in cash directly.
What to know before applying — eligibility, documents, commission, payouts, and how the platform runs once you're live.
Care & classeschild stays without you — drop-off possible
Places to visit togethera parent stays with the child throughout
Some categories run both ways: you set the age at which a child may attend alone, and an adult stays for anyone younger.
New-facility note: if you're a brand-new 認可外 or 一時預かり under 12 months old and not yet inspected, a 設置届 with the city's 受理印 stands in until your first 立入調査結果 is issued.
Exceptions
Not childcare — verified a different way. Japan doesn't license a calligraphy teacher or a coding club, so lessons and specialty programs prove themselves differently: where children stay without a parent, liability insurance or a governing-body affiliation that includes cover.
Teaching on your own? An individual teacher shows a government photo ID where no business registration (開業届) exists — identity is still proven, just by a different document. Liability insurance applies when children stay without a parent.
Places to visit together. A parent is always present, so Places verify with a lighter check. Email us and we'll tell you exactly what yours needs.
No listing fee, no setup fee, no monthly fee, no per-booking surcharge.
Same rate for every partner — and each provider you refer that goes live adds 2 more months at 8%, no cap.
What that looks like — a ¥3,000 booking, on the 8% rate
Below the 12–18% range typical for domestic platforms and the 15–25% range typical for international platforms in similar categories.
JCT: Our commission is exempt from Japanese consumption tax — TabiTots is a foreign service provider and not a 適格請求書発行事業者.
Founding Partner places are open now, with no fixed number and no deadline. We will close the cohort at some point; once you are in, the priority placement and the badge are yours permanently. The 8% intro rate is the same for every partner, whenever you join.
Get in touchAlready approved? Log in to your console
Why we built this
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. As much as we love our son, there are moments in Japan you simply can't share with a small child: a multi-course omakase dinner, an onsen, a film in a theater.
My wife is a UX designer. I spent over ten years as a Senior Software Engineer at Google — first in Zurich, then Los Angeles, then Tokyo — and lived in Japan for over 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, kendo, 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, Kyoto, Hokkaido, Saitama, Chiba, Nagano, Yamanashi, Ishikawa, Hyogo, Hiroshima and Okinawa, and we're in conversation with many more schools and facilities across Japan. We're only a few weeks old and the app isn't perfect yet — we're improving it every week.
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