American mom shares the different benefits of having and raising a child in Japan

Japan is known for its technological advancement and innovations. Not many people might know that this is one of the best places to raise your infant as well. The amount of facilities and services that a parent can get to help them with their parenting duties in Japan is simply astonishing. Nickelle Tilley Mickelsen—who goes by @nickellemick on TikTok—is an American mom living in Okinawa, Japan, with her family consisting of her husband and her toddler daughter and she has highlighted the best things about raising your kid in Japan through a viral video.

Mickelsen filmed herself and her daughter in the brief TikTok video while showing a stark contrast between the experiences of raising a child in Japan and how different they are from those in Western countries. The mom lists down some of the best facilities in Japan that accommodate the parents and it is less likely to find these features in America. The first thing Mickelson remarks about is the "baby rooms" everywhere in Japan.

These "baby rooms" in Japan are squeaky clean, with comfortable changing tables and innovative diaper bins to keep the rooms fresh and odorless. In addition, the Japanese baby room seen in Mickelsen's video included a hot water dispenser for women who needed to mix a bottle of baby formula or warm up a bottle of milk. Nursing rooms in the country are easy to find.

However, Japanese nursing rooms are not just small areas with a single folding chair where mothers can sit and nurse their infants. They were created to provide comfort to nursing mothers. "It’s easy to find a nursing room,” Mickelsen writes in a text overlay on the video, “You can nurse your baby in private and comfort.” She also demonstrates how she can have access to kid's strollers which are provided to the public and are sanitized as well.

With high-end facilities like these, no parent has to drag around giant strollers from their home because they have access to clean and comfy temporary strollers in public where they can put their infants without any worry. Mickelsen mentions how Japanese hotels also provide thoughtful facilities to mothers and babies because they have adorable, kid-sized pajamas, slippers and even toothbrushes available for the young ones among the toiletries.

The same goes for local restaurants that have separate spaces for kids to enjoy so their parents can eat in peace and they don't have to worry about handling their kids for a while. “Life as a parent living in Okinawa, Japan, probably the most kid-friendly place in Japan with its own unique culture,” Mickelsen aptly captioned the video. Parents from other countries, especially America, were lamenting about their parenting experience in the U.S. when they came across Mickelsen's video.

@mgzsk wrote: "I agree with it all! I currently live here and it’s been the best raising my baby without the anxiety of it being dirty!" @cheesesaveslives commented: "The US has no excuses why they can’t provide this for the citizens." @auddie_k93 quipped: "Even if America started this, people would ruin it and trash it. This country is awful. I miss living in Japan so much." @madi0926 added: "The US could never. The US just wants children to be born but could care less about them afterward."