My Japan trip this year was supposed to be same old same old, but somehow, I observed my surroundings with fresh eyes.

I have watched enough Japanese reality shows to know that for some Japanese ladies, their only idea of happiness is getting married and bearing children. Which seems archaic, given that women get access to higher education and earn their own keep. Why should women depend on the traditional institution of marriage as a determinant of their self-worth? But it is what it is.

Two ladies from Love Village Season 2 confided in each other about keeping their eyes frozen and wept due to their worry about not finding a husband and making a baby in time before their reproductive era ends. So, the desire to conceive is strong.

Maybe because I’m a parent now, I have noticed certain things that would have escaped my notice before. I think subliminal messaging about parenthood exists in a great deal of places in Japan. Japan loves kids, and her infrastructure makes provisions for them. Notice how this food court provides a stroller parking area as well as a small playground for kids.

Other food courts have set up sinks that are reachable by young human beings. They also boast a kids’ seating area, in which adults sit on cushioned seats with their offspring. This is good because you don’t have to worry if your child would fall from a high chair. With such a thoughtful area available, you can focus on enjoying your meal and chatting with your child.

Yet other shopping malls have kid-sized toilets. It’s kawaiiiiii!

Now, all these facilities are immensely helpful to young parents and seasoned grandparents. But at the same time, they are visual reminders of how you are missing out on family bliss if you happen to be single. If you encounter them all the time, it is only a matter of time that you begin to feel left out and yearn for kids.

This could be a major reason why some Japanese ladies want children so desperately. I guess the point of my story is that sometimes we are lulled into thinking that the way of life most frequently encountered is the one and only way of being. We are being chained by our societal norms without being aware of it. How do we break free and attain liberation?