The brutal truth about Japan: I was told it's 'great for families' - but the locals were awful to my kids and the cities are a pervert's paradise. Then an incident at a train station was the last straw, writes JONICA BRAY

In a sharply critical personal account, writer Jonica Bray says her family trip to Japan did not match its reputation as an easy destination for parents travelling with children. Instead of a smooth, family-friendly break, she describes a journey marked by exhaustion, hunger and mounting frustration while trying to manage tired kids in busy urban settings.

One scene she highlights is a stop at a 7-Eleven, where she rushed in to find a quick dinner for her family. The moment is used to show how worn down the trip had become, with convenience food and simple tasks taking on added stress after a difficult day.

Bray also argues that some local attitudes toward children felt cold or unwelcoming, a contrast to what she says she had been told before travelling. Alongside that, she portrays parts of Japan's cities as uncomfortable for families, suggesting that aspects of the urban environment felt inappropriate and unsettling when seen through the eyes of a parent.

According to her account, an incident at a train station became the final tipping point. Framed as the last straw in a trip already full of strain, the episode reinforces her overall claim that Japan, at least in her experience, was not the family destination she had expected.