NEED TO KNOW
Dylan and Esmeralda Howard sold their Arizona home and moved their family to Japan
The couple says they wanted to take advantage of their ability to work and homeschool from anywhere
They hope the experience teaches their children to embrace adventure and new opportunities
One morning, Dylan Howard woke up with a realization he couldn’t shake.
He and his wife Esmeralda had built a life that gave them an unusual amount of freedom, but he felt like they weren’t fully taking advantage of it.
“I woke up and said, ‘We aren’t taking advantage of our situation in life,’ ” Dylan tells PEOPLE.
At the time, Dylan, 33, was running his business development and public relations company remotely from home while Esmeralda, also 33, stayed home with their two children, Emiliana, 6, and Shane, 3. Because she homeschools both kids and Dylan works online, the family spends nearly all of their time together.
Looking back, Dylan says there was nothing wrong with their life in Arizona. In many ways, it was exactly what they had always wanted. “We are all together, all the time,” he says. “Honestly, it’s amazing.”
The Howard Family in Tokyo, Japan
Credit: Dylan and Esmeralda Howard
Still, the thought lingered. If they had the flexibility to work and learn from almost anywhere, why stay in one place?
What followed was months of conversations, planning and imagining a different future. Eventually, those conversations led to a decision that many families only dream about making.
The Howards sold their Arizona home and moved to Japan.
The choice wasn’t completely out of the blue. Both Esmeralda and Dylan had previously visited Japan on vacation and fell in love with the country’s culture, food and lifestyle.
“We love the culture, food, anime and just the overall lifestyle as there is always something to do and explore,” Dylan says.
Before making the move, the family began learning Japanese and preparing for the transition. Then they packed up their lives and headed across the Pacific, unsure of exactly what would come next.
What they did know was that they wanted an adventure.
For Dylan, one of the most rewarding parts of the experience has been watching his children adapt to an entirely new environment. Daily life now includes opportunities that didn’t exist back home, from language immersion to cultural experiences and interactions with people from all walks of life.
The Howard Family
Credit: Dylan and Esmeralda Howard
The move has also reinforced something he and Esmeralda already believed about parenting: confidence grows when children are given opportunities to challenge themselves.
That philosophy recently attracted widespread attention when their daughter Emiliana completed a solo trip to a nearby convenience store, something he had spent months helping her prepare for after seeing local children navigate daily life independently. While that moment resonated with viewers online, Dylan says it reflects a broader lesson the family hopes their children carry with them.
“It’s the culmination of raising your child to believe in themself, letting them know you as a parent are always there if anything should happen, and providing them an environment to accomplish their goals,” he says.
The family has explored cities throughout Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima. Along the way, one thing has stood out to Dylan again and again: a sense of community he says he feels wherever they go.
“Parents help other parents even if they are strangers,” he says. “You can ask someone for assistance and they don’t treat you like a bother.”
That feeling has helped shape the family’s experience abroad. According to Dylan, people consistently go out of their way to help others, creating an environment that feels welcoming even when navigating life in a second language.
“You don’t just see it, you feel it,” he says.
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For now, the Howards aren’t sure where life will take them next. They don’t view Japan as a permanent destination, nor do they have a detailed roadmap for what comes after this chapter ends.
Instead, they’re embracing the uncertainty. “We aren’t here permanently and we don’t know where life will take us next,” Dylan says.
What he does know is that taking the leap has already changed his family’s life in ways he couldn’t have predicted.
“We do believe it’s meant to be lived and filled with adventures,” he continues. “So we took the risk, and we’ll see where it leads.”
Read the original article on People