juliane and takaaki satani are big fans of the centrally located family facility. moved west to the modestly sized city from tokyo, and have since had two children. but they don't miss the capital. juliane: it's really easy to get talking to people and swap information. akashi is a place that makes you feel totally at home. reporter: akashi made a concerted effort to attract more families. the architect of those plans was former mayor fusaho izumi, who clearly likes a bit of tomfoolery himself. what was originally planned as office space is now also a big play-zone. fusaho: we turned it into a no-fuss environment for families to spend time. there's a nursing room and stroller parking. akashi is now a city for children, with this being the most visible example. the entire city has changed. reporter: a cornerstone of the new policy is daycare. nursery school and kindergarten are free after the second child. plus, the city covers all health-care costs for the youngsters, and there's no shortage of them in akashi. takaaki: compared to tokyo and other cities in japan, c