At that time, I was living in Osaka, where my husband had been transferred for work.
It was an unfamiliar place, my family was far away, and my husband worked in sales, often coming home late into the night.
It was what you would call a “one-person operation.”
My young son often had fevers.

That day, I was incredibly sleepy.
My husband had come home late the night before, and the housework stretched into the early hours of the morning.
Even though he told me, “You can sleep,” I stayed up, waiting for him to come home.

My son, who had been napping, woke up.
I think he was around three years old.

“Mom, wake up! I want to go on the slide!”
I was too sleepy and replied, “Just a little more sleep,” but he insisted, “Ken-chan isn’t sleepy. Let’s go for a walk.”

I said, “There’s pudding in the fridge,” and my son ate it skillfully, then came back to persuade me again.
I still wanted to sleep, so I said, “My head hurts. I think I have a fever. Watch the Tomica video.”
In reality, I didn’t have a headache or a fever. I was pretending to be sick.
My son became quiet and left my side.

Just when I thought I could sleep for another 20 minutes, I felt something cold on my forehead.
“Mom’s head, ‘Itai no itai no tondeike!’ (Pain, go away!) This will make your fever go down!”

My son had taken a cooling pad from the fridge and placed it on my forehead.
There was a small chair in front of the fridge.
I could picture him saying, “One step, two steps,” as he carefully carried the chair and stretched up to grab it.

Tears quietly fell. The mix of guilt and emotion over his growth moved me deeply.
“Ken-chan, thank you! I’m better now.
Let’s go for a walk. I’ll get ready right now, so wait for me.”

My son, who had been waiting by the door with his shoes on, muttered,
“Mom, you’re so slow! How long are you going to make me wait?”
That was exactly my husband’s tone.
I burst out laughing.

Children observe their parents well.
I held his small hand and we went outside.
My son, who will soon turn 29, is likely to become a father soon.
I’m sure he’ll be a kind father.
But please, take your time while your wife gets ready.

by Masae Matsuda / age: 58 / Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, Japan

#OyakoDay
#OYAKODAY
#Essay
#ThankYouforthePainRelief
#PresentToTheFuture
#MotherAndSon

The post Oyako Day Essay Contest 2025 Award-Winning Essay: “Thank You for the Pain Relief” appeared first on 「親子の日」Oyako Day.

The relationship between Oyako Day and The Mothers’ Industry Newspaper goes back many decades.

And throughout the years, it has been Bruce Osborn’s photographs of parents and children that have graced the newspaper’s covers.

In the early years, the editors selected images from Bruce’s existing collection of OYAKO portraits. Later, the covers featured photographs of families who had participated in the Oyako Day Super Photo Sessions.

There was also a period when special photo sessions were organized specifically for The Mothers’ Industry Newspaper, with Bruce photographing mothers together with their children.

Today, the covers feature fathers and their children.

Every photograph captures a moment unique to that particular parent and child, and the words that accompany each portrait are just as moving.

Featured on the cover of this month’s issue are Rio Segan and his son, Ka’imi.

Along with their portrait came this beautiful message from father to son.

To Ka’imi, from Dad

To love someone is more than simply being together.

It means giving your time to the person in front of you, being present, and continuing to truly see them.

To me, that is love in its most beautiful form.

I grew up without my father always by my side, and there were many days when I felt lonely.

Now that I am a father myself, there is something I understand more deeply than ever.

What a father can give his son is more than words.

It is the simple assurance of his presence—the feeling that “I will always be here for you.”

And so, I want to make sure you always have a place you can come home to, no matter what happens.

It’s okay to have days when things don’t go well.
It’s okay to be different from everyone else.

Whoever you are, my love for you will never change.

Someday, there may come a time when you choose your friends over me, or when you don’t want to hear what I have to say.

Even then, I will always be your father.

As you grow from a boy into a man, I want to be there beside you for as much of that journey as I possibly can.

The fact that you came into this world is a gift more precious to me than anything else in my life.

Ka’imi, you are the son I always dreamed of having.

All I ask is that you simply be yourself.

I will love you always.

#OyakoDay
#OYAKODAY
#MothersDay
#FathersDay
#PresentToTheFuture
#GladToBeBorn

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We are deeply grateful to everyone who took part.

And today is A Day for Mothers to Toast Their Dreams, organized by The Mothers’ Industry Newspaper, which has always been a wonderful supporter of Oyako Day.

At 7:30 p.m. on July 30, mothers throughout Japan are invited to raise a glass together. As part of the celebration, the organizers are collecting declarations of mothers’ dreams, with the goal of gathering 1,000 dreams.

My dream is:

“As the mother of two daughters, and as someone who has helped nurture Oyako Day, I hope to see the day when Oyako Day belongs to people everywhere in the world—and when I can entrust its future to them with complete confidence.”

The second Sunday of May is Mother’s Day.

The third Sunday of June is Father’s Day.

And the fourth Sunday of July is Oyako Day.

Created in 2003 as a commemorative day following Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, Oyako Day carries the hope of building a society in which every life can feel, “I’m glad I was born.”

Why not declare your dream, too?

#ADayForMothersToToastTheirDreams
#OneMillionDreamDeclarations
#DreamDeclaration
#OyakoDay
#OYAKODAY
#MothersDay
#FathersDay
#PresentToTheFuture
#GladToBeBorn
#ConnectingLives

The post After Oyako Day, a Toast to Mothers appeared first on 「親子の日」Oyako Day.

The celebration begins at 7:30, on July 30.

This year’s theme is:

“A Mother’s Dream Journey—Leading the Way to Her Child’s Future.”

The event is organized by The Mothers’ Industry Newspaper (Okaasan Gyokai Shimbun), the only media outlet in Japan dedicated to sharing one simple message: “Mothers are amazing!”

Written by mothers themselves, the publication tells authentic stories drawn from everyday life—capturing the world within a three-meter radius and transforming ordinary experiences into meaningful voices.

The cover photograph of every issue is taken by Bruce Osborn.

The post July 30: A Toast to Mothers and Their Dreams appeared first on 「親子の日」Oyako Day.

Guest: Yumiko Minegishi (Representative Director, Yushin General Incorporated Association)
Host: Satoru Seki (editor, producer)
Hosts: Bruce Osborn (photographer), Yoshiko Inoue (Oyako Day Promotion Committee)
Organized by: Oyako Day Promotion Committee
Streaming date and time: Sunday, April 26, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. (live stream)

For the 45th Oyako Day Online Talk Live, we welcome Yumiko Minegishi, who for 35 years has been involved in nature-experience activities, operating and leading nature schools, and training instructors. Through her original “Yushin Method,” she promotes activities that connect local nature, people, and culture. What hints for the future can be found in Minegishi’s connection with Oyako Day? This article introduces highlights from the video.
(Watch the video here)

Featuring:

Yumiko Minegishi (Representative Director, Yushin General Incorporated Association)

For 35 years, she has been involved in nature-experience activities, running nature schools, and training instructors. She developed her own “Yushin Method,” which she has expanded into corporate training as well as early-childhood and family education. After establishing the organization in 2010, she began offering hands-on programs for parents and children in urban areas that engage all five senses; in 2024, about 1,500 people participated over the year. She also works on inquiry-based learning using zoos and museums. Since 2021, she has led the Kanda Ai no Kai, dedicating herself to passing on local culture.

Satoru Seki (Editor, producer)

He has been involved in planning and editing culture magazines such as POPEYE, BRUTUS, and Takarajima. He currently also serves as a part-time lecturer at institutions including Nippon Engineering College and as director of the Stimulus Switch Institute. He is in charge of “Seki Satoru’s Movie Oyako-don” on the official Oyako Day website.

Bruce Osborn (Photographer; originator of Oyako Day)

He began photographing parents and children as a theme in 1982. In 2003, he proposed that the fourth Sunday of July be designated Oyako Day. His social activities through photography, including Oyako Day, were recognized with the Higashikuninomiya Culture Award. As an artist, he continues to share the message “Present to the Future.”

Yoshiko Inoue (Representative of Oyako Day; producer; President and CEO of Ozone Inc.)

As Bruce Osborn’s partner in both work and life, she has produced numerous exhibitions and events.

Introducing Yumiko Minegishi

Seki: Hello. It’s Sunday, April 26, and the weather in Tokyo is beautifully sunny. Today we welcome Yumiko Minegishi of Yushin General Incorporated Association as our guest. Hello, Ms. Minegishi.

Minegishi: Thank you for having me.

Seki: Today I’d like you to tell us about the activities of your organization, Yushin, because I think they have a strong affinity with Oyako Day. The name is written with the characters for “play” and “heart.” What does it mean?

Minegishi: We launched the organization 16 years ago, and I’m very particular about the word “Yushin.” One meaning is like the commonly used idea of a playful spirit: a state with space and ease. Another is like mindfulness: a state in which the mind is free, like the focused time when a child is so absorbed—even with a runny nose—that they don’t notice when someone at home calls to them. That nuance of being completely engrossed is also part of “Yushin,” so I chose the name to combine both meanings.

Seki: In Japanese, “playing” tends to be taken lightly, but the English word “play” is broad and deep. I feel that a playful heart may be the most important thing of all.

Minegishi: I hope not only children, but adults too, can have that. It’s something I want to value.

Children Who Don’t Have Opportunities to Play Outside

Seki: This is your 16th year, I hear. Having seen so many children, what are your impressions?

Minegishi: I’ve actually been playing outdoors with children for more than 35 years, including in places near mountains and the sea. When I returned to Taito Ward, where I was born, I found that there were many children who had no opportunity to go outside and play. Some had never touched a leaf, had never caught a pill bug, or couldn’t sit on the ground. Their parents would scold them, saying, “Don’t touch that, it’s dirty.” Recently, nursery school and kindergarten teachers have been working hard to improve this, but now parents from Generation Z often have no nature experiences themselves, so the parents can’t touch things either.

If you go somewhere rich in nature, of course you can experience more. But even in the city, there is ground beneath your feet, flowers blooming in the flower bed next door, and ants by the roadside. I think it’s important to notice those things.

Seki: The way we direct our attention is important too. Yoshiko, how do you see the connection with Oyako Day?

Yoshiko: What they have in common is that they look at society not as “parent or child,” but through the connection of “both parent and child.” I’d like to keep exploring what we can share together going forward.

Helping Children Find Their Own Ways to Play

Bruce: Please take a look at these photos from an event we did a little while ago in Hayama with local people.

Yoshiko: After going for a walk and collecting grasses, flowers, and driftage from the beach, we gave everyone a specimen box. It was an event where Bruce taught people how to take photographs while they created a specimen box. Both parents and children took part, and everyone got completely absorbed—it was so much fun. I thought it overlapped with Ms. Minegishi’s activities, so I dug up these nostalgic photos.

Seki: Amazing. These are really impressive works.

Yoshiko: Even people with no photography experience can walk around with a camera, take pictures, cut out the finished prints, and combine them with things they picked up to make works like this. It was fun.

Yoshiko: While everyone was doing this, they were all so quiet.

Minegishi: And when your own photo is included, it makes you happy.

Yoshiko: When children see adults enjoying themselves, they’re delighted and have fun too. It’s about enjoying it, not doing it out of obligation—that’s “Yushin,” isn’t it? I felt that was where we could really resonate with Ms. Minegishi’s work.

Seki: Instead of only knowing things that have been handed to them, children find their own play in nature. I think that’s truly creative.

Minegishi: Many children can play with something they’ve been given, but they’re not very good at creating something themselves from nothing. But in fact, children do have that ability, and as they keep doing it, they become able to use it. The strength they already have awakens. Nature is perfect for that, because it contains so many things outside the human realm and is so full of variety.

Seki: Looking at your website, I see your name is listed as “Fujiko.” Where did Fujiko come from?

Minegishi: I’ve been keeping it a secret, but the children call me “Fujiko-chan.”

Seki: That’s straight out of Lupin.

Minegishi: When I was younger, I got up to all sorts of things. Drinking, making noise, walking around town carrying a big bottle of sake—that kind of thing was normal. Please keep it a secret.

Seki: Everyone is watching, and this will stay in the archive too. From now on, I’ll call you Ms. Fujiko.

Activities of the Kanda Ai no Kai

Seki: It says “Kanda Ai-ai” here. Fujiko, you’re also active with the Kanda Ai no Kai. Could you tell us about it?

Minegishi: It started in 2021. I thought it would be nice to have nature close at hand, so I had been running a rooftop vegetable garden in Uchikanda. We were giving local parents and children the chance to experience growing vegetables there, but because of COVID, we could no longer use it. I focused on indigo as something easier to grow than vegetables and suited to Kanda’s history and culture, and I reached out to people in the community.

Minegishi: We grow it on the rooftop of a public facility in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. You can see the roof of the Budokan nearby, and to the left is the inner moat of the Imperial Palace. We had already been doing dyeing activities with parents and children, but I started this with the thought, “Why don’t we begin by growing the indigo ourselves?” Indigo is a fairly hardy plant; as long as it has water, it grows steadily. You can grow it in a pot on your balcony at home or in your garden.

Using Indigo-Dyeing Culture as a Way to Bring People Together

Seki: How do those green leaves become that indigo blue?

Minegishi: Many people don’t know that the indigo used in indigo dyeing is a plant. Even when you make the dye liquid, it’s green at first, and through oxidation it changes to blue. We all enjoy watching that transformation together. By growing the plant, it becomes a chance for people to talk, and I hope it helps different people connect with one another. That’s the spirit behind the activity.

Minegishi: Kanda was originally a place where indigo from all over Japan was processed. Indigo produced in places like Tokushima and Gunma would gather here, and I hope it can become a “knot” where people connect. Indigo has been familiar to Japanese people since the age of the samurai; the garments worn under armor were dyed with indigo, and it is also said to have antioxidant properties and to help wounds heal faster.

Seki: It’s a beautiful color. As a high-quality pair of jeans, indigo-dyed jeans would be great, wouldn’t they?

Minegishi: Yes. But what matters is not just the finished product. I think what the people of the town need is the time and place to gather the indigo together, make the dye liquid, dye things, and enjoy the process. That’s why we do it.

Seki: So it connects with Yushin. Do Yushin and the Ai no Kai ever work together?

Minegishi: They do. When there is a parent-and-child dyeing event, Yushin goes out and helps. Anyone who wants to take part can apply through the website, and we’ll send seeds and seedlings. We distribute seeds that have been blessed at Kanda Myojin Shrine, and people can be involved in the entire process over the course of a year: growing, harvesting, and dyeing.

Seki: Isn’t the barrier to entry high?

Minegishi: Not at all!

Growing Indigo Is Not Difficult

Seki: How long does it take before the plant can be used for dyeing?

Minegishi: If you sow the seeds in March or April, the plants grow large by June or July in the summer, and you can harvest them about three times. They look like shiso or basil, and people seeing them for the first time sometimes ask, “Is this basil?” In Tokushima, they make it into tea or mix it into foods. It’s bitter, but it’s good for you. There are also initiatives where people with disabilities mix it into cookies. If indigo spreads through the Kanda area, there will be more greenery, and children will have more places to touch leaves, so I’d like to fill the area with green.

Bruce Introduces Activities at the Hayama Art Festival

Seki: Now Bruce has an announcement about Oyako Day activities.

Bruce: This year, we’re exhibiting panels of artwork at Morito Shrine.

Seki: You can see them as soon as you enter the shrine.

Yoshiko: We’re also exhibiting works at the nearby Lanai Gallery.

Yoshiko: It’s a two-person exhibition by Masaru Fukuda and Bruce. Bruce is showing works based on driftage he found by the sea, with hand-drawn elements added to photographic negatives and printed on Nishijima washi paper from Yamanashi. Please come and see it.

A Large-Scale Event Packed with Programs

Bruce: And we’re doing a photo session too.

Yoshiko: There will be a Children’s Day photo session, and there will also be a screening and talk event at Lanai. The footage was shot by Bruce not long after he came to Japan, and it’s full-on Showa-era Japan. He took a torii gate to all sorts of places and filmed it. On May 4, there will also be a talk event with Bruce, hosted by Seki.

Seki: You’ll get to see another side of Bruce, different from his parent-and-child photography. The Hayama Art Festival has more than 100 exhibitions and is large in scale, stretching from Kamakura to Akiya. You can go inside artists’ studios, and there are film screenings too. It’s amazing.

Yoshiko: I think this year is the 34th edition. It’s wonderful that all sorts of people can communicate around a single theme, and that’s part of Hayama’s charm.

Yumiko Minegishi’s “Present to the Future”

Seki: Now, Fujiko-chan, please give us your Present to the Future. “Everything has life”—what do you mean by that?

Minegishi: When humans become the center of things, we tend to think that people are superior, and that the nature around us, our friends, or everything else altogether is somehow different. But I want people to realize that family, friends, the flowers and grasses in the neighborhood, and the tiny insects there each have their own small life. If more people notice that, their relationships with all kinds of things will become more loving, more caring, and more cherishing.

If that keeps spreading, I believe the Earth could become peaceful. It’s a big idea, but I think it’s important first to cherish everything around us, and that is what I want to convey to children.

Yoshiko: I truly feel the same way. It’s exactly the same as the spirit of Oyako Day. If everyone begins with what is close at hand, that will eventually become a great movement. And I also want us not to forget that the Earth itself is a living body with a finite life.

Minegishi: We mustn’t forget that. I think the smallest unit of all is parent and child.

Bruce: I’d really like us to do something together around the theme of discovering what’s right in front of us. I think that’s right.

Yoshiko: Nature is powerful, so when there’s even a small crack, a sprout will properly emerge. I hope the town can be a place that doesn’t lose that vitality of life. I think that’s important for children and for adults too.

Seki: Thank you very much. Everyone, have a wonderful Sunday!

The post Talk Live Text Edition – Yumiko Minegishi ~Present to the Future~ vol.45 appeared first on 「親子の日」Oyako Day.

Guest: Hirofumi Gomi (President and CEO, Office Burn Inc.; Haunted House Producer)
Host: Satoru Seki (editor, producer)
Hosts: Bruce Osborn (photographer), Yoshiko Inoue (Oyako Day Promotion Committee)
Organizer: Oyako Day Promotion Committee
Streaming date and time: Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 12:30 p.m. (live stream)

The guest for the 46th Online Talk Live is Hirofumi Gomi.
In this article, we present highlights from the video.
(Watch the video here)

Featuring:

Hirofumi Gomi (President and CEO, Office Burn Inc.; Haunted House Producer)

Since 1992, beginning with “Maro Akaji’s Panorama House of Horrors” at Korakuen Amusement Park—now Tokyo Dome City Attractions—he has produced more than 100 haunted houses over the course of more than 30 years. With his distinctive style incorporating “story” and “mission,” he has evolved the haunted house into entertainment that adults can enjoy as well. His major works include “Baby Hell,” “The House of Leg-Cutting,” and “The Pinky-Swear House.” He is also the author of many books.

Satoru Seki (Editor, producer)

He has been involved in planning and editing culture magazines such as POPEYE, BRUTUS, and Takarajima. He currently also serves as a part-time lecturer at institutions including Nippon Engineering College, and as director of the Stimulus Switch Research Institute. He is in charge of “Satoru Seki’s Movie Oyako-don” on the official Oyako Day website.

Bruce Osborn (Photographer; originator of Oyako Day)

He began photographing parents and children as a theme in 1982. In 2003, he proposed making the fourth Sunday of July “Oyako Day.” His social activities through photography, including Oyako Day, were recognized with the Higashikuninomiya Culture Award. As an artist, he continues to share the message “Gift to the Future ~Present to the Future~.”

Yoshiko Inoue (Representative of Oyako Day; producer; President and CEO of Ozone Inc.)

As Bruce Osborn’s professional and personal partner, she has produced numerous exhibitions and events.

Introducing Mr. Gomi

Seki: Hello. Today we’ve invited a rather frightening guest: haunted house producer Hirofumi Gomi. Mr. Gomi has very close ties with Bruce; every year Bruce photographs the haunted house at Korakuen that Mr. Gomi produces. To begin, I’d like to ask how you first met Bruce.

Meeting Bruce and Yoshiko

Gomi: I started working on Korakuen’s haunted houses in 1992, and asked the butoh dancer Maro Akaji to direct one. That “Maro Akaji’s Panorama House of Horrors” became a huge hit, and they asked me back the following year. The promotional art for Maro’s production was by the artist Suehiro Maruo, and Bruce had been photographing Maruo.

Bruce: That’s right.

Gomi: Because of that connection, the producer of Dairakudakan said, “Why don’t you ask Bruce?” That was how we first met.

Seki: That was when you were active in the underground scene, wasn’t it?

Gomi: It was around the time of “Tokyo GaGaGa,” after all.

Yoshiko: Was Kazuo Umezu later than that?

Gomi: No, it was then. We asked Mr. Umezu to do the haunted house the following year, so Bruce photographed him as well.

Seki: He’s eating a brain. It’s like Dr. Lecter—or there’s also a scene in Jacopetti’s Mondo Cane where they eat a monkey’s brain.

Gomi: With plans like this, Bruce would sketch things out as we talked—saying, “Wouldn’t it be interesting to take a photo like this?”—and we’d move forward from there.

Bruce: Family members and acquaintances are in there too.

Gomi: The people around them are dancers from Dairakudakan.

Gomi: This is a haunted house called “Heart of Darkness,” where you walk around carrying a heart.

Seki: That’s awful (laughs).

Gomi: It’s scary because white-painted people appear.

The haunted house experience and the mission element

Seki: In Mr. Gomi’s haunted houses, there’s a mission—delivering something, for example—and because you’re made responsible for it, it becomes frightening.

Gomi: You don’t want to get involved because it’s scary, but when you have to deliver it, it starts to weigh on you.

Seki: Japanese people are serious, so they try to complete the mission.

Gomi: In the end, they get enjoyment out of it, so they do it.

A childhood spent making haunted houses and scaring relatives

Seki: Mr. Gomi, you went from studying law into theater. Did your love of horror go back to childhood?

Gomi: I liked scary things from the time I was a child, and I also wanted to entertain people. I loved rakugo and thought about becoming a storyteller, while at the same time I was making haunted houses in my own home. For three years—from third to fifth grade—every summer I would build a haunted house at home and scare relatives who came back to Nagano.

Seki: As they say, “The child is father to the man.”

Gomi: I’ve spent most of my life doing haunted houses, really. During those three years—third, fourth, and fifth grade—every summer I built a haunted house in my own home.

Seki: Even though it wasn’t for a school festival.

Gomi: In junior high, high school, and university, I completely forgot about it. By the time I started making haunted houses as an adult, I no longer even remembered that I’d done it as a child.

Encountering Jokyo Gekijo and turning to theater

Gomi: I hated watching school theater, but at university a friend in the theater club said, “Just trust me—it’s interesting. They perform inside a tent.” So I went to see Jokyo Gekijo and was stunned. Jinpachi Nezu and Kaoru Kobayashi were in it, and my dislike flipped all at once into “This is fascinating.” After that I began writing scripts, and when I took them to a friend’s theater company, they were well received.

Gomi: Around that time, Kohei Tsuka had emerged, followed by Hideki Noda, Shoji Kokami, and other student theater companies from the six major universities, which became a boom. I became obsessed with wanting to be like them too.

Seki: And that’s how you became Gomi of Rikkyo, so to speak.

His first haunted house was inspired by the world of Edogawa Ranpo

Gomi: The central actor in Jokyo Gekijo was Maro, so it really was an amazing twist of fate. My first haunted house, “Maro Akaji’s Panorama House of Horrors,” was set in the world of Edogawa Ranpo.

Seki: Bruce took this photo too, didn’t he? We’ve never seen anything like this for Oyako Day, so it’s quite a surprise.

Yoshiko: We’re showing it publicly today for the first time.

It’s scary, but everyone ends up smiling

Seki: Bruce, what were you feeling when you took these?

Bruce: It was an incredible team. Very creative—and these two don’t usually come together.

Yoshiko: Bruce’s parent-child photos are monochrome and simple, but these are elaborate, with lighting and other effects, so I think he enjoyed it.

Seki: This doll isn’t CG?

Gomi: We arranged them to some extent, photographed them, and layered the images.

Yoshiko: Based on Mr. Gomi’s story, Bruce would develop an image, and we photographed while thinking about the effects we would use in processing it.

Seki: This is a good photo (laughs).

Gomi: This woman is someone who was buried under the floor.

Bruce: Was this during COVID? Everyone’s wearing masks.

Gomi: Maybe the haunted house at Uzumasa.

Gomi: This is called “The Nape Barber Shop”—a barbershop that cuts the nape of your neck.

Seki: Oh, that’s scary.

Gomi: I’m happy to see all these nostalgic photos.

Seki: Mr. Gomi, what does “scary” mean to you?

Gomi: A haunted house is a scary place, but in the end it’s fun. After people scream, most customers end up smiling. What’s interesting is that by laughing at the self that was scared, or at the person they’re with, they can see things objectively.

Seki: In the old days, amusement parks had permanent haunted houses; Futako-Tamagawaen and Dreamland had them too, but now they’re gone. The haunted house at Dreamland, where the floor turned all wobbly, was a shock.

Gomi: That’s a primitive way to scare people.

Bruce: Hanayashiki was amazing in how cheap and funky it was. I lived in Asakusa at first.

Gomi: Hanayashiki back then was cheap, but it had an old-fashioned charm that was wonderful.

Seki: I also miss the haunted houses at festival fairs and the snake-woman sideshow tents.

Gomi: Even now, at the Tori-no-Ichi fair at Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku, there’s one sideshow tent still operating, and it’s wonderful. Haunted houses were once almost an endangered species, but now they’ve taken root.

Seki: Koji Suzuki’s Ring and Spiral also helped revive J-horror.

Gomi: Once Takashi Shimizu of Ju-On emerged and a movement took shape, directors and films followed, and the scene became richer and richer.

Seki: And Mr. Gomi has played a part in that. You’re a creator of culture.

Differences between Japanese and American horror

Yoshiko: What is the biggest difference between Japanese and overseas horror?

Gomi: In America, physical strength becomes the source of fear—murderers like Jason, for example. In Japan, it’s the weak who are scarier. Women become ghosts, don’t they? They’re oppressed and ultimately die. Their resentment is intense. That grudge becomes the source of fear. So the weaker someone is, the scarier they become. With revenge tales and ghost stories, men can take revenge, but women have no choice but to come back as spirits. Yotsuya Kaidan combines both revenge and a frightening story. Many of my haunted houses are also stories in which women suffer terribly.

The scariest work: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Seki: What work did you find the scariest?

Gomi: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. At the time there was little information about it, and there were urban-legend-like stories surrounding it, so it was so shocking that I could barely watch it straight on in the theater.

Seki: The sound of the chainsaw was terrifying.

Gomi: It’s an interesting film because you begin to see things beyond the fear as well. A documentary was made for its 50th anniversary, and I think it’s a film people should see even outside the category of horror.

Bruce: It’s too scary for me to watch.

Yoshiko: I used to like scary movies and rides, but after having a child I became bad with them. I even started asking for the posters hanging at home to be turned around. Haunted houses have an element of play, so I can enjoy them, but posters come at you so relentlessly.

Bruce: Even though they’re my own work.

Yoshiko: I’m glad I got to take my time looking at them today. Mr. Gomi, where do you feel most at ease?

Gomi: I feel most at ease at home. But I also feel at ease inside haunted houses. Being backstage, in the dark, is calming too.

Claustrophobia and the terror of costumes

Gomi: I don’t really like saying this, but I’m not good with airplanes. I hate the feeling of being trapped.

Seki: I have a friend who hates seats in the middle of a movie theater, and he says he hates ski lifts too.

Bruce: I don’t like middle seats either, because you’re not free.

Seki: When I was a student, I had a part-time job wearing a monster suit. They zipped it up, and I couldn’t open it myself, so I panicked.

Gomi: I’ve also written a haunted house story about the lid of a drum can getting stuck and not opening.

Seki: The once-popular game The Exit 8 may have a similar premise, in that you can’t get out.

Gomi: I heard that during a shoot where someone in a Godzilla suit falls into a pool, they didn’t call cut for a long time, and water started getting inside the suit.

Seki: That’s terrifying.

This year’s haunted house is inspired by the world of Seishi Yokomizo

Seki: What is the theme of this year’s haunted house?

Gomi: It’s “Wedding in the Dark.” Set in a village in the late 1940s, it’s a story in which guests break the village rules and end up going through something terrifying. Strange customs and taboos are scary, aren’t they?

Seki: It’s a world like Seishi Yokomizo’s The Village of Eight Graves.

Gomi: I wanted to do something like The Inugami Family. It’s said that when Seishi Yokomizo was staying in Suwa for recuperation or something similar, he wrote The Inugami Family using the local Katakura zaibatsu and Lake Suwa as motifs.

A kodan collaboration with Hakuzan Kanda

Gomi: The kodan storyteller Hakuzan Kanda and Master Yujaku Sanyutei will alternate performances of “The Birth of Oiwa” from Yotsuya Kaidan and “Removing the Talismans” from The Peony Lantern at Shinjuku Suehirotei. I’ll be directing those ghost-story pieces from July 1 to 10.

Seki: Yoshiko, do you have any announcements?

Yoshiko: Oyako Day, on the fourth Sunday of July, is coming up, and events are planned including a photo contest, an essay contest, voting for the Oyako Grand Prize, and the Super Photo Session.

Seki: Please see the Oyako Day website for details.

Bruce: One more thing. At Morito Shrine in Hayama, we’re exhibiting large-scale works and video pieces through the end of August.

Hirofumi Gomi’s ~Present to the Future~

Gomi: My Present to the Future is: “Keep adventuring, forever and ever.” When people hear the word adventure, they tend to imagine it’s something only adventurers do. But I don’t think that’s true. For example, I love music, and the first record I bought was a CD single by an idol. Eventually that led me to Bob Dylan and to Talking Heads.

Back then, unlike today, there was hardly any information. I didn’t have much money either, so I would save my allowance as hard as I could, go to the record store, and think, “Maybe this one? Maybe that one?” I’d listen to all kinds of information from friends, go to friends’ houses and hear records, read magazines, and think as hard as I could about what record I should buy with my next allowance.

Seki: Absolutely.

Gomi: You’d say, “I’m paying this much money for a jacket with four guys on it—is it okay to buy this?” and then you’d buy Meet the Beatles! You’d drop the needle on the record and think, “Wow, this is great.” That meant taking a real risk. And before getting there, there were plenty of records I’d bought that turned out to be failures.

I’d paid money, but they weren’t interesting at all. But because there was the joy of arriving at something, I’d think, next time, let’s go a little further. Going further and further, failing, taking risks, at some point I reached Bob Dylan, and at some point I reached Talking Heads’ Remain in Light.

You get there by repeatedly challenging yourself with a spirit of adventure, taking risks, and pushing through something. But young people today, for example in how they live with music, don’t do that. Information keeps pouring in, and through streaming they can listen to all kinds of music without taking risks. But that unfolds within an algorithm, so if you like Korean idol songs, that algorithm won’t lead you to Bob Dylan. That’s why I think today’s age is depriving people of adventure.

What I want to pass on to the future is: “Hold on to a spirit of adventure, and just keep adventuring.” Take risks, again and again, get discouraged, fail. Grasp something with your own hands, use it as a foothold, and then, while failing again, grasp the next thing. Before you know it, you’ve reached someplace far away. That’s the kind of life I’d like young people to lead.

Seki: Wonderful. Everyone, let’s adventure! Thank you very much.

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Yuna-chan is such a good girl, she doesn’t cause any trouble.

Those words became a kind of curse. Born as the eldest daughter in a rural family, my reputation was tied to the reputation of the house. My education-focused parents took me to cram school before I even started elementary school.
Because I started things earlier than others, I was able to do decently in both sports and academics.
Getting good test scores and winning awards in club competitions were just normal for me.
That’s how I defined myself.
In contrast to my sociable younger sister, my conversations with my parents ended up being about “achievements” all the time.
But I couldn’t keep doing everything perfectly forever.
Every time I accomplished something, I felt the need to achieve more, so I kept taking on new things.
As I continued doing this, I broke down.

I became a school refuser.
I couldn’t sleep every night because I was anxious about going to school the next day.
Even when I woke up in the morning and put on my uniform, I couldn’t bring myself to step out the door.
It was painful to see my mother watching me with concern.
Every time she said, “It’s okay to rest,” I felt like I was betraying her trust.
I felt like I was no longer her proud daughter.
Seeing my father act as if nothing had changed, pretending everything was fine at the dinner table, made me anxious.

I took out my frustration on objects.
Even in those times, my parents never gave up on me.
When I started spending more time alone, with my day and night flipped around, my mother stayed up with me and watched Korean dramas. On days when I managed to wake up in the morning, she took me on drives.
My father, wanting me to pursue what I truly wanted, started watching over me from a distance.
When I said, “I want to go to a correspondence high school,” he nodded without saying a word.
Even when I couldn’t do anything, they stayed by my side without changing.
Through the time I spent not attending school, I feel like I got to know my mother and father better.
They knew more about me than I imagined, and they loved me.
Now that I fully understand that, I can love the imperfect version of myself too.

Dad, Mom, I think raising me was a lot of work.
I’m sure there were many unexpected things, but with that, we also made many memories.
Thank you.

by FU / age: 19 / Abiko City, Chiba

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Simply because every single day we spend together is filled with joy, surprise, and color.

Watching her grow a little more each day. Seeing the endless expressions that dance across her face. Hearing the unexpected words she invents and watching the little things she does that make us laugh. Nothing brings me greater happiness than seeing my wife and daughter smiling together. The fact that scenes like these have become part of our everyday life feels like an incredible blessing.

The other day, we visited her great-grandmother. Once again, our daughter had the entire family laughing with her spontaneous remarks and playful antics. Even as her parent, I find myself amazed by her ability to brighten a room the moment she walks into it.

That’s why I tell her “Thank you” every single day.

After we read a picture book together, I say, “Thank you.”

After we share a meal, I say, “Thank you.”

She always answers with her own adorable version: “Aa-to.”

I don’t know how much she understands the meaning of those words just yet. But hearing her little voice echo them back is enough to fill my heart with warmth.

There will surely be tears, setbacks, and difficult days ahead.

Even so, I have a feeling—one that doesn’t need any proof—that we’ll keep smiling and saying, “Wasn’t today fun?”

Rei, thank you so much for coming into our lives.

— Hisashi Makimori

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I went to see Michael, the biographical film about Michael Jackson. The lead role is played by his real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson. Some people say they could have simply used archival footage of Michael himself, but this was a completely different kind of experience. At first, I thought, “Hmm, he doesn’t really look like him.” But as the story went on, he gradually became Michael. His extraordinary physicality, the sharply refined movements of his body, and the sheer beauty of his life force were overwhelming. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who went home and immediately rewatched This Is It.

The central pillar of this film is Michael’s struggle to break free from his toxic father, Joe Jackson. Joe was an ambitious father who, while working at a steel mill, gave his sons intense training and led them to debut as The Jackson 5. There is no denying that his sharp eye helped bring Michael into the world. But even after his son’s success, he continued to act like the father in charge, trying to control him. I was honestly surprised by the force of Colman Domingo’s performance as Joe, portraying a father who treats his child as a possession. It is remarkable that the family approved such a depiction. That is how unsparing it is.

There are, however, some aspects that made me pause. Isn’t it a little too simple to reduce the life of such an extraordinary superstar to a single axis: conflict with his father? Michael’s complexity, loneliness, and the source of his creativity cannot be fully explained by the father-son relationship alone. Still, this film focuses only on the first half of his life. If a sequel is planned, there is a chance that this simplification will be overturned later.

Seen through the lens of Oyako Day, this film deals directly with a universal yet deeply difficult theme: the parent who discovers a child’s talent, and the child who seeks independence. Where is the line between recognizing talent and controlling it? Where does love end and possessiveness begin? Fuqua’s direction does not turn Joe into a simple villain, but tries to portray him as a human being. The film offers no easy answer. Instead, it asks each viewer to reflect on where that line lies within their own family.

With the energy of its live scenes, the persuasive power of its dance sequences, and above all the feeling that you are encountering Michael for the first time all over again, this is a cinematic experience worth having. Watch it as a father-and-son story, or as a testimony to pop culture history. Either way, it is a film to be experienced in a theater, surrounded by sound.

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The story begins with a single point of divergence.

Set in an alternate timeline where a Soviet cosmonaut steps onto the lunar surface before Apollo 11 arrives in 1969, For All Mankind is Apple TV+’s epic science-fiction drama exploring how history might have unfolded if the Space Race had never ended.

An unrelenting Cold War, the rise of Black astronauts, women walking on the Moon, a female president openly discussing LGBTQ rights, and even North Korea achieving the first landing on Mars—the series boldly reimagines major historical milestones. Yet alongside these sweeping changes, it gives equal weight to intimate human stories: marriages under strain, conflicts between parents and children, friendships, and betrayals. By presenting an alternate history, the show shines a revealing light on our own—asking why events unfolded as they did, and what aspects of human nature remain unchanged. That’s what makes it so compelling.

Another brilliant aspect of the series is its structure: each season advances roughly a decade, allowing viewers to watch the characters age over time. A father who was once an astronaut eventually finds himself quietly watching over the choices made by his children. The passage of time resonates deeply. As the story expands from the Moon to Mars and beyond, its scope grows ever larger. The production design and visual effects are first-rate, from meticulous recreations of the 1960s and ’70s to remarkably realistic spacecraft and spaceflight sequences. The scale of the budget and craftsmanship brings an extraordinary sense of authenticity.

Apple TV+ is also home to another masterpiece, Slow Horses, a British espionage drama starring Gary Oldman. Its story of misfit spies from a failed department becoming entangled in major conspiracies is tense, intelligent, and endlessly entertaining. Apple TV+ may not compete with Netflix in terms of sheer volume of content, but in intellectual depth and visual quality, it is arguably the hottest platform in streaming today.

For All Mankind is currently streaming its fifth season. This remarkable series continues quietly, outperforming countless more celebrated dramas. If you haven’t seen it yet, start with Episode 1 of Season 1 today. And if you’re watching with family, make it at least through Season 2. The story of fathers and children living out their own “space journeys” offers a uniquely rewarding experience for viewers of all generations.

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