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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Entries are now being accepted for the Oyako Day Essay Contest, one of the official events of Oyako Day.

A cherished memory. An ordinary moment. Feelings that are difficult to express face to face.

Why not share your own Oyako story in the form of an essay?

The submission deadline is August 31, 2026.

For entry guidelines and submission details, please visit:

▼ Oyako Day Essay Contest
https://oyako.org/en/essaycontest/

We look forward to receiving your stories.

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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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Photojournalist Shisei Kuwabara, who has spent many years confronting and documenting various social issues on the ground, has received the 76th Kumanichi Award.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations.

Bruce and I first met Mr. Kuwabara when he was serving as Chair of the International Exchange Committee of the Japan Professional Photographers Society (JPS). Our connection began when he invited me to join the committee as one of its members.

He also once participated as one of the photographers in the Oyako Photo Festival held at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan (FCCJ), where we exhibited his parent-child photographs taken in Minamata.

Thanks in part to Mr. Kuwabara’s warm personality, the members of that International Exchange Committee still gather regularly, exchanging information and maintaining our friendship. He remains one of our cherished colleagues.

We hope he will continue to be active on the front lines of journalism, never overlooking fleeting moments or the changes of our times.

Mr. Kuwabara, congratulations once again.

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Bruce Osborn first met Yuki Shogun nearly forty years ago. Since then, Yuki has dedicated himself to preserving and passing on Japan’s intangible cultural heritage, including Bushido, traditional etiquette, and performing arts.

“Culture is not something to be preserved—it is a living asset that should be passed on to future generations.”

How will this philosophy resonate with the values and aspirations that Oyako Day has cherished over the years?

This promises to be another engaging and thought-provoking conversation.

The post 47th Oyako Day Online Talk Live appeared first on 「親子の日」Oyako Day.

The Oyako Award was established in 2007 as a way to encourage people to reflect on the meaning of oyako—the bond between parent and child.

Over the years, recipients have included parent-child pairs from a wide range of fields, such as Kinya Sekine and Mari Sekine, Ryoko Moriyama and Naotaro Moriyama, Rentaro Mikuni and Koichi Sato, Tokiko Kato and Yae, and Tetsuya Chiba and Kozo Chiba.

The recipients of the Oyako Award 2025 were photographer Kazutetsu Morishita, who has spent many years documenting atomic bomb survivors, and his daughter Miho Morishita, who continues his work and legacy.

We invite you to cast your vote for the parent-child pair whose story, achievements, or way of life inspires you most.

Vote for the Oyako Award!

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The exhibition will run from May 30 (Saturday) through June 26 (Friday), 2026.

This year, photographers from Japan and around the world have once again contributed works exploring the theme of Oyako—the bond between parent and child.

Afghanistan, Cambodia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Gaza, Iran, Japan, Poland, Syria, Ukraine, the United States, and Vietnam.

Though cultures, religions, environments, and ways of life may differ, each photograph reveals something universal: the time shared between parent and child, and the continuity of life itself.

“Oyako transcends borders, cultures, and religions—it is a universal language.”

At a time when conflict and division continue in many parts of the world, we hope this exhibition will encourage visitors to reflect on the everyday lives of families and the enduring connections that sustain us.

As many families, as many stories.

We hope that the parent-child relationships captured in these photographs will resonate with you in a meaningful way.

Exhibition Dates

May 30 (Sat) – June 26 (Fri), 2026

Venue

Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan (FCCJ)

Opening Hours

Weekdays: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday: Open from the afternoon
Closed on Sundays and public holidays

Exhibition Details

https://www.fccj.or.jp/exhibition

A reception with participating photographers will also be held on Thursday, June 4.

If you would like to attend, please register by email:

E-mail: staff@oyako.org

We look forward to welcoming you.

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The Home to Which the Noise Returns

There came a day when I stopped going on family trips.
I had been glued to my desk preparing for university entrance exams… or perhaps, I had just come up with that excuse.
The truth was, I simply couldn’t find a reason to go to noisy places with my family anymore.

— In other words, I longed for silence.

My family silently accepted it. Gradually, the number of trips they took without me increased.
They must have sensed that I was yearning for “serenity.”

In my house, silence never truly existed.
The TV was always on, laughter shook the walls, the ventilation fan hummed, and the air conditioner groaned.
Even if I curled up in the furthest corner of the house, the noise would follow me.

— However, when my family was gone, silence would unexpectedly arrive.
A silence so empty it felt almost unnatural.
The body left behind in the stillness experienced a strange sense of liberation.
The air spreading from corner to corner of the room didn’t clear with a “shh” but instead carried a tension, as if it were on the verge of snapping. I tried to merge with it.

I wanted to live in that stillness forever.

…That was my feeling for the first three hours.

Soon, the silence turned into a ringing in my ears, summoning phantom sounds that gnawed at my mind.
I started feeling ill, and in the end, I turned on the TV and played music…

— Ah, please come back.

When the door opened, the noise rushed in.
Laughter bounced through the air, the clinking of dishes echoed, and the TV blared noisily.
I frowned, but deep inside, I felt relieved.

The stillness certainly comforted me.
But it was the noise that connected me to something.

I hear there is something called “OYAKO Day.”
I want to celebrate that day not as a day to give flowers or exchange special words, but simply—
as a day to truly appreciate the value of the noise.

The discomfort of being alone.
The disharmony born from the interactions between parent and child.
That disharmony is my life, my comfort,
— and the place to which I belong.

by Nao Sasaki / age: 22 / Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

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May 5 (Children’s Day)

Oyako Photo Session (Studio AO)

Applications are accepted by email.
Please include the following subject line:

E-mail: yoshiko@intheozone.net
Subject: Hayama Art Festival Event — Children’s Day Oyako Photo Session

Date: May 5 (Children’s Day)
Time: 9:00 a.m. – approximately 12:00 p.m.

Details and participation information will be sent directly by email to those who apply.

Official Website

https://www.hayama-artfes.org

Inquiries

yoshiko@intheozone.net

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May 3 (Constitution Memorial Day)

Screening of the film work Spring 1982 (@ Lanai)

A rare film capturing the atmosphere of the Showa era through the eyes of Bruce Osborn, shortly after his arrival in Japan.

The evening will also feature a DJ night with Bruce and friends.

Venue

Lanai

Home of the Masaru & Bruce Two-Person Exhibition.

Bruce first met painter Masaru Fukuda when Fukuda was still working as an art director.
Now, nearly fifty years later, that friendship has become the exhibition Masaru & Bruce.

Official Website

https://www.hayama-artfes.org

Inquiries

yoshiko@intheozone.net

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