Hundreds of people, young and old, including some claiming to be homeless, have been making donations to disadvantaged children across the nation for the past few weeks, having apparently discovered the significance of charity with the help of long-forgotten cartoon heroes.
The fad, now dubbed "the Tiger Mask Phenomenon," also reveals that there are many individuals who want to help others in need, but Japanese society lacks a functioning mechanism to help them make donations.
The phenomenon started on Christmas Day in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, when someone secretly placed 10 boxes containing new school bags in front of a welfare facility for children. The donor was identified only as "Naoto Date," the hero of the 1960s cartoon series "Tiger Mask," in a card found with the bags.