A growing number of Japanese men nowadays can be seen taking part in community events with their children, an extended trend of a recent movement in which more men are becoming actively involved in child raising.
Accompanying children to events makes it easier for these men, who otherwise tend to be preoccupied with their work, to form a network with other fathers in their own community. And it also contributes to establishing smooth relationships essential for mutual help in the event of trouble or emergencies, advocates say.
On a February holiday, about 90 kids and their fathers gathered at a park in the town of Niiza, Saitama Prefecture, for an event to roast sweet potatoes on a campfire. Fathers meeting for the first time greeted each other shyly as they prepared the fire.