In recent weeks, you may have noticed fathers standing with their children in your neighborhood inspecting the trees that sit beside the road with various nets in tow.
It’s more than likely they’re hunting for insects to bolster their children’s school projects over the summer vacation, which are mandatory for pupils nationwide though the third year of junior high school.
Homework over the summer vacation is one of the things that is believed to define Japanese childhood, during which students are encouraged to study subjects ranging from botany and astronomy to analyzing mold and bacteria.