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Japanese fathers lack appreciation on Father’s Day, urged to celebrate it for themselves

Dale Roll Jun 19, 2018
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A survey revealed that more than half of adults weren’t planning to give their dads gifts, leaving them sadly un-celebrated.

Being a mother can definitely be a hard, thankless, and frustrating job, because oftentimes it feels like no one appreciates all that you do. But sometimes it seems like people forget that being a dad is hard too, especially in Japan, where men primarily bring home the bacon, and where working long hours, even when you’re sick, is the norm.

That’s why we have Mother’s Day and Father’s Day: to celebrate our parents and to show respect for how hard they work and all of the sacrifices they’ve made for us. Yet sadly in Japan, Father’s Day doesn’t seem to get near as much celebration as Mother’s Day.

▼ And dads everywhere cry out in despair.

When asked in a survey whether they were planning to give their father a gift to on Father’s Day, only 46 percent of men and women between the ages of 20 and 69 responded “Yes”, compared to about 60 percent who said “Yes” for Mother’s Day. Frankly both of those percentages are too low, but it definitely looks like fathers are getting the shortest end of the stick.

That’s why Yahoo! Japan Shopping, the sponsor of the survey, came up a with a new concept for those poor dads who aren’t getting the love they deserve: “Father’s Day Self-Celebration”. The idea is to buy something that your whole family will love for Father’s Day, in order to get them to spend time together with you and to gain some appreciation from them.

▼ You could also cook something for your family…but this guy doesn’t seem to be a fan of cooking his own Father:s Day dinner.

If you’re one of those fathers who really doesn’t expect much on Father’s Day, Yahoo! wants you to know that they have what you need to make your own celebration. Why not order yourself some cold beers, or a delicious crab meat dinner? Maybe your family will notice your efforts and actually celebrate with you!

Seriously? On a day when their family is supposed to celebrate them, Yahoo! is encouraging dads to go and buy their family a gift (not even a gift for themselves!) and ask their family to spend time with them? How sad is that?

▼ Hopefully they won’t end up playing Jenga by themselves like this guy…

By the way, Yahoo! also asked the participants why they don’t plan to give anything for Father’s Day, and far and away the number-one answer was: “I don’t know what to give him.” Well, for those people, the Internet portal may also offer a convenient solution. In hindsight, that might have actually been a better sales pitch. Swing and a miss, Yahoo! Japan Shopping.

Regardless, don’t let your dad celebrate Father’s Day alone! It may have already passed, but if you haven’t called or given him something yet, you still have time. He will appreciate it even if it’s late, because he loves you, even if you don’t realize it.

Source: Press release
Top Image: Pakutaso
Insert Images: Pakutaso (1, 2, 3)
[ Read in Japanese ]