Middle-Aged Man Trading Cards Go Viral in Rural Japan Town
April 9, 2025 4:50 AM Subscribe
In the small town of Kawara in Fukuoka Prefecture, something unexpected is happening at the Saidosho Community Center. While kids in most parts of Japan are obsessed with Pokémon cards, the children of Kawara are clutching to something a little closer to home.
They are playing a trading card game (TCG) where the stars aren’t fantasy creatures, anime heroes or even famous baseball players, but ojisan (middle-aged or older men) from the local community of Saidosho.
“We wanted to strengthen the connection between the children and the older generations in the community. There are so many amazing people here. I thought it was such a shame that no one knew about them,” she said in an interview with Fuji News Network (FNN). “Since the card game went viral, so many kids are starting to look up to these men as heroic figures.”
The plan worked. Kids have started attending local events and volunteering for community activities — just for a chance to meet the ojisan from their cards. Participation in town events has reportedly doubled since the game launched.
“We wanted to strengthen the connection between the children and the older generations in the community. There are so many amazing people here. I thought it was such a shame that no one knew about them,” she said in an interview with Fuji News Network (FNN). “Since the card game went viral, so many kids are starting to look up to these men as heroic figures.”
The plan worked. Kids have started attending local events and volunteering for community activities — just for a chance to meet the ojisan from their cards. Participation in town events has reportedly doubled since the game launched.
This is so cool!
posted by CMcG at 5:54 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]
posted by CMcG at 5:54 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]
I hope this expands to the US. I want a card! I get a +5 for groaning when I stand up.
posted by goatdog at 6:31 AM on April 9 [15 favorites]
posted by goatdog at 6:31 AM on April 9 [15 favorites]
I love it.
Surely they could come up with something more snappy than "middle-aged man cards".
Where are the women?
Finally, we should do that everywhere! But I can already imagine the hucksters trying to profit from it. :/
posted by Glinn at 6:32 AM on April 9 [5 favorites]
Surely they could come up with something more snappy than "middle-aged man cards".
Where are the women?
Finally, we should do that everywhere! But I can already imagine the hucksters trying to profit from it. :/
posted by Glinn at 6:32 AM on April 9 [5 favorites]
Ojisan is a term of respect. In English it gets translated to middle age man, but its more like Mr. Man who I may or may not know who is my elder and less middle age man which sounds dehumanizing. There's also a female version of this term. As one gets older the word gets elongated to ojiisan and becomes Mr grandfather.
I'm sure you can use it in a degoratory way, but in general it's probobly more equivalent to saying yes sir to someone older than you.
But also now these kids know their names which offers the chance for different honorifics!
posted by AlexiaSky at 7:05 AM on April 9 [21 favorites]
I'm sure you can use it in a degoratory way, but in general it's probobly more equivalent to saying yes sir to someone older than you.
But also now these kids know their names which offers the chance for different honorifics!
posted by AlexiaSky at 7:05 AM on April 9 [21 favorites]
Metafilter: I love it! Here are three problems I have with it immediately.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 7:19 AM on April 9 [85 favorites]
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 7:19 AM on April 9 [85 favorites]
Yuh. Many years ago my local small Canadian city introduce local police force member trading cards for kids. They featured the various neighbourhood officers who worked in the urban neighbourhoods who might interact with the local kids. That means they featured officers who were assigned to child crime investigations, and the ones who came to the school to talk about traffic safety, and the ones who did regular patrols and were dispatched to calls in the area. At that time we had bicycle cops too doing the patrols. They appeared on the cards, grinning in a friendly way, wearing their bright yellow uniform biking shorts, posed with their bicycles. There was at least one detective, for the kids who knew that cops investigate crimes, not just tell you how to look both ways and shoot bad guys. I think the complete set had 24 cards.
First they handed out a starter card to each of the interested kids at the schools, and then they told them to flag down any policeman whenever they saw one and request a card! :D Of course the days of free range kids had pretty much ended by then as it was the late nineties, so the kids were not actually out playing where they could see the cops and wave at them.
It is probably needless for me to go on and tell you that, given the situation I have just described, my six year old son inevitably dialed 911 to request a trading card, but was too embarrassed to explain or identify himself, so hung up instead and the cops subsequently arrived lights flashing, to investigate a child in trouble asking for help and did not ask permission before entering our flat.
Happily the cops were not only not at all surprised to find out why he called, but after taking him into a room alone and asking him very gently if he was maybe afraid of his dad, and getting yet another abashed request for trading cards in response to that question, they presented him with the entire set so he wouldn't go calling 911 again.
Their make-sure-kids-aren't-scared-of-cops initiative was not entirely successful. I think the cops who came to our house were as embarrassed as my son was.
posted by Jane the Brown at 7:50 AM on April 9 [38 favorites]
First they handed out a starter card to each of the interested kids at the schools, and then they told them to flag down any policeman whenever they saw one and request a card! :D Of course the days of free range kids had pretty much ended by then as it was the late nineties, so the kids were not actually out playing where they could see the cops and wave at them.
It is probably needless for me to go on and tell you that, given the situation I have just described, my six year old son inevitably dialed 911 to request a trading card, but was too embarrassed to explain or identify himself, so hung up instead and the cops subsequently arrived lights flashing, to investigate a child in trouble asking for help and did not ask permission before entering our flat.
Happily the cops were not only not at all surprised to find out why he called, but after taking him into a room alone and asking him very gently if he was maybe afraid of his dad, and getting yet another abashed request for trading cards in response to that question, they presented him with the entire set so he wouldn't go calling 911 again.
Their make-sure-kids-aren't-scared-of-cops initiative was not entirely successful. I think the cops who came to our house were as embarrassed as my son was.
posted by Jane the Brown at 7:50 AM on April 9 [38 favorites]
they presented him with the entire set so he wouldn't go calling 911 again
I am very surprised that did not result in half the kids in the school calling the complimentary 911 request line for their free complete collector sets.
posted by CynicalKnight at 8:13 AM on April 9 [7 favorites]
I am very surprised that did not result in half the kids in the school calling the complimentary 911 request line for their free complete collector sets.
posted by CynicalKnight at 8:13 AM on April 9 [7 favorites]
Pokémans: no longer a mere malapropism
posted by SatanicNightjar at 8:22 AM on April 9 [5 favorites]
posted by SatanicNightjar at 8:22 AM on April 9 [5 favorites]
I am very surprised that did not result in half the kids in the school calling the complimentary 911 request line for their free complete collector sets.
It may have. I suspect my son was not the first, nor the last to call 911. The cops complete lack of surprise and their having a full set ready indicates to me that my son was not the only child to call 911. Certainly the initiative got rolled up quite quickly. I am pretty sure it didn't last six months.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:26 AM on April 9 [5 favorites]
It may have. I suspect my son was not the first, nor the last to call 911. The cops complete lack of surprise and their having a full set ready indicates to me that my son was not the only child to call 911. Certainly the initiative got rolled up quite quickly. I am pretty sure it didn't last six months.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:26 AM on April 9 [5 favorites]
I hope this expands to the US. I want a card! I get a +5 for groaning when I stand up.
As long as I can get bonus points for a receding hairline. Sadly I think the US has too much hate for anyone over 40 who isn't a billionaire for it to catch on.
posted by photo guy at 9:04 AM on April 9 [3 favorites]
As long as I can get bonus points for a receding hairline. Sadly I think the US has too much hate for anyone over 40 who isn't a billionaire for it to catch on.
posted by photo guy at 9:04 AM on April 9 [3 favorites]
Those are awesome. I'm kind of jealous.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:25 AM on April 9 [2 favorites]
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:25 AM on April 9 [2 favorites]
I look forward to the slow paced no-action ojisan versus umarell movie!
posted by srboisvert at 9:57 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]
posted by srboisvert at 9:57 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]
As long as I can get bonus points for a receding hairline.
+5x chrome dome visibility multiplier
posted by BungaDunga at 9:59 AM on April 9 [3 favorites]
+5x chrome dome visibility multiplier
posted by BungaDunga at 9:59 AM on April 9 [3 favorites]
Not to be confused with the stepmom tcg (YouTube short, arguably nsfw)
posted by BungaDunga at 10:01 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]
posted by BungaDunga at 10:01 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]
I look forward to the slow paced no-action ojisan versus umarell movie!
We (sort of) already have that. (seriously, a great film)
posted by 1970s Antihero at 10:05 AM on April 9 [3 favorites]
We (sort of) already have that. (seriously, a great film)
posted by 1970s Antihero at 10:05 AM on April 9 [3 favorites]
This is darned cute and I want it for everything.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:03 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:03 AM on April 9 [1 favorite]
My immediate thought was: April Fools? It's the kind of ridiculously twee story I'd hear on All Things Considered, driving home from work on April first.
posted by Rash at 11:18 AM on April 9
posted by Rash at 11:18 AM on April 9
These are great! I like how the ojisan themselves can have new upgraded versions of their cards made if they volunteer more.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:37 PM on April 9 [2 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:37 PM on April 9 [2 favorites]
I appreciate AlexiaSky’s explanation of the term ojisan. But as someone coming up on his 61st birthday, I prefer the implication from the article that 81 is just middle-aged.
posted by tdismukes at 2:41 AM on April 10 [2 favorites]
posted by tdismukes at 2:41 AM on April 10 [2 favorites]
Metafilter: It's the kind of ridiculously twee story I'd hear on All Things Considered, driving home from work on April first.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 4:20 AM on April 10 [1 favorite]
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 4:20 AM on April 10 [1 favorite]
I have to echo Glinn: where are the women? This isn't cool at all while it's bending its knee to the patriarchy.
I'm shocked/not-shocked that folks here don't seem to care that women are excluded.
posted by tkinvt at 7:19 AM on April 10 [1 favorite]
I'm shocked/not-shocked that folks here don't seem to care that women are excluded.
posted by tkinvt at 7:19 AM on April 10 [1 favorite]
tkinvt: "I have to echo Glinn: where are the women? This isn't cool at all while it's bending its knee to the patriarchy.
I'm shocked/not-shocked that folks here don't seem to care that women are excluded."
I do care. That's why I want it for everything. I'd love to see a Red Hat Society version of this.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:31 PM on April 10 [1 favorite]
I'm shocked/not-shocked that folks here don't seem to care that women are excluded."
I do care. That's why I want it for everything. I'd love to see a Red Hat Society version of this.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:31 PM on April 10 [1 favorite]
The regional centre secretariat and inventor of these cards is a woman.
posted by creatrixtiara at 1:17 AM on April 11 [1 favorite]
posted by creatrixtiara at 1:17 AM on April 11 [1 favorite]
I feel like it may be a bridge too far to claim that she's "bending the knee to the patriarchy" because the cards don't cover the local elder women yet. This is a first go. We don't know if there's going to be more later. We don't know if she's tried interviewing women for the project or whether the women wanted to be a part of it. We don't even know if it's only men in these cards, unless a full set has been released publicly online for us to check! This is a small town in Japan - comparing her to a white American attorney seems a bit much.
posted by creatrixtiara at 8:08 AM on April 11 [3 favorites]
posted by creatrixtiara at 8:08 AM on April 11 [3 favorites]
Reading the article:
But seriously, she has cards for PERSIMMONS but no women?!
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:54 AM on April 11
During her involvement with the Parent Teacher Association of the school that her child attends, she had heard local residents complaining about children not greeting them. But at the same time, they themselves were hesitant about initiating conversations with children out of fear that they might appear suspicious.I think that's very sweet.
Miyahara started making the cards in the fall of 2023 with the aim of getting adults and children in the community to interact with one another more.
But seriously, she has cards for PERSIMMONS but no women?!
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:54 AM on April 11
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posted by AlexiaSky at 5:20 AM on April 9 [4 favorites]