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We do not at this time know much about how Japanese children played. As in the West there wee huge differences in how boys and girls played. Here parenal exectations played a major role. As well as the conventions keeping girls closer to home all the time. We have just begun to collect information on this topic. We do know that Japanese children, especially city children grew up in heavily urbanized areas where few homes had yards of any size. And their were fewer small neighborhood play parks. This of course affected play. Japanese cities had beautiful parks, but they were not designed for children's play. More common were famly visis. we are not sure that there were small neigborhood parks the children could use to play. Reserachers have found lower levels of fantasy play with Asian children and this seems to be the case in Japan. Western children enjoy role playig games like cps and robbers and war. We note free play with boys playing war. This was also true in the West, but unlike Japan it was not promoted in the schools. And in America did not lead to launching agression and the murder of millios of people. Working in America, researchers found that Korean-American 4- and 5-year-olds were less involved than Americans wih European ancestry. 【Farver and Shin】 A recent study found that in Japan 'pretend play was scarce, even in play spaces designed for children.' 【DiYanni】 We also think that there were fewer sports facilities for children. Sports for children were more common after the Pacific War and he American occupation. Some children may have used school playgrounds. And by the time the children were old enough to seriously engage in sport, their school work became so demanding that they had little time for sport. We have little information on popular games. there are popular traditional games for the younger children, including tag and chase games. There are some destinctively Japanese forms of play. Perhaps the best known is origami (decorative paper folding). Kite flying is also very popular, but also enjoyed in China and other countries.
As in the West there were huge differences in how boys and girls played. Here parenal exectations played a major role. here ere also familar conventions keeping girls closer to home all the time.
We have just begun to collect information on this topic. We do know that Japanese children, especially city children grew up in heavily urbanized areas where few homes had yards of any size. There are of course parks. There are, however, fewer small neighborhood play parks. This of course affected play. Japanese cities had beautiful parks, but they were not designed for children's play. More common were famly visits. we are not sure that there were small neigborhood parks the children could use to play.
Reserachers have found lower levels of fantasy play with Asian children and this seems to be the case in Japan. Western children enjoy role playing games like cops and robbers and war. We note free play with boys playing war, but have few images during the 1930s and eraly-40s at the peak of militarism. This was also true in the West, but unlike Japan it was not promoted in the schools. Here there are images, especilly duing the Pacific War (1941-45). We see chldren honing heir miliary skills. And by he end of the War in desperatioin this included girls as part of the Ketsugo effort. Of course in America did not lead to launching agressive wars and the murder of millios of people. Working in America, researchers found that Korean-American 4- and 5-year-olds were less involved than Americans wih European ancestry. 【Farver and Shin】 A recent study found that in Japan 'pretend play was scarce, even in play spaces designed for children.' 【DiYanni】 We also think that there were fewer sports facilities for children.
Sports for children were more common after the Pacific War and he American occupation. Some children may have used school playgrounds. And by the time the children were old enough to seriously engage in sport, their school work became so demanding that they had little time for sport.
We have little information on popular games. there are popular traditional games for the younger children, including tag and chase games. There are some destinctively Japanese forms of play. Perhaps the best known is origami (decorative paper folding). Kite flying is also very popular, but also enjoyed in China and other countries.
DiYanni, Cara. "Observing Children at Play in Japan: Creative Themes, but Structure Dominates Over Iimagination," Psycholog Today (June 18, 2024).
Farver, J.A. and Y.L Shin. "Social pretend play in Korean- and Anglo-American preschoolers." Child Development (June 1997), Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 544-56.
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