Foreign visitors were uniformly surprised by scenes like this one, children carrying their smaller brothers and sisters on their backs while playing with each other.
As a result there are countless photographs and postcards showing Japanese kids doing their nursery duty. It must have been hard work, but probably also created close bonds and prepared them for their future role as parents.
These days, most Japanese parents don’t even carry their kids around like this. They push them away from themselves in carts. It can’t be good for the parent-child bonding process.
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Old Photos of Japan aims to be your personal museum for Japan's visual heritage and to bring the experiences of everyday life in old Japan to you.
To enhance our understanding of Japanese culture and society I track down, acquire, archive, and research images of everyday life, and give them context.
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Kjeld Duits
Reference for Citations
Duits, Kjeld (). 1910s: Children Carrying Children, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on May 12, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/425/children-carrying-children
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