Visit to Dalkeith Men’s Shed
2025/5/23
On 23 May, Cultural Consul Mr Masataka Abe participated in a cultural exchange session between Dalkeith Men’s Shed and “Pokke Kotan”, a Men’s Shed in Sapporo, Japan. The session was held at the Dalkeith Men’s Shed’s base of operations in Dalkeith, in the outskirts of Edinburgh.
“Otokotachi no Koya” is a literal translation of Men’s Shed in Japanese, an initiative to create an environment where older men in particular can engage in a variety of activities without pressure. The initiative was started in Australia in the 1990s and has spread throughout the world as an activity for men, particularly those who are retired, to find new purpose in life. In recent years in Japan, the initiative has been drawing attention from the government as a way to combat loneliness and isolation.
On the day, there was an online meeting with a representative of Pokke Kotan, Chihiro Sugimoto from Sapporo. After a report by Duncan Seymour about his and his wife’s visit to Pokke Kotan, there was a Q&A session.
After that, a woodworking space was shown, as well as a shop where the wooden items made in the space were on sale.
Although there are differences in the labour practices and environment in both countries, there are also similarities in wanting a new purpose in life and being part of the local community after retirement. The initiative is already flourishing in Scotland and still developing in Japan, so we hope there will be more cultural exchange opportunities in the future.
“Otokotachi no Koya” is a literal translation of Men’s Shed in Japanese, an initiative to create an environment where older men in particular can engage in a variety of activities without pressure. The initiative was started in Australia in the 1990s and has spread throughout the world as an activity for men, particularly those who are retired, to find new purpose in life. In recent years in Japan, the initiative has been drawing attention from the government as a way to combat loneliness and isolation.
On the day, there was an online meeting with a representative of Pokke Kotan, Chihiro Sugimoto from Sapporo. After a report by Duncan Seymour about his and his wife’s visit to Pokke Kotan, there was a Q&A session.
After that, a woodworking space was shown, as well as a shop where the wooden items made in the space were on sale.
Although there are differences in the labour practices and environment in both countries, there are also similarities in wanting a new purpose in life and being part of the local community after retirement. The initiative is already flourishing in Scotland and still developing in Japan, so we hope there will be more cultural exchange opportunities in the future.