Attendance at Dalkeith Men’s Shed x Pokke Kotan Japan-Scotland summit
2026/5/30
On Saturday 30th May, Cultural Consul Masataka Abe attended the Japan-Scotland summit between “Dalkeith Men’s Shed” and “Pokke Kotan”, a Men’s Shed in Sapporo, Japan. The summit 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.
The Summit took the form of an online exchange connecting the Dalkeith venue with Sapporo. Three members of the Dalkeith Men's Shed previously visited Pokke Kotan in Sapporo and met some of it’s member in person with the support of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation and the Japan Society of Scotland.
At the beginning of the summit, Duncan Seymour, Vice Chairman of the Dalkeith Men's Shed, reported on the journey which led up to the summit, starting from his first visit to Sapporo and the exchange with Pokke Kotan, followed by active questions and answers from both sides.
Based on this visit to Sapporo, further exchanges are expected, such as continued mutual visits, new exchanges through rugby, and academic research.
“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.
The Summit took the form of an online exchange connecting the Dalkeith venue with Sapporo. Three members of the Dalkeith Men's Shed previously visited Pokke Kotan in Sapporo and met some of it’s member in person with the support of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation and the Japan Society of Scotland.
At the beginning of the summit, Duncan Seymour, Vice Chairman of the Dalkeith Men's Shed, reported on the journey which led up to the summit, starting from his first visit to Sapporo and the exchange with Pokke Kotan, followed by active questions and answers from both sides.
Based on this visit to Sapporo, further exchanges are expected, such as continued mutual visits, new exchanges through rugby, and academic research.