Daiken Week 2022 Prompt Announcements
A Year in the Life | Daiken in Work & Play
Daiken Week 2022 is just two months away now, and we are thrilled to announced this year's prompts, all around the theme of exploring Daisuke and Ken's relationship throughout a year, pictures and stories and edits of them during the various seasons and other aspects of daily life.
Each day focuses on a single season or major event with accompanying prompts.
Feel free to use any or all of these prompts and work with whatever sparks your interest.
Spring | Evanescence, Picnics, Umbrellas
Spring is the time of new beginnings, of spring cleaning, of rain and umbrellas, of taking picnics under the cherry blossoms. In Japan, the cherry blossoms, and how quickly they fade, are seen as a symbol of how fleeting beauty and life are.
School Term | Achievement, Group Projects, Uniforms
School life in Japan is rigorous, and there are a number of important events linked to the school term. Schools often host formal opening and closing ceremonies at the start and end of each trimester, and throughout the school year, students participation in school-wide events like sports day and cultural fairs.
Tuesday, June 7th | Day 3
Summer | Celebration, At the Beach, Fireworks
Summer is a time of festivals and celebration (like the star festival and obon), of fireworks, of trips to the beach and exploring greenspaces, of party games like smashing watermelons, of tsunamis and heat waves. For Japanese students, summer is when they have their biggest break from school, starting with Sea Day.
Wednesday, June 8th | Day 4
Break/Vacation | Remembrance, Festivals, Camping
The major breaks for Japanese students land between the trimesters - one in the spring between the school years, the largest one in the summer, and one in the winter for New Year's - plus a few shorter breaks throughout, like Golden Week. This is the perfect time for travel, for joining festivals, for camping, and for the Chosen Children, this summer vacation is a time of memorial and remembrance.
Thursday, June 9th | Day 5
Autumn | Change, Ghost Stories, Bonfires
Autumn is a time of change - from the weather cooling down to the trees changing color - and with Halloween, it is the perfect time for cozying up next to bonfires and sharing ghost stories. Sports Day and Culture Day both fall in autumn, and it is the perfect time to participate in a traditional moon-viewing.
Friday, June 10th | Day 6
Winter | Purity, First Snow, Keeping Warm
Winter is the time of snow, especially in the mountains and farther north. It is a time of a pure first snow, of snowball fights and snow forts, of ice skating, of getting together with friends, of sitting at the kotatsu and finding ways to keep warm. Between Christmas and New Year's and Valentine's Day, winter has a host of romantic and familial holidays that are a cause for celebration.
Saturday, June 11th | Day 7
New Year | Beginnings & Endings, Sunrise & Sunset
New Year's Day is the most important holiday in Japan, as it is the end of one year and beginning of the next. From year-ending parties to watching the first sunrise, from your first shrine visit to many shops closing for the week, the New Year has enormous impact on everyday life.
Sunday, June 12th | Day 8
Our themes may focus on a single year, but your submissions do not have to - take whatever idea comes to you from the prompts and run with it!
