In an interesting story out of Japan today, ABC news reported that an international wave of anonymous gift-giving has started after a mysterious person claiming to be “Naoto Date,” a Japanese cartoon hero, left gifts at dozens of orphanages across the country.
This has been going on for the past few weeks and has happened all over the country. Numerous orphanages and child welfare centers have been receiving gifts such as backpacks and even cash from an anonymous donor who claims to be “Naoto Date,” a character from “Tiger Mask,” a Japanese comic from the ‘60’s.
In the comic, Naoto is an orphan who escapes and trains with a brutal gang, and after defeating a tiger in a battle, he becomes the “Tiger Mask.” Naoto becomes a successful professional wrestler and uses the skills and money he acquires to help young orphans in the same position that he once was.
The real-life “Naoto Date” began his gift-giving spree on Christmas Day, when he left 10 boxes full of backpacks at a child counseling center outside of Tokyo. These leather backpacks are quite expensive, selling for about $300 (USD). Since this, over 90 similar stories have been reported. One retail chain received an envelope with $1,200 and a note that read “There are Tiger Masks all over Japan. Please use this for our most promising children.” Other centers have received school supplies, food, and cash, all with notes from “Naoto Date.”
This overwhelming generosity seems to have inspired other superheroes to come forward bearing gifts as well. A facility in southwest Japan received gifts from “Momotaro” or “Peach Boy.” “Momotaro” left numerous boxes of rice dumplings, as he does in the popular children’s song associated with the character called “Momotaro’s Song.”
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