Why Children Who Fish Don't Break: Book "Can Children Grow in a River Without Kappa?" Questions the Era of 350,000 Truant Students
Tsuribito-sha has released a new book by CEO Kazuaki Yamane, exploring how nature experiences like fishing can foster resilience and self-esteem in children, offering solutions to modern social issues like school refusal.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 22:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 13:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 23:58 (10h 26m after Collected)
Tsuribito-sha Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kazuaki Yamane), which is celebrating its 80th anniversary and operates publishing and web media businesses specializing in fishing, will release the book "Can Children Grow in a River Without Kappa? - How 'Watersides' Awaken the Deep Strength of the Heart" (Written by Kazuaki Yamane).
This book is based on the series "How Fishing Nurtures Children's Minds and Bodies" published in the monthly magazine "Tsuribito," with new additions and restructuring for the book format. While looking at contemporary issues surrounding children, it questions from various angles how nature experiences at the waterside, including fishing, foster self-esteem, the ability to wait, grit, and a resilient heart.
While the number of children is decreasing, the number of suicides among elementary, junior high, and high school students has hit a record high, and the number of truant children has exceeded 350,000. Why are children so cornered in Japan, a country that should be rich and safe? This book starts from that earnest question.
The author, Kazuaki Yamane, as an editor of a fishing magazine, has visited many watersides not only in all 47 prefectures of Japan but also overseas. Through such coverage, he became convinced that no country is as blessed with a natural environment as Japan, but at the same time, he felt a strong sense of crisis about the reality that the hearts of children in this country are screaming more than ever.
Furthermore, through his own parenting experience and the operation of children's fishing classes sponsored by the Japan Recreational Fishing Association (Tamagawa Fishing Festival, fishing environment learning, parent-child fishing classes), the author became convinced that "nature has the power to nurture children's hearts."
This book is not written solely for fishing enthusiasts. It is a book intended to widely deliver hints on how to raise children, seen through fishing, to society. The content is designed to be read even by those who have never fished, while remembering something they were passionate about when they were children.
■ Bibliographic Information
Title: Can Children Grow in a River Without Kappa? How "Watersides" Awaken the Deep Strength of the Heart
Author: Kazuaki Yamane
Publication Year: 2026
Price: 1,870 yen (tax included)
Format: 46 size, standard binding
Number of Pages: 192 pages
Publisher: Tsuribito-sha Co., Ltd.
■ Features of this Book
- A proposition book that looks at contemporary issues such as child suicide, school refusal, and social withdrawal from the perspective of nature experiences by the water.
- Positions fishing not merely as leisure, but as an experience that cultivates the "ability to wait," "grit," and a "resilient heart."
- Discusses the richness and possibilities of Japan's natural environment, which can only be told by an author who has covered watersides in 47 prefectures and overseas.
- A reading material open to non-fishing readers, connecting parenting, education, and nature experiences.
- Includes a special dialogue with Yukiko Kada at the end of the book.
■ Author Profile
Kazuaki Yamane
Born in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture in 1972. President and CEO of Tsuribito-sha Co., Ltd. Board member of the Japan Recreational Fishing Association. Joined Tsuribito-sha, a publisher specializing in fishing, as a part-time worker during his school days. Became a full-time employee after graduation and was assigned to the editorial department of the monthly "Tsuribito," first published in 1946. Appointed Editor-in-Chief in 2006, and CEO in 2015. Starting with the fishing information site "TSURI KING" for i-mode, he has produced fishing media businesses for major companies such as "Honda Fishing Club" and "ANA Fishing Club." Through his own parenting experience and the management of children's fishing classes sponsored by the Japan Recreational Fishing Association, he became convinced of the positive impact of playing by the water on the growth of the younger generation, leading him to write this book.
■ Main Content of this Book
The book is broadly composed of three chapters, delving into the relationship between watersides and children from the perspectives of mental growth, points of contact with nature, and a gaze toward life.
Chapter 1, "Developing a Strong Heart and Self-Esteem," examines how fishing and nature experiences affect children's happiness and self-esteem. It introduces abundant examples of how fishing fosters the "ability to wait," the ability to devise, and the strength to stand up even after failing.
Chapter 2, "The Disappearing Contact with Nature. What Happens to Children Then...?" focuses on the "adventure" that modern children are losing and the importance of experiences learned through the body. It re-questions the meaning of knowing danger, touching the harshness of life, and continuing to think for oneself.
Chapter 3, "The Dynamism of Life Felt Even at Familiar Watersides," introduces the rich nature spreading in familiar places, including rivers and tidal flats in the suburbs of cities. Through the activities of fish and the connection between forests, rivers, and the sea, it conveys the significance of sharing respect and wonder for nature with children.
At the end of the book, there is a special dialogue with Yukiko Kada, former Governor of Shiga Prefecture and Member of the House of Councillors, who has tackled parenting support and waterside environmental issues from the political side.
■ Table of Contents
Introduction...2
◆ Chapter 1: Developing a Strong Heart and Self-Esteem...11
Are Kappa an Endangered Species!?...12
Waterside Experiences Taught the "Lifesaver"...
This book is based on the series "How Fishing Nurtures Children's Minds and Bodies" published in the monthly magazine "Tsuribito," with new additions and restructuring for the book format. While looking at contemporary issues surrounding children, it questions from various angles how nature experiences at the waterside, including fishing, foster self-esteem, the ability to wait, grit, and a resilient heart.
While the number of children is decreasing, the number of suicides among elementary, junior high, and high school students has hit a record high, and the number of truant children has exceeded 350,000. Why are children so cornered in Japan, a country that should be rich and safe? This book starts from that earnest question.
The author, Kazuaki Yamane, as an editor of a fishing magazine, has visited many watersides not only in all 47 prefectures of Japan but also overseas. Through such coverage, he became convinced that no country is as blessed with a natural environment as Japan, but at the same time, he felt a strong sense of crisis about the reality that the hearts of children in this country are screaming more than ever.
Furthermore, through his own parenting experience and the operation of children's fishing classes sponsored by the Japan Recreational Fishing Association (Tamagawa Fishing Festival, fishing environment learning, parent-child fishing classes), the author became convinced that "nature has the power to nurture children's hearts."
This book is not written solely for fishing enthusiasts. It is a book intended to widely deliver hints on how to raise children, seen through fishing, to society. The content is designed to be read even by those who have never fished, while remembering something they were passionate about when they were children.
■ Bibliographic Information
Title: Can Children Grow in a River Without Kappa? How "Watersides" Awaken the Deep Strength of the Heart
Author: Kazuaki Yamane
Publication Year: 2026
Price: 1,870 yen (tax included)
Format: 46 size, standard binding
Number of Pages: 192 pages
Publisher: Tsuribito-sha Co., Ltd.
■ Features of this Book
- A proposition book that looks at contemporary issues such as child suicide, school refusal, and social withdrawal from the perspective of nature experiences by the water.
- Positions fishing not merely as leisure, but as an experience that cultivates the "ability to wait," "grit," and a "resilient heart."
- Discusses the richness and possibilities of Japan's natural environment, which can only be told by an author who has covered watersides in 47 prefectures and overseas.
- A reading material open to non-fishing readers, connecting parenting, education, and nature experiences.
- Includes a special dialogue with Yukiko Kada at the end of the book.
■ Author Profile
Kazuaki Yamane
Born in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture in 1972. President and CEO of Tsuribito-sha Co., Ltd. Board member of the Japan Recreational Fishing Association. Joined Tsuribito-sha, a publisher specializing in fishing, as a part-time worker during his school days. Became a full-time employee after graduation and was assigned to the editorial department of the monthly "Tsuribito," first published in 1946. Appointed Editor-in-Chief in 2006, and CEO in 2015. Starting with the fishing information site "TSURI KING" for i-mode, he has produced fishing media businesses for major companies such as "Honda Fishing Club" and "ANA Fishing Club." Through his own parenting experience and the management of children's fishing classes sponsored by the Japan Recreational Fishing Association, he became convinced of the positive impact of playing by the water on the growth of the younger generation, leading him to write this book.
■ Main Content of this Book
The book is broadly composed of three chapters, delving into the relationship between watersides and children from the perspectives of mental growth, points of contact with nature, and a gaze toward life.
Chapter 1, "Developing a Strong Heart and Self-Esteem," examines how fishing and nature experiences affect children's happiness and self-esteem. It introduces abundant examples of how fishing fosters the "ability to wait," the ability to devise, and the strength to stand up even after failing.
Chapter 2, "The Disappearing Contact with Nature. What Happens to Children Then...?" focuses on the "adventure" that modern children are losing and the importance of experiences learned through the body. It re-questions the meaning of knowing danger, touching the harshness of life, and continuing to think for oneself.
Chapter 3, "The Dynamism of Life Felt Even at Familiar Watersides," introduces the rich nature spreading in familiar places, including rivers and tidal flats in the suburbs of cities. Through the activities of fish and the connection between forests, rivers, and the sea, it conveys the significance of sharing respect and wonder for nature with children.
At the end of the book, there is a special dialogue with Yukiko Kada, former Governor of Shiga Prefecture and Member of the House of Councillors, who has tackled parenting support and waterside environmental issues from the political side.
■ Table of Contents
Introduction...2
◆ Chapter 1: Developing a Strong Heart and Self-Esteem...11
Are Kappa an Endangered Species!?...12
Waterside Experiences Taught the "Lifesaver"...