I was with my family in the castle park this Saturday to watch the leaves and where getting ready to eat bento when we were approached by a woman, her 3-year old child and the child's grandparents.
She said our daughter was cute and asked her if she spoke English, (her English and Japanese was good) we said she didn't and we continued talking about some of things in Japanese for a while while. I think she might have been south east Asian while the grandparents looked Japanese.
We were being polite and not trying to show to much interest in the conversation but it continued for a while a bit unnaturally.
Our daughters were the same age and such. After we ended the conversation suddenly her daughter came running back and handed us a card and the mom said it was a video site with cartoons for children. That we could check out if we wanted. We said "ok, thank you" and threw it away after they left but I was curious so I Googled the Adress and it was a jehova's witnesses site with videos for children.
Then all the forced conversation made sense.
I guess I just want to warn people of this practice.
I don't care how people live their lives, religious tolerance (or rather non-interest) is a thing I like about Japan. If people want to waste their time cult-recruiting outside train stations then go ahead.
But to use their children to try and recruit my child through cartoons without even being open with what they were doing is just disgusting.
by BME84