In Japan, compared to the past, the level of involvement in regard to observing Mother’s Day is on the decline. According to one study’s findings, half of all children with mothers don’t observe the day at all. For our client, a department store, this meant losing out on a business opportunity. This required a heightening of public conscious through a reexamination of Mother’s Day. We decided that a simple project which allowed many people of all generations to participate would be ideal. It was called, Mother’s Day Test, to make people aware of how much children don’t know about their mothers, despite the close familial relationship. We carried out a 100 question test about people’s mothers. What’s her favorite color, what dreams did she have as a child, what words her child told her which made her happy or proud?

The core idea was for a Mother 's Day test to be conducted at the same time, nationwide. We asked students from the top Tokyo University, to answer 100 questions about their mothers. By coming up against the fact that there is so much we don’t know about our mother’s, despite our perceived familiarity, we aimed for a natural arising of gratitude within the children for their mothers. The audience who watch the piece are also compelled to probe within themselves as to whether they know the answers for their own mothers. In addition, when the mothers review the test answers, it gives a chance for them to convey things they may be too embarrassed to talk about usually, enriching parent-child communication.