Learn about taxes from a talking piece of poop with the Unko Tax Drill textbook — only in Japan

Who had thought “being taught about taxes from a talking turd” on their 2023 bingo card?

Benjamin Franklin once said, in life, nothing is certain except death, and taxes taught by a talking piece of poop. Well, he may not have said that last part, but can you imagine if he had?

Involving poop jokes is certainly a fun and effective way to teach children just about anything, but especially teaching something as dry as taxes. Luckily for kids in Japan, Poop-sensei, the talking poop with glasses and a moustache, is here to teach them all about the wonderful and exciting world of fiscal responsibility.

The Unko Drill (“Poop Drill”) series has already proved wildly successful in teaching youngsters useful life skills like kanji, math, science and financial literacy, and their latest offering, Unko Tax Drill (When Taxes Are Needed and When They Aren’t) looks to be just as full of faecal folly as previous books in the series.

The textbook is a collaboration with the Japanese Ministry of Finance’s Tax Bureau and has been released smack bang in the middle of tax season. As well as the eponymous Poop-sensei, the book features series regulars Poop Cat and Poop Puppy.

Unko Tax Drill might sound ‘full of crap’, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be educational. The story begins with a scene in which Poop Cat discusses her salary and taxes with her father and mother around the dinner table. It’s clear that she can’t get her head around the role of taxes in society, so in a Christmas Carol-esque twist, Poop-sensei transports Poop Cat to a world without taxes. Little by little, she comes to understand the difference between a world with and without taxes, and in turn understand the importance they hold.

As well as the story, the book is full of fun and educational activities, like Spot The Difference puzzles and quizzes. The Ministry of Finance suggests that it’s for a slightly more mature audience than their previous editions (aimed mainly at older elementary school students). But there’s no reason that adults can’t enjoy learning about finance with a feculent twist, especially those of us who struggle to get their heads around Japan’s complicated tax system.

The textbook can be downloaded for free from the Ministry of Finance’s website here.

Related: Poop Tax Drill
Source, images: PR Times, Ministry of Finance
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