[Nyororin]

Date is a term used for going out somewhere with the opposite gender, only the two of you. It doesn`t have to have any underlying meaning. Also, the father-daughter date isn`t just a Japan thing. Pretty much all my female friends in the US had "dates" with their dads. Now that I think about it, mother-son dates weren`t all that uncommon either.

I see it as both a bonding experience for the two of them, as I`m willing to bet that dad doesn`t have a chance to spend too much time with his daughter... And as a learning experience for the daughter, so she can see what it`s like to go out to a nice restaurant, etc.

As a child I had several "dates" with uncles and with my grandfather, but nothing EVER was anything above "let`s eat a nice meal, and get to know eachother!" - male relatives are pushed so far away sometimes that it`s hard to get to know them.