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> When I was a kid in Iraq (1990~) going to school by yourself was very natural. Our school was nearby so we walked every day. I don't think you understand. I
by 77pt77 10y ago
> When I was a kid in Iraq (1990~) going to school by yourself was very natural. Our school was nearby so we walked every day.
I don't think you understand.
I walked to school also, from age 7 or so.
Japan is different in that many of these children take public transportation in places likes Tokyo and that they do this very very young.
On top of that it's not uncommon for parents to send their children on errands also alone. We're talking large densely populated metropolis.
This is something very peculiar to Japan (I'm not saying unique) and I suppose very different from your experience.
- icebraining 10y agoPer the article, only 1.7% of schoolchildren take the bus, the vast majority walk, like many of us did.
- 77pt77 10y agoBus usage is negligible in large cities. They take the trains/subway.
- icebraining 10y agoThe study includes all public transportation in the 1.7%, citing the number of "walkers" at 98.3%: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477970/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477970/
- newhere420 10y agoWhen you refer to large cities, are you referring exclusively to Japanese cities? In Europe, buses are an integral part of the transport network in many major cities.
- 77pt77 10y agoYes, only Japan. The train usually reigns supreme.
- jandrese 10y agoIsn't this just due to population density? If you live in a dense area the schools have to be fairly close together (or absolutely sprawling), so most would be in walking distance for the students. In the states a great many kids live 5+ miles from school, which is a pretty long walk for a first grader.
- triplesec 10y agoHow are you sure this is peculiar to Japan. I believe there are many countries, to varying degrees, where children have a lot of freedom of movement and are not overprotected as in the US
- 77pt77 10y agoI've never seen it to that degree elsewhere but I'm open to new information.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- huxley 10y agoI had that degree of freedom in both Honduras (the capital city of Tegucigalpa) and in Canada in the mid-to-late 1970s and early 1980s so I've got two data points there. Note: my Honduran side of the family was upper middle class so it was entirely by personal and parental choice, I walked by myself and also with young friends and family all through town
- sushid 10y agoDid you live anywhere outside the US for a long time? In any case, I grew up in Korea in the late 90s and it was pretty much as described in the article, without the niceties like designated safe building or a warning chime to remind kids to go home. I walked to and back from school every day, and oftentimes went to Sunday school, library, etc. by myself. I was also given money to purchase school supplies for various school activities everyday. I also knew how to take the subway/bus to get to my grandparents' place on days my mom would be there after school. Every Saturday all the students helped clean the school and we had rotating duties to collect milk cartons, clean the bathroom, bring lunch from the kitchen in bulk to serve to classmates, etc. Mind you, this was all in 1st and 2nd grade. When I moved to the States in 3rd grade we had tasks like whiteboard erasing, door holding, etc. but that's about the only similarity I found.