3 ms·
Japan is a lot safer than almost anywhere else in the world, so you get preteen kids from Yokohama going to hang out in Tokyo. That'd be a bit like some 12 year
by lionhearted 18y ago
Japan is a lot safer than almost anywhere else in the world, so you get preteen kids from Yokohama going to hang out in Tokyo. That'd be a bit like some 12 year old American kids going to "hang out in Manhattan" - with no detailed plan, supervision, etc.
But largely socially emancipated at six years old? I don't think so. Maybe somewhere between 8 and 12, which is a few years younger than a lot of places, but nothing crazy.
- ramchip 18y agoI'd add that 24 feels a bit old to me for the american number. I've been living on my own since I'm 18, and I started taking the city bus by myself to go around when I was 13 or so. This isn't exceptional at all among the people around me (Quebec).
- pavel_lishin 18y agoI think the sad thing is that there are spoiled teenagers in America who don't truly become independent until well into their twenties. But that's like rumors of America's obesity - yes, there may be a problem there, but we aren't literally drowning in basement-dwelling twenty year olds or other people's flab.
- nandemo 18y agoYes, OP's book's claims seem doubtful. I don't see many unaccompanied 6-year-olds in trains around Tokyo, but then elementary schools are typically within walking distance. It's fairly common to see an older sibling (say, 10~12 y.o.) taking care of a smaller kid. Anyway, maybe you can find some things that a typical Japanese x-year-old can do that an American x-year-old cannot. That doesn't mean they're "independent" from their parents, though. If anything, I'd say Japanese kids are more dependent on their parents that "Western" kids. Some 6-year-olds still bathe with their parents.