Japanese School Children During School Rush Hour
During school rush hour, Japanese children of all ages pack public trains, buses and sidewalks, moving in groups without adult guardians.
by Bob Kerstetter
During school rush hour in Japan, children of all ages pack public trains, buses and sidewalks, moving in groups without adult guardians. These children showed as much amazement as we did. Neither expected to see the other in a smaller city in western Honshu.
Children—including young children—throughout Japan daily ride commuter trains, catch buses and walk along busy streets. They travel in groups without adults. As best we can tell everyone watches out for them.
They move about in Japanese towns and cities, large and small—Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Sendai, Niigata, Kochi, Yamagata, Hakodate and many others.
When we asked a friend about kid safety, she more or less said, “There are 130 million of us living in a small space. We know we have to get along, so we do.”
Japan also teaches good manners and consideration of others in its schools, some say.
The school years starts in April with the main blossoming of sakura—the famous and beautiful Japanese cherry trees.
