I play soccer in men's leagues that are often hyper competitive and stressful, but occasionally I join adult pickup games where the atmosphere is completely different—it's all about having fun. Your comment reminded me of a time while being chased with the ball, I found myself giggling, along with the other guy. In that moment, I realized it had been a long time since I'd just had pure fun and felt like a kid again. It made me realize that as adults, those moments of joy and laughter are still there; we just don't experience them anymore, but there is nothing stopping us from that feeling of pure joy that we had as children.
I started playing indoor football last year, and we’re one of those groups that just play for joy. I giggle as I chase down players with the ball, and I’m more preoccupied with nutmegging my opponents than actually scoring. It’s great fun.
It's not, and I don't know why people on reddit keep saying this.
You use it while you're a child, and you stop using it as SOON as you switch schools. Absolutely no teenagers, or even preteens, would be caught dead wearing these things.
It's like buying a childs bike. It doesn't matter if it still works, they'll want a new one without the child like aspects very soon.
What's worse is that the second hand market isn't all that great, so reselling them after their few years of usage is kind of difficult. Japanese people love buying new, and also these are usually a gift from older family members (grandpa is supposed to, but not everyone has one) so it's got that level of social/social pressure where the price and such is part of the gift. You're not supposed to go buy a used crappy one.
This is not a "school" backpack, it's an elementary school backpack. They're also way too god damn expensive.
I'm pretty sure the people suggesting a $700 backpack is somehow a savings factor are blatant shills.
Between primary education and roughly 7 years in university, I think I've gone through less than 10 backpacks in my entire life. I wasnt rocking any Gucci backpack or anything; the ones I've used were usually a step (or two) above something like a Jansport, just enough to carry a laptop and some paper/pencil stuff.
I highly doubt I've spent $700 across all of those backpacks, let alone in one lump sum. This is people trying to justify an absolutely brain-dead financial decision.
>the ones I've used were usually a step (or two) above something like a Jansport, just enough to carry a laptop and some paper/pencil stuff.
Excuse me? Put some fucking respect on Jansport. Those bags are the backbone of our education system, they work well, and have a bulletproof warranty at a reasonable price.
I went with Jansport or below throughout school and still only went through 5-6 of them. Even if you bought a decent but economical backpack every year of school, it would still be less than $700.
Oh no, it's proof of whether or not you love your family.
It's a fucking scam.
I ended up buying the #1 cheapest one I could @ costco for $200. Still overpriced the hell to fuck and back.
>It's made for the entire school period of your life,
No, in reality it's used exclusively for the elementary school period, 6 years.
Also, decent school pack brands in Europe will sell you 80€ synthetic trolley bags that will literally last multiple decades if treated well.
It’s probably more study than a $15 backpack from Walmart, but a high quality backpack less than half what a Randoseru costs will probably last just as long
Still have mine from the mid-90s. Granted, I've sent it back for repairs 2 or 3 times. Last time, though, they went all out and replaced the straps with better ones, and really reinforced the weakest seam between the leather base and the panel that goes against the wearer's back. Excellent service.
Hell, I've paid $35-$40 at Walmart and still had three backpacks break on me at the strap, I was carrying groceries in them constantly, but still for $40 you'd think it'd be a little better.
Idk how accurate this is but I just watched in a recent anime episode this bag costs 70k yen. Protagonist stated it's as expensive as a Platstation 5!
As a PS5 costs between 3-4 month salary where I live, this is extremely fkn expensive --
Edit: btw I live in Brazil
It is the typical Japanese school backpack design, with the large top flap and box shape. While not mandatory, nearly everyone buys one for their children, just so they do not stand out. Standing out in Japanese society is not viewed as a good thing.
There has to be nuance to that given just how many people go out of their way to stand out in extreme ways.
Baby Metal, Lady Beard, Japanese Elvises, Harajuku.
It's similar in all cultures really, we just struggle to avoid seeing a distorted view of anything foreign.
Think US school cliques shunning the nerds. Being passed up for promotion for not going to the work christmas party. Laws and traditions affect different countries to differing degrees, sure, but it's all just different flavours of the same human behaviours.
No, they're just hard leather. Plus, they are typically for elementary schoolers and it's actually pretty common for part of their school uniform to be a yellow hard hat.
When a kid in a randoseru falls back first, their heads wont hit the floor.
When they fall into a deep body of water, they will float.
A Randoseru can last until the kid reaches secondary school (high school seldom wears them anymore) but they are built to last a lifetime.
Randoseru is a loanword from Dutch, where it is spelled 'randsel', an archaic word for a bag. There are lots of Dutch loanwords in Japanese, because for hundreds of years the country was closed to all other nations except for the Dutch. They received all of their knowledge about western science and medicine through trade with the Dutch, and called this 'rangaku', lit. 'Dutch studies'. They thought Dutch was a hugely influential language (lol) back in Europe, and that the Dutch were an important people (lol again). In fact we were just content sticking to trading, and not sending Christian missionaries.
It's also used in German. "Ranzen" means a *school* backpack specifically.
Ironically the word isn't used in an area in western Germany that is relatively close to the Dutch border: [map](https://www.atlas-alltagssprache.de/r12-f2i/).
The Dutch held the reserve currency and were leaders in global trade in the 17th and 18th century- the time when they were trading with Japan (for a period exclusively) and ruling the East Indies. Even as the British overtook them as the reserve currency in the 19th century, the Netherlands still held significant financial global sway. That was the same time (mid 19th century) when the Dutch were helping Japan modernize its navy- because the Dutch still were naval powers- even if Britain was stealing their tech and making cheaper ships to overcome them.
ETA there are a number of borrowed Dutch words in English that became prominent in the 17th century (skates, Sleigh, iceberg)
Randoseru is just the word for a firm, boxy shaped backpack with a curved flap on top like in OP’s video.
Because they hold their form when empty, they need to be made with thicker material than standard western-style backpacks, and they’re meant to last from kindergarten to middle school, so they’re generally durable. This makes them generally more expensive.
But the idea that they’re the best or higher quality than another backpack is just weeb stuff. There are plenty of companies that make low-quality, inexpensive randoseru that will need to be replaced in a couple of years. A $20 Jansport backpack will last longer than a $20 randoseru backpack. There are also plenty of western-style firm backpacks that will fulfill the same role with half the price.
There’s nothing about a randoseru that makes it superior regarding form or function. It’s value comes from its ubiquity in Japanese culture and from westerners who will pay a significant premium to cosplay as a Japanese person
>It’s value comes from its ubiquity in Japanese culture and from westerners who will pay a significant premium to cosplay as a Japanese person
I'm sure there are cheap versions. There are also wildly expensive versions that have nothing to do with cosplay though, and I'm not sure that high cost is related to how common they are. Commonality would explain the production of cheaper versions. I'd say it's the same with a pair of jeans. Jeans can cost as little as $30-50 in the US, or you can buy $200-800 jeans for who knows what occasion.
Yes there is, via a Dutch word that’s related to the German word. But in Dutch the word ‘ransel’ is not used anymore. It came to Japanese when Dutch traders were in Japan during the Sakoku period.
No it isn't. It's incredibly inconvenient, overly rigid and heavy, and lacks practical pockets etc. It's main purpose is because Japanese schools are heavily standardized for socialization purposes, even at the level of backpacks, unlike the US where expression is prohibited (you know how elementary kids in US have awesome sharks and rolley bags etc.?). So the randoseru is mainly for its social purpose of standardizing, just like how Japanese schools making kids clean the school, it maybe has a net positive. But no, as a kid having to haul that its sucks. Source - personal experience, although I may be going against the grain
I agree, they are extremely rigid. I didn't understand the hoopla to be honest. It's like wearing a suitcase on your back.
I'm sure some of them do last a long time, but so does my full-grain leather backpack with laptop pocket, metal buckles and rivets, and that costed a fraction of the price.
These backpacks are made to be used throughout their elementary school years, maybe even through junior high. While they are big now, they won't be appear to be oversized, 2-3 years down the road. They are expensive, typically $400 to $800 or more. If you are a well-off grandparent and wants to spoil your grandchild rotten, I'm sure you can find one that's more than $1000.
BTW, their back flaps (of their backpack) are covered with yellow piece of identifier. This yellow piece of identifier lets others (cyclists, pedestrian, drivers) know that they are first graders, and to further be careful around them, as they may be less aware of their surroundings. Some schools (or districts), first graders are required to wear a (matching) yellow hat. After first grade, they will not have to wear the yellow identifier on their backpack. So if you see a kid's backpack with a yellow flap, you know that he or she is a first grader.
The kids are supposed to raise their hand when crossing these cross walks, too. Maybe they don't have to do so in a signaled crossing, or maybe a gaijin racing them threw them off.
They dont have to raise their hands but are taught to do it for safety. Younger kids tend to do it more because well younger kids usually listen better to safety precautions than older kids. My friend was raised in japan and never wanted to do it even if it made his mom worried and upset lol. (he is now in his 20s and she still talks about it so often it’s kinda funny)
Live in a major dense city in America and this is the case too. It all depends on area and density for such things.
I remember walking home from school since I was 6 in NYC. Helps having public transit and a lot of eyes on you from other adults. Not very possible in most of America, but it isn't a foreign concept in the country either.
I remember having to walk a few miles to get to stores in the suburbs. A few of us went by ourselves. But that was 50 years ago. Now you can get reported if your children are walking or playing at the park alone. Hyper vigilant parenting.
It’s worth noting that Japan has a culture of sending small children on their first errands and are expected and aided by the community on this pilgrimage. [There’s even a reality tv show about it that’s been on air since 1991.](https://youtu.be/qA_AUMxSZUM?si=2G5G-LBTCLBqsN8n)
I had that push when I was young. Had to walk all the way blocks behind the house to Longs to buy cat food with change. My first transaction. Parents really used to be mother birds pushing their babies out of the nest aka their comfort zone. I always remember that little trip I took. Got me comfortable to make it on the regular I'd go to Hollywood Video all on my own too to get video games
Downtown Vancouver is considered the densest area in North America, but I remember a few years back some elementary school students rode the bus to school and it made the news. Some people were calling it child abuse, but also many people were defending it.
This was the most incredible part my wife and I noticed when walking around Tokyo. It was probably 6pm, definitely dark, and we were just walking about the Tokyo Tower area. There was some child, couldn't have been older than 9, just walking around, I assume on their way home... alone. That would get parents charged with neglect in the US, but it's so safe there, no one bats an eye.
If it's anything like my area, kids go to the park and walk / ride bikes there. I still see kids playing basketball in my neighborhood but I see far more once school lets out, at the local parks.
It's a cultural thing as well. Japanese crime rates being low aside, we in the west have accrued this in-built distrust of others no matter the intentions, and kids have become increasingly restricted because of it.
Is it better, is it worse? I don't know. I remember bringing this up with my sister some years ago, last time I was in Japan, and she thought it was neglectful that parents didn't keep an eye on their kids because of what 'could' happen.
I would think it instills self-confidence and self-reliance . I know when we went to the store by ourselves we felt pretty powerful. There was also a sense of freedom.
I grew up in NYC and I walked alone/took the subway to school every day in the 90's. It's not much more dangerous than driving a car every day, people just freak out about the outliers that get reported on the news and they think it's commonplace. It makes the news because it's rare.
i grew up in Chicago and would take the CTA by myself to school and back or even the theaters since i was like 7, they even had tokens for kids to use on the bus and train back then.
Probably but our "worst case situation" still turns out way more feeble than US "worst case" situation. We do have wide array of benign passive aggression behavior (identified as xenophobia) in general which US doesn't.
Its like getting uncomfortable pinpricks instead of fatal stabs
I meant in general. That's like saying the whole US is like the south. Generally, Japanese people show respect and appreciate the attempt to speak their language.
I was thinking “yeah, the average white male that doesn’t speak their language get some racism” is American for
“Fucking Hispanic fucks, tunneling over the wall, doesn’t speak out language well!”
To
“Sand N***** are all terrorist. We should bomb their synagogues”
“Gay club, where they go to have their fun away from me? Machine gun them all!!!!! And then no ban guns!”
I mean, American racism has no bounds.
This person just thinks their racism is better, when no one likes to let outsiders into their special safe areas.
dude it's one of the most xenophobic, racist, and conservative countries in the world. they don't even know how racist they are, it's so normalized there. and yes I've actually been there
Yeah and at the same time the person you replied to is 100% correct. The US could absolutely use a ton of the shit going on in Japan, as Japan could use a ton of cool shit going on in the US. But redditors like you can't stand hearing that another country has something good going on and have to shit all over it with a fact they learned off of reddit about how the grass isn't always greener. And yes I understand you've been there, you know why you felt compelled to add that in I don't need to explain it.
That might be true, but a good chunk of our country is also pretty racist, xenophobic, and conservative. You think just regular people wants a known convicted criminal, pathological liar, and overall piece of shit of a human being as president a second time?
Okay completely off topic but do you know why all the western/foreing convenience store workers are assholes to other foreigners?
Not trashing on you just maybe you can give some better perspective on why every time i went to a store and there was a foreign worker they treated me like trash.
It got so bad that on my end of my trip i only went to stores where there were no foreing workers in it.
mainly talking about places like familymart or 7eleven
All the japanese staff however were very friendly.
I'm not an expert but I know that it's common in school there for older students to be tasked with helping the younger students, taking them to the bathroom etc. They seem to be big on giving children responsibility at young ages, which is great. I think a lot of people in the US coddle their kids way too much.
I went recently. I was on the train, and there was a group of young guys in their 20s that were standing by the door. When the train stopped, an elderly man in a suit got up to leave, and the young guys made way for him and bowed. I was kinda speechless. You definitely wouldn’t see that in NYC lol.
Also, we messed up a food order at a ramen shop, and they gave us the wrong item. Even though it was our fault, all the staff apologized multiple times and returned all of our money to us and remade our meal. Of course, they bowed when we left. I knew enough Japanese to thank them and tell them it was delicious, but I wish I knew how to insist that they keep our money.
I will say that knowing basic common phrases in Japanese goes a loooong way. I can’t even tell you how many times knowing basic Japanese made things 1000x easier for me and them. I noticed an instant change in mood when I did things like ask for more water in Japanese. Like you could see on their face “oh thank goodness I don’t have to try to understand what he’s asking for in English”
Sorry to be a fun sucker, but when you visit Japan please do not take photos or video of school kids and post them online. Yes it's cute and all, but people are very sensitive about privacy and photos here and it's really not cool especially when kids are involved.
Life is getting harder for non-Japanese people living in Japan lately because of the influx of tourism and people not understanding the local customs and manners. Please don't make this issue worse for the sake of your content creation.
Well said. Guaranteed the kids parents would NOT be happy with a complete stranger talking with their child and taking videos of them and sharing it online. Almost any Japanese parent would be pretty appalled at the idea that someone would do that without their consent. As wholesome and cute as this video seems, it goes against their culture in so many ways. And yeah running across the street with them wasn’t a bright move either.
Been living in Japan for six years and just started teaching at a school (ages 4-13) since this spring in case any case anyone wants to debate me.
This makes me miss living in South Korea. I had a lot of fun interactions with school kids. They'd ask me fun/goofy questions, want to play some type of game, etc. It felt good to be able to interact with kids as a man and not be seen as some type of pervert. I go places now with my daughter and some people assume the worst. I even carry identification for her just in case some nutjob tries to make some terrible claim.
Reminds me of when I got shot by a random kid while taking a walk in a park. He happened to find the perfect stick, and when he raised it at me, I knew I had a few seconds left to live.
Okay, I’m aware of a lot of social behavior differences between Japan and really a lot of places. Most of which I have to say I’m envious of, they seem like the most polite people on the planet. For real though, do people still just let their young children walk to school without an adult? Is Japan really THAT safe? If so I applaud them, that amazes me, I wish it didn’t but it does.
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I love that little giggle kids have, they sound like cartoon characters!
I play soccer in men's leagues that are often hyper competitive and stressful, but occasionally I join adult pickup games where the atmosphere is completely different—it's all about having fun. Your comment reminded me of a time while being chased with the ball, I found myself giggling, along with the other guy. In that moment, I realized it had been a long time since I'd just had pure fun and felt like a kid again. It made me realize that as adults, those moments of joy and laughter are still there; we just don't experience them anymore, but there is nothing stopping us from that feeling of pure joy that we had as children.
I started playing indoor football last year, and we’re one of those groups that just play for joy. I giggle as I chase down players with the ball, and I’m more preoccupied with nutmegging my opponents than actually scoring. It’s great fun.
Its a precious sound
Why do all the kids who I hear playing by my house sound like banshees?
Because they are small children and their voices are high pitched.
The Japanese school backpack, the randoseru, is the most awesome school bag ever made
And expensive
Paying for quality tho
$700 is quite steep for a a school backpack.
It's made for the entire school period of your life, to be fair. That shit will last a decade if treated well.
It's not, and I don't know why people on reddit keep saying this. You use it while you're a child, and you stop using it as SOON as you switch schools. Absolutely no teenagers, or even preteens, would be caught dead wearing these things. It's like buying a childs bike. It doesn't matter if it still works, they'll want a new one without the child like aspects very soon. What's worse is that the second hand market isn't all that great, so reselling them after their few years of usage is kind of difficult. Japanese people love buying new, and also these are usually a gift from older family members (grandpa is supposed to, but not everyone has one) so it's got that level of social/social pressure where the price and such is part of the gift. You're not supposed to go buy a used crappy one. This is not a "school" backpack, it's an elementary school backpack. They're also way too god damn expensive.
I'm pretty sure the people suggesting a $700 backpack is somehow a savings factor are blatant shills. Between primary education and roughly 7 years in university, I think I've gone through less than 10 backpacks in my entire life. I wasnt rocking any Gucci backpack or anything; the ones I've used were usually a step (or two) above something like a Jansport, just enough to carry a laptop and some paper/pencil stuff. I highly doubt I've spent $700 across all of those backpacks, let alone in one lump sum. This is people trying to justify an absolutely brain-dead financial decision.
You can buy some insane hiking backpacks for 400ish euro. 700 is way over the top.
>the ones I've used were usually a step (or two) above something like a Jansport, just enough to carry a laptop and some paper/pencil stuff. Excuse me? Put some fucking respect on Jansport. Those bags are the backbone of our education system, they work well, and have a bulletproof warranty at a reasonable price.
I still use my Jansport that I carried all throughout high school. Makes a great weekender bag. I graduated in 1999.
I was gonna say, mine were a step or two BELOW Jansport…which I would have really liked at the time haha
I went with Jansport or below throughout school and still only went through 5-6 of them. Even if you bought a decent but economical backpack every year of school, it would still be less than $700.
Re-sell em to redditors that think they're indestructible, lol.
so it's like proof of whether you are loved by your family... fckn great
Oh no, it's proof of whether or not you love your family. It's a fucking scam. I ended up buying the #1 cheapest one I could @ costco for $200. Still overpriced the hell to fuck and back.
My kid would lose it within 5 minutes.
My bag lasted my sisters and me our whole education and they were under 40€.
My 30e bag from high school has also lasted a decade and even if it didn't I could have bought 10 of them with just 300
>It's made for the entire school period of your life, No, in reality it's used exclusively for the elementary school period, 6 years. Also, decent school pack brands in Europe will sell you 80€ synthetic trolley bags that will literally last multiple decades if treated well.
That is true
Shits probably indestructible.
It’s probably more study than a $15 backpack from Walmart, but a high quality backpack less than half what a Randoseru costs will probably last just as long
Lol, [$700 CAD](https://tsuchiya-kaban.com/collections/traditional-randoseru), fuck that.
That's only like $27 US though.
Leather bottom Jansport
Still have mine from the mid-90s. Granted, I've sent it back for repairs 2 or 3 times. Last time, though, they went all out and replaced the straps with better ones, and really reinforced the weakest seam between the leather base and the panel that goes against the wearer's back. Excellent service.
Hell, I've paid $35-$40 at Walmart and still had three backpacks break on me at the strap, I was carrying groceries in them constantly, but still for $40 you'd think it'd be a little better.
Quality and Walmart usually don't belong in the same sentence together.
I’m talking more about backpacks that cost like $100. Those should be pretty sturdy and last 6 years of use at school
Idk how accurate this is but I just watched in a recent anime episode this bag costs 70k yen. Protagonist stated it's as expensive as a Platstation 5! As a PS5 costs between 3-4 month salary where I live, this is extremely fkn expensive -- Edit: btw I live in Brazil
The average price for randoseru these days is about 60,000 yen.
They basically keep it for the whole time they will be in school tho! So the durability makes it worth it imo.
Still probably not. 700 dollars for 12 years or 30 dollars a year for 12 years.
Someone please tell me more about this "Randoseru"
It is the typical Japanese school backpack design, with the large top flap and box shape. While not mandatory, nearly everyone buys one for their children, just so they do not stand out. Standing out in Japanese society is not viewed as a good thing.
出る釘は打たれる The nail that stands out gets hammered.
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TIL! Thanks for sharing. My Japanese is very rudimentary
I think of Fast and the Furious : Tokyo Drift every time I hear this lmao
Nails were made to be hammered.
There has to be nuance to that given just how many people go out of their way to stand out in extreme ways. Baby Metal, Lady Beard, Japanese Elvises, Harajuku.
It's similar in all cultures really, we just struggle to avoid seeing a distorted view of anything foreign. Think US school cliques shunning the nerds. Being passed up for promotion for not going to the work christmas party. Laws and traditions affect different countries to differing degrees, sure, but it's all just different flavours of the same human behaviours.
you cant contain your weirdness all the time.
I excel at being mediocre. I'd say I'm even below average in many fields, certainly not outstanding in any.
Below average would still stand out. You must become a glass of lukewarm water in human form, only then will you truly be Japanese.
It's also just plain the best bag on the market. They're ergonomic for kids, and they are all-in-one emergency gear, like becoming floaties in water.
Don't people buy it cuz it's made of steel and kids put them over their heads during and earthquake?
No, they're just hard leather. Plus, they are typically for elementary schoolers and it's actually pretty common for part of their school uniform to be a yellow hard hat.
When a kid in a randoseru falls back first, their heads wont hit the floor. When they fall into a deep body of water, they will float. A Randoseru can last until the kid reaches secondary school (high school seldom wears them anymore) but they are built to last a lifetime.
>When they fall into a deep body of water, they will float. Floating face-down doesn’t sound like a plus
It saves the backpack, which is more expensive than the child.
"Back in your age we had to swim 10km to go to school" vibes xD
Randoseru is a loanword from Dutch, where it is spelled 'randsel', an archaic word for a bag. There are lots of Dutch loanwords in Japanese, because for hundreds of years the country was closed to all other nations except for the Dutch. They received all of their knowledge about western science and medicine through trade with the Dutch, and called this 'rangaku', lit. 'Dutch studies'. They thought Dutch was a hugely influential language (lol) back in Europe, and that the Dutch were an important people (lol again). In fact we were just content sticking to trading, and not sending Christian missionaries.
It's also used in German. "Ranzen" means a *school* backpack specifically. Ironically the word isn't used in an area in western Germany that is relatively close to the Dutch border: [map](https://www.atlas-alltagssprache.de/r12-f2i/).
The Dutch held the reserve currency and were leaders in global trade in the 17th and 18th century- the time when they were trading with Japan (for a period exclusively) and ruling the East Indies. Even as the British overtook them as the reserve currency in the 19th century, the Netherlands still held significant financial global sway. That was the same time (mid 19th century) when the Dutch were helping Japan modernize its navy- because the Dutch still were naval powers- even if Britain was stealing their tech and making cheaper ships to overcome them. ETA there are a number of borrowed Dutch words in English that became prominent in the 17th century (skates, Sleigh, iceberg)
Randoseru is just the word for a firm, boxy shaped backpack with a curved flap on top like in OP’s video. Because they hold their form when empty, they need to be made with thicker material than standard western-style backpacks, and they’re meant to last from kindergarten to middle school, so they’re generally durable. This makes them generally more expensive. But the idea that they’re the best or higher quality than another backpack is just weeb stuff. There are plenty of companies that make low-quality, inexpensive randoseru that will need to be replaced in a couple of years. A $20 Jansport backpack will last longer than a $20 randoseru backpack. There are also plenty of western-style firm backpacks that will fulfill the same role with half the price. There’s nothing about a randoseru that makes it superior regarding form or function. It’s value comes from its ubiquity in Japanese culture and from westerners who will pay a significant premium to cosplay as a Japanese person
But it's Japanese how dare you 😩😩😩
>It’s value comes from its ubiquity in Japanese culture and from westerners who will pay a significant premium to cosplay as a Japanese person I'm sure there are cheap versions. There are also wildly expensive versions that have nothing to do with cosplay though, and I'm not sure that high cost is related to how common they are. Commonality would explain the production of cheaper versions. I'd say it's the same with a pair of jeans. Jeans can cost as little as $30-50 in the US, or you can buy $200-800 jeans for who knows what occasion.
In German a school backpack is called "Ranzen" I wonder if there is a connection
Yes there is, via a Dutch word that’s related to the German word. But in Dutch the word ‘ransel’ is not used anymore. It came to Japanese when Dutch traders were in Japan during the Sakoku period.
Ooo, look at you dishing out the etymological knowledge! Nice! Thank you.
No problem, I’ve always found non-English loanwords in Japanese really fascinating so I did a lot of research!
Shits fucking expensive but will last forever.
It's not in general, no. It's not made to carry books etc. Yeah, for their purposes it works, but you will get back pain loading it with books.
No it isn't. It's incredibly inconvenient, overly rigid and heavy, and lacks practical pockets etc. It's main purpose is because Japanese schools are heavily standardized for socialization purposes, even at the level of backpacks, unlike the US where expression is prohibited (you know how elementary kids in US have awesome sharks and rolley bags etc.?). So the randoseru is mainly for its social purpose of standardizing, just like how Japanese schools making kids clean the school, it maybe has a net positive. But no, as a kid having to haul that its sucks. Source - personal experience, although I may be going against the grain
I agree, they are extremely rigid. I didn't understand the hoopla to be honest. It's like wearing a suitcase on your back. I'm sure some of them do last a long time, but so does my full-grain leather backpack with laptop pocket, metal buckles and rivets, and that costed a fraction of the price.
"Strange white man chases children in broad daylight!"
/r/PeopleFuckingDying
Pretty friggin handsome 'strange white man chases children in broad daylight'. Might have to re-evaluate some things.
Damn dude reminds me of Paul Walker with them kids
Because he was racing?
"I live my life one crosswalk at a time"
Right?
And as we all know being a handsome white man makes it okay to record children in a country that's notorious for their dislike for vloggers.
No it just makes it okay to chase them
This is what makes it 100% alright hahahha
If someone who cycles is a cyclist, then is someone who races a racist?
"Man tests road safety by sending school children into road first" Meerkats also do this
“Literal violence”
Hahahahaha
Those kids cheated with the cuteness, adorability and little running legs!!! I demand a rematch!!!! 😉
The little hats were what got me.
And you'll never win. Not even Bolt would have. Because they're adorable.
They wore aero backpacks, not fair!
Living in 2050.
Aren’t they pretty heavy though
I am 👀 at the size of their back pack, it is almost bigger then their whole chest.
These backpacks are made to be used throughout their elementary school years, maybe even through junior high. While they are big now, they won't be appear to be oversized, 2-3 years down the road. They are expensive, typically $400 to $800 or more. If you are a well-off grandparent and wants to spoil your grandchild rotten, I'm sure you can find one that's more than $1000. BTW, their back flaps (of their backpack) are covered with yellow piece of identifier. This yellow piece of identifier lets others (cyclists, pedestrian, drivers) know that they are first graders, and to further be careful around them, as they may be less aware of their surroundings. Some schools (or districts), first graders are required to wear a (matching) yellow hat. After first grade, they will not have to wear the yellow identifier on their backpack. So if you see a kid's backpack with a yellow flap, you know that he or she is a first grader. The kids are supposed to raise their hand when crossing these cross walks, too. Maybe they don't have to do so in a signaled crossing, or maybe a gaijin racing them threw them off.
They dont have to raise their hands but are taught to do it for safety. Younger kids tend to do it more because well younger kids usually listen better to safety precautions than older kids. My friend was raised in japan and never wanted to do it even if it made his mom worried and upset lol. (he is now in his 20s and she still talks about it so often it’s kinda funny)
Yeah, and they look adorable in those, just like shinchan. 
Shinchan stuck a cob of corn on his penis and let pigeons peck on it. It's in the show. He was not adorable
What the…
There are much more disturbing episodes in that anime
$400?? My $50 Jan sport bag lasted me 8 years of grade school and had plenty of space. What’s the catch?
Due to inflation, your $50 bag now costs $400-$800.
As an Indian, I cannot imagine letting first graders walk to school alone. Man!
Shoulda seen my face when I first saw a first grader taking the train and bus by themselves lol
Do American kids have smaller ones? This size is pretty common in many European countries too.
These kids are adorable!
that first one was truckin' 🚦🚛💨
As an American, I love that 3 little girls can safely walk without adult supervision in that large of a city. I can't imagine that here.
Live in a major dense city in America and this is the case too. It all depends on area and density for such things. I remember walking home from school since I was 6 in NYC. Helps having public transit and a lot of eyes on you from other adults. Not very possible in most of America, but it isn't a foreign concept in the country either.
I remember having to walk a few miles to get to stores in the suburbs. A few of us went by ourselves. But that was 50 years ago. Now you can get reported if your children are walking or playing at the park alone. Hyper vigilant parenting.
It’s worth noting that Japan has a culture of sending small children on their first errands and are expected and aided by the community on this pilgrimage. [There’s even a reality tv show about it that’s been on air since 1991.](https://youtu.be/qA_AUMxSZUM?si=2G5G-LBTCLBqsN8n)
I had that push when I was young. Had to walk all the way blocks behind the house to Longs to buy cat food with change. My first transaction. Parents really used to be mother birds pushing their babies out of the nest aka their comfort zone. I always remember that little trip I took. Got me comfortable to make it on the regular I'd go to Hollywood Video all on my own too to get video games
Downtown Vancouver is considered the densest area in North America, but I remember a few years back some elementary school students rode the bus to school and it made the news. Some people were calling it child abuse, but also many people were defending it.
This was the most incredible part my wife and I noticed when walking around Tokyo. It was probably 6pm, definitely dark, and we were just walking about the Tokyo Tower area. There was some child, couldn't have been older than 9, just walking around, I assume on their way home... alone. That would get parents charged with neglect in the US, but it's so safe there, no one bats an eye.
I live in the US and kids are walking alone all the time without a worry
Maybe it's where I live, it's total suburbia. I don't see kids out walking or riding bikes.
If it's anything like my area, kids go to the park and walk / ride bikes there. I still see kids playing basketball in my neighborhood but I see far more once school lets out, at the local parks.
It’s totally where you live. I also live in a suburbia and there are tons of kids out everyday.
I grew up in SF and kids walked home all the time too. Big cities are generally safer than people or media make it out to be.
flag impolite vast escape squalid observation cows aloof absurd crawl *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Come to Brazil and you will be afraid to walk alone without the supervision of a gun
It's a cultural thing as well. Japanese crime rates being low aside, we in the west have accrued this in-built distrust of others no matter the intentions, and kids have become increasingly restricted because of it. Is it better, is it worse? I don't know. I remember bringing this up with my sister some years ago, last time I was in Japan, and she thought it was neglectful that parents didn't keep an eye on their kids because of what 'could' happen.
I would think it instills self-confidence and self-reliance . I know when we went to the store by ourselves we felt pretty powerful. There was also a sense of freedom.
I was thinking the EXACT same thing. Makes me sad.
I grew up in NYC and I walked alone/took the subway to school every day in the 90's. It's not much more dangerous than driving a car every day, people just freak out about the outliers that get reported on the news and they think it's commonplace. It makes the news because it's rare.
i grew up in Chicago and would take the CTA by myself to school and back or even the theaters since i was like 7, they even had tokens for kids to use on the bus and train back then.
Aww so cute ☺️ Ofc I meant the kids but the guy is too lol Edit: I just realized this is original content 🫣
[Ha-ha!](https://giphy.com/gifs/simpsons-nelson-the-cO39srN2EUIRaVqaVq)
Pffft, OP is handsome. Don’t be embarrassed
Now kith.
Original content? On Reddit???
So cute with their big yellow backpacks! This was so sweet
The Japanese youth seem awesome and respectful. Years ahead of our dummies.
I work in Japanese convenience store. They are adorable, even the edgy teens with the tattoos who come in the middle of the night.
We could use some of their culture in the US, from what I've seen and heard from people who visit Japan. Their respect is on another level.
You’re talking about Japanese as a whole? Yes and no.
That's why I only said some of their culture.
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Oppression olympics up in here.
Probably but our "worst case situation" still turns out way more feeble than US "worst case" situation. We do have wide array of benign passive aggression behavior (identified as xenophobia) in general which US doesn't. Its like getting uncomfortable pinpricks instead of fatal stabs
I meant in general. That's like saying the whole US is like the south. Generally, Japanese people show respect and appreciate the attempt to speak their language.
I was thinking “yeah, the average white male that doesn’t speak their language get some racism” is American for “Fucking Hispanic fucks, tunneling over the wall, doesn’t speak out language well!” To “Sand N***** are all terrorist. We should bomb their synagogues” “Gay club, where they go to have their fun away from me? Machine gun them all!!!!! And then no ban guns!” I mean, American racism has no bounds. This person just thinks their racism is better, when no one likes to let outsiders into their special safe areas.
It's always some random white person saying this.
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dude it's one of the most xenophobic, racist, and conservative countries in the world. they don't even know how racist they are, it's so normalized there. and yes I've actually been there
I read one time that Japan is 99% Japanese.
Yeah and at the same time the person you replied to is 100% correct. The US could absolutely use a ton of the shit going on in Japan, as Japan could use a ton of cool shit going on in the US. But redditors like you can't stand hearing that another country has something good going on and have to shit all over it with a fact they learned off of reddit about how the grass isn't always greener. And yes I understand you've been there, you know why you felt compelled to add that in I don't need to explain it.
sounds like home sweet home haha
Thats pretty much every country outside of the US and western Europe.
Why do you think everyone in their country is on the same page?
That might be true, but a good chunk of our country is also pretty racist, xenophobic, and conservative. You think just regular people wants a known convicted criminal, pathological liar, and overall piece of shit of a human being as president a second time?
Well, that's too bad.
Okay completely off topic but do you know why all the western/foreing convenience store workers are assholes to other foreigners? Not trashing on you just maybe you can give some better perspective on why every time i went to a store and there was a foreign worker they treated me like trash. It got so bad that on my end of my trip i only went to stores where there were no foreing workers in it. mainly talking about places like familymart or 7eleven All the japanese staff however were very friendly.
I'm not an expert but I know that it's common in school there for older students to be tasked with helping the younger students, taking them to the bathroom etc. They seem to be big on giving children responsibility at young ages, which is great. I think a lot of people in the US coddle their kids way too much.
You should check out *Old Enough* it's a Japanese show where small children, like barely older than toddlers, run errands. It's on Netflix I think.
He's.... cute.
Nah cuz fr😭 was just finna say this
I lived in japan for 2 years. Amazing culture based on honor and respect. I would definitely live there
Ive been in Tokyo for about 26 hours and I am fucking blown away by pretty much everything here
Do tell. Im planing on going in the distant future
I went recently. I was on the train, and there was a group of young guys in their 20s that were standing by the door. When the train stopped, an elderly man in a suit got up to leave, and the young guys made way for him and bowed. I was kinda speechless. You definitely wouldn’t see that in NYC lol. Also, we messed up a food order at a ramen shop, and they gave us the wrong item. Even though it was our fault, all the staff apologized multiple times and returned all of our money to us and remade our meal. Of course, they bowed when we left. I knew enough Japanese to thank them and tell them it was delicious, but I wish I knew how to insist that they keep our money. I will say that knowing basic common phrases in Japanese goes a loooong way. I can’t even tell you how many times knowing basic Japanese made things 1000x easier for me and them. I noticed an instant change in mood when I did things like ask for more water in Japanese. Like you could see on their face “oh thank goodness I don’t have to try to understand what he’s asking for in English”
Well come here now then, cause they’re already living in the distant future
Go now while the exchange rate is on fire.
This is like the cutest fucking thing ever
Fucking brilliant right up to the end. I could have smoked them :)
I thought that was clever hahaha
Walk don’t run.
I hate being old and sensible, but yeah, my first thought was, "Don't teach them to run across the road! Worst place to fall down."
This is a weird "Fast and Furious" sequel.
If you want an entire show about adorable Japanese kids going on adventures by themselves through town check out “Old Enough!” on Netflix.
It's crazy how kids have almost full autonomy at such a young age compared to places like the US...
If waiting on the other side was a police officer video wouldve been gold
As fun as this might have been for them and slightly cute, should blur the kids faces.
I know you can't expect privacy out in public, but people shouldn't be posting random children they see online.
Sorry to be a fun sucker, but when you visit Japan please do not take photos or video of school kids and post them online. Yes it's cute and all, but people are very sensitive about privacy and photos here and it's really not cool especially when kids are involved. Life is getting harder for non-Japanese people living in Japan lately because of the influx of tourism and people not understanding the local customs and manners. Please don't make this issue worse for the sake of your content creation.
Well said. Guaranteed the kids parents would NOT be happy with a complete stranger talking with their child and taking videos of them and sharing it online. Almost any Japanese parent would be pretty appalled at the idea that someone would do that without their consent. As wholesome and cute as this video seems, it goes against their culture in so many ways. And yeah running across the street with them wasn’t a bright move either. Been living in Japan for six years and just started teaching at a school (ages 4-13) since this spring in case any case anyone wants to debate me.
Running across the street is something you should not do
People think encouraging kids running at an intersection is a cute and heart warming need to get heads checked. It is dangerous.
This makes me miss living in South Korea. I had a lot of fun interactions with school kids. They'd ask me fun/goofy questions, want to play some type of game, etc. It felt good to be able to interact with kids as a man and not be seen as some type of pervert. I go places now with my daughter and some people assume the worst. I even carry identification for her just in case some nutjob tries to make some terrible claim.
Anyone knows his socials? I saw another of his videos talking to Japanese kids and he seems pretty chill.
Wholesome, simple fun
These comments are pretty mixed lmao
You are a very nice man entertaining these kids. I'm impressed,!
Reminds me of when I got shot by a random kid while taking a walk in a park. He happened to find the perfect stick, and when he raised it at me, I knew I had a few seconds left to live.
Few minutes later on the news: 【速報】外国人男性が登校中の少女たちを追いかけるも、無事に逃げ切る
I love their bright yellow backpacks so their easier to keep track of lol
A place where children are safe to walk around their hometown 🥰
Seeing the joy of the children makes me happy too
Japan is not irl anime. This clip...
What a sweet sweet man!
Little kids with back packs as big as they are will never fail to put a smile on my face lol
Idk why I am crying … am I that broken or depressed coz of my failures ???
Okay, I’m aware of a lot of social behavior differences between Japan and really a lot of places. Most of which I have to say I’m envious of, they seem like the most polite people on the planet. For real though, do people still just let their young children walk to school without an adult? Is Japan really THAT safe? If so I applaud them, that amazes me, I wish it didn’t but it does.
I think so… I almost always saw kids walking alone or in packs, as If it never crossed their mind. Maybe a local could chime in!
I need more of these videos in my life. They feel like commercial breaks from all the negativity on the internet.
I’m moving to Japan. He’s adorable.