Japanese Children

At elementary school parents/grandparents usually take their children to school.But even if they go to school alone they usually only have to walk as schools are near their homes.

For example there are 7+ schools that are 2-10 minutes away from my house in walking distance.

If they go at a private school then a yellow bus come to pick them from their home.

I remeber yellow bus ^__^

My father sent me to and fro from school till the age of 16 ^^; Owe him a lot for that >,<
Most kids here take the school bus I think. From the age of 12 (high school) onwards I think more of them start traveling to school on their own.

Back few years before now, parent sent imouto and I to school, now I got my driving license so I'm driving to school. Yah going to school on my own is great but tiring.

nice hats. ('~')

kids nowadays... :3

I couldn't agree more :3

I'd say that when I was at school a few years back, most kids here walked to school on their own, even at that age. Some of course were driven by parents, but I'd say for the most part they just got there on their own. That's what I always did too ^^;

Well depends on the age. They mostly walk or use the bycicle when it is in the near their home. And they use buses or trains to get to schools which are far away. There are also some kids who get driven to school by their dad or mum.

I was recently telling my grade 6 class (In Canada) about how kids in Japan traveled to school alone... It's also something I was very surprised by when I first arrived in Japan.

Here some child go alone to school but the most of them are picked up for buses or their parents.

It's a lot worse in Germany.

Here, kids are usually not-very-well-mannered-at-all (or simply "evil"). They'll just charge at any free seat available, even if it's the ones for elderly people. Offer the seat when an elderly person appears? You dream.

What's worse, German school kids also mostly have a similar school bag, which is rectangular box-shaped WITH HARDENED PLASTIC EDGES.
Now, imagine these midgets running around the bus/train and twisting around and ramming said school bag into your guts, or somewhere below ...

when i was in primary school, although there were school buses, i knew many kids who came to school by public buses. by secondary school, public buses and trains were the norm. i guess the fact that the public transport companies give concessions to school kids shows how common it is.

Children usually begin traveling to school on their own if its within walking distance when they hit grade 3 or 4, so when they're about 8 or 9 I think.

Lol, in malaysia, no kids around that age would walk to school. Too many stories of kidnappings and accidents .. and gods throwing lightning bolts at innocent little kids walking to school in the morning =P

I never walked to school by myself till a month after we had moved to our new house, it was during my middle school days , but now i have a little sister and I have to walk her to and from school.

It's a five minute walk from our house so its no problem.

where i come from, indonesia, its either car or foot. no bus. rich = car, not so rich = foot.

most of the time either take public transport or walk to school.. most schools here are within walking distance.

Sounds like a lot of trouble.

If we're talking about public school students, they usually travel without a parent or guardian. They often go to school in groups (with their classmates and friends) and ride a bus or jeep. They're often noisy; screaming at friends on the streets or on another jeep. Makes me want to yell at them sometimes x_x

As for private school students, they either get their parents ride them to school or they take the bus (not the "bus" bus but a van that is used as a bus). Back when I was in elementary and high school, I had the luxury of hitching a ride with my cousins every morning. I sometimes walk since my school is only a kilometer away~

I see it all the time. Little kinds often running down the sidewalk to a nearby elementary school. And once in awhile, the bus comes by and drops someone off.

Japanese now is not as before where they used to keep their manners nicely...

And that's why I hate children.

For security reasons, in Brazil all the kids who can (read - has the money to) will have parents or private transportation taking them to schools.
I'm back at University once again, and what I have to say is: Most 17yr old students still have their parents taking them there.
They'll probably get their driver's license soon (18 is the age in Brazil) and some will never even have used public transportation on their own cities.
But of course, this is the reality of only a few people, since most don't have the money for it.

I took a stand on this and have been living for a couple of years without car (left it at my hometown). And it's ok since public transportation on the city I'm currently living is... perhaps the best in Brazil.

Kids are just being Kids . Yes , they tend to be anoyying sometimes but its a way that they can be there youthfullness .

By the looks of the photo, ojiisan giving them a proper scolding as noted by everyone's expressions.
I myself started going to school on my own at the age of 10.

Oh..you need to remove your backpack when you get on the trains?...wow...something new i learn again....

oh well kids are kids...
love everyone's facial expressions on the right side of the photo. That woman on the right has the best reaction, glaring at all the old guy.

Don't often see primary school students go alone on public transport here. Plus they don't live very far from their school either. We also have after school hour teachers who watch any kids that cannot be picked up by their parents.
But when it comes to high school, that's when they become annoying.

A lot of kids go to school by themselves if they an ride the bus. Otherwise they end up being taken by their grandparents (in elementary), parents (in junior high), or there friends or parents (in high school).

Most school children in the US get picked up by bus. Students that live closer to school usually are not assigned buses and thus walk to school on their own. (max considerable range for "close" is generally 1/2 mile to a mile)

Back in my earlier elementary school years, I walked from home, as that we lived about a quarter of a mile from school. My family moved and my new school was a greater distance, so I took the school bus, and same all throughout middle and high school. It seems like there are many more elementary schools as compared to high schools in the same area. My theory is that younger children are schooled in close, neighborhood communities because it's generally safer if they don't have to commute as far, while older kids can travel a greater distance more safely, but this could just be my imagination.

.. hmm, what? Sorry, I got distracted by the ninja on the bottom right.

Around here most of the middle and high school students go on a bus, most college students go by car (be it their own or someone else's).

That ninja doesn't look too happy about the kids...

I grew up in a smaller city in the Shizuoka prefecture. It was a 50 minute walk to school, which we did in a group of 10 or so every morning. We would cross wheat farms and corn farms and a long stretch of river. I never knew school buses even existed till I came to Canada.

As for manners, it's probably just the current spoiled generation, cause I learned most of my manners from my few years living in Japan.

Ah the yellow school bus how I hate them so. This year I stopped riding the bus to school considering how full it is. They were seating up to 3 people to a seat! So now I just walk home which only takes me 15minutes.

Buses filled with noisy children to the brim are not uncommon around my neck of the woods. A lot of parents use to give'em a ride, or simply walk them to the school gates, even if the distance is short.

There're three schools just in front of my home (elementary, middle and high) so I really know how annoying can kids be. And don't even think of saying something, specially if they're in group - it's like talking to a pack of wild dogs: they may listen to your plight, they may run in fear, or, more often, they'll shut up and look the other way.

To me, the best jutsu for dealing with noisy little punks is simple give them a long, hard look. I'm 1'90m tall and kinda look like a tengu, so it usually shut them up instantly.

Hehehe. I still ride the yellow school bus, at least until I get my driver's license! Luckily, high school buses are much much less noisy compared to packed elementary buses.

In my place it depends. Folks with money usually use their own car, or other vehicles, even though the school's not far. But for those with less money, kids walk to school by them self, going through dirt and muddy roads. And sometimes, I'm always questioning, "Aren't they afraid of kidnappers or pickpockets?" Coz my place isn't that safe, unlike Japan

in my area, if kids live close to the school, they walk, which is most of the kids in my school, some take the school bus, and some get driven, for me, when my parets can, they drive me, if not I take the public bus..^^

If you live really close too a school,the youngest I've seen a kids bike was probably about 7-8ish.In my old neighborhood,my mom would take me to school while I either took the bus or walked across the street got some foods and treked home.But we moved and now I have to be driven to school.

Most primary school kids are picked up but you get the odd critters who have to make there own way to school and back. They're generally well behaved in my area but you do get some inconsiderate little monsters here and there... Uh oh I'm starting to sound like an old folk x_x

Through primary school I was always driven to school by parents/grandparents - at that stage school was within walking distance.
For most of secondary school I took various busses that had been provided to go to the school. One school I went to had chartered busses that you had to pay for - because the school wasn't served by public transport. Later we moved house and were served by council-funded school busses.

The problem of kids being rude and just generally unmanageable was very much a problem for me too. Even when I was a kid I would despair at their behaviour and really hated the idea of being categorised with the idiots I had to travel to school with. I remember when I was actually 18 and basically the last one left using the school bus from my year (all others having passed driving tests by then and sadly not offering me a lift) the younger kids pretty much turned on me as the oldest and therefore closest to being an authority figure. Turned out that of all the ways there are of dealing with bullies, setting the 6th form rugby team on the ring leader works the best.

Ah, the new generation. The kids around here don't have any manners either. I've yet to hear the word please from one this millenia.

My waifu still gives me a strange look when I point this out. ^^; I think it is good that younger children are going to school on their own.

Most of the kids here ride the bus or parents take them by car. With the way people drive here, I wouldn't want kids walking several miles to school. When living in Florida I would laugh at parent herding children into a car and driving a few hundred yards to the elementary or junior high school.

Only in the states...

When I was living in Sydney, Australia many kids would travel on the buses and trains alone. Many of them would sit on the stairs of the trains (the trains in Sydney are double decker) and can be hard to wade though them. But at least they are obeying the rules since people on student tickets have to give there seat to a full fare paying patron if there no seats available. Most of the time they are well behaved. Only time I got annoyed from them talking was when I just finished a 16 hour shift that started at 11pm and only wanted to go home and sleep. But I had to put up with teenage chatter for about an hour.

Yes, but not at that age.

As with all places, how they get to school are different. If they live in the local area and going to a local school, then either they would get picked up by a bus and some together or they would just walk it (Like I do, which is a tiring 10 minutes >_>).
Although for outer areas they tend to catch trains, and if they're alone or not depends on the person. Most of the time though they are together. I even know people who have to catch a bus, train and then a bus again. (Thank goodness for free travel passes!)

Don't really like how Japanese students have their own standard bag for their school. Unlike Singapore, where all the bags are your own choosing. Oh and most young children in Singapore take buses to school as well, don't really see young kids taking the public train.

For the most part, children catch the school bus. Those who don't either carpool or are picked up by their parents. However, it's not uncommon for kids to take public transportation to and from school.

Back when I was in 7th grade I would take the public bus home everyday.

I live in slightly rural area of New Jersey, USA so there isnt much in the form of public transportation. Up until the end of middleschool, I rode a yellow school bus to and from school. Now I take a train to school several towns over so I get a ride to the train station in the morning via my parents commuting to work. On the way home I walk home form the train station.

One time I was on a train in Tokyo. Some little boy did something naughty, I think he pulled the emergency handle. There was an old man on the train who told him off good and proper, and made him apologise. Then the train guard came and told him off as well.

well only elementary school kids are supposed to require some sort of parent or guardian to take them to school since it's dangerous for them to go alone...after that they can go on their own...

around here seems to be parents take their kids to school until about high school then they on their own

There's always a scare of child abduction and sexual predators; so the fear has been instilled to parents to not let the kids go on their own here. But when I used to go to school, I went by myself because it was only a few blocks away.

Some kids walk to school depending on distance, which I did for elementary school. My brother used to take me to school until he graduated from college (My middle school and his highschool are connected) And now I ride the school bus...Our town is small so we don't have a public bus

Usually yellow buses are provided up to middle school over here. At the start of high school, they provide subway cards good for 3 rides for those who lives a good distance from school.

in singapore we do hav pivrate school buses to pick up kids to school and thats for primary school only and a bus fee is paid every month, but nowadays they are more independent so they take the public bus more, they are quite noisy sometimes like the japanese kids as they are always talking about Duel master cards and how strong they are, sometimes Pokemon(which had extint in singapore) and yugioh cards(i do play them now still keeping the lightsworn deck) and now they are playing yoyos on the bus, i can still remember last time they would even bring tamiya mini 4wd cars to school and show it off when they are on the bus thus creating lots of noise

well i can guess the japanese kids are also like this, talking about their stuffs thus making alot of noise it is quite anoying sometimes but kids are still kids

well done angry old person (`_`) I also hate it when kids get on the bus and start shouting.

Kids these days, tsk tsk.

hate those little kid who don't have any manners.

Where I grew up there were real life lolicons and drive by shootings on the way to school. No exaggeration. Needless to say, I never walked to school alone.

Haven't seen too many rude kids in Japan. Just a few. Good for those elderly people for saying something.

Here in Malta kids are extremely pampered and given rights instead of duties. No wonder Malta is becoming a lazyman's haven.

my parents drive me to school when i was a child and they still do

loud, noise, obnoxious - that's why i drive to work everyday ^^!

School Buses are more often the option taken by parents here in my woods.

It's pretty much children aged 10 and up that catch public transport by themselves to school - I was around 10 or 11 when I first started, but almost always had friends with me. They are pretty well behaved though! And I guess it depends what area of the city you are in and which school they are from.

I see a lot of both here. I used to walk when I was in Elementary school, both when in Germany & in the US. I've also had to deal with noisy & HORRIBLY disrespectful children on countless occasions, it's quite pathetic really. =[

Danny, I notice you always say those backpacks in katakana-like spellings.
my e-dict entry says
ランドセル (ランドセル)
Meaning: bag (de: Raenzel) | knapsack | satchel with back straps

but I just wanna tell you that we also call backpacks "ransel" in Indonesia ^_^ well, to be precise, "tas ransel." the after-effect of being under Japan's control for 3.5years in WW2 lol

My son has is in Kindergarten and he has to be given a ride to school most days. They only have one bus for some odd reason and only a few students are able to use it. The bad thing about it is the school is on the other side of town from us, but the good thing is the school is one of the best in the area as opposed to the extremely horrible one just down the road from us. Most children in this town walk, I guess the city or whoever is in charge of the school transportation system doesn't want to spend money on "unnecessary" things.

I do believe 'helicopter parenting' is prevalent in parts of our country. Some people would be outraged if young kids went to school on their own instead of being picked up or taking the bus. The parents would be accused of being negligent and being bad parents.But it all depends on which part of the US you live in. I remember reading a story in which a mother allowed her 9 year old sun to take the subway in New York City alone and a lot of people were outraged. I completely understand why though-NYC is a bit more dangerous than other cities in the US.

Usually not. Though sometimes this is because our community is so spread out... if I were to walk to my old elementary school, it'd take 30 min.

no kids here just try to stab you with pens at 11 years of age

School bus... I don't remember it fondly...

My parents were strict and never allowing me to do as I please so I don't really like new gen kids as they are less obedient to their elders. Well not just that I just don't like any of the people who think they are in the center of the universe.
Those older than you, those in the same age group as you, as well as those younger than you. They are all the same, it is only when they are truly living in the real world will they ever mature(some never do though).

Ever since 2nd grade I went to school all on my own, and I think the only thing preventing me from doing so earlier was that I didn't live close enough. I remember my favorite mode of transportation was roller skates... but then the school banned them. Didn't stop me for awhile though, I know bullpoop rules when I see them. ^ ^

Loved walking to school every morning. It is more economical and another factor is my school is just blocks away from home :D

depends on where the kids stay at. there`s a primary and sec school near my residence and when dismissal time , 2 way road becomes half a lane . lol

Seems that every country ive lived in children tend to get picked up by a school bus.

I too was surprised when we moved to Switzerland, but I guess its normal for kids to go to school alone and I've gotten used to it. However, when we lived in Chicago, it was the yellow school bus that picked everybody up...

There's a reason why I do not like kids, and these are one of the thousands or reason. I do not see myself becoming a father any time soon in the near future. Maybe when my biological clock is ticking.

Old bloke at the right looks way pissed.

no school bus in vancouver, too expensive, we only have them for trips

heh, heh, nice hats

In my city most kids are at a walking distance (5-10 min walk) from school. We have several elementary schools to cover the whole area. Then the rest that are still too far come by yellow school bus.

I was driven by my parents because Perth is so damn big, and it was a lot more convenient than the bus. I saw a lot of other kids being driven by their parents, too.

here most kids travel alone or with friends and classmates becauze this is a small town its just a few minutes of walk its just annoying for drivers like me couze they walk in the middle of the road you have to horn at them really hard

My experience i you either took the school bus, got dropped off by parent because it was on their way to work, rode your bike to school, or walked.

Bus picks you up and drops you off. You only walk to school alone if it's in the same town. My high school was a five minute walk away and my primary school was a 15 minute walk away. I wasn't allowed to go alone to primary school though because of the busy road. My mum started letting me walk alone when I entered high school, because she had to still walk my little sister to primary school.

Kids are like that here. I finished work the other day and my feet were killing me but there was only two seats left on the bus. Some kids had decided to stretch out on them and have a nap. I woke one up and asked if I could sit next to him, but he screamed 'PERVERT!!' really loud and his mum started to shout at me. I ended up having to sit on the buses stair case. Thankfully the driver never noticed.