This Is Japan
Explore everyday life in Japan
April is nearing, which means that a new school year will soon be starting in Japan. With every new school year here, a fresh batch of six-olds become first-grade elementary school students (there is no year of kindergarten). And part of becoming an elementary school student in Japan is getting a very unique backpack called a Lan-do-sel.
Lan-do-sel backpacks are incredibly sturdy, hard-framed backpacks that are made from thick, durable leather and are meant to last the full six years of a child’s elementary school education. As such, they are not cheap. These backpacks generally begin selling for around five or six hundred dollars (USD) and can cost well over a thousand dollars when they are custom made.
Getting a lan-do-sel is something that every child gets in Japan, and it is something of a coming-of-age moment. It symbolizes school-life, which, in turn, stands as a symbol of every growing maturity and responsibility. Choosing the right one is no small task. In the past, these backpacks were made mostly with two colors, black for boys, and red for girls.
Recently, however, they have begun to be made with a wide assortment of colors, embroidery accents, and accessories. This has made the selection process a little more challenging. As this is a major part of preparing children for their entrance into school-life, many parents want to buy their children the backpacks of their choice. However, with the increase in options that today’s market provides, deciding on a lan-do-sel that makes a child happy now and that he/she will continue to want to use as he/she matures from a six-year old to a twelve-year old is no easy challenge.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.
"Lan-do-sel backpacks generally begin selling for around five or six hundred dollars (USD) and can cost well over a thousand dollars when they are custom made."
What happens to students whose parents can't pay that much money.
I asked a few people and they all said the same thing, "Everyone finds a way to pay it, and if they can't, they rely on hand-me downs and secondhand stores."
I think, though, that most people just find a way. Grandparents help. Loans are available. And parents get around $100 a month (I'll have to doublecheck this number) from the government from the time a child is born until he/she is eighteen, so this money can be saved and used toward the lan-do-sel as well.
That makes it helpful to get government help. It's obvious that education is very important in Japan. I hope it will change for America, now, that we have a president that wants to change our school systems. For decades our schools have been a joke.
Government aid is helpful. Japan has a birth deficit right now, so they currently have financial incentives to encourage people to have children. From 0 to 3 years of age, families receive about $150 USD per child. Then from 3 years of age until either 15 or 18, families receive about $100 per child. From 15 to 18, this number may drop to $50 a month per child, I'm not sure. The chart I referenced seemed a little vague for these final three years.
Education is emphasized here, but I wouldn't say that means the school systems are very good. A lot of education takes place outside of schools at tutoring facilities for children of families who can afford them. Otherwise, one big difference from American schools is that students are kept busy with school activities (not academic activities) until 5:00 or 6:00 at night and throughout much of the weekend as well.