This short documentary begins by sharing the Japanese proverb “Kawaii ko ni wa tabi o saseyo,” or “Send the beloved child on a journey.”

This saying, which holds that children should learn to take on challenges and difficulties from an early stage in life, alludes to the fact that Japanese children are typically socialized into becoming independent and taking care of themselves at a younger age than are many children in Western countries.

One striking example of this young independence is in how Japanese elementary school students commute to school on a daily basis.

 In Japanese cities, people are accustomed to walking everywhere, and public transportation trumps car culture; in Tokyo, half of all trips are made on rail or bus, and a quarter on foot. Drivers are used to sharing the road and yielding to pedestrians and cyclists.

Finally, we meet the Fraser family from Australia, whose 10-year-old daughter Emily is driven to and from school every day by her father. When told that if she lived in Japan she would’ve already been traveling to school by herself for four years, she replies, “It’s cool.” Fraser is already looking forward to high school, when she will be allowed to walk home and let herself in with a key independently.

Read the complete story here

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Source: Japan Today / YouTube -SBS2Australia