A randoseru (ランドセル) is a firm-sided backpack made of stitched firm leather or leather-like synthetic material, most commonly used in Japan by elementary schoolchildren.
While some schools mandate their own style of bag that matches the required uniform, others allow for more individual choice. While most school bags are sold in a similar style, recently many high schoolers have even started using full-sized backpacks.
Ransel or Randoseru (in Japanese) is a school bag in Japan made of leather. The Japanese school bag is inspired by the Dutch military backpack model, which is called a Ransel.
These bags are known as randoseru. Carefully crafted, incredibly durable and often rather expensive, they've been a staple of everyday Japanese schoolwear for over a century.
Students in Japan do not have lockers of their own. These shoe boxes are the closest students come to having a private place to keep their personal effects. Many people, however, consider the “geta bako” dirty (from the shoes) and avoid leaving notes or other effects there. “Many type of shoe locker.
Traditionally these tiny cloth bags contain a piece of paper blessed by a Shinto or Buddhist priest, but increasingly the charm is a decorative item bought from a normal store and symbolizes the personal good wishes of a friend or relative.
Having a good bag that balances the weight of all the things they need for school as well as doesn't negatively affect their posture is important. And above all, the randoseru has a symbolic and emotional value for young Japanese as it represents the start of a new phase in life.
袋にお入れしますか? Fukuro ni oiresimasu ka? - Would you like a bag? For single items like a canned drink or pack of gum that may not appear to need a bag, a convenience store clerk may ask you if you need a bag.
Virtually every elementary schooler in Japan is required to carry their books to and from school in a randoseru, so the bags represent a major family expense.
The word "getabako" is from geta (下駄, Japanese wooden clog) and hako (箱, "box"). Usually there are big getabako in schools, and each student has their own section.
At the end of the 2019 school year, it began allowing girls to wear pants. At the end of 2021, girls were given the option of wearing neckties, no longer limited to bow ties. Following consultations with parents while gradually adding options, the school ended up completely overhauling the uniforms.
These uniforms consist of a white shirt, tie, blazer with school crest, and tailored trousers (often not of the same color as the blazer) for boys and a white blouse, tie, blazer with school crest, and tartan culottes or skirt for girls.
The randoseru bags are commonly used in Japan, with most pupils having one which they can fill with everything they need for school. It's made from soft and hard leather and a variety of colours, but traditionally red is popular with girls and black with boys.
Japanese school rules emphasize a lot the natural appearance of the students. Japanese high school girls cannot do any makeup, hair dye, paint their nails, or wear jewellery. They believe that all these things distract students from their studies, and when they are in school, the only thing they do is study.
Backpacks Can = Bad Backs
For many years some schools have banned the use of backpacks due simply to health reasons. Many physicians and medical associations agree that carrying heavy backpacks can lead to problems, including muscle strain and poor posture.
In Japan, many schools have uniforms, and the vast majority of these uniforms include skirts for girls. Making a school uniform skirt in Japan is thus a relatively simple process.
While you should always confirm if a bag is authentic or not, you can take some reassurance from the fact that Japan is renowned for its super-strict laws against counterfeits, thanks to its tight regulations around copyright and the sale of fake designer goods.
Made up of the Japanese kanji characters for 'fortune' and 'bag', 'fukubukuro' (福袋) are literal shopping bags filled with random assortments of goods. Almost anything and everything can be sold in fukubukuro, from clothing and beauty products to electronics, kitchenware and even food!
In Japan, mandatory charge on plastic bags in all retail shops was introduced in July 2020. Each bag carries a charge of about US$ 0.05.
だいじょうぶ (daijoubu) - “No Thanks” 違う (chigau) - “That's not right” すみません (sumimasen) - “I'm sorry/Thank you but…”
赤のカバン aka no kaban “Red bag” (This has the same meaning as 赤いカバン.)
A randoseru (ランドセル) is a firm-sided backpack made of stitched firm leather or leather-like synthetic material, most commonly used in Japan by elementary schoolchildren. Traditionally it is given to a child upon beginning their first year of school, whereupon the child uses the same bag until grade 6.
Otoshidama is given to school age children from parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, close family friends and neighbours. On average it is reported that Japanese kids receive gift money from 5-6 people. The average amount is reported as 5,000 yen per envelop.
Young children running adult errands on their own isn't rare in Japan. It's a tradition that has caught the attention of TV viewers the world over since Netflix began showing re-runs of a wildly popular Japanese variety show from the 1990s.
In Japan mothers craft a carrying device called an onbuhimo to strap the child to their back. Likely developed by indigenous islanders, it looks like a typical daypack but with wider straps. It is strong enough to transport kids ranging from infant to toddler-size.