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.