Comments on: Why Are Little Kids in Japan So Independent?

By: Candide III

Candide III — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 09:10:10 +0000

T. Greer: Tokyo is rather typical in this sense, because most of it is actually detached houses and small cheap condos — a collection of villages and small towns, as it were — rather than the concrete jungle that comes to mind when one thinks “Tokyo”.

By: Spandrell

Spandrell — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 15:35:29 +0000

Some kid gets kidnapped every once in a while, but the criminals are caught very soon, and they get a long, long time in prison.

And children do get run over by cars too, but the driver also gets a long, long time in prison.

People let kids go outside alone because it is actually safe. It’s that simple.

Also note that they don’t let 6-year-olds go outside and play. They go to school by themselves, they do errands. They follow orders; once the order is complete they must go back home, or else.

Kids beating each other up does happen, but that’s mostly teenagers, and you can hardly argue that teenagers shouldn’t be allowed out of the house.

By: Grasspunk

Grasspunk — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 06:47:59 +0000

T. Greer, I’d be more worried to do this in the city than in the country where everybody knows everybody else.

Maybe American parents are signalling “good parenting” by always controlling activities?

Or maybe modern mall culture is the problem. For a suburban kid, where in the world do you go to do errands?

Finally maybe the number and speed of vehicles on local streets is the risk, not the weirdos. That’s what I’d be worried about with my crew. I’ve never been to Tokyo but it seems to have a decent pedestrian culture.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 05:25:25 +0000

When I was 5-10, my actions were shaped more by getting beat up by kids my age than fear of adult criminals. I don’t even remember my parents giving me a speech about taking candy from strangers. I never saw an adult prey on a child. Sure got beat up by kids though. And not by bad kids- I was just annoying. Maybe Japanese kids are raised to be less annoying.

By: A Boy and His Dog

A Boy and His Dog — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 03:45:50 +0000

Japan hasn’t had a moral hysteria about kidnapping like the USA yet. That’s the main difference.

By: A.B. Prosper

A.B. Prosper — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 20:39:25 +0000

As David said, Non-Diversity, near Homogeneity, is strength. However, a caveat: it’s also highly cultural. Japan is safe and very law abiding, and, barring a very rare sicko, no one would hurt a child. Even some 100% European areas are not as stable.

By: Isegoria

Isegoria — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 19:42:04 +0000

I don't think the issue is how many people will help the child, but rather what fraction — and how few are dangerous, scary, etc.

By: T. Greer

T. Greer — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 19:14:56 +0000

The problem with this article is that it treats Tokyo as typical, but you see the same patterns in Japan’s rural areas, where their isn’t a mass of people to continually rely on or watch the kids in question.

By: David

David — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 17:29:13 +0000

“[Japanese] kids learn early on that, ideally, any member of the community can be called on to serve or help others,” he says.

So maybe non-diversity is a strength, then, too.