In Japan, most elementary and middle school students live within walking distance of a public school, and buses are reserved for kindergarten students, if they are used at all. The proximity of school facilities to most homes, and the fact that streets are safe enough for children to walk to school alone, are traditions that Japan is very proud of. School Uniform Everyone wears the school uniform at Kentaro's school. Not many public elementary schools require their students to wear uniforms, although uniforms are commonplace at the middle and high school level. Although you might dislike the idea of wearing the same clothes to school everyday, parents find that the system costs them less in new clothes for their children.
Some private schools use stylish uniforms as a way of attracting students or identification.
Kentaro wears a randoseru on his back, a loan-word from the Dutch ransel , or school satchel. A randoseru is a backpack usually made of sturdy leather. There are no explicit rules, but boys tend to have black randoseru , and girls to have red ones. Most parents buy their children a randoseru when they first enter elementary school, and they use it throughout their six years there. The randoseru has thus become a symbol for Japanese elementary school students.