Japanese Kid Takes Solo Bullet Train Trip

This 4-year-old kid riding a bullet train to deliver work clothes to his father’s restaurant is probably the most impressive performance I’ve seen on the TV program “Hajimete no Otsukai” (First Errand):

Although the kid believes he is making a solo trip, he probably notices the cameramen following him around everywhere. Also, his mother is actually on the same train, watching him from a distance.

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14 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - July 29, 2010 at 12:19 pm

Categories: Japanese TV Tags:

Kono

It’s a safe country, that kid can probably travel all of Japan without getting bothered.
http://katiesjapanfiles.wordpress.com Katie

What a great kid! But the poor Mom when he kept running back to his Dad!
kmyk

so cute~ I like the heart on his hand <3
lovely

do not like these kinds of programs. the parents in this country think that sending THEIR kids on errands is just fine after watching this. but there are no cameras following when their kids do it. just drove by some wacky family who lets their 2 1/2 year olds play in an open driveway unattended – they have cones stating that children may run into the road but i don`t think that is enough. idiots is what i would call them.

somegirl

I have to agree. Some people see this country as safe but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security. Kids still get nabbed or lost. This program is ok when many camera crew and adults are watching him (plus he did not have far to go) but some parents watch this and assume if that kid can do it so can their own. I wouldn’t send my four year old off on any errand on his own. There is one neighbor who sends her boy on errands (since he was two, now he is the same age as my son) across a small street to a nearby market by himself. Mothers int he park would often see him cross the street without looking. It is hardly used but the few cars that do use it speed through it. When he returns home, one of the staff always walks him out and than watches to see if the boy heads home ok. I often wonder what would happen if none of us were there when the boy did all this. So many parents in Japan depend on society to teach and raise their kids but is it really that safe? what of the safety phones kids carry about with the pull cords for emergencies? or the TV programs that teach kids to fight off attackers? Seems to be contradictory. I think the program should at least remind the parents that kids on the program are being watched by camera men and other adults.

fish taco

I think most parents are smart enough to know that this show is fiction. Obviously sending a 4 year old on an errand like that would be very irresponsible in real life. Honestly I would not let my 4 year old cross the street in the beginning of the clip if he were alone. I hope they at least explain to the child that he was being supervised when it was all over. It would be a shame if he got the idea to try stuff like that on his own and it ended tragically. I guess as far as the show goes he seems to have plenty of supervision but I’d worry that it might give small children bad ideas.

http://billowykimono.blogspot.com/ Senor Science

Yup, sure is better to have kids be inside all the day on the internet and playing 360 like they do in the west.

fish taco

Why you give a 4 year old internet access or a 360? Unrestricted internet access is almost as dangerous as letting them go on errands alone.

Glyndwr

So the headline might read: “Japanese Kid Takes Almost Solo Bullet Train Trip”

WC

Actually, he did solo it… His mother may have been there, but she didn’t help him at all. (Thank goodness that she didn’t need to.)

kimsei

Cute. But you bet your ash that I will not be doing this with my kid no matter the country. If there is even a 1 in a billion chance that a child will be killed, kidnapped, etc., then why would you do it?

helical

Well, better keep your kid in a steel box or something then. Else he might trip and break his skill while wandering around the house. And don’t forget the air holes.

Seriously, it may not be the most comfortable thing for a parent to think about, but one has to come to grips that they have to make choices based on reasonable assumptions of risk and safety when living in the real world.
Most people believe the convenience of driving a car is justified against the risk of a car accident (as long as they wear seat belts). They may not be comfortable with the risk involved with motorcycles but normal four-wheeled passenger vehicles are below that threshold.
Likewise, the crime rate in Japan is low enough that most viewers of the program would think the lessons in independence and self-reliance learned by a kid on a solo quest like this (even if this particular one was staged for the program) outweigh the risks concerning malicious strangers.

fish taco

Well I think there is a level of acceptable risk, especially for a 4 year old. If this were not a television show and a parent did this I would call them terribly irresponsible. I feel like something like that goes beyond the level of risk that is appropriate at that age. I’m not talking about the dangers of predators but more about the safety issues of walking around traffic or in train stations. Again I understand this is fiction in this case, I just don’t understand the people trying to defend this and say it would be ok.

child

The problem is you’re approaching this with a completely Western idea of what is and isn’t age appropriate.

Parents all over Japan do this sort of thing everyday. When the child is very young like this the parent secretly trails them to make sure they’re ok, but by the time they’re 6, 7, 8 they’re completely on their own. If a child hasn’t made a solo errand trip before they enter school, they are considered to be behind developmentally.

So, considering this is a Japanese custom, practiced by Japanese parents all over Japan everyday, and something most if not all Japanese kids go through and come out the better for, I kinda think we should trust the people who actually do this, instead of, you know, raging about how horrible this is because you wouldn’t do it in America or Europe.

Japanese Kid Takes Solo Bullet Train Trip

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