Japan's Culture of Community

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In japan there's a culture of communities raising children collectively. Professor tanagooche thinks there are few different cultural factors that make the tradition of first errand possible. Local p t as also map safe routes through neighborhoods and ask retirees to keep an eye out when kids are going to and from school. This tight knit sense of community isn't just present in small towns in the countryside. In his research, owen found that, contrary to western stereotypes, neighborhoods ind japanese cities are more communal than small towns.

Back in March, Netflix picked up a long running Japanese TV program based on a children’s book from the 1970s. The show is called Old Enough, but the name of the original Japanese program translates to My First Errand. Because in each episode, a child runs an errand for the very first time. Episodes are only 10 to 20 minutes long, but in that short time a toddler treats the audience to a bite-sized hero's journey.

My First Errand is a gimmicky show with hokey music and a laugh track, but it’s also rooted in a truth about Japanese society: most children are remarkably independent from a very young age -- way more independent than children in the US. In Japanese cities, fifth-graders make 85 percent of their weekday trips without a parent. And this remarkable child mobility is made possible by everything from the neighbors next door to the width of the streets.

First Errand