In Japan, politeness and respect start at a very young age 🙇‍♀️🎒

[u/GeorgeRobertVitkos]

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[u/Charming-Report1669]

When I was in Japan it was amazing how many kids I saw that were unsupervised. They were all so polite and courteous - even without any grown ups around 

[u/BabaKambingHitam → u/Charming-Report1669]

I heard they walk to school unaccompanied by parents since kindergarten.

They are supervised by groups of volunteers along their path to school, if im not mistaken.

[u/Relevant_End_1511 → u/BabaKambingHitam]

This is correct. The neighborhoods have volunteers to help “police” crosswalks.

They even have “PA systems” in some neighborhoods so the children can play at a playground or just outside in general, and the a chime will play at a certain time that lets them know it’s time to go home.

[u/Iveray → u/[deleted]]

Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!

[u/chitstain → u/[deleted]]

Lmfao this comment sent me, thanks for that

[u/echolm1407 → u/[deleted]]

"Multipass"

[u/LucasTheSchnauzer → u/[deleted]]

I'm high as hell and this is taking me out

[u/ThrowRAkakareborn → u/[deleted]]

What is this meat suit talking about? Are they too good to be called meat?

[u/thekernel → u/[deleted]]

I had a similar creepy experience camping on Okushiri island.

I was the only person at an isolated campsite in the middle of winter, strong winds blowing and a lighthouse lighting up the tent as it span around, then around 9pm a distorted version of abbas "money money money" started playing over the PA system like some horror film.

[u/LouAnaKay → u/thekernel]

Well, it’s pretty cool your ghost learned how to use Reddit, I guess. Hopefully, one day someone will find your body at that isolated campground so your spirit can rest.

[u/evohans → u/Relevant_End_1511]

nah my kids don't walk around like that, none of the other kids in the neighborhood do either. Some communities have this, but mine doesn't.

Source: Parent of two kids (6 and 5) in sub-urban Japan.

[u/Mayor-Citywits → u/evohans]

I'm not saying everyone does it but I'd see kids to and from kiyose station all the time, I'd walk my own students occasionally but they'd feel like they're walking me lol. I'd see kids around Tachikawa station often too, and I traveled a lot to satellite neighborhoods/saitama. I saw it enough to stick out haha over the years 

[u/Idreamofcream99 → u/evohans]

Well it’s still cool that at least some places in Japan that happens. I don’t know anywhere in the US this could happen without a bunch of kids being trafficked

[u/Specialist_Strike463 → u/Relevant_End_1511]

Isn’t that why they wear the little white hats

[u/Mayor-Citywits → u/Specialist_Strike463]

There is a deep hat to age ranking system amongst the children. I taught for a long while and it does t even make sense to me beyond they like to dress classes the same/siblings the same and the hats make the best blackmail later in life lol

[u/lnvu4uraqt → u/BabaKambingHitam]

Yep. With a high trust society, children are taught independence early on and navigating their way to school, cleaning their own classrooms, making school lunch in rotating teams and doing errands solo. It's a cultural norm and works well in Japan with those expectations. Can't say the same elsewhere.

[u/Substantial_Bus840 → u/BabaKambingHitam]

They don’t even allow my kindergarten student to wait at the bus stop without me there until he’s seated. It’s incredibly frustrating to live in a place where people have become so “no children in adult spaces” that children aren’t even given the opportunity to grow into young adults because so many people simply don’t want to be around them during their growing process.

[u/Sea_McMeme → u/Substantial_Bus840]

Is it that or for the safety of the children since there are so very many shitty people out there waiting to take advantage of a kid left alone?

[u/Dark_Moonstruck → u/Sea_McMeme]

Both.

There is an element of danger, since there are many people out there who WILL harm children, but there hasn't been much change in the statistics that show that children are usually harmed by someone they *know* far more than any strangers.

However, there is also the fact that a lot of places are restricting or outright banning children because parents just aren't parenting and their kids are destructive, loud, obnoxious and cost the businesses money both in damaged goods and customer loss, since many will avoid places they know have a lot of misbehaving children present, and businesses can't do much about the kids' behavior besides either trying to get the parents to do something about it or pay for the damages their kids cause - which is like pulling teeth - or just preventing the problem to begin with by not having children be there at all.

The number of places that allow children is diminishing largely because parents aren't teaching their kids how to act in public places - they either just hand them a tablet and let mommy youtube do their childrearing for them, or they just let their kid be someone else's problem regardless of how much damage they cause, at least until someone tries to correct the kid's behavior and they get an excuse to play victim and scream at someone and maybe even sue. It's just easier and more effective for these places to not allow kids in at all and avoid the issue.

[u/Lalatin → u/Dark_Moonstruck]

If I could, I'd give you an award for this. because 10000000% I'm a children's librarian at a public library and this is what I see every day. Yes, people can be dangerous and we don't live in the best society, but gods damn... its this permissive parenting.

Like I said, I work at a library in the children's section and by the gods these parents don't do shit anymore to control their children. They let them run amuck, hand them an ipad and put their nose in their phone, then have the audacity to yell at me when I ask their children to walk instead of run, or to lower their volume.

I've been doing this for 10 yrs, we never used to have signs up saying that we allowed children but they MUST be supervised and within arms reach at all times. I used to maybe give one code of conduct a week now it could be multiple a day. I'm all for kids being around adults to learn how to become functioning members of society.... but if you can't parent, or can't allow "your village" (I cannot tell you the amount of times I hear that every week) to help you parent then maybe... you shouldn't bring your kids in public.

[u/FearDaTusk → u/Sea_McMeme]

It's 10PM do you know where your children are?

[u/PartyPorpoise → u/Sea_McMeme]

Eh, some of it is more that people don’t want to be held responsible for unsupervised kids. Or deal with the potential backlash that comes with trying to intervene with bad kid behavior.

[u/WhiteSock_ → u/Sea_McMeme]

No, it’s just that people and especially corporations and schools are absolutely terrified of responsibility.

Instead of accepting that smaller accidents are a part of life and growing up, the priority lies in avoiding any potential risk, even if it means that a child can not spend even one minute unsupervised.

[u/Pirate_Candy17 → u/BabaKambingHitam]

Awh this is wholesome.

Meanwhile kids near me deliberately break play park equipment and try to kick each other while swinging (if the swings aren’t broken) 🫠

[u/Certain-Attempt1330 → u/BabaKambingHitam]

Baba you should check out "old enough", the tv show

[u/simcityrefund1 → u/BabaKambingHitam]

Saw little kids cstch a train full of adulta going to work i was lile wnere are the parents wont they get lost

[u/idkblk → u/BabaKambingHitam]

well I did the same 35 years ago in the last year of kindergarten and first 4 years of school without any supervision. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[u/DoNotCommentAgain → u/BabaKambingHitam]

We do this shit all over Europe as well.

[u/ThickyLicker → u/DoNotCommentAgain]

I used to walk to school when I was like 6 with my twin brother and a couple of other kids on my road in the UK back in the 90s. Doubt it happens now.

[u/DoNotCommentAgain → u/ThickyLicker]

It literally still happens and we have lollipop ladies to help kids on their own cross the road. You people need to go outside.

[u/Mayor-Citywits → u/Charming-Report1669]

Depends where, like others said sometimes they have a chaperone. But I lived in Tokyo and Osaka, and it's not uncommon at all for children 5 and up to walk to school and back with a friend or alone, with zero supervision. I have pics of me at multiple stations waiting for the train at the head of a line and then across from me is a little kid at the head of their line. Japan is just a different place and they full on do all have loyalty to eachother. Like even if a psycho tried to get the kid, Japanese parents would be confident that any bystander would step in if a kid was like freaked out. 

Hell half of Japan is just 80+ year old dudes wandering around all day surveying the scenes, that's practically their jobs. Just stare at people all day and if a kid is in trouble go get the 50 cops to surround him lol. I'd see kids often in areas that at home you'd be like why the fuck is there a child here at all lol

[u/lucyssweatersleeves → u/Mayor-Citywits]

I moved into my house last year and genuinely one of my favorite things about it is that there’s an old Asian man who lives across the street and just sits in a camping chair in his driveway and watches what happens. It makes me feel so much more secure.

[u/Mayor-Citywits → u/lucyssweatersleeves]

Old dudes used to randomly approach me and just say "English??!" And then we'd talk all broken back and forth. They'd like see me across the way and shuffle over lol that was their sighting of the day a gaijin dude all sweaty 

Also I'm sure you know this but every hurricane or tsunami or anything there's always old dudes who die just standing on the roof watching. They have like warnings to not do that and still every time some old guys are like dedicated to watching 

[u/Virtual_Penalty8009 → u/Charming-Report1669]

I work in Japanese schools. There are still plenty of wild kids who refuse to behave lol

[u/dailyfartbag → u/Virtual_Penalty8009]

This right here! 👆🏻

[u/CertifedFLAME → u/Charming-Report1669]

Every time I would get off the train and walk through the neighborhood back to my aunt’s house, the children would greet me and every adult that came home from work. It was so endearing lol

[u/bluecolorcat → u/Charming-Report1669]

My brother & I would ride the train from Yokohama into Tokyo when I was 7 and he was 9. It wasn’t the least bit concerning. When we moved to the US a couple years later my parents had to have a talk with us about stranger danger.

[u/Dizzy_Chemistry_5955 → u/Charming-Report1669]

there is a show where the parents let the kid attempt to try to go to the store on their own and they follow them with cameras it's great.

[u/MuggleAdventurer → u/Dizzy_Chemistry_5955]

Old Enough or Big Enough, one of those.

[u/Ithurtsprecious → u/Charming-Report1669]

Yes, unfortunately my mom being a boomer tourist was in awe of their cuteness and started following them taking pictures until they got scared and ran away with me and my sister yelling “sorry!!” in Japanese.

[u/DaddyLama → u/Charming-Report1669]

I think that is the case in most places except the USA. I am Swiss, it's the same way here. My parents showed me the way to kindergarten a couple times, then I walked there alone.

[u/Lady_Luci_fer → u/DaddyLama]

Nah UK is pretty bad too. Unless you live right outside your school or are on the same route as most kids walk, the earliest most kids get to travel themselves is high school (sometimes the final year of primary school so they can ease the transition - high school starts at 11 years old). Even so, many kids don’t even do that - a lot of girls in particular are discouraged from travelling on their own and will get lifts into school if their parents drive. I personally wasn’t allowed to travel by myself to school or anywhere until I think 15 years old because my parents were so anxious. On the contrary, my younger brother was allowed from the start of high school.

Only grammar schools and paid schools tend to have buses unless you’re SEND needs, in which case the state provides transportation separately if the school isn’t specialist. So you’re usually on the bus with strangers who hate kids. Which to be fair, as a now adult, I get it - I can’t stand being on the bus during school travel hours because they’re incredibly disrespectful.

[u/_komocode → u/Charming-Report1669]

i remember walking about soaking in the quiet vibes in Machiya at 12am. super quiet, no one out and about. then comes 10-ish year old girl wearing a backpack running pass me. i looked around if she was being chased by anyone, but nope. i have no idea what happened.

[u/Kienchen → u/Charming-Report1669]

Japan's crime rate is very low. I went on a two week group trip there and our guide had the entire travelling budget in a huge briefcase wallet in his back pocket. His only concern was accidentally dropping it, not theft.

Edit: WALLET, I meant a wallet

[u/Rozenor]

Pretty sure first things japanese childern learn in classes is behaviour and basic things like cleaning up and respect.

Wish our educational system would get an overhaul.

Edit: I see lots of people saying parents should teach them at home. Obviously home takes a part but you underestimate how much time a child spends in school until graduating. Its a continuous cycle throughout school life where they are thaught to behave/clean and show respect to each other and others.

[u/Magliacani → u/Rozenor]

The US needs this so badly.

[u/HighlanderAbruzzese → u/Rozenor]

Just look who’s cleaning up as guest after World Cup matches.

[u/MalleDigga → u/HighlanderAbruzzese]

Japanese are simply awesome. Danke

[u/mercuriokazooie → u/HighlanderAbruzzese]

Unfortunately a lot of those men cleaning up stadiums don't clean at all in their own homes

[u/trunghung03 → u/mercuriokazooie]

source those people don’t clean at home? Twitter’s infographics?

[u/banevasionisfun420 → u/trunghung03]

Made it the fuck up

[u/Nasudep5 → u/banevasionisfun420]

"According to the OECD Time Use Database, which was last updated in 2021, Japanese men spend just 47 minutes a day on unpaid work such as childcare and house cleaning – the lowest among the 35 countries that OECD tracks. (South Korea comes in next at 49 minutes.)

By contrast, Japanese women do 208 minutes of unpaid work a day. That’s 4.4 times more than their husbands."

[u/banevasionisfun420 → u/Nasudep5]

Interesting how men in America dont clean at home or in public but we need to make judgment calls on foreign cultures when we see them doing better than us.

[u/Nasudep5 → u/banevasionisfun420]

Taking the numbers of 46 work hours per week for men and 36 for women and adding up the daily chore minutes (times seven), I got 52.1 hours of total work for men and 60.9 hours per woman.

Basically, women work nearly 9 extra hours per week compared to men.

[u/ShustOne → u/Rozenor]

Comes with tradeoffs. Extremely traditional and slow to change, so think anyone marginalized. Lots of prejudice. I think we could learn from their politeness and efficiency though.

[u/motes-of-light → u/ShustOne]

Everything that makes Japan nice requires cultural buy-in from the majority of its citizens.

[u/NoPseudo79 → u/[deleted]]

Well, for efficiency, it depends. Anything administrative takes ages from what I've heard, but on the other hand services are stupidly efficient (unless you are an exception, then you're fucked)

[u/Zimakov → u/[deleted]]

Redditors love to talk about places they've never been. When I share my experience living in China the comments I get in response are about 90% people telling me I'm full of shit based on nothing. It is what it is.

[u/PartyPorpoise → u/Rozenor]

It’s not enough to teach it in schools. Parents have to go along with it too, and too many American parents would say no to such education.

[u/inide → u/PartyPorpoise]

Barely even have to use your imagination to get a clear mental image of an American saying "The 1st amendment don't say shit 'bout being respectful!"

[u/helen269 → u/inide]

And "Something something liberal indoctrination!"

[u/photaiplz → u/Rozenor]

It starts at home and unfortunately the US has to many unqualified people breeding like rabbits

[u/DateofImperviousZeal → u/photaiplz]

And where do you think the parents gets the ideas from that they impose on their children? If you or your kids don't behave in public you get beaten to death by social sigma in Japan.

[u/throwaway098764567 → u/DateofImperviousZeal]

so beat people more often is what we're saying?

[u/inide → u/Rozenor]

Manners, respect and taking care of your community are things a child should be taught at home, not school.
It's not even about active teaching, it;'s just a matter of setting a positive example for your kids. They learn to interact with the world by observing and copying.

[u/Asriel_the_Dreamer → u/Rozenor]

Not staying common courtesy and respect aren't good things, but the way I see it in Japan, it seems so overbearing that it just makes me think it becomes a black hole of conformity which seems to create some weird effects on how people see hierarchies and themselves in the society.

[u/WhaleMeatFantasy → u/Rozenor]

It starts at home. 

[u/Subject-Rain-9972 → u/Rozenor]

Or. OR parents could actually be parents and teach their children basic manners from home?

[u/RushDifferent4015 → u/Rozenor]

I’m SE Asian. The first thing we do on the first day of school is divide the whole class into 5 groups, then assign them days of the week for cleaning the classroom.

[u/useless_talent]

Thats some dope ride

[u/BigFloppyDonkyDick69 → u/useless_talent]

Was Xzibit in Japan recently?

[u/HTPC4Life → u/BigFloppyDonkyDick69]

"Yo dawg..."

[u/Zimakov → u/BigFloppyDonkyDick69]

Is there an aquarium or game console on the bus?

[u/MalleDigga → u/useless_talent]

whale u talkin about

[u/crimsonyoteeeeeee → u/useless_talent]

Yeah that bus looks awesome! Never seen a bus like that over here

[u/Brooklyncycling]

Ugh. My ovaries

[u/Upbeat_Apartment_715 → u/Brooklyncycling]

I would like to express a similar sentiment but it's not nearly as cute when I guy says it

[u/gummby8 → u/Upbeat_Apartment_715]

Let your broveries weep tears of joy brother. It is metal as fuck to teach your kids kindness and respect. To hold their tiny hands, and lead them into a world that is kind and safe. To sprint, enthusiastically, into a life that their fathers built for therm that they themselves wish they had as children.

It is good. It is very good.

[u/KaeruGaKaeru1 → u/gummby8]

Let your broveries weep tears of joy brother.

r/BrandNewSentence

[u/APHR0DITE-RISING → u/gummby8]

This comment made my day… I will forever be using brovaries from this day forth

[u/Designer_Gas_86 → u/APHR0DITE-RISING]

I boys had uteruses they'd be called "duderuses."

[u/throwaway098764567 → u/gummby8]

you should probably be in r/daddit if you're not

[u/Brooklyncycling → u/Upbeat_Apartment_715]

Oh no I'm a dude

[u/beegtuna → u/Brooklyncycling]

They’re expensive. You like to sleep. They smell. They will eat everything. They’re your responsibility for 18 years, at least.

Better?

[u/veerKg_CSS_Geologist → u/beegtuna]

Unfortunately my maternal instinct also thrives on feeding people, so no, that's not helping.

[u/FrenchFryCattaneo → u/veerKg_CSS_Geologist]

Do you like feeding people who don't like any of your food but if they don't eat they'll get malnutrition and you'll be a BAD PARENT?

[u/veerKg_CSS_Geologist → u/FrenchFryCattaneo]

But so cute. 😻

[u/sdcar1985 → u/FrenchFryCattaneo]

Our kid actually loves all the food we make lol

[u/Lets-B-Lets-B-Jolly → u/sdcar1985]

Your oldest/only kid, right?

I'm a mom of 3 kids. Trust me, the first kid being sweet and easy is a trap. The next kid will be completely different :P

I love my second and third kids, but our firstborn was so easy and made us think we were awesome parents. We weren't. He is just a responsible, calm, helpful kid naturally.

[u/Nemisis_007 → u/beegtuna]

I've got a roommate like this.

[u/NayK210 → u/Brooklyncycling]

Lol

[u/honeybeesuke]

Japanese kids are not all sweet. Have taught them and most are lovely but just like everywhere else you get little demons.

[u/mercuriokazooie → u/honeybeesuke]

Yeah they're really not that different from kids anywhere else. Some are jerks, some are shy, some are loud, some are sweet. They're just regular people. The difference isn't in them being Japanese it's in the culture they're raised in. Japanese kids are less violent because they face less struggles like poverty and malnutrition (these issues still exist they're just less prevalent).

They of course have their own problems though like depression, stress, etc

[u/groucho_barks → u/mercuriokazooie]

The difference isn't in them being Japanese it's in the culture they're raised in

I'm sorry, but isn't that extremely obvious? No one thinks japanese people are genetically prone to being polite. Of course it's cultural.

[u/CaspianRoach → u/honeybeesuke]

don't let the perfect be the enemy of good

[u/Time_Screen_9399 → u/honeybeesuke]

In my experience, many are quite passive-aggressive.

[u/WizeWizardFrank]

I don’t want the rest of the social constructs that go along with this.

[u/darthcaedusiiii → u/WizeWizardFrank]

There is a double edged sword to everything in life.

[u/meeshCosplay → u/darthcaedusiiii]

Japanese swords are single-edged tho.

[u/darthcaedusiiii → u/meeshCosplay]

The other side still can hurt.

[u/Airblade101 → u/darthcaedusiiii]

It's also a bit more blunt

[u/Great_White_Samurai → u/meeshCosplay]

Can confirm

[u/Auctoritate → u/meeshCosplay]

Nah they actually have double edged swords too. Katana are associated with Japan the most because they're more recent, but curved double edged swords pre-date them.

[u/Mountain-Singer1764 → u/WizeWizardFrank]

That’s the conundrum, isn’t it?

[u/guacamole579 → u/WizeWizardFrank]

I recently saw that doc on Japanese Prisons and 😬

[u/FUCKFASCISTSCUM → u/guacamole579]

Combine that with the overall approach to policing and it starts to look pretty fucking dystopian.

[u/cuntmong → u/FUCKFASCISTSCUM]

Yeah but people on reddit posted a pic of a clean Japanese train so it must be a superior culture 

[u/Zimakov → u/FUCKFASCISTSCUM]

Wait what? The Japanese police system definitely has issues but I definitely wouldn't call it dystopian. It's more the exact opposite where you get off scot free unless someone literally saw and recorded you doing the crime.

[u/Fujisawa_Sora → u/FUCKFASCISTSCUM]

Yes Japan definitely has tons of problems with prisons and its judicial system, but for example the USA also currently imprisons 18x more people per capita than Japan. So this doesn't fully justify it, but it's not one-sided.

[u/SeaSharpModHer → u/guacamole579]

Most people don't really expect to be put in prison tbh.

[u/ClickClick_Boom → u/guacamole579]

Can you just say the name of the doc?

[u/OldHobbitsDieHard → u/guacamole579]

Go on

[u/Obedient_Dog54 → u/WizeWizardFrank]

That country has an unfortunately high rate of suicide. Societal expectations are so tight nobody can breathe and be authentic

[u/Mewiee → u/Obedient_Dog54]

Countries like the US (#31), Finland (#38), Russia (#11), South Korea (#12), have a much higher suicide rate than Japan (#49)

[u/TanyaMKX → u/Mewiee]

Source?

[u/Somehero → u/TanyaMKX]

2024 WHO data shows U.S. has slightly higher rate than Japan.

[u/movezig123 → u/Somehero]

wait until he learns how many are imprisoned

[u/SocraticIndifference → u/Obedient_Dog54]

That’s actually a problem from a decade or two ago. The real problem (as I see it) is the lack of culturally acceptable individuality. But then they might equally say that “Western” culture’s problem is lack of respect for authority…and who can judge the stronger argument?

[u/Zimakov → u/SocraticIndifference]

Whichever I personally like better is obviously objectively superior and anyone who disagrees is an idiot

[u/WhaleMeatFantasy → u/Obedient_Dog54]

More to it than that. Consider the cultural baggage.

In Judaeo-Christian countries suicide is a sin. In Japan suicide is how you restore honour. 

How many American heroes are there who committed suicide? Any child could name dozens in Japan. 

[u/onyxa314 → u/WizeWizardFrank]

Damn unfortunately that includes an incredibly high suicide rate

[u/motes-of-light → u/onyxa314]

Could be better, could be a lot worse. Not an outlier in the developed world.

[u/Zimakov → u/onyxa314]

Incredibly high compared to who?

[u/IntlPartyKing → u/onyxa314]

lower than the rate in the US

[u/onyxa314 → u/IntlPartyKing]

According to WHO the USA has a suicide rate of around 15.6 per 100,000. Japan has 17.4. https://data.who.int/indicators/i/F08B4FD/16BBF41

[u/IntlPartyKing → u/onyxa314]

so, what's with your claim that their rate is "incredibly high" then?

[u/Virgil_Rug_Say_RUG → u/WizeWizardFrank]

indeed. this type of thing is nice on the surface but on the whole, it is significantly worse imo. im fine with our western degenerate freedom/individuality.

[u/Pyreflies_of_MJ]

Adorable little girl, she is all ready for preschool 🥺💕

[u/LonelyPoorMan69]

Thing: no one cared

Thing, Japan: Real Shit

[u/imunfair → u/LonelyPoorMan69]

Thing: no one cared

Thing, Japan: Real Shit

I mean in the US it's like "get the fuck on the bus kid", not exactly the same as having a driver with a dedicated daycare worker to help you on the bus.

[u/WarNo580 → u/LonelyPoorMan69]

They always have such intention. The west is always about not reading instructions and getting mad at the computer or anything else.

[u/Sea_Pace7726 → u/LonelyPoorMan69]

Exactly.
Places: ok
Places in japan: OH WOW

please explain someone, why??

[u/Airblade101 → u/Sea_Pace7726]

I'll agree with you for the most part but the fact that the country is safe enough for children to get around on their own is admirable. I'm an American living in Japan. I can't remember the last time I saw children walking around alone in the States outside of areas labeled as "safe".

[u/motes-of-light → u/Sea_Pace7726]

Because it's legitimately really, really nice. Easily top 5 among the world for countries-that-have-their-shit-together. Top spot for a country that does it at scale with a sizeable population and competitive GDP.

[u/Morinator]

Kid saying thank you 🤷🏼

Kid saying thank you IN JAPAN 😮😲👀🤯🤯

[u/NoDragonfruit6125]

Let's not forget the "First Errand" rite of passage where children 2-5 get sent to fetch groceries or run chores on their own. You basically have community of neighbors and shopkeepers that lookout for local children.

[u/f1madman → u/NoDragonfruit6125]

There's a Japanese TV show on Netflix called "old enough" that shows this through a comic lens. Cutest shit I've ever seen

[u/helisonfire → u/f1madman]

I was looking for this comment. That show is ridiculously adorable and I still can't get over all the errands the show/parents sent the kids on

[u/JoonNolu → u/NoDragonfruit6125]

That's not a rite of passage. It's a TV show. It's not some thing that at some young age all kids are sent out to do. You literally watched a TV show and took it as a cultural fact.

This dude is gonna watch Family Feud and talk about how Americans help establish strong familial bonds through traditional survey quizzes.

[u/NoDragonfruit6125 → u/JoonNolu]

The thing is that show is actually a slightly more extreme version of what's considered culturally common. The show has them younger but it's actually something that is rather accepted by time the child reaches elementary school.

[u/HighlanderAbruzzese → u/NoDragonfruit6125]

Takes a village! Social compacts between people and their communities is ancient, but they ebb and flow.

[u/Elexeh]

Taking videos of kids doing random things to show off on the internet is weird

[u/PetroxSK]

I like that they are responsible for cleaning their classroom. This teach them responsibilities, respect for their classroom (who would litter for something that you need to clean later) and cleaning skills.

[u/Vincent_Van_Goat → u/[deleted]]

*Respect is conditional on ethnicity

[u/y4dig4r → u/[deleted]]

racism: 😡

racism, japan: 😍

[u/lnth1 → u/[deleted]]

The real question Lol. Manners and all are just a facade. Their hyper racism is showing more and more by the day, electing an ultra racist far right idiot that is Takaichi

[u/Sad_Purple8076]

Totally miss Japan I have to go back x

[u/not-my-best-wank]

Culture has a lot to do with it.

[u/Anonymous_Pigeon64]

Are you in the US? it's decent fucking people that teach children respect at a young age, not just Japanese people. 

[u/TheShiftmaster → u/Anonymous_Pigeon64]

I think it's a bot title at any rate

[u/skeptical_hatred]

Here is the us everyone loses politeness and respect at a young age. Kids at our kids’ school are fucking awful. And the teachers aren’t any better. They’re all immature and arrogant from 8-75 and then they start to realize they better shape up before they die. The most polite and respectful people I know are around 7 years old

[u/Material-Grocery5478 → u/skeptical_hatred]

schools aren't day cares and teachers are not babysitters. Its your job to teach your damn kids respect. Your kids shit behavior is a reflection of you.

[u/IDidItWrongLastTime → u/Material-Grocery5478]

Tbf my daughter was really respectful and well behaved UNTIL she started going to school. Now she has turned into a tiny jerk to her brother and im worried she is becoming a "mean girl" at 8 and it's very hard to counter what she is learning at school.

[u/BabaKambingHitam → u/IDidItWrongLastTime]

Friends. My little cousins are like that too. Influence from friends is real. All those 6 7s...

[u/IDidItWrongLastTime → u/BabaKambingHitam]

It's really upsetting :( she used to be SO nice and empathetic and now all she cares about is what other people think about her and she doesn't even want to be seen hanging out with her autistic brother. It's so hurtful and upsets his feelings.

[u/RollinPinappleGhost → u/Material-Grocery5478]

This guy has no kids, ignore him

[u/Striking-Pen-9617 → u/skeptical_hatred]

Can’t lose something you’re not taught

[u/Key_Procedure_4279 → u/skeptical_hatred]

In the US we are taught to be individuals and to think of ourselves ahead of society. Many other cultures reverse it. It's not hard to understand.

[u/Calanais-guy]

I'd like our values and culture to value politeness and hospitality more in the U.S. and even for South Asians too, but not in a fake way that is only superficial. But many people are shitty around the world, so that's hard to do. More cooperation, patience, dialogue, and diplomacy, less selfish aggression and violence.

[u/apathetic-taco → u/Calanais-guy]

Um I’ll take “fake” politeness over genuine assholeishness all day every day

[u/Designer_Gas_86 → u/apathetic-taco]

You ever been to Oklahoma? Sometimes the "fake" circles back to passive agressive bullshit.

[u/Upbeat-Selection-365]

Sweet ride kid.

[u/Purple-Earth-648]

Rcķkklullludlklĺ

[u/AdministrationOk5761]

In Japan murder is actually really frowned upon. It goes against the traditional concept of 'to live' (生きる).

[u/freed_speak]

I want the whale mobile to come and pick me up and take me wherever 😢

[u/malaysianonly]

The incremental step stools are such a considerate, QoL items that once you have it, you can't really go back. And you can only really ever put it there for others if you ever were taught to be - polite, considerate, civic, and respectful to others - like Japan.

[u/WeeklyPhilosopher346]

After having lived in Japan for a year, our takeaway was that everyone was very polite, but that’s not the same as being very nice, and definitely not the same as being very friendly.

[u/teezepls]

I wish we had this in the US so badly. A high trust society but nope

[u/ChiragGoyal]

Easy to be polite when everyone is polite, you become the way you are when everyone tryna take advantage of you or bully you if you can’t defend yourself 

[u/kiumouren]

理想中的小孩，我非常讨厌楼下那群在屋里大闹的小孩

[u/DektolDreams]

Soooo then why are all those men going around shoulder bumping women and children??? 🤨

[u/MyLittleDiscolite]

High trust, homogeneous society 

[u/Steve554433]

Adorable!

[u/ProduceNo1629]

From age 4 trained to kneel and kowtow to your boss, kissing his feet to get paid in peanuts while you slave away 12 hours a day.

Such "respect" for every human.

[u/partyqwerty]

Trained so they can bow to their bosses, earn crappy salaries and basically slave for low salary.

[u/Salt_Day9015]

Culture

[u/Admirable_Citron_263]

How is that a good thing? It's like seeing bears riding bicycles, it's not natural and I don't even want to imagine how it is instilled and enforced. You start with telling the kids "be polite" "say thank you", "wait for cars to stop before crossing" and that's what EVERY parent does, they nagged and nagged but it never worked, of course, because it shouldn't. I couldn't imagine what kind of brute force was used to bend a CHILD's behaviour as we ALL know they are chaotic, with very strong affinity for vulgar and unruly behaviour.

[u/agodrevealed → u/Admirable_Citron_263]

What?!

Former teacher, daycare worker, nanny, and kid. Current parent. 

Kids are extremely interested in learning, contributing, and meeting expectations. Every class has a cut up or a lagger behinder, but no. 

What a terrible stigma to place on a whole group of young people. Some of the people I admire most are knee high to a grass hopper. 

They crave learning, respect, contribution, and appreciation and are designed to learn from example and be part of a whole. They are, on the whole, examples to many adults. A one year old is not a five year old, of course. You definitely don't need brute force. How insane.

[u/JennyThallia]

Same with vagrant massive racism that is also thought at that age.   Ooops sorry I mean uniqueness and superiority of the Japanese. 

Japan embraces racism. 

[u/IntlPartyKing → u/JennyThallia]

vagrant? flagrant?

[u/JoonNolu → u/JennyThallia]

So you saw a regular Japanese person and immediately your comment is "Those people are all bad and racist"? Without irony?

"God I hate all of those people! They're so racist! They're awful!" You're so much better than them.

[u/Mountain-Singer1764 → u/JennyThallia]

“Unique” is basically a dog whistle for “superior”

[u/Illustrious-Film4018]

The most disrespectful people I've met in my life have been Japanese people.

[u/Tatti606 → u/Illustrious-Film4018]

But don't let the Reddit stereotypes get in your way!

[u/Toeknee5]

They start working at such a young age. Keep hustling little one

[u/Mountain-Singer1764 → u/Toeknee5]

This is a schoolchild, she’s not working. What are you talking about?

[u/TriedCaringLess → u/Toeknee5]

That’s funny. You’re mistaking Japan for China and south Central Asia.

[u/Mountain-Singer1764 → u/TriedCaringLess]

Is THAT what he was saying? Like she's got to work in a sweatshop because she's Asian?

u/Toeknee5 was that the joke?