This Is Japan by boxcarblue

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japan · @boxcarblue · Feb 20 '17 (edited)

$14.24

This Is Japan

# <center>**Explore everyday life in Japan**</center>

<center>*Lan-do-sel Backpacks*</center>

________

<center>![IMG_7191.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPESkZ9oWbPTiintgcwQfx75vy62oS15uS4UNx1tviuca/IMG_7191.JPG)</center>

________

April is nearing, which means that a new school year will soon be starting in Japan. With every new school year here, a fresh batch of six-olds become first-grade elementary school students (there is no year of kindergarten). And part of becoming an elementary school student in Japan is getting a very unique backpack called a Lan-do-sel.

________

<center>![IMG_7189.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmecwgTGsY8V7vmpZ8t4rc1ZCjmmcooisWwqZo4oS9P3xH/IMG_7189.JPG)</center>

________

 

Lan-do-sel backpacks are incredibly sturdy, hard-framed backpacks that are made from thick, durable leather and are meant to last the full six years of a child’s elementary school education. As such, they are not cheap. These backpacks generally begin selling for around five or six hundred dollars (USD) and can cost well over a thousand dollars when they are custom made.

________

<center>![IMG_7192.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmUnuwiubWiepcRFfG2d4BBkUi1eKqszrMVqL3ZeYGGLgD/IMG_7192.JPG)</center>

________

 

Getting a lan-do-sel is something that every child gets in Japan, and it is something of a coming-of-age moment. It symbolizes school-life, which, in turn, stands as a symbol of every growing maturity and responsibility. Choosing the right one is no small task. In the past, these backpacks were made mostly with two colors, black for boys, and red for girls. 

Recently, however, they have begun to be made with a wide assortment of colors, embroidery accents, and accessories. This has made the selection process a little more challenging. As this is a major part of preparing children for their entrance into school-life, many parents want to buy their children the backpacks of their choice. However, with the increase in options that today’s market provides, deciding on a lan-do-sel that makes a child happy now and that he/she will continue to want to use as he/she matures from a six-year old to a twelve-year old is no easy challenge.

________

<center>![IMG_7188.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmP9cHtyfEpi99iyd2ZVye2FafqMg3xFAjLFS9ByucX5Mc/IMG_7188.JPG)</center>

________

 

<br><center>***Image Credits:*** *All images in this post are original.*</center>

 

________________________________________________________________________

*This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.*

________________________________________________________________________

<center>**If you missed my last post, you can find it here [The Penny Candy Store]( https://steemit.com/japan/@boxcarblue/7w6wfo-this-is-japan).**</center><br>

👍 ned, michael-b, berniesanders, engagement, michael-a, nextgencrypto, thecyclist, pfunk, wang, roelandp, slowwalker, ekitcho, anonymous, lafona-miner, silversteem, delegate.lafona, summon, silver, hello, bleujay, fufubar1, boxcarblue, kafkanarchy84, asmolokalo, naquoya, daveks, blackchen, deanliu, world, lafona5, fyrstikken, pickoum, woman-onthe-wing, bitcoinparadise, ourlifestory, pravusdie, steemsports, profanarky, dzboston33, bola, shla-rafia, lajulius, crazymumzysa, tjpezlo, kumada90, lennstar, ianstrat, pattycosplayer, jonathanyoung, furion, runridefly, zathras, fiona777, sqube, masteryoda, gamer00, crok, michelnilles, leongkhan, pairmike, guytremat, kurtbeil, elyaque, sc-steemit, and 50 others

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@pfunk · Feb 20 '17 (edited)

Wow that ain't cheap! I don't even care how overbuilt they are, $500 is in the realm of conspicuous consumption run amok.

👍 boxcarblue

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@boxcarblue · Feb 20 '17

I think you could say that about a lot of things in Japan, from these backpacks to school uniforms to photography studios that specialize in traditional celebrations (100 day ceremonies and shichi-go-san,etc) to the trinkets and snacks that many people buy as presents for family, friends, and co-workers to show that they are thinking about them even while they are on vacation and in some cases to thank people for taking care of their responsibilities while they were away. 

Many things here continue to be made because they have become necessary according to tradition. Possible benefits of this are that it keeps people employed and traditional crafts alive. Possible negatives might be that it makes change slow and leads to a lot of unnecessary consumption.

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@pitterpatter · Feb 20 '17

"Lan-do-sel backpacks generally begin selling for around five or six hundred dollars (USD) and can cost well over a thousand dollars when they are custom made." 
![Supernatural-Winchester-Brothers.gif](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTfn7KgehrGyNxs6NHXToBbBePwE1Zi7nhy8amNGdgKiG/Supernatural-Winchester-Brothers.gif)
What happens to students whose parents can't pay that much money.

👍 boxcarblue

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@boxcarblue · Feb 20 '17

I asked a few people and they all said the same thing, "Everyone finds a way to pay it, and if they can't, they rely on hand-me downs and secondhand stores." 

I think, though, that most people just find a way. Grandparents help. Loans are available. And parents get around $100 a month (I'll have to doublecheck this number) from the government from the time a child is born until he/she is eighteen, so this money can be saved and used toward the lan-do-sel as well.

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@pitterpatter · Feb 20 '17 (edited)

That makes it helpful to get government help. It's obvious that education is very important in Japan. I hope it will change for America, now, that we have a president that wants to change our school systems. For decades our schools have been a joke.

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1 reply