Japan's "independent" schoolchildren are more supervised than it appear www.nippon.com

Indeed, there is nothing unusual in Japan about elementary schoolers traveling to and from school along busy roads, on crowded buses, or aboard rush-hour trains. Compared to other industrialized nations, where commuting distances and safety concerns make it more likely for children to be ferried to class by car or school bus, young Japanese students regularly make their own way, relying on public transportation or their own two feet.