Christmas Specials | The Japanese art of child-rearing

Why do small children in Japan ride the subway alone?

The pluses and pitfalls of the world’s most disciplined primary schools

An illustration of a young girl wearing her school uniform with a red backpack and yellow hat waiting on a train platform. There are a few adults in the background also waiting for the train.
Illustration: Asako Masunouchi
|Tokyo and Mexico City

Why does Ohtani Shohei, a Japanese baseball star, pick up litter after games? Why do Japanese people queue so politely, and wait for green lights before crossing the road? Why, in short, is Japan so orderly? Some say the answer lies in its primary schools.

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This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline “The Japanese art of child-rearing”

From the December 21st 2024 edition

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