My friend has been there (Tokyo) for two years due to her husband’s job. She says little kids still walk to school by themselves. It’s another world, let’s hope it can stay that way.
I witnessed that when I was working in Okinawa 3 years ago, it was like being in another world, and when I can back to the states it felt like I was in a alien land.
South Korea is the same way. Tweens walking around at10pm in their uniforms on a school night.
My daughter spent 4 years in Japan, and really liked it. She is over 5'8", so, very tall for a woman when compared to the Japanese. She would often hear the Japanese word for tall after she would pass by. She told me of a very cute incident on a bus where a small child was just amazed at the "gaijin sp?" who was on the bus. And, that she (my daughter) had some of their money. He was a bit overt about his reaction, of course, being a child; but, she said she would notice the adults would give her a look as well; just, more covert.
Left my briefcase on a train one morning in Tokyo. The platform worker told me to stand in the exact spot I had gotten off the train and wait for 52 minutes. Right at 52 minutes, a train rolled in and there was my briefcase on floor in front of the seat where I was sitting. I was in awe, but the Japanese thought nothing of it. Unique world indeed.
This was during summer vacation when the railroad offers a bargain priced ticket good for all day on local trains, about six hours and six station transfers each way.
They met other kids on the train doing the same thing. It is one of the most pleasant countries to live in on this planet.