Randoseru

I still have some things to say about Japan. Unfortunately the internet I am currently using only works 10% of the time, and that is if I am holding the computer at a certain angel while balancing on my left foot which must be facing 35˚east of Mecca. So posts will come when they come (and not with too many photos).


All elementary school children are required to have a certain kind of bag. It is called a randoseru, originally a Dutch word (ransel). There are 2 basic colors, black for boys and red for girls but lately they have been coming out with blue and pink as well. The quality bags are made of horse leather and can cost anywhere from $200-$600. It is typically the job of the grandparents to buy these for their grandchildren, and a few of my older students didn't look so happy when they mentioned they had to buy some for their grandkids.


The good thing about the bags is that they are supposed to last for all 6 years of elementary school, so if you look at it that way it isn't such a bad deal. After the students are finished with the randoseru it is shipped of to a company to make a miniture version using the same leather from the original bag. This costs a few hundred dollars.

I got ahold of a randoseru (picture above) to take a closer look and it is built like a tank. My Japanese boss (who is now a grandmother and knows about these things) was very impressed with the quality and said it was worth about $300! Too much blue blood in Japan.