(Illustration by Yukiyo Oda/Stripes Japan)
In Japan, kids go to school year round, and the academic calendar begins in April, not August or September like it does in the U.S. During the first week of April, you may see many parents taking photos of their kids proudly smiling in front of their elementary schools with a new suit, necktie and a large backpack, called “randoseru.”
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Nishi (west) (Illustration by Stripes Japan)
