In Japan, most elementary school children use the same school bag for six years.It is called a randoseru.

A randoseru is a backpack for elementary school students, typically made from durable materials like leather. When I was in elementary school, I carried a red randoseru to class. While many colors are available now, back in my childhood, girls only had red and boys only had black.

The term “randoseru” is said to derive from the Dutch word “ransel,” and it was first adopted as an elementary school bag about 100 years ago. Over time, it underwent gradual improvements, eventually reaching its current form.

Why 6 Years?

It is common for children to use the same school bag throughout their six years of elementary school. Therefore, they are made to be durable enough to withstand six years of use.

And it is also common for them to be quite expensive, commensurate with their functionality.

We Went to Pick Out my child’s Randoseru

To find a randoseru our child would like, we first requested catalogs from several companies. Each catalog featured various models from the respective companies.

We went to the showroom to see the randoseru our child liked in the catalog. Colorful randoserus were displayed on the wall, and you could try them on.

The Price – A Serious Investment

My child liked the pink randoseru, which cost 75,000 yen (476 USD). The average purchase price for a randoseru seems to be 58,524 yen (371 USD), so this was slightly over budget. Some high-end models even exceed 100,000 yen（634USD）.

Why are they so expensive? A randoseru isn’t just a school bag; it’s positioned as a gift from parents to their child at the milestone of entering elementary school. We want to give them something good, wishing for our child’s healthy growth.

Is it practical enough to justify spending that much money? Not necessarily.Even so, it remains one of Japan’s most recognizable symbols of childhood.