The traditional Japanese primary-school child's backpack has become the surprising must-have souvenir for foreign visitors to Japan this year. Reading Time: 2 minutes. Why you can trust SCMP.

No rule requires Japan’s elementary school students to wear the boxy, bulky backpack known as the randoseru. But for nearly 150 years, nearly all of them have.

Whenever we come across pictures of Japanese school kids, we might have noticed something unique about their school bags. These sturdy, boxy leather backpacks, called Randoseru, are more than just ...

Since Zooey Deschanel was snapped sporting the traditional Japanese school backpack, it's rocketed from classroom to high street. Monday 8 June 2015. Share. Copy Link.

KOBE, Japan -- A leading maker of the distinctive boxy backpacks carried by Japanese schoolchildren has launched a line of bags for adults in Germany. The move marks Seiban's first expansion into ...

Even after six years of hard wear, Japanese elementary school backpacks have a lot left to give, and they are giving it to the children of Afghanistan. Since 2004, the Japanese have donated more ...

T OKYO -- The "randoseru" traditional Japanese school backpack sales season is starting earlier, with some parents of ...

Randoseru school backpacks are being made at Tsuchiya Kaban in Tokyo's Adachi Ward in time for school enrollment this spring. Craftsmen are combining about 150 parts and finishing them by hand in ...

In gym class, they play traditional Japanese sports day group competitions like tug-of-war or throwing bean bags high into a net basket. Like Japanese school children, they also practice ...

TOKYO -- The "randoseru" traditional Japanese school backpack sales season is starting earlier, with some parents of children entering elementary school in April 2026 already making selections.