Hajimete no Otsukai - Japan’s Independent Kids on TV

By no means is Japan a country without crime, but, with one of the lowest crime rates in the world, one recurring sentiment of visitors to Japan is how safe they feel walking the streets alone. It is not an uncommon sight to see young children traversing Tokyo alone.

This level of safety has facilitated a cultural practice in Japan which would likely fill parents in Western countries with dread: Hajimete no Otsukai (The First Errand).

Hajimete no Otsukai is a reality TV show which follows young children, usually under the age of 5, on their first solo errand as self-reliant and responsible individuals. These errands might seem mundane to the average person, but to the children, they are incredibly daunting expeditions. A task may be as simple as going to the convenience store, or may be as complex as a full day navigating public transport to run errands across an entire city. Mundane or complex, these expeditions provide 30-minutes of captivating viewing as the children often leave home in anxious tears but, by the end, return with a new-found sense of pride and independence.

The show began airing in 1990 and is still airing and increasingly culturally relevant today. Hajimete no Otsukai takes a semi-reality approach, with the camera crew’s presence being minimised as much as possible, except when needed to protect or guide the children. While the show’s creators are responsible for creating the concept of Hajimete no Otsukai, independent children and toddlers are a common sight in Japan. 

From secret preschool field trips (where the destination is withheld from the parents to stop them sneaking along), to solitary commutes to school across heaving metros, Japanese children have incredible levels of independence which begins at a surprisingly young age. This is all done with the intended purpose of making them into incumbent members of society. Whether this approach of promoting responsibility is a contributing factor to Japan’s low crime rate or simply a byproduct of it, Hajimete no Otsukai is a practice which has transitioned from entertainment into reality for many Japanese children.