'Sore backs and shoulders': Japanese kids as young as six complain of 'too heavy' backpacks

It's a familiar site every day to see kids as young as five or six carrying a heavy-leather backpack loaded with textbooks. Earlier it was considered fine, but children in Japan are speaking out, complaining that their backpacks are so heavy that they leave them with sore backs and shoulders.

The concept of bags was initially introduced to encourage kids to walk to and from schools and was made compulsory through their first six years of education. It was originally used by Japanese foot soldiers and was first taken by schoolchildren in the 1800s.

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A recent survey by Footmark revealed that over 90 per cent of kids aged six and 12 who use randoseru, a Japanese derivation of the Dutch word 'backpack,' have said that the weight is a problem.

The report conducted a survey of 1,200 parents and their first, second and third-grade kids. The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun said that around 93 per cent of kids that their bags are too heavy.

Some 65 per cent of respondents said that they would like to trade bags for something lighter.

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The newspaper added that the average weight of a backpack filled with textbooks was around 4.28 kg in 2022. Some also struggled with backpacks weighing over 10 kg.

The survey also showed that it was just not kids complaining, even parents were upset, but about its hefty price tag. According to them, in 2022 an average bag cost around ¥56,425 ($353). The price range has increased by almost ¥20,000 ($151) over the past 10 years.

Responding to the complaints, some local authorities have allowed children to leave their textbooks in their classrooms overnight particularly during their summer months, despite the fact that it might discourage them to do their homework.

(With inputs from agencies)

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