Things you don't see at home every day: children running around without supervision

One sight that we found so refreshing in Japan: small children (I'm talking 6-year-olds) running around a park or travelling on the subway on their own. 

Well, first of all, Japanese kids look so cute with their little navy uniforms, their little hats, and their little red leather schoolbag on their backs. 

But what struck us is that they were completely unsupervised. We saw a gang of kids, 5 or 6 little boys and girls, running around the park at Roppongi Hills. They were having a great time. Not a teacher or parent in sight.One of the little girls stopped and greeted us with a happy "Konnichiwa" (Hello). Maybe the teacher was sitting on the other side of the pond, but, if they were, they were certainly keeping a low profile.

In Kyoto, we saw school kids of a similar age getting on the subway on their own, not a bother on them.

Maybe Japan is a lot safer than the rest of the world? Or Japanese parents are more relaxed about things? I wouldn't know. I don't have children. But I found it a wonderful sight!