In Japan, many parents attend their child’s first day of elementary school, especially the entrance ceremony. It is common to see families taking photos at the school gate or parents watching the ceremony. This does not mean that Japanese parents normally accompany their children to school every day. The first day is special.
The entrance ceremony marks the beginning of a new stage in a child’s life, and it is also an important moment for the family. Parents see their child in a new uniform or carrying a new randoseru school backpack and often take photos to remember the day. A child who seemed very young only recently is suddenly starting school, and many parents simply want to be there to see it.
They are not there only for the photos, either. Parents can enter the school, see the classroom, and meet the homeroom teacher. Being able to see where their child will spend each day can also make the parent feel a little more at ease.
The details vary from school to school, but parents may also receive information about schedules, things the child needs to bring, and how school life will work. In that sense, the day combines two things: celebrating the child’s growth and giving parents their first real look at the school life that is about to begin.
Meeting other parents is usually not the main purpose. On the first day, no one yet knows which children will become close friends. Most parents are far more focused on their own child than on checking who else has come. Every family also has different circumstances, so a parent’s absence is not necessarily something other families spend much time thinking about.
After the entrance ceremony, children generally go to school without their parents. The large number of parents on the first day should not be taken as a sign that Japanese children are normally escorted to school. It is simply a special milestone that many parents want to witness while also seeing, for themselves, the school their child will be attending.
