My office is adjacent to a grade school. Kids who are at the age of 6 will enter a grade school in April and learn there for 6 years. While traveling to the school, all the kids wear their uniform and carry their trademark, "Randoseru", which is a firm-sided backpack made of leather, etc. and is used by Japanese elementary schoolchildren, often red for girls and black for boys. I've heard it's getting popular among even adults overseas, but it's for kids in Japan. A six-year boy or girl carrying "Randoseru" looks somehow comical, because "Randoseru" is bigger for six-year old kids and it seems as if "Randoseru" is walking, not the kids.
When I saw outside during my rounds this afternoon, I found little kids gathered on the grounds. There were also several policemen. An intersection and crosswalks were drawn by line powder on the ground and makeshift signal posts also stood. It was the traffic guidance by police for 6-year old boys and girls. The kids would learn how to ride bicycles around the intersection. I wanted to see their cute behaviour, but I had to continue my rounds.
Kids play something around their homes and the school. There's no danger to be kidnapped, but traffic accidents can happen. It's the reason why this lecture was held in the school. I wondered if such kind of lectures would be held in foreign countries.
回診中、病棟の窓から
職場は小学校の横にある。日本では満６歳を過ぎた４月に小学校へ入学し、６年間を過ごす。皆制服を着て通学し、トレードマークのランドセルを背負う。昨今このランドセルが海外では大人たちに人気だと言うが今はそれは置く。６歳の子供がランドセルを負って歩くと、ランドセルは子供の大きさに比して大きく、子供がと言うよりもランドセルが歩いているようで少しコミカルに映る。
今日の午後、病棟回診中に外を見ると、小学校で警察官が子供たちに交通指導をしていた。運動場に線を引いて道路を作り、模型の信号機を使い、自転車での走行マナーについて指導していたようだった。子供たちの動きが可愛くてしばらく眺めていたかったが仕事中のため断念。実際に子供たちが自転車に乗り、どのように走るのか見ていたかったのだが。
通学中に限らず子供たちは自宅近所や学校周辺で自由に遊ぶ。誘拐される危険性はまずないのだが、交通事故に遭遇する危険は常にある。ランドセルには目立つように反射材が張られている。ところで、どこの国でもこのような交通指導はあるのかな？
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