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Audio Japan 〜Learning Japan with You〜. This podcast is to dive into Japanese culture,
brands, and some niche information. For those who prefer to listen in Japanese,
please tune in to Audio Japan 〜Anata to Isshoni Nihon Manabu〜. I broadcast
on platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcast.
My name is Taiki Arai, your host and an educational designer.
Do you know the term, Randoseru Selection Activity or Randoseru Activity?
It's about choosing a randoseru, Japanese school backpack. You might think,
aren't randoseru chosen based on school or regional requirements? I've certainly thought so
before. But nowadays, or rather starting about 10 years ago, children freely choose their randoseru.
They are growing up so fast. In the first half, I'll discuss the history of randoseru and current
trends. In the latter half, I'll explore the topic of Japanese randoseru from an international
perspective. Let's get started. It is believed that the term randoseru originated from the Dutch
word randseel. At the end of the Edo period, during the introduction of the Western semi-military
system, a similar clothes made, haino, was also imported for carrying belongings. Back then,
randoseru were not the box-shaped leather bags we know today, but rather like cloth wraps
similar to a furoshiki, a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth. Imagine the despair if it were
on the way to school. The current box-shaped design originated when Emperor Taisho enrolled
in Gakushuin University. To celebrate this, the then Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito
specially commissioned and presented a leather box-shaped randoseru. This design became the
prototype for modern randoseru. So, when you see a randoseru in the streets, think to yourself,
oh, that's the Hirobumi Ito style randoseru. Since I'm talking about textbooks,
let me digress a bit. According to the annual report,
Current Statues and Issues of Textbook Publication by the Japan Textbook Association,
the total pages of textbooks for elementary students increased from 4,857 in 2005 to 8,520
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in 2023, and for middle school students from 4,430 to 6,684 pages. Moreover, nowadays,
textbooks come with QR codes linking to extensive digital content, including explanations and
supplementary information that were hard to convey in text. As an ICT support staff,
I'm often at schools during the day, and with students taking tablets home,
their bags are likely getting heavier. Back to the topic. If you were over 20 years old listening to
this, you probably used a randoseru in elementary school where boys had black and girls had red,
where you used a school-designated randoseru. However, today, it's not just black or red.
Boys have options like blue or navy, and girls have light blue or pink, with each child having
a different color randoseru. There are various theories on when randoseru started coming in
multiple colors, but as far as I researched, it was Eon Company in 2001 that launched a line of
24-colored randoseru. With the introduction of a variety of colors, popular choices for randoseru
have shifted. For boys, black remained the most popular color, but according to research by the
Japan Bag Association Randoseru Industry Association, while black accounted for 67.0%
in 2018, it decreased to 56.9% by 2023. For girls, red has declined to around 10%,
with purple, pink, and light blue becoming more popular. Moreover, the trend in purchasing prices
of randoseru is also noteworthy. Over the years, there has been an increase in the proportion of
randoseru purchased for over 55,000 yen. The average purchase price has risen, suggesting
that randoseru may have become a kind of premium product. Even concerning inflation,
randoseru price over 100,000 yen exists, which seems quite high, but considering that they are
used for six years in elementary school, some families do opt for more expensive ones.
This increase in purchase price can be attributed to the declining birth rate in Japan,
where the number of births fell below 1 million for the first time in 2016,
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since statistics began in 1899, and further dropped below 800,000 in 2022.
Due to fewer children, more money is spent per child, and often grandparents rather than parents
are purchasing randoseru. Additionally, the trend of randoseru katsudo, rankatsu,
requires early actions like attending exhibitions and making reservations
in advance to acquire popular randoseru from well-known makers.
In the Japanese randoseru market, after peaking at 56.3 billion yen in 2022,
the market is gradually slowing down. In the second part of the program, I will discuss
companies that are not just competing in this saturated market but creating new markets.
One such company is SEIBAN, known for selling randoseru overseas. Do you know the song in
Japanese? Yes, it's SEIBAN. In February this year, SEIBAN opened direct stores in Saitama
and Chiba prefectures and now has an impressive 14 direct stores nationwide. However,
SEIBAN is also selling randoseru aimed at adults in the international market.
Initially, the plan was to sell randoseru to children overseas,
but market research revealed a stronger demand for adult products. Working with their local partner,
ReVenture, SEIBAN developed adult bags and started selling them in Germany.
The brand, Seekoba, stands for simply comfortable, simply the best. Using the same durable,
water- and dirt-resistant synthetic leather used in randoseru, they've created a simple
and comfortable backpack designed for professional adults focused on comfort,
craftsmanship, and smart design. Visiting Seekoba's brand site, you'll see businessmen
carrying randoseru or slinging them over their shoulders. While in Japan, randoseru are typically
associated with elementary school children. From a function and value standpoint, they are durable,
brand-resistant, and available in a wide range of colors to suit individual preferences.
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Hollywood actress Zooey Deschanel was spotted in New York with a bright red randoseru,
and randoseru have made appearances in international fashion shows.
Looking at the global market, with an overall increasing world population,
the global randoseru market was approximately $18.8 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow
at a healthy rate of over 6% during the forecast period of 2020 to 2027.
In my research on randoseru, I found it impressive that they are being marketed not just for school
children but as stylish, detail-oriented bags for adults in international markets.
With about 10 companies and manufacturers involved in randoseru production, there is potential for
cultural matches with markets and countries, and I hope to see more international expansion.
Audio Japan, learning Japan with you. It's time for the ending.
I found a YouTube documentary about randoseru and seiban, which I recommend checking out
when you have the time. The link is in the description and it's about 5 minutes long.
Watching the video, two thoughts came to mind. The first is about the recent shift away from
the traditional notion that boys' backpacks are black and girls' are red. The freedom for children
to choose the color of the backpack they want to use is simple, yet I believe it's something
precious. The second thought is about how important it is to provide children with
opportunities to make decisions from an early age, as is the case with these backpacks.
As I mentioned at the beginning, for those who want to listen to the Japanese version,
please turn into Audio Japan, anata to issho ni nihon wo manabu.
Starting in February, new episodes will be released every Tuesday and Friday at 6am
Japanese Standard Time. On Tuesdays, I will cover familiar themes, and on Fridays,
I will discuss current Japanese affairs. I also welcome your comments and letters about the
episode. Please fill out the survey form in the overview section. I look forward to hearing from
you. If you like this audio, please subscribe and follow my channel. Thank you for listening
to the end. My name is Taiki Arai, your host and an educational designer.
