The new school term began in April, but stores are already preparing the newest models of the iconic randoseru backpacks for children who will enter Japan's elementary schools in 2023 as families increasingly purchase them earlier — and with higher price tags.
The search for a perfect randoseru is expected to be in full swing during the Golden Week holidays, which fall between the end of April and early May every year. Dubbed rankatsu, the act of shopping for school supplies sees parents and grandparents visiting popular department stores and randoseru specialty shops to reserve their favorite design before it sells out.
Randoseru are the hard-sided leather backpacks used by children in Japan for the entire duration of elementary school. The name itself derives from the obsolete Dutch word ransel, a type of backpack used by soldiers long ago. Traditionally, the randoseru is given to a child at the beginning of their first year of elementary school and that same bag is used until they graduate from sixth grade and move on to junior high.
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