The Japanese academic year starts in spring, so it won’t be long until the new batch of first-graders head off to school carrying their boxy leather randoseru backpacks. It’ll be an emotional moment ...

It was called "Ukuran," a portmanteau of the Japanese words "uku" (to float) and "randoseru" -- school backpacks traditionally used by Japanese schoolchildren from grades one to six. Etsuko Fujita ...

a staple of Japanese childhood for close to 150 years. No one mandates that students use these backpacks, but strong social norms lead most families to purchase them for their children.