Japan: Maintaining high levels of walking

Abstract Japan has had considerable success in maintaining high levels of children walking to school compared to other wealthy nations. To begin, this chapter will use national travel data to paint a general picture of children’s (aged 5–17) travel in Japan. Evidence related to the high levels of independent travel are then summarized. Results from a recent study will discuss the relationships between what children do during their trips and their satisfaction with their travel as a measure of psychological wellbeing. Finally, there will be discussion on previous research that has highlighted the importance of walking and independent travel for incidental social interactions as a measure of social well-being, which are occurrences that are particularly frequent in Japan. Having set the scene, the chapter will then discuss a number of reasons to help explain children’s travel in Japan. This includes planning, regulations, and community solutions to support walking to school. A number of social practices that help maintain high levels of children’s autonomy are discussed.