505- First Errand

<p>Back in March, Netflix picked up a long running Japanese TV program based on a children’s book from the 1970s. The show is called <i>Old Enough</i>, but the name of the original Japanese program translates to <i>My First Errand</i>. Because in each episode, a child runs an errand for the very first time. Episodes are only 10 to 20 minutes long, but in that short time a toddler treats the audience to a bite-sized hero's journey. </p><p><i>My First Errand</i> is a gimmicky show with hokey music and a laugh track, but it’s also rooted in a truth about Japanese society: most children are remarkably independent from a very young age -- way more independent than children in the US. In Japanese cities, fifth-graders make 85 percent of their weekday trips without a parent. And this remarkable child mobility is made possible by everything from the neighbors next door to the width of the streets.</p><p><a href="https://99percentinvisible.org/?p=39467&post_type=episode">First Errand</a></p>