Only the last stretch of the school walk was with other kids

Home → a long stretch alone → meet the other children → school. That was the morning route for one Tokyo first-grader with a 2.1km school walk. On the way home, the other children peeled off before her house. Her parent couldn't physically walk the full route there and back to help her practise it. The family had chosen that school to keep her with nursery friends; her best friend was in the same class. Suggestions to walk with other children still left the stretch between home and those children unresolved. For pickup, the parent met her at a supermarket about ten minutes from school, while she was still with other children. The parent had also rented a private monthly parking space near school and asked the teacher about a driving arrangement. The teacher was taking the request back to the school.