American man is stunned to discover how kids in Japan are well taken care of by strangers

One thing that is of utmost priority to parents is their child's safety. If the safety standards are not met, one can't even think of letting their child go out alone, even to school. Also, not everyone in the public would be so considerate enough to help the kid if they got into trouble in most places. But compared to other major cities of the world Japan seems to be much safer and this American father tells us why. Creative executive, content creator, podcast host and dad to an 11-year-old, Timm Chiusano–who goes by @timmchiusano on TikTok–shared a viral video last year about how safe Tokyo is, which is eye-opening.

Showing us the beautiful visuals from their family trip to Japan's capital, Tokyo, in 2023, Chiusano narrated why the country is so safe for children. "We were sitting on the subway in Tokyo across from this super cute mother and daughter," Chiusano began the narration and added, "At least we thought they were mother and daughter until the kid that was maybe 6 years old got up by herself and got off the subway." Stunned by seeing a little kid going out by themselves, Chiusano and his wife Kelly couldn't believe their eyes. As they explored more around the city, the couple noticed many children, even younger than their 11-year-old Evelyn, were out by themselves with no adult accompanying them. Also, they noticed many kids wearing yellow hats while navigating the city.

Later, when the family made a friend in the city who was a local named Kila, they got to know about how safe Japan was. "Children can commute to school and do errands starting at a very early age," said Chiusano and added, "In short, it's just that safe in Japan." Also, very young children often wore yellow hats for safety while using the crosswalks and to "let adults know that they might need a little extra help." Explaining the safety-first culture in Japan, the dad said, "Said another way, in Japan, the idea is that the children are the collective responsibility of society to keep safe." 

Chiusano pointed out that the kids in Japan were so independent from a very young age because their society had decided that the children were their "collective responsibility" and they always looked out for the kids. Chiusano, through this video, emphasized the lack of safety for kids in America. "It's a choice they made. And for the life of me, I can't decide why we've chosen something different," he said in the end. Chiusano's narration was not just an appreciation of Japan's safe culture but a rallying call to highlight the need for change in his own country.

With nearly 11 million views, this video had American people pondering about children's safety. "When I lived in Japan, I felt like I could walk around at night with a paper bag over my head and nothing bad would happen to me, it felt that safe," commented @nikolaiberkmusic. "We lived in Okinawa with young children for years. Coming back to the US was shocking. The disregard for the care/safety of kids here breaks my heart," wrote @cmmru98. "I grew up in Germany and it was the same for me. I started walking to school, getting groceries, meeting friends at the playground, etc., alone at 5-6," commented @leasophielou.

You can follow Timm Chiusano (@timmchiusano) on TikTok for more wholesome family content.