"John W." <worthj1970@yahoo.com> wrote in message 
news:1101304577.760152.326620@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Ryan Ginstrom wrote:
>>
>> Actually I would want to nix that commute, but so many parents are
>> unwilling/unable to do so;
>
> That's because it's much better for a child to go to a prestigious
> school (or something along those lines) than to actually have to spend
> TIME with them.
>
> I think a lot of Japan's current social woes stem from this practice
> because for much of their youth a lot of kids are completely without
> direct, visible parental love. I'd much rather my child go to a
> slightly inferior school and spend time with his family while growing
> up.
>

Well that's the real tragedy isn't it.  Japanese kids SHOULDN'T have to go 
to inferior schools.  They should be able to have their cake and eat it.  If 
there's enough money available to build unnecessary highways, then there's 
enough to build new, more compact schools with smaller catchment areas so 
poor little Takeshi-kun doesn't have to walk 5km to get home.

--
joanthan