Skip to main content

The Supply List and the Hand-Made Items Tradition

The Japanese school supplies list runs far beyond pencils and notebooks to indoor shoes, gym uniforms, melodicas, calligraphy sets, and a series of tote bags some schools still expect sewn by hand. First-grade households typically spend 10,000 to 30,000 JPY beyond the randoseru, and almost every item must carry the child's name. This guide decodes the list, the costs, and the sewn-goods question.1

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm the current list with your child's school, since contents vary school to school.

Overview​

The required supplies vary slightly by school, but most lists run from pencils and erasers through indoor shoes, cleaning towels, and specific art and math supplies.1 Households are not strictly required to buy the school-recommended versions, yet most do for convenience and so the child matches peers.1

Transferring families receive a list again on arrival, so this guide serves mid-year arrivals as well as April entrants. The two decisions that surprise foreign parents most are the labeling workload and the hand-sewn bags; both get full sections below.

The list, decoded​

Stationery and the supply box​

Lower-grade pupils write with soft 2B pencils and migrate to harder HB pencils in the upper grades.1 The 筆箱 (fudebako, "pencil case") holds erasers, red-and-blue marking pencils, and a permanent marker for name-labeling. Mechanical pencils and ball pens count as unsuitable for beginners, and their clicking distracts the class.1

Many schools prohibit character-printed stationery for the same reason.1 Schools typically hand out one of each notebook type at the start of the year; households buy refills and must match the exact line width and grid count.1

Craft supplies live in the 道具箱 (dōgubako, "school supply box"), and keeping it ordered counts as neatness training.1 The 算数セット (sansū setto, "math kit of manipulatives") packs flashcards, a ruler, a clock face, and magnetic shapes; schools often provide it or arrange bulk purchase, otherwise families buy retail.1

Label everything before the first day, not after

Every item down to individual math counters must carry the child's name. A 2025 stationery-maker survey found 83.5% of households calling labeling the hardest preparation task (as of the 2025 survey; confirm current findings with the maker). Printed name stickers shorten a job that runs to hundreds of items.1

Clothing, shoes, and safety gear​

Gym clothes are standardized: a stretchy shirt and shorts with the family name written on the shirt, plus a reversible red-and-white sports hat.1 The 上履き (uwabaki, "indoor shoes worn inside the school") are heavy-fabric, flat-rubber, laceless shoes kept in entrance lockers and carried home on weekends for washing.1

Some public schools now let pupils stay in outdoor shoes to cut the belongings count and ease locker crowding.1 Check the school's current rule before buying; the abolition trend is real but far from universal.

First-graders walk to school in bright yellow hats with matching randoseru covers, a visibility custom attributed to a 1960s police suggestion. Yellow umbrellas, raincoats, and randoseru safety buzzers, some with GPS, complete the kit.1

In the Kantō and Tōkai regions, schools often require the 防災頭巾 (bōsai zukin, "padded earthquake hood") that doubles as a seat cushion, though many schools shifted to helmets after the 2011 earthquake.1 Water bottles are mandatory in hot months, usually restricted to non-sugary drinks such as barley tea.1 School-designated swimwear is shifting from one-piece suits and brief trunks toward rash guards and shorts, with mesh caps often color-coded by ability; budget replacements as the child outgrows each suit.1

Music, art, and grade-staggered sets​

First- and second-graders practice the melodica, moving to the recorder in grade three, with the German-style soprano as the public-school standard.1 Grade three adds a calligraphy set and watercolor kit, grade four a woodblock carving set, and grade five a sewing kit.1

Instruments and art sets arrive in dedicated carry bags, and schools often arrange bulk purchases that beat retail.1 Wait for the school's bulk-purchase notice before buying these independently.

Keep the envelope: grade-staggered sets arrive later

The first-grade total is only the opening installment. Calligraphy, carving, and sewing kits are bought in grades three through five, so the spending recurs on a schedule the school announces year by year.1

The hand-made bags​

Separate tote bags carry indoor shoes, gym clothes, lunch items, water bottles, and music and art materials. Schools may specify size and color, and households either sew them by hand or buy ready-made types.1

Which bags and what specs​

The traditional series runs to the lunch-mat bag, the indoor-shoes bag, the art-supplies bag, and the gym-clothes bag, historically sewn to specifications with size requirements.1 The 巾着袋 (kinchaku bukuro, "drawstring bag") shape covers most of them.2

Read the spec sheet literally and cut or buy to those dimensions. The sheet, not parent lore, is the authority.

Sewn, store-bought, or 100-yen​

Mothers have traditionally been expected to hand-sew these bags, in a custom retailers describe as reminding the child of home during the school day (cultural description; practices vary).2 The post-2020 dual-income reality has made hand-sewing optional in many schools, with store-bought alternatives accepted, while some traditional schools still expect home-sewn items.1

Ask the school about sewn items directly

Expectations differ school to school, and parent-network lore often preserves the strictest historical version. One question at orientation settles what your school currently requires, which is the only version that matters.1

The same economizing logic covers the 雑巾 (zōkin, "heavy cleaning rag"), which children bring from home for classroom cleaning duty. Traditionally cut from old cloth, zōkin are now commonly bought at 100-yen shops.1

What it costs​

Math sets run around 3,000 JPY, while calligraphy, paint, and sewing sets run 2,000 to 4,000 JPY each (as of 2026 reporting; confirm current prices with retailers).1 A 2026 education-company survey found 40% of first-grade households spending 10,000 to 30,000 JPY on supplies excluding the randoseru (as of the 2026 survey; confirm current findings with the survey publisher).1

ItemPrice bandAs of
Math setAround 3,000 JPY12026
Calligraphy, paint, or sewing set2,000–4,000 JPY each12026
First-grade supply total, typical10,000–30,000 JPY excluding randoseru12026 survey

Families save through discount retailers, 100-yen shops, secondhand platforms, and sibling hand-me-downs, and some schools run sharing or stockpile programs.1 Stationery, swimwear, and indoor shoes draw criticism as hidden education fees despite free tuition and textbooks.1 Where cost genuinely blocks attendance, municipal financial assistance can cover supplies; ask at the enrollment counter.3

Budget 10,000 to 30,000 JPY beyond the randoseru

The supply total lands on top of the bag, not inside it, and grade-staggered sets extend the spending across years. Plan the two budgets as separate lines from the start.1

Good to know​

Label everything before the first day, not after​

Hundreds of items need names, and hand-labeling tops every burden survey. Order printed name stickers early and label during the spring break, not the night before school starts.1

Buy the specified notebook grid, not the closest-looking one​

Kanji and subject notebooks come in exact grid counts. The wrong ruling means rebuying, so carry the spec sheet into the stationery aisle.1

Ask the school about sewn items directly, not the parent chat​

Parent networks preserve the strictest historical version of every rule. The school's current answer is shorter, kinder, and the only one that counts.1

Keep the receipt envelope: grade-staggered sets arrive later​

File each year's purchase notice with the amounts. When the grade-three calligraphy set or grade-five sewing kit notice arrives, the budget line is already waiting.1

Budget 10,000 to 30,000 JPY beyond the randoseru​

Treat the supply total as fixed, not elastic. The 100-yen shop trims the edges; the set prices and the labeling workload do not compress.1

See also​

References​

Footnotes​

  1. Nippon.com. "Gearing Up for Class: Essential School Supplies for Japanese Elementary Students." https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/b11404 (published 2026-06-23) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24 ↩25 ↩26 ↩27 ↩28 ↩29 ↩30 ↩31 ↩32 ↩33 ↩34 ↩35 ↩36 ↩37 ↩38 ↩39

  2. Tea Collection Blog. "What is a Randoseru?" https://blog.teacollection.com/randoseru (published 2016, updated 2024-12-19) (limitation: retailer blog; used only for the mother-sewn bag expectation) ↩ ↩2

  3. Tokyo Metropolitan Government. "Enrollment in Public Elementary and Junior High Schools." https://www.english.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/w/031-101-003827 (posted 2024-12-02) ↩