The way children travel to school structures daily life for families around the world—but differs dramatically. In Japan, 98 percent of children walk to school every day, unaccompanied by a parent. In the United States, just 13 percent of children walk or bike to school, and most are driven to school by a parent. The documentary film Slow Way Home explores this divergence, examining how American families have largely given up on keeping our streets and public spaces safe enough for children, while Japanese communities have mobilized to keep their streets safe and walkable, not only for children but for everyone in society. The public screening of the film will share clips of the film, focused on the forces that keep parents and local residents in Japan civically engaged in working to preserve the safety of streets for local school children. The writer/co-producer of the film will discuss the topic, the experience of exploring it through the medium of film, and answer questions.

Leonard Schoppa is Professor of Politics in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia. He received his D.Phil in Politics from Oxford in 1989 and has been employed at the University of Virginia since 1990, with stints at Keio University (1993-1994) and the University of Tokyo (2000-2001) as a visiting researcher. He is the author of three books: Race for the Exits: The Unraveling of Japan’s System of Social Protection; Bargaining with Japan: What American Pressure Can and Cannot Do; and Education Reform in Japan. He has published refereed articles in International Organization (1993, 1999) and Comparative Political Studies (2002, 2013), as well as articles for a more general audience in Foreign Affairs and Current History.