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In _Ajin-chan wa Kataritai_ , there are a dullahan student named Machi. In
chapter 23, it was said that the school wasn't allowing her to use a backpack,
and she could only use a standard school bag or a tote bag. [![Ajin-chan wa
Kataritai chapter
23](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RLGIT.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RLGIT.jpg)

At first I thought it was only their school regulation, but then I recalled in
_Yuru Yuri_ , on the first day of school Akari used a backpack because she
forgot that she's already in middle school. Later she changes out her backpack
for a tote bag.

[![Yuru Yuri ep 1
\(1\)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8aaLVm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8aaLVm.jpg)[![Yuru
Yuri ep 1
\(2\)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/c0V1wm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/c0V1wm.jpg)

I tried to take a quick look at a few high school anime I have, most of them
use the exact same tote bag (school bag I assume?), but there are a few anime
where each student uses a different bag. It seems like none of the students
use a backpack.

[![D-Frag!](https://i.stack.imgur.com/oZL9Mm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/oZL9Mm.jpg)

In _D-Frag_ , each student uses a different bag, but none use a backpack.

[![Nichijou chapter
20](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hAOlpm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hAOlpm.jpg)


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question
culture
Are high school and middle school students not allowed to use a backpack?


Like I said in the comment, Kaizaki Arata of Re:LIFE uses a backpack and he is
a 3rd year of Senior High School.

[![Kaizaki Arata with
Backpack](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YvjTd.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YvjTd.jpg)

However, Yoake Ryo uses a tote bag.

[![Yoake Ryo with tote
bag](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AuXma.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AuXma.jpg)

Another guy, Ohga also uses Tote bag.

[![Ohga with tote
bag](https://i.stack.imgur.com/807Ka.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/807Ka.jpg)

Thus, like you mentioned in your question, most students in Senior High School
uses tote bag. But, seeing that Kaizaki can use backpack just fine, it means
that backpack is not forbidden.


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answer


**Short Answer**

To answer your question: some schools specify bags students use, while others
don't; it varies.

**Long Answer**

Like uniforms, bags are also specified by schools, which means the level of
strictness varies from school to school. Some schools allow students to bring
whatever bag they choose, while others will require students to buy from a
specified maker, so that all bags have the school emblem.

While the hand-carried bags often seen in anime were once the main type of
bag, most schools today use a 2-way or 3-way bag, that allows for multiple
ways of carrying: by hand, diagonally over one shoulder, or on the the back.
Also note that some schools use different colors for male and female students.

It should also be noted that the "backpacks" you are mentioning in Yuru Yuri
and Nichijou are not backpacks in the broad sense (which would be リュックサック
(rucksack) in Japanese), but [ランドセル "randoseru" or
"ransel"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randoseru), which are backpacks
specifically for elementary school students. Wearing one above that age would
definitely look odd to the a Japanese person.

Even when use is permitted, backpacks aren't always the first choice. While
backpacks hold a lot, spread the weight between the shoulders, and allow for
free use of both hands, they also have demerits, such as having to remove the
backpack to access it, being unwieldy in tight spaces like trains, and making
the back sweaty, especially in the summer.

Because this school-specified bag rule is common knowledge to the average
Japanese viewer, any explanation is omitted in the work. So when an average
viewer sees that everyone has the same bag, he/she would automatically assume
that the school in this anime specifies the bag to use, and when another anime
has different bags, then he/she would automatically assume this anime's school
has no such regulation.

[Wikipedia
reference](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AD%A6%E7%94%9F%E9%9E%84)

[Bag maker reference](http://www.koyamahosei.co.jp/)


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answer