JAPANESE CHILD REALITY SHOW SHOCKS FOREIGNERS: Not Old Enough? 

I love that show! It's a faux reality show that is super cute. You're right that they have plenty of people around them. Also, everyone(behind the scene) in the crew helps to push the story along. As for your question on how children should be treated in our location compared to Japan? Well? All I can say is...I live in the states and it is... what it is. I would not let my child walk alone anywhere over here. Because? Reality: 1. I raised and cuddled the kid to the point where they have not developed any common sense/street smart/early awareness of their surroundings compared to a kid on a street in Japan/Congo/India/China/the Caribbean(different dangers/responsibilities/culture). (e.g. The first time I visited some metropolitan cities in India...I was very impressed by some of the little street food seller kids' salesmanship. A few times, I was close to asking a few to apprentice me in my late teens/early twenties.) 2. More brazen criminals over here. 3. Different culture mindset. Noone gives a strong 'ish about saving "face", community, or social embarrassment.

Here in the States it would be tricky for a kid to walk from their home to a store, mainly because, unlike Japan, our towns and even many of our cities aren't designed to walk in...Most people live in suburbs, which are designed for cars, and in the cities there's an even greater concern for safety. Honestly, the more walkable a city usually gets the higher the crime tends to be. I do think many parents could drop their kids off at the grocery store and wait in the parking lot. Working in a grocery store myself it's rare to see kids come through and pay by themselves, but I do see it occasionally.

90年代からの番組ですが他国では許されないことを知り大変驚きました。

It’s so cute

“What if one of them falls flat on their face?” Even if the mom is there, she would sit down and tell her kid gently to stand up. Then wait patiently for the kid to self-soothe and stand up by herself and stop crying. (Of course this is barring any serious injuries.)