Editor's Note:

Are you up on what the hundreds of millions of Chinese netizens are talking about? Take a moment and get the rundown of what's hot, what's trending, and what's drawing the most buzz on the Chinese blogosphere.

Japan's school bags have Chinese consumers booking flights to buy

First Japan's toilet seats made a splash, then their rice cookers were all the rage.

Now Chinese are paying a premium for Japanese schoolbags already priced around 5,000 yuan ($782).

Carried by generations of Japanese primary school students, the square-shaped "randoseru" has been attracting Chinese buyers for both its durability and safety features.

The all-leather bag is also reinforced with a steel plate to protect children in case of earthquakes, and is also capable of serving as a flotation device in water.

As the new school year approaches, reporters found Chinese parents are willing to fork out high prices for the bags.

A woman surnamed Wang who traveled Japan this summer described malls full of Chinese shopping for the item.

"Some even purchased two to three bags at once," she said.

The bag-buying frenzy has prompted some Chinese living in Japan to chime in.

A woman surnamed Liang, the mother of a primary school student in Japan, said that at 1.5 kilograms, the bag is too heavy for children.

"The bag doesn't hold that much, there's only room for a few books and a pencil case. They'd need to carry all their other books," she said.

Some on social media felt the bags are not designed for Chinese students.

"They don't need to wear a steel plate to school every day because earthquakes are rare in China," posted a Sina Weibo user from Shanghai.

"The bag cannot hold the weight of Chinese textbooks at all," another online user from Guangzhou wrote.


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