wow...umm...
I was taking a jab at phil more than stating a fact when I say his knowledge of Japan comes from yakuza, judgement and persona but no he just said that in games like yakuza, judgement and persona kids go and take the bus alone and go out on their own, it's really like that in japan.
Yes phil also when japanese kids hit 10 parents send them to an old scientist and they get to pick on of 3 pets to go on a journey with but if they don't tdo that and their dad dies a green alien kidnaps them and beats the shit out of them unlike America where rich kids parents get shot the become batman poor kids can't afford that so their uncle gets killed and they become spiderman.
but this is a double whammy, the fact he found it so odd that kids do things on their own like take the bus or subway without parents makes me wonder if he was super sheltered with overbearing helicopter parents.