School children walking around in public

Why are there so many unattended children floating around tourist attractions and shops in uniform during school hours?

Those school childrens are on school trip.
Depends on the number of student, they are normally split into different group. And each group are designated a route which the need to cover, and after which they will need to write school trip report.
There maybe a teacher or two supervising the groups.
It's pretty normally scene here in Japan, especially tourist/historical places.

It is pretty normal all over the world isn't it?

Well not in my country.
We don't have school trip like Japan school students.

Going about outside, during school hour, wearing school uniform will land you in trouble.

That's kind of sad....

Must be a strict society not to allow school trips in any way.

I loved school trips when I was a kid. Always learnt more actually doing than from a book reading.

I think I may have written it wrongly to have you guys interpret it wrongly.

I said we don't have school trip like that, NOT school trip is not allowed.
We do have educational visit to places like factories, museum etc., which mostly in groups.

Just not in public areas,like the one in Japan, where visiting places with students going about, mingling with public and tourist.

Also, cutting school or truancy is pretty much frowned upon, so if you, a student in uniform found loitering around during school hour for no apparent reason, of course you going to get into trouble.

Not everyone or country have the money and resources to do such school trip.

To ..@,
So what?

To the O.P.,
Simply because Japan is a safe country, that's all.

Not necessarily so, so called jiyuu-koudou became popular in these 30 years or so, I didn't see it when Japan was even safer.

I think that changes of educational method (自由行動 in this case) have nothing to do with the fact that Japan has always been a safe country for children.
But I have no intention to argue more.

To ...

care to elaborate your "so what ?"

It's common for schools to have half days, for example during the school exam period the students only come for one or two hours to sit their exams, then they can go home.

@hakata14 , I can't speak for all over the world but here in the USA, I am from Connecticut. No. its not common for students to be walking around public during school time unless its early morning like 6:30am to 8:00am and they are heading to school.

For All:
The only reason you would see students walking around public during school time is 1) school half day, 2) holiday 3) spring break, and winter break, 3) summer vacation, 4) High school students get out early because of testing 5) school closing for whatever reason 6) Other

If you see kids in my area walking around between the hours of 7.30am to 2.00pm its that they are skipping school.

But normally, police officers will stop them and question them why they are not in school or whatever.

..@, I agree you,

its really, really not normal for students to visit public place during school trips unless they finish their school trip early and the teacher take them and let them run around public place like the mall or market area.

Like ...@ said and how school trips with in my State most school students visit educational places like factories, business, museum, or outside place relating to history where the event happen.
Public visit to malls, stores, market, and ect are rear.

I thought the original question was about tourist locations? Now we are talking about malls and shops?

I also thought the question had been answered a long time ago.