Posts Tagged: education

All Posts / Culture / Customs — No Comments
27
May 11

Rounin: “Wandering Samurai” in Modern Times

The traditional rounin is a wandering samurai–a samurai who lost his master, either to death or to his master’s fall from grace. Since the samurai’s entire life revolved around devotion to the master, the samurai loses his sense of of purpose. The “honorable” path for the masterless samurai was to commit seppuku (“harakiri”): ritualized suicide. Those who opted not to kill themselves wandered freely, taking mercenary, bodyguard, and odd jobs where they could. These samurai became rounin–a title that was less than honorable.

Today, rounin still exist, but they’re not samurai. Modern rounin are young adults who failed their college entrance exams but still hope to attend college. (In Japan, most colleges require that you pass an entrance exam, similar to middle and high school entrance exams.) Rather than take a full-time job, these young people devote the next year to studying as hard as they can in order to pass the entrance exam the next year. They may live with their parents or take on part-time jobs in order to pay rent, but their primary focus over the next year is studying on their own to pass exams. They may attend cram schools or hire tutors–usually students currently attending the school they want to attend who have obviously passed the entrance exam–in order to help them, but otherwise, they’re on their own and must keep up the motivation throughout the year.

Most colleges hold their entrance exams at about the same time each year (toward the beginning of the year; the school year begins in early April). Prospective students can take exams for as many colleges as they please during the entrance exam season, but most choose a handful of colleges so they can focus on the topics they think may be on those particular exams. (Each college makes up its own exams; the more prestigious the school, the more difficult the exam.) The exams are usually only held once a year–in fact,  prospective students usually don’t get a makeup exam if they miss it, so they’ll venture out even if they’re ill. Solely missing an exam can turn a student into a rounin.

Some prospective students continue to fail the yearly exams for the colleges of their choice and they continue to be rounin for more than one year. Of course, they can always decide to go to a less prestigious school with a less difficult exam or to skip college altogether, but since better schooling affords better career opportunities, many students don’t want to give up.

Would you become a rounin or would you rather go to a second-choice school or get a job? Would your parents support your decision?

All Posts / Culture — No Comments
12
Nov 10

Japanese Young Adults

Due to a floundering job market and a struggling economy, more and more young adults in America are living with parents even after school, struggling to find a job with which they can support themselves. Still, the idea of “adult children” living at home still conjures quite a bit of negativity  in America, as the “living in your mother’s basement” stereotype is often the butt of jokes and can make a man or woman seem unattractive to potential mates.

Japanese young adults face somewhat different expectations. There are some negative stereotypes with some of the anti-social “basement dweller” types of young adults (see below), and of course not every Japanese family adheres to society’s standards, but in general it’s not only acceptable for young adults to live at home after high school or college, it’s expected. Japanese young adults are still expected to get jobs after school–in fact, there may be more pressure in Japanese society for young adults to land impressive jobs than there is in America–but they don’t have to move out of the house right away. In fact, they’re free to save their money for their future independent lives and aren’t expected (usually) to pay rent to their parents or to pay for any household expenses. In fact, many Japanese manufacturers aim products specifically at this 20-something age group, which has more expendable income than other age groups, as they have full-time jobs and few expenses.

The general consensus is that young adults can live at home without paying expenses until they get married. Generally, marriage tends to occur in a Japanese person’s early to late 20s. Of course, especially in modern society, Japanese people may choose not to get married or they may get married in life. Societal and family pressure to get married aside, Japanese young adults can move out on their own whenever they’re ready, but they’re not looked down upon for staying at home a few years after school.

However, sometimes living at home can lead to sad behavior. Sometimes Japanese young adults get their own apartments, but their jobs (or lack thereof) aren’t enough to cover living expenses, so they may receive monthly allowances from home to cover rent, utilities, food, and the like. Of course, this differs from family to family, but it happens often enough to spark a growing social issue in Japan.

Because of a struggling job market and a disillusioned generation, a number of young adults in Japan are going through life while underemployed or unemployed, coasting by on their parents’ money or just living in their parents’ home. Sometimes it’s a defeatist attitude following a string of job interview disappointments, sometimes it’s sheer laziness, sometimes it’s a fear of growing up or other social anxieties… The causes vary from person to person, but the theories are endless. Japanese young adults who are underemployed or unemployed may make efforts to secure a full-time job, but if they don’t, they may retreat into their rooms, playing games, watching TV, surfing the Internet, and wasting money on frivolous things. They may need psychological help to get out of their rut, but since Japanese society tends to look down on those who need therapy, many Japanese parents would rather support their young adult children and hush up the problem, hoping one day it’ll go away.

The underemployed, typically those with one or more part-time jobs, freelance jobs, or seasonal jobs are typically called paato (from the English word “part-time”; the part-time jobs themselves are called arubaito, from the German word “arbeit“). These young adults struggle because they’re making minimal money and usually don’t have benefits such as health insurance (although there is a national program) and retirement planning. However, they’re at least regarded less negatively than another type of young adult.

Japanese young adults who have no jobs at all and stay home goofing off are called hikikomori, which means “to pull away,” or “social withdrawal,” or NEETs, which actually stands for an English phrase: “Not in Education, Employment, or Training.” NEET refers to society’s expectations that the person is not excused for not having a job while not in school or at least not apprenticing or interning with an employer.

Would you like to be able to live at home guilt-free for a few years following school? Do you see the danger for becoming a shut-in if you have the option to rely on your parents’ support?

All Posts / Culture / Customs — No Comments
8
Oct 10

The Gakuensai: Annual Japanese School Festivals

In a few weeks, schools across Japan are going to hold their annual gakuensai (“school festival”), also often known as the bunkasai (“cultural festival”). The aim of this festival is to show parents and members of the community what the students can do to express their creativity and demonstrate their talents. It also allows the community and students from other schools to explore the campus grounds. Extracurricular groups, which are more important to school life than in American schools, can also earn money for activity funding.

Most schools throughout Japan hold such a festival sometime in late October to early November, which, if you remember, is about two-thirds into the Japanese school year. The festival tends to last for somewhere between one and three days over a weekend, but the preparation lasts a week or more. Students in elementary through high school are typically required to participate, since the preparation extends into school time, but college students do not have to participate and will usually only participate if they’re members of an extracurricular group.

Each individual homeroom class (and there are usually several classes per grade) must decide on an activity or event to produce for the cultural festival. Common activities include producing a play (even if it’s not a drama class), turning their classroom into a haunted house, turning their classroom into a themed cafe, selling items, or putting on an educational display. Extracurricular groups also tend to participate, usually by showing off something to do with their activity, such as selling crafts for an arts and crafts club or holding a music performance for a music club, or for something purely to earn money for their club, such as selling food for a sports group. Most students–since most students participate in an extracurricular club–participate in shifts in their homeroom class activity, their extracurricular group activity and just some time off enjoying what other groups and classes have to offer at the festival.

After each class decides on their activity, the tend to be given an entire week off from classes in order to prepare. They must still go to school, for that’s where they’re expected to prepare. But the students practice leadership and can do what’s necessary for a week to get their activity ready, whether it’s rehearsing a performance, making costumes, building sets, making items to sell, building a stand at which to sell food, or turning their entire classrooms into themed areas. Many students, especially those in middle school and older, are even allowed to spend the nights at school (with teacher chaperones) during this week in order to have extra time to prepare.

Have you ever participated in a gakuensai? What were your favorite parts of the festivals? Do you wish that Western schools held similar festivals?

All Posts / Culture / Customs — No Comments
16
Apr 10

Japanese Schooling, Part 3: School Life

Uniforms are required at most Japanese middle and high schools (and some elementary schools), public and private alike, but each school makes the uniforms slightly different. Boys’ uniforms can either be similar to a business suit (pants, blazer, tie, dress shirt) or military-style with a high-collared buttoned-up jacket and perhaps a military-style hat that they wear for special occasions.

Girls’ uniforms always consist of skirts but can follow one of two styles: business-style (skirt, blazer or sweater, dress shirt and tie or bowtie) or seeraa-fuku (“sailor uniform”), which consists of a skirt and a shirt with an old-fashioned sailor collar and bowtie or ribbon around the neck. There are usually two types of uniforms for each gender at each school, one for the colder months and one for the warmer uniforms, but girls always have to leave their legs exposed, even during the cold months!

Although it varies from school to school, most Japanese school days last from 8:30 or 8:45 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., although attendance at after-school activities is virtually required, so students usually stay until 5 to 6 p.m. Students get a lunch break for 30 to 45 minutes halfway through the day, during which they can either eat cafeteria food—if the school has a cafeteria—food sold at a snack cart, or food they’ve brought from home. If the school doesn’t have a cafeteria, students eat in the classroom and lunch workers bring wrapped trays of food for those who haven’t brought their own lunches. Older students can usually eat where they want in the public areas of the school (like outside if it’s nice out), but elementary students are usually supervised during lunch.

Instead of teachers generally staying put in one classroom and students moving from classroom to classroom throughout the day as they do in American middle and high schools, Japanese schools even through high school are closer to American elementary schools in that the same group of students stays put in one classroom all day long (expect when headed for gym or perhaps some arts class). Instead, the teachers move from classroom to classroom throughout the day. This means that students are typically stuck with the same group of classmates—for better or worse—for at least the entire school year, if not for the full three years. Each classroom has a homeroom teacher who takes attendance and discusses morning announcements before classes begin.

Do you like the idea of wearing uniforms in middle and high school? Do you think it’s fair that the girls’ uniform requires a skirt? What do you think of the idea of staying put in a single classroom for the entire day?

All Posts / Culture / Customs — No Comments
14
Apr 10

Japanese Schooling, Part 2: School After School

Japanese students are easily overworked because they do more than just attend 50 to 60 more days of school each year than their American counterparts. Participation in after-school activities is virtually required—it’s an unwritten rule in a society that stresses cooperation and working together over individual achievements—and students who refuse to participate in at least one club are considered to be unsocial and are jokingly referred to as the “Go-Home Club.” Luckily, many of these clubs can be fun, such as sports and hobby clubs, but there are a number of clubs for those who particularly like certain school subjects. Japanese students are therefore not usually done with school until 5 or 6 p.m.

However, the commitment to education doesn’t end there. Besides after-school activities, most Japanese students attend what’s called gakushuu juku or “cram schools” for several hours each evening or their parents pay private tutors (usually college students at the more prestigious schools) to work with their children one-on-one. Cram schools, optional schools for which parents must pay a small tuition, are nonetheless so common in Japan that most students attend at some point or another. Private tutoring and cram schools focus on one thing: getting students to pass exams to get into middle schools, high schools, and college—particularly high schools.

In the US, students headed for college may be used to taking a national standardized test such as the ACT or the SAT. If the college is particularly selective, there may be another test from the institution. However, taking tests to get into middle or high school is virtually unheard of, unless it’s a private school, and even then, not all private schools have such a requirement.

However, Japanese students must take tests to see if they can get into the school of their choice, even public schools. Each school offers its own tests and some schools are famous for being particularly hard to get into, but those schools are attractive to high-achieving students and parents alike, as acceptance into the best middle and high schools increases a student’s chances of getting accepted into the best colleges. The entire school year before taking a test, most Japanese students will concentrate on studying what may be on the exams during the school day and during cram school at night. Then they’ll study for a few more hours each day during their free time. Many Japanese parents even prefer that their children stay up late studying than go to bed early to get enough sleep. It’s easy to see how Japanese students on the whole become more overwhelmed and overworked than most of their American counterparts!

To add to the pressure, there are generally no make-up days for the exams. If you’re sick or otherwise late or miss the exam for a school you want to apply to, you’re out of luck. With college, you can wait a year and apply the next year, becoming what’s called a rounin and studying non-stop (perhaps while working a part-time job) for yet another year for the exam. However, with high school, you’ll just have to apply to other schools and miss out on your top choices. This kind of pressure actually makes some kids sick on the day of the exams, but they go anyway.

As a whole, high school entrance exams generally have the reputation of being the turning point of a student’s career, although college exams are nearly as important. (Although most students do go to college, fewer move onto college than to high school, and the exams can be easier for students if they already know what kind of career or field of study they’d like to go into.) However, even if they’re much easier and less stressful, there are even exams for many middle schools and some elementary schools—even some kindergartens! A number of overachieving Japanese parents want their children to start at a very young age on a path to the best high schools, colleges, and careers in the country, which can lead to a lot of pressure on their kids.

Can you imagine having to study for a year for important exams to get into even public schools? Do you think that one-time exams are a good indication of a student’s skills? Do you think it’s fair to look down upon students who choose not to join an after-school club?

All Posts / Culture / Customs — No Comments
12
Apr 10

Japanese Schooling, Part 1: A Brief Overview

This week we’re taking a look at the Japanese school life. Look for Parts 2 and 3 later this week!

So you’ve finished all your back-to-school shopping and just entered a new grade at school. The flowers are blooming and it’s finally spring. Think I’m mixing up with spring with fall? Not in Japan.

The Japanese school year begins in early April, after students have had only one week of vacation from school. The school year is year-long, ending in late March. Japanese students do have a number of holidays off from school each year, including a few week-long vacations, particularly around Golden Week in May (more on that later in the month) and New Year’s. Their summer vacation is the longest of all of their vacation periods—but they usually only have about a month off from late July to late August, not the 3 months we’re used to in the West. Plus, their summer vacation occurs in the midst of the school year, so they have plenty of homework to do during their time off and return to school to continue in the same grade they were in before they left.

American students attend an average of 180 to 190 days of school per year, but Japanese students spend about 240 days each year at school. It was only in 2002 that the Japanese government introduced the yutori kyouiku (“relaxed education”) policy that no longer required students at public schools to attend school for half days on Saturday. The required Saturday school days were progressively relaxed since the 1970s (schools closed one to two Saturdays a month) in response to overly stressed students, overworked teachers and higher costs. However, some Japanese people believe the total cancellation of Saturday classes has led to a decline in academic performance. Nevertheless, it may reduce some of the risk of overworked students bullying other students or committing suicide, both of which have long been concerns of the Japanese public. (Later this week, we’ll talk more about what makes Japanese students so stressed.)

Japanese schooling is divided into the following:

  • Pre-school/Kindergarten: These are private schools, as attendance is actually not required by the Japanese government. Parents can choose to educate their children at home at this age if they wish.
  • Elementary school: Grades 1 through 6. This is the start of the compulsory education.
  • Middle school: Grades 7 through 9. Middle school is a part of compulsory education.
  • High school: Grades 10 through 12. High school is actually optional, although most students do choose to go on to high school. However, they can choose to move onto careers or technical schools instead if they wish. This mostly happens in more rural areas, where students join parents’ businesses or becomes farmers or fishers.

Do you think education in other countries should be compulsory only through 9th grade? (It’s compulsory until the student turns age 18 in the US.) Why or why not? Would you like a 5 ½ day school week? Do you think it’s a good idea for students to have shorter summer breaks?