When I was younger, I attended school in Hiroshima, Japan briefly, and there is a strong contrast between American and Japanese school systems. Granted, I only attended pre-school and second grade, but even that alone was very different. For this blog post, I will be focusing on elementary education in Japan.
I remember several things from my experience in second grade. First, my family had to buy a school uniform and a randoseru, which is a traditional type of backpack. The picture on the left was taken during the first day of second grade. I am wearing the traditional uniform, and I am standing next to my cousin. The uniform has to be worn everyday, and each set is around 20,000 – 30,000 Yen ( $200 – $300). Girls wear a white collared shirt, a gray jacket, and a black/navy blue skirt. Boys wear the same thing except they wear long pants instead of a skirt. Regarding the randoseru, it is a stiff, leather backpack that elementary students must have, and it is typically an additional $200. Girls have a red backpack, and boys have a black one. There is also a hat that is occasionally worn as well (I am wearing it in the picture). After elementary school, the uniforms change slightly, but regardless of the school or location, a similar uniform will be worn by all students.
There are several differences within the school compared to American school systems. For example, when entering the school, Japanese students take off their outside shoes and put on indoor slipper-type shoes. Lunch is also served in the classroom, and I distinctly remember not being able to go to recess until I finished my meal. Lunch is typically a bowl of rice, soup, noodles, meat, and milk. Lunch is made from scratch and it is very tasty and healthy. Another major difference between an American and Japanese school is that students sometimes cleaned the school during recess instead. Children were delegated different tasks. I remember cleaning the hallways, classroom, and I remember for some reason, my favorite was cleaning the garden outside. This time used for cleaning is coordinated school wide, so all students would be cleaning at this time. Finally, another big difference is that there are no school buses. At 8 years old, I would walk with other classmates to and from school. It is common for children to walk to school, but usually students in the same neighborhood walk together. High school students may even have to take a train to get to school.
Regarding the classroom, they are fairly comparable to an American elementary school classroom. There are about 20 – 30 students in each room and one teacher that teaches all subjects. The school day is around the same duration starting around 8:30 – 9:00 and ending around 3:00. However, the school year is longer because the year starts in September and ends in July.
Outside of the classroom, a typical student is involved in academic extracurriculars. In second grade, I had an abacus class one a week and a calligraphy class twice a week. Additionally, and this may just be at the particular school I attended, but I felt that I had significantly more homework than in an American elementary school (I’ve gone to three, two in Pennsylvania and one in California).
Overall, the elementary school system in Japan is very different from America. In my opinion, it’s a little more intense and academically focused, where as America’s feels more well-rounded. In Japan, the school year is longer, the students are expected to be independent at a young age, and there is more work outside of the classroom.
I loved reading this post! It was interesting to read about the differences between Japanese and American schools. It’s interesting that lunch was served in the classroom instead of some cafeteria sort of thing. When you talked about not being let out for recess until you finished your meal reminded me of when I was in India visiting my family. I was not allowed to do anything until I finished my meal and I was not allowed to waste any food.
This was really cool to read about, even if you were only there for a little while. I went to Catholic grade school, so I, too, experienced the joys of the uniform, although I don’t think ours were that expensive. What happened to kids whose families couldn’t afford the uniform/randiseru?
I also thought that was cool how they made lunch from scratch. That must have been delicious!
It was also cool reading about your interesting extracurriculars. Thanks for sharing!
I really enjoyed this post! I knew that Japanese schools were more academically rigorous, but I didn’t realize just how many other differences there were as well! I think it’s interesting that students are required to have a certain kind of backpack, but it and the uniform seem kind of expensive. Also, I never minded cafeteria food in my elementary or high school, but having lunch made from scratch must be amazing! And definitely much healthier, as you said. I also think it’s interesting how they would have children clean the schools in place of recess sometimes. I feel like if that were to happen in America, parents would complain that schools are forcing their kids to do labor, but I personally think it’s a good way to teach some obligation and discipline. Really cool post, Stephanie!