A Day in a Japanese Elementary School

‘Japanese Culture and Society’ is a part of our MEXT(Ministry of Education,Culture, Sports and Science and Technology,Japan) Intensive Language Course. There was no written exam for this course . But we had to present something on the culture and society of Japan. Before coming to Japan I have heard so much about the education system in Japan. This was my perfect opportunity to experience it first hand. I, and two other friends, Kensuke Morris (from Grenada) and Meni (from Congo), finalised ‘Japanese Elementary School Education’ as our topic.  But how do we get access to an Elementary school? It was only 4 months since we are in Japan. My host family came to our rescue.  My host-mother, Takahashi San (In Japan, they add San after family names irrespective of male or female) arranged for us to spend some time in an Elementary School and interact with the children.

Tohzumi Elementary School, Uji was very close to my host-mother’s house. It was a beautiful building with a huge playground in front of it and a rice field right outside the boundary . As soon as we stepped into the building, there was someone waiting to receive us. He was Mr. Arzani ( Children called him Kami Sensei) , an Iranian by birth, but staying in Japan for almost 25 years now. He was the English teacher. English language communication is a hot topic in Japan. People are not so fluent in English here. Many of the Japanese achievements are not popular world-wide as they are not in the global language. These days, the  Government has been trying a lot to nurture the children from a very early age. And being the host of the Tokyo Olympics, 2020 , this was never so important.

As our japanese language skills is only basic level, Kami Sensei was our link between the children and us. We were in an 5th grade English Class . The wall was a beautiful green. Aided with all modern day technologies : Laptop, TV and Internet. This was expected of a techno-crazy country like Japan. Interestingly, there were no chairs for the students. They sit on the floor with a desk in front of them. In the beginning of the class, the guests i.e. us ,were introduced. We repeated the Japanese introduction phrases we learnt in the language classes. The kids appreciated it .The class started with Kami Sensei playing John Denver’s ‘Country roads’ . This song is really popular in this country. The deal was those who sang along would get beautiful stickers. It was good enough motivation for even me to join.

The next part was very interesting : Roleplaying. We had no idea that they had it all planned for us. The teacher first explained what they were going to do. It was enacting a Visa Interview process . There will be immigration officers of US, Canada and Australia. Applicants(children) will be interrogated in the official way. We have directed to ask :  ‘What is your name?’ , ’What is the purpose of your visit ?’ and ‘ How long will you stay ?’. Not only this, If any applicant was mischievous , they were to be handed over to the security officers(Mr. Arzani) moving around. I was the Immigration Officer for U.S.A. This was my first scope of interaction with the children. I was amazed at the enthusiasm of these kids. English is really hard for them to speak. There are many missing sounds. Sounds that are different from their mother tongue. But that didn’t hinder their excitement. They were eager to practice their english with us.

As any other individual, we had many questions about the elementary school education system in Japan.  What is so special about their education system? Are they really as good as we hear? If so, why? In order to find an answer to few of these queries, we asked these kids a few questions. All we wanted to see was how different are these kids from their counterparts in other countries.

It was interesting to see that the response to the question, ‘ What do you want to become in the future? ‘ was not limited to a stereotypes. Rather it was a rainbow covering all the wavelengths.. A little girl said she wants to be a kindergarten teacher because she likes kids . A young boy said he wanted to be a Pro(Professional) Tennis player. One girl said she wants to be a designer and showcase her design in Paris Fashion Week. A lad wrote that he wants to be free. A pretty lady said she wants to be a cookie chef because she likes eating and preparing cookies . And yes, there were the expected answers too: Comic illustrators( Manga designer ) and Game Creator. Japan is famous amongst youngsters as the land of anime and nintendo. All these was a good sound to the otherwise Indian ear used to hearing the custom made replies:  Engineers, Scientists and Doctors. The children’s dreams may not be sky high but well thought in detail. This is evident of the japanese eye for  small details. Undoubtedly, it’s a very technologically advanced country but that doesn’t develop only monochromatic generations.

I remember a German tourist in India, once telling me, ‘ India has so many delicious chicken recipes. I don’t understand how KFC is doing such a good business here.’ Japan’s diet has the reputation of being the healthiest in the whole world. But with globalisation comes unwanted intrusions . Japan is heavily influenced by America. You realise it as soon as you see young guys playing  baseball, an American game, almost in every playgrounds. I was really surprised to see MCDonald’s almost in every neighbourhood. We wanted to know how deep this fast food culture has seeped in . We asked the Children, Do you prefer sushi or McDonald’s? Sushi is a traditional Japanese cuisine of cooked vinegar rice with other ingredients. A very healthy recipe. Children in India are very fond of McDonald’s. I thought most of the children here too, will favour McDonalds. I was wrong. 75% of the kids said they like Sushi. One small boy reasoned why he doesn’t like McDonald : it is very oily. Simple and precise. If a Grade 5 student thinks like this, traditional foods in Japan might survive longer than expected.

The biggest difference between Japanese Schools and their counterparts in rest of the world is that the children here clean their school compound including toilets. This fact has a deep impact in the overall development of an individual, according to my observation. It teaches discipline and self-reliance. We wanted to know if the children really wanted to do it or they are forced to do it. So we asked them, Do you like cleaning time in School?  The response surprised everyone of us. 60% of the students said Yes. The reasons they gave  were unique and inspiring : A girl said she feels refreshed after cleaning, A boy said he enjoys cleaning together. Everyday at  a fixed time these children clean their schools.A clean country is not possible without responsible and disciplined citizens. The very first thing I was introduced to in Japan , was their waste disposal system. The streets are clean . Also almost every one here irrespective of their profession , is properly dressed up. I am not saying they wear expensive clothes. It shows their respect for their profession whether he is a bus driver or an University Professor.

I came to Japan in April,2015. Konnichiwa(Hello) was my only japanese vocabulary when I arrived. Railway tickets in japan has to be bought from vending machines. Most of the words are in Japanese. Even if few are in English, I didn’t know how to operate. When language is a barrier, we go back to our basic human skills : gestures . A Station master bought the tickets for me. I missed my first train in Japan. They allowed me to sit in the next train in an unreserved compartment. I was talking to people ,who didn’t understand much english ,in english . I could not understand their responses much. But one thing I understood; they were trying to help me. In this small span of time, this country has already left an impression on me. The reason I jotted down this article, is to restate the fact that education is the strongest pillar of any country’s development. But the real test of life demands education other than the mere bookish knowledge: The part of education we call the extra curricular. The part that elevates the human side of our existence. And that part is losing it’s importance day by day. Hope is seeing these countries where extra-curricular is still an integral part of their curriculum. I don’t know how long they will be able to hold to it, but I believe it’s time for us to start incorporating the human side into the curriculum , for a better and humane tomorrow.