日本の学校 (Nihon no Gakkou) – Japanese school

17th March – 弥生

Japanese mandatory education is from 6 years old to 15 years old, during elementary school to junior high school. During this time, the school lesson fee is free (and text books too)

Ordinary day at Japanese elementary school & junior school

-School uniform

Many of Japanese schools have designated school uniform. Having school uniform helps to reduce the time to pick which clothes to wear every morning. It also shows equality so no students need to suffer the gap of family wealth.

-上靴 (Uwagutsu)

Once students get to the school, they change the shoes to the room shoes called 上靴 as many of the Japanese school prohibit outdoor shoes. Also when they go to the bathroom, they change to the toilet slipper, so that school floor can be kept clean. Moreover, for the gym class, students switch to the gym shoes.

-Classroom

If the school have huge number of students, they are divided into some classes. Each classes have class teachers who are responsible for one class and each class take lessons all together.

Each few months, class teachers shuffle the students’ seat so all the students can communicate with many different neighbor classmates. Thus, all the seats are designated for each students.

-In the morning

Weekly or daily representative called 日直 (Niccyoku) are chosen by the order of the seats or surname alphabet order, and this person will take everyday tasks (such as cleaning the blackboard, announce for a day, contacting with teacher). This person hold morning assembly and classes start.

-Classes

Japanese schools have various classes, and one of the interesting classes are called 家庭科 (Kateika), home economics class. In this class, students cook food together, learn sewing and nutrition in food and so on.

-Lunch time

The most exciting time at school! Students make groups and make their seat combine and put their own cloths, chopsticks, spoons and forks. One of the groups takes lunch representatives and get the food from storage, serve the classmates. After the lunch this group are in charge of bringing back to the lunch storage.

School lunch 給食 (Kyuushoku) is considered well so it has good nutrition balance. Each month, parents pay around 4000yen (US40dollars) for elementary school, 5000yen (US50dollars) for junior high school. By having the same meal all together, students can learn the eating manner, the balance of food and appreciation to the food, eating all the food and try not to leave left overs.

-Cleaning time

After the break time, all the students clean up the school. Each students are designated to the places and clean up silently for 20-30 minutes. The places can be entrance, classrooms, toilets, teacher rooms, corridors and so on. By doing this, students can learn not to mess the public places, use things with care and appreciate the people who clean the places.

-After school

Particularly in junior high school, many students join the clubs 部活動(Bukatsudou). There are variety of clubs from indoor to outdoor such as art club, brass band, calligraphy, swimming, baseball, basketball, judo, karate, tennis etc… Some school force students to join those school clubs. Students learn team works and actual skills for those sports and make their friend bonds strong.

-Going back home

School kids go home by themselves, or with friends. Some use bicycle, some use trains or walk back home without adult. This is possible in Japan because it is considered safe country to let the children commute by themselves.

Hope you get the brief idea of how Japanese school life is:)