It could be worse...

...you could be a Japanese school kid.

Do not get me wrong- I am well aware that the U.K. does not have a perfect education system. Many children are failed by it and for a 'developed' country we have an disgustingly high level of illiteracy, and a high number of young people who drop out or are excluded before their minimum schooling needs are even met.

Yet, having lived in Japan now for almost 8 months, I feel a little qualified to comment on what I've seen of the Japanese education system. Admittedly I only get to see what happens in English lessons, but these are things that are bugging me/the reasons I'm glad I was never a Japanese school kid.

~ NO CENTRAL HEATING. Or air conditioning in the stupidly hot summers.

~ After school activities that once you've joined you cannot quit or swap to another club- hate it? Too bad- you're in that club for 3 years at least, come rain or shine.

~ Ijime (bullying)- sadly a fact of school life globally, but the number of victims committing suicide in Japan is such that playing 'hangman' with students is seen as inappropriate.

~ Fear of speaking out/ acute shyness. I have stood waiting for the answer to a simple question, twitching unbearably at how long a student is taking to answer and shyness plays a huge role in this. Even if classmates are whispering the answer, a lot of children lack such confidence that they are unable to utter a simple sentence. I have a third year boy (14/15 years old) who has curled up in a ball rather than speak to me. I have so many students who cover their mouths whilst talking, or get uncontrollable giggles, or look like they want to die rather than open their mouths.
It's painful for them, and it's painful to watch.

~ Disruptive kids who aren't disciplined. So much goes on in a Japanese classroom that wouldn't be tolerated for a second in England. Play up in a classroom in England and you're sure to be sent out of the classroom- do it enough and you can be excluded. Not a great solution for the problem child- but why should the rest of the class have to suffer?

~ Japanese teachers who don't speak English. Not a problem if you're learning Japanese- but not helpful if you are learning English.

~ Remember being put into ability level classes for certain subjects? Here in Japan- you decide what level you are. So we have low ability kids choosing higher level classes because that's where their friends are, or because they prefer the higher level status.

~ I am also driven crazy by the fact that worksheets are handed out at the same time as the answer sheets. I wander round the classroom and see answers being copied down mindlessly- yet ask the student what they've copied down and a look of confusion and panic crosses their faces as they've no idea. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!

~ Exam stress- it's all about getting into a good elementary school to get into a good junior high school to get into a good high school to get into a good university to get into a good job- they really are that linked over here- which means exams, exams, exams, and lots of learning by rote.

~ Cram schools- the pressure to succeed is such that many students who can afford to attend jukus (cram schools)- this is after a regular day of schooling, and several hours of their chosen after school activity. It means that high numbers of students often fall asleep in school the next day- and they are not woken up by anyone but are allowed to sleep!

~ I also see support here for single sex schooling- it could just be a Japanese thing but the boys get all the attention, they have far more confidence and a lot of the girls look like zombies- admittedly I'd look a bit out of it if I was sat in such a dull English lesson too (and I probably do sometimes), but I want to shake some of them. Too scared to raise their voice above a whisper when called upon, or to even offer an answer. I watched as a 1st year boy swiped a 1st year girl's cake that had just been given to her by a friend. She didn't say a word. I swiped it back off him and asked her whether she wanted it and she admitted that she did. I didn't have enough Japanese to ask her why she hadn't said so to the boy.

If I had a kid in Japan I'd seriously consider home schooling.

I wrote this entry on a cranky day- but sadly even on a good day all of the above stands.

And on with the pics...



I breathed on my lens to take this :)



And my favourite time of year has begun... *raised eyebrow*- can't it be the 26th of December already?!



Yasumi displays the new yummy winter dessert menu at Joyfull. (Not a typo- they use 2 'l's.)



A letter from my 2nd years at my favourite school (they were made to write it, but still- look, it's my beloved Elmo!)

Days till I'm back in the U.K. for Xmas: 18...

And the new vid from Rip Slyme who have a new album out that I'm seriously considering buying...

Sports Day

Across Japan in high schools and junior high schools, September is the month of the sports festival. It's a big deal, students have been preparing for it since July, through out their non-existent summer vacation, possibly even longer.

These are the notes I took at one of the rehearsals.

Today was another gorgeous September day, well by gorgeous, I mean stupidly hot, but I know I'll get all S.A.D. when the sun disappears in the winter, so I'm going to put up and shut up about the heat.

My school have been rehearsing a traditional Japanese dance and some other dances for days and days, along with different sporting events, all practised in the blistering sun for hours on end, like a hard core boot camp. I feel sorry for them, but they seem to be running about quite happily.



What amuses me though are the lengths the female teachers go to to maintain their pale skin- we're talking total sun block, big hats, JACKETS.... If you are female in Japan, a tan is a no-no- unless you you are a ganguro girl- but more on them in another post.

The glare given off by the regulation white t-shirts worn by all the students made it look like an advert for washing powder, and rousing circus-like tracks and instrumental jazz pieces were the soundtrack to all the events. It was being held in the school playing field, which is less field, more large sand trap, so all the dust being kicked up ought to keep a lot of mothers and their washing machines busy...

I fell about laughing at events such as the tug of war using a bamboo cane, the mass skipping event where large groups of students would attempt to skip together using the same rope, and my favourite event, the 10 legged race- where 5 students would run together in a line with their ankles tied together. Surprisingly that event didn't result in a trip to the hospital, although we did have some kids pass out from the heat...






Another event involved a relay race, a sack jump, a dash to some seats where you had to burst balloons with your bum before running up to a net which you scrambled under, then ran to a basket that had balls that had to be carried on a spoon for a certain distance until the next team member was tagged in to begin the relay. And there was the big box race- in which you had to balance several large boxes on each other and run without losing a box...

Essentially, all the games focused on team work, which isn't surprising considering the Japanese cultural emphasis on society. There are also no losers- just teams who are not doing as well as other teams. These teams are cheered on over the loudspeaker with a cry of "Ganbatte!"- "Do your best!"




The third year girls dance to Avril Lavigne's 'Girlfriend'



The third year boys dance to The Black Eyed Peas' "Pump It"

All in all it was very entertaining day, but that's probably because I didn't have to take part in any of the events myself!

Kinyobi des...*

Entry taken from my paper diary...

Another dull wet school morning. Ruddy rainy season. It smells like damp clothing you forgot about and left in the washing machine too long.
The lights in the staffroom are slightly too bright, and my eyes are burning like I've been up all night with a last minute essay.
My timetable today is light- too light- 3 classes which means solid chunks of time spent twiddling my thumbs in the staffroom.
I feel heavy- not physically, but of mood. Sluggish and not entirely ready for another day of performing in the classroom, of being the perky gaijin (foreigner) ambassador.

And I itch. Bugs have been feasting on me and I can't resist the urge to scratch.
And my hayfever's still plaguing me -- I drip snot like a leaky tap.
I'm tired, but this weekend is Maria's birthday so no Saturday morning lie-in.

Whine, whine, whine. Ignore me. It's Friday -- I'm in another country doing a job that I like at least 90 - 95% of the time and I know how lucky I am. I'm just moaning because I hate when it rains, I'm PMS-ing slightly and I'm somewhat moany by nature. On with the pics...

*'It's Friday' in Japanese.


A picture taken back in March at my first tea ceremony.


Yes, it's a Japanese toliet, no, the pee on the floor isn't mine...


Rice fields

First week over.../ "Harro!"

Still no pics I'm afraid...

I have just completed my first full week of teaching at a local junior high school.
Verdict? Not too bad actually.
It has actually made me think that teaching is do-able. I admit I had my doubts, and me not speaking any Japanese really doesn't help matters- but apart from that- I can do it. Yes- there is the brief nervous sensation that I get each and every time I walk into a class room but I am greeted so noisily by the students-
(seriously thinking of changing my name for the fun of it- even kids I haven't taught yet know my name and insist on yelling it along with "hello" or "harro" as they pronounce it) that there is nothing I can do but be noisy in return. Where has this teacher person come from?! Who is this person that stays after school to run the English club?

I already have some favourites- I know I shouldn't but I do. Like the cheeky looking boy in third grade who would mispell words deliberately much to the amusement of his classmates (and me if I'm honest). Or the captain of the English team who wants to learn real English and not the American version that they are taught in school- I was surprised that she was even aware there was a difference! Or the tiny boy with glasses in the second grade that didn't make a sound the whole class and when he did try to answer a question was sadly overlooked by the teacher. Or the girl who I am convinced must be half black- she is darker than the others and sports an afro that looks almost as unruly as mine.

Don't get me wrong- I know English is not a very popular subject- and some students make this more than clear by not writing down a single thing that is put on the board for them. It doesn't help that at least 3 of the Japanese teachers I am meant to be assisting can barely speak English themselves! But what can you do?

So yeah- the kids I can handle- the adults in the staffroom are a nother matter entirely. Since most of the staff don't speak English and I don't speak Japanese, I find the periods when I am not in the classroom drag on really slow- and in near silence for me. Not fun at all. On the upside- since I have fuck all to do for hours on end I have been working my way through the Japanese alphabets. Yes, you read that right- alphabets. It is a loooooonnngg process.

The Japanese workplace- well at least a school one is a constant buzz of activity. Teachers run in and out as though on some urgent mission. Drop something and half the room rushes over to help you pick it up. Make a mistake on an opening cermony leaflet and everyone is running to help print and fold and distribute the new ones.

And everyday the teachers and the students clean the school. I mean brooms, mops, binbags, the whole deal- in so much that there isn't really anything to clean- but they do it anyway. Everyday. It's like it is on the curriculum or something!

I have been taking notes and photos so when I finally get the internet at home- in early June I will be updating this again properly like before.

My first day at school

Hello. Today was my first day at school. I did not like it a lot because I did not know anybody and I did not know what to do.
I honestly feel that basic!
I'm skipping past cool entries about the dolls' festival I went to, and the tea ceremony, my first encounter with a Japanese old school style toilet, my shiny new Japanese mobile phone with instructions purely in Japanese and my growing appreciation for Japanese pop music; and sorry, still no pics as I'm still using a public computer that doesn't like my USB stick- but I needed to vent/update. I'll put those entries in later- with pics as soon as I can.

Today was my first high school's opening ceremony- which involved lots of long speeches in Japanese that I had to pretend I was listening to, whilst shivering in a cold gymnasium, on a stage facing all the pupils. It was scary.
Then I sat in the staffroom for several hours doing not much as there was nothing for me to do. To make things more fun, I can count the number of teachers who speak English on one hand... They then made me give a short speech in English over the P.A system that they then translated into Japanese. I hate the sound of my voice already, but I will admit I do sound beautifully English- which if you've heard me speak is a miracle in itself! Do I really have to go back on Monday?!

On the positive side I got sent home early :) but I have a sneaky suspiscion that I shouldn't get too used to it. I've already had a cheeky anklebiter grin and ask me in Japanese whether I understand Japanese- to which I replied in English- no. And I heard a girl describe me as 'kawaiee'- which means cute, as though I was a kitten or something!
On Monday and for most of next week I will be doing introductory lessons about myself- my name is Sanyu, I'm from England, my favourite colours are blue and green, etc...

This weekend I've been invited to a barbecue where there will be lots of other gaijins (foreigners)- and it co-incides with the city's cherry blossom festival (sakura), where people gather together to contemplate the beauty of the cherry blossoms and eat and drink.

This entry is a bit rambly and boring without the pics so I guess I should just stop here!