10 Things You Didn’t Know About Japanese Schools (A2-B1/v822)

Narrator:  Ten things you didn’t know about Japanese schools.

Most of us could go to school with any hairstyle we want.  Well, within reason.  In Japan a boy must have his hair trimmed close to his ears.  It must not contain any layers and styling is a big no-no.  The girls have it slightly more relaxed regarding hairstyles, but they’re not allowed to shave their legs, put on make up or even wear nail polish.  Why?  Because students should be focused on learning and not their appearance.

Remember that school crush you used to have?  You know that one you used to constantly stare at and write hearts with their initials next to yours.  Well if you’re a Japanese student you can forget any of that as relationships are banned as their seen as a distraction.

If you’re attending a Japanese school you can forget buying your lunch on a break or taking in your favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Nope.  Lunchtime at Japanese schools sees everyone eating the exact same meal.  Students have to eat at their classroom desk and they’re served either rice, fish, or soup.  Don’t like that menu well then you’re out of luck cause Japanese schools enforce a rule that everyone has to eat every single bit of their food otherwise they’ll be punished.

Japanese schools don’t employ janitors.  Instead students and teachers have to all take turns in sweeping the floors, clearing up rubbish and cleaning the toilets.  The best thing about this is that they think twice about causing any mess or sticking some gum to the table because they know at the end of the day it’ll be them cleaning it up.

Japanese schools don’t use substitute teachers.  If a teacher calls in sick or goes on holiday then the students are expected to sit quietly and teach themselves.  This is seemingly unheard of in European or American high schools as leaving thirty teens to study on their own would in most cases prove disastrous.

Even in a country as safe as Japan, students are taught to defend themselves against a possible intruder.  They have a special weapon called a “sasimartow” which is a pole with two curved prongs which is adapted from an ancient Samurai weapon.  It’s designed to immobilize the intruder and it can be found hanging on the wall in pretty much every school in Japan.

Greetings are a core part of Japanese culture and, of course, schools are no exception. At the start and the end of each day all students have to stand up and bow in unison to their teacher.  Some schools even start the day with meditation in order for the students to relax and improve their concentration.

Japanese students are not allowed to arrive late or miss a class.  Well, unless you have an exceptional reason.  Punctuality is very, very important.  Not only this, but they don’t sit there watching the clock hoping for the day to end.  No, most of them even stay late for after school  workshops and for extra classes.

Pretty much every single Japanese student has to wear a traditional uniform.  For boys the uniform is a high collared black suit.  For girls it’s a pleated skirt and a sailor blouse.

Japanese students only get five weeks for their summer break, but their’s is in the middle of the school year instead of the end.  They don’t spend it partying and playing computer games.   Instead they go back to school and participate in numerous activities.  Its reasons like this that rank the Japanese fourth in a list of the best maths and science students in the world.

And that brings this list to an end.

1. What are some of the ways that you think schools might be different in Japan than in your own country?
2. If you could change certain things about the way schools are administered in your country what might those be?
3. What are some of the other differences between the culture of your country and that of Japan?

Video script and vocabulary