It's foreign on this side, but it feels like I'm home again. -Nickel Creek “This Side”

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I started teaching in Japan because I had very little training for the actual teaching process and almost no time to get oriented once the school year started. Adjusting has been an ongoing process. School life in Japan is VERY different than it is in the States. There are rules and regulations that I never expected and I learn new things ever day. Here is a list of some of the differences I have found between American schools and Japanese schools. Please keep in mind that I work at a private school, so what's listed below isn't necessarily true for every school in Japan. I hope you find this as interesting and eye opening as I did!

• High school and junior high each operate on a three year system.
• Going to high school is not required by law. Some students go into trade/craft vocations or training for trade vocations straight out of middle school.
• Physical discipline is permitted in school. (Please note that I DO NOT mean corporal punishment.)
• Because many schools require students to wear uniforms it is easy for people to identify which school students go to. When students misbehave in public( ex: two people riding bikes side by side and taking up the whole sidewalk; being really loud or bothersome in a restaurant) people will call the school to report them.
• (going along with the above point) Schools are responsible for a lot of the discipline students receive. Parents EXPECT schools to provide strict discipline.
• Having a cell phone in class can result in it being confiscated for a month.
• Students stay with same class all day while the teachers move around to different rooms.
• Student's schedules change every day. They may have English 2^nd hour on Monday and 4^th hour on Thursday. The idea is that teachers will have a chance to see students at various stages of alertness. While they may be wide awake first thing in the morning, they may be really sleepy right after lunch.
• Students stand and greet teachers at the beginning and end of class.
• Students and teachers are supposed to greet/acknowledge one another as they pass each other on campus as a way of keeping morale up and making everyone feel noticed and respected. (I kind of scoffed at the idea initially, but it's amazing how well it works. Nothing brightens your day more than a group of 14 year old boys calling “Herro!” as they pass you on the way to class, or calling “Good morning!” out an open window as you are putting your bike away.)
• Many students are involved in classes or extracurricular activities that that require them to be at school on until 8pm week nights and some times on Saturday and/or Sunday.
• Students are used to lecture-type classes and because of this, aren't accustomed to being asked or answering direction questions.
• There is no central heating or air. While most classrooms have individual air/heat units, hallways have nothing. (This is true of most office buildings as well.)
• If student's hair is longer than shoulder length, it is supposed to be pulled back. Teachers hand out hair ties in the hall to non-compliant students.
• Students are not allowed to dye their hair. Students who have lighter colored hair because they are the product of an interracial marriage must bring documentation showing that this is why their hair is lighter.
• Piercings of any kind are not allowed and must be taken out if students have them.
• 30% is considered a passing grade.
• Students don't receive letter grades.

I'm sure I will discover more differences as the school year continues, but hopefully this gives you somewhat of an idea of what schools are like in Japan.

As different as it's been, I really, really love it here.  The school is great, the kids are fantastic, the staff are friendly and so far, teaching has been a wonderful experience!  :-)

My school! 

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On a completely different subject matter, and yet still in the same vein, last Saturday was the school's Taiikusai, or Sports Day (which is different from Health and Sports Day, the national holiday.) It's comparable to field days in the States, where kids run relays and play games, but significantly more extreme. In addition to games and relays, the high school boys did some crazy acrobatics and then formed 3 human pyramids, while the girls did some impressive dance routines. I've posted several videos below. Some of them are kind of long but well worth watching!