Forum - View topicJapanese School System
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hentai4me
 Posts: 1313 Location: England. Robin is so Cute! |
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I tend to watch a fair bit of Shoujo and as the staple of this is high school romances, just like it's a staple of harem as well, I see a lot of the school environment. Essentially I want to know what the school system actually is, how many subject do they study, what ages, what subjects, do they have any choices etc
For example while reading 'Doubt!!' it is mentioned that they chose 'Humanities' as opposed to what? What does 'choosing Humanities' mean? In the UK the school system gives the students a lot of choice, at 16 they take GCSE's which are like the first stage of qualifications as you are allowed to leave school full time and work full time using just those (you dont get a good job though) and most students can take any number of them they want(normally around 7-10 subjects) in almost any subject area (excluding advanced bits...you take biology rather than genetics for example). after GCSE's you take Advanced Levels which is often a choice of 3 or 4 subjects in similar topics to GCSE's but with more advanced detail, greater depth and more topics covered in longer courses. these are again viable qualifications and many people use them to get low end managerial jobs or vocational careers (plumbing, electricians, etc) and work up the ladder that way. Then depending upon the results of and the combination of subjects taken at A-level you enter University at 18 years. (for example I took 13 GCSE's, 3 A-levels (business, math and electrical) and then studied a Business and Management degree at Uni. I am re-entering Uni hopefully this year though as I hate my job and I am taking A-level courses with the 'Open University' or study in your own time courses to get science A-levels as i want a completely different career) |
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Ichigo77
 Posts: 389 Location: California |
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Well I was there for 2 weeks in June of 06 ( they are still in school then, they get a few weeks off in late july early augest and change grades in march) and this is what I can tell you. It was a public high school, grades 10, 11, and 12. It was just like what you see in the anime's: the sliding doors, narrow halways, the room numbers sticking out from the wall, the same chyme bell sound, the desks, the shoe lockers, everything pretty much, the only different thing was that they did not have to wear uniforms. They had 7 classes a day lasting 45 min each. After 4th period it was lunch time for 45 min and everyone has one lunch compared to american schools were they have 2-3 lunch periods. It was cool too since at lunch you can use cell phones, ipods, psp's, etc. For types of classes I don't really know how they pick them. I do know that atleast for my school they don't have every class everyday like we do they are divided up to certain days. All the classes I attended were, Modern Japanese, Classic Japanese, Math, Communication skills(english), Foriegn Affairs(English), Current Topics(english), English reading, Global Cummunication (english), rapid reading (english), art, politics and econ, wood working, music, and German. There were other classes like science, health, and PE but I was never in any of those. I didn't notice any upper levels of classes like here there is Japanese 1,2,3,4 or Art 1,2,3. In a way it was like here: the students go to class, take notes, then move to the next class. I know for college you do have to do well in high school but it is mostly just about passing the entrance exams for that college you want to get into.
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tenkado-shujin
Posts: 152 |
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I read Doubt!! in the original and I have not read the Viz edition. However, I conjecture that what you were referring to is probably the scene where the four central characters talk about their course in the classroom, which is on page 152 of the Shôgakukan edition of Doubt!! volume 3. If they are the same scene, 'Humanities' which you mentioned is a translation of '文系' bunkei． Broadly speaking, Japanese senior high school students usually have to choose whether they will take the '文系' bunkei course or the '理系' rikei course in the second year or the third year. 'Bunkei' and 'rikei' are concepts similar to the two cultures in the Rede Lecture by C. P. Snow. In contexts about courses in senior high schools, 'bunkei' means the course where they prepare for examinations for university faculties related to the humanities, the social sciences and so forth and 'rikei' is the course where they prepare for examinations for faculties related to natural sciences, engineering and the like. Each of the courses often has subcategories according to classifications of universities and there are schools which also have other kinds of courses. As you may know, since Japanese senior high schools are three-year schools, they are roughly equivalent to the upper three forms in public schools, grammar schools, comprehensive schools and so on in England. |
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hentai4me
Posts: 1313 Location: England. Robin is so Cute! |
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Thats right page 151-152.
The English system is different, partially. School itself (or at least the school you are legally obligated to attend) ends at 16 with GCSE exams, which in most public (ie non state) schools is called the 'Middle' Sixth Form. At 17 and 18 again at a no state you generally enter either a 6th Form or attend a College for two years from 17-18. So choosing 'bunkei' is like choosing to study history, English(Japanese), foreign languages, art, music, sociology, Religion etc (sport?) While 'rikei' is more along the lines of Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Maths, geography(?)...or do they study sciences as a single subject as I know some places offer. In the UK more freedom is presented in that the student, as long as they got decent grades in equivalent GCSE subjects, they can mix and match what they like. For example a student could take Chemistry, Maths, English and a foreign language or media, music, art and physics or whatever else they want. ( I know a few people who took Maths, Further Maths, Statistics and Mechanics...crazy one and all) |
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Asako
 Posts: 751 Location: Hawaii |
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I didn't attend a high school while in Japan, just a college but there was a high school associated with it. We also visited a high school to learn calligraphy.
They wore uniformed, even the little kids had uniforms. I would see them crossing the street with teachers, or at least caretakers, in their cute little uniforms. I'm not sure if all the schools have uniforms though. As said, there were the same kind of desks, sliding doors, signs, narrow hallways. The teacher stood on a small stage, the windows let light in. We didn't have any air conditioning but it wasn't needed. Though the computer lab did and there was fluorescent lighting and not much window lighting. Stairwells were spacious and right next to an elevator. (edit: on second thought, there might have been air conditioning in the classrooms because it wasn't humid... and I attended during the rainy season, which is horrid) The first and second floor was like an entrance lobby with escalators. A piano was on the second floor near the entrance to a theatre. On the other side of the theatre was another entrance for the high schoolers to enter from. We attended an orchestra with an exquisite flutist and an opera from France. The high school was able to attend both. What is very interesting is that they are not at all rowdy in the theatre and stay quiet and attentive. Orderly. When we first arrived at the college, we were escorted into the teacher's lounge. It looked like a semi-fine dining room with space to sit by the window and a small kitchen in the back. A server was there to give us drinks that we requested. I think that is her job, to serve the teachers something nice to drink if they rest in there. I'm not sure if they have lunch in there but they might. None of the teachers eat in the cafeteria where the students do. I'm not sure if high schools have these but the college has a vending machine where you put in your money and get a "ticket" (more like a plastic, rectangle token) that you turn into the lunch ladies and they present you with that particular meal at the counter. You know when something is unavailable because all the tokens have run out. Oh! Outside of one of the high schools was a nice koi pond with a waterfall  And there are teachers or supervisors of some sort that stand at the entrance and down the side streets nearby of the school telling the high schoolers to hurry up. Also there are security guards at the large, metal, rolling gate of the school. They bow at you as you pass, courtesy says you should bow back then walk in
At the college we didn't need to remove our footwear when entering the classrooms. Though, at the dorm I was staying at we had to remove our shoes and put them in the boxes and such. Sorry I don't know much about the school system, I can't find my brochure (it was about 4-5 years ago). So I mostly talked about the surroundings. I believe it was a private institution though. |
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moristin
 Posts: 4 Location: germany |
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oh man...
that sounds quite cool....how long have you been there that you could visit or even learn sth on a japanese school?? for me, i'm taking my a-levels in 2 months and then i'm going to start my studium (engineering - production engineering) in september '07 during our free time of...3-4 months a friend of mine and myself are going to learn as much japanese as possible by ourselves and so we want to test it somehow ^^ our thought was to make some sort of journey to japan in 2008...2 weeks or something like that. do you think it would be possible to visit a japanese university during that time?? we'd really like to see what a course in japan is like. does someone have an idea how we could plan this? maybe with an organisation? link?? thanks a lot 
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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I will offer my two cents on the Japanese school system, to the fullest of my knowledge. I am a graduate of a Japanese elementary school, middle school, and high school. You go six years grade school, and three for both middle school and high school. If you are going to a private school anywhere, no matter what the grade level, you must take an entrance exam to be accepted. When I went to high school, I was in a class that had a fixed course, because my classmates and I were in the class on "special priority". Doesn't mean we were mentally retarded or anything, we were just the "elite" athletes for the school. Anyways our second year of high school we went the humanitaries course like a majority of the classes in my grade, but there were some of the science type classes also. I'll write more later if you guys have any questions.
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Amasa
 Posts: 340 Location: Japan |
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If you were really keen to experience Japanese education you could do a University Exchange program. I'm currently doing a student exchange program where I'll be attending Japanese High School for a whole year. I know other people who have done college / university exchanges to other countries (including Japan) where they continue their course in that country's university for a shorter period of time. You could also go and teach in Japan. If you can speak English, maybe even German then you'd get a teaching job instantly and you don't have to know a lot of Japanese. I know that Japanese universities study quite a lot of German literature actually. If you currently go to university go ask your Asian Department about any scholarships or exchange offers to Japan, some are for a really short amount of time as well. It is a fact that foreigners who speak English are well in demand in Japan, for translation jobs with the Government or firms and teaching even more so. That's what I plan to do some day  .
But if you're planning to go traveling in 2008, especially to Asia you should go to China for the Olympics not Japan! |
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moristin
Posts: 4 Location: germany |
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thanks a lot for the answers....
i'm definitly interested in doing something like that but i got a problem there.... i'm not going to study the normal way so tha i have to go to university during the week with lots of free time and the possibility to continue my studium elsewhere. don't know if there is something similar in the US UK or anywhere else...but i'm going to take a "dual studium" (don't know if it's the correct word ^^ but in german it would be "duales studium" ) it's a mix of studying and working so 3 days of the week i'll be at the university and 3 days in the company to make my working education the company i'm going to work at is the Continental AG...you know, the ones with tires and so on
they got a facility in japan....but in a different branch of production...so i'll see if i can make my holidays there in 2008 and maybe even work there by 2012 or something.....we'll see
to the olympics in china....i don't like olympics that much and i definitly want to travel to japan and not to china ^^ but thanks for the suggestion |
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hentai4me
Posts: 1313 Location: England. Robin is so Cute! |
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You could either be talking about whats known as 'dual honours' over here, where you study two degree courses at the same time in 3 years to get two bachelors degrees or you could be doing a vocational or practical degree. Vocational is where you study the skills required to do the job, such as bricklaying, engineering etc but none of the science, theory, history etc while a practical degree has both elements at the same time. taking the vocational route is quicker but doesn't let you earn as much or enter as high up the degree. Fighterholic:- How long are lessons? How many in a day? what time do you start and end? How often and how long are holidays? When does the year start and end? Is it broken into terms or something else? What subjects are included in 'humanities' and the other option? what exactly is 'homeroom'? How much authority and involvement are student councils and bodies actually afforded? Are events like sports fests and culture fests common and are they up to the standard portrayed? How organised are clubs? How much variety? How are the set up, by pupils or offered by teachers? How difficult is the subject material? what is the transition like between middle and high schools? What are school trips really like? what kind of ethnic diversity is present? Any prevailing stereotypes(such as subject likes and dislikes, 'nerds' 'jocks' etc)? Entry into universities is how difficult? Is excelling in work looked on more favourably than in sports? Or social ability? How 'biased' is teaching(as in what history is taught and how is bias represented, in the UK history generally makes the British Empire look like nothing more than a group of inhumane people who spread violence far more than contributed to the modern world)? I may have more later but off the top of my head... |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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The content in my post will be strictly for answering hentai4me's questions
 Part I
From what I remember back in grade school and middle school lessons were 45 minutes long, with a ten minute break in between the first four lessons, with a thirty minute lunch break. High school it got to being 50 minute classes.
Five for the lower two levels with six on certain days. The first year I was in high school they decided to test out how things would work if they abolished Saturday. So we had six periods five days a week with seventh period on Tuesdays and Fridays. When the school found that students' grades were on the decline, they stopped doing seventh period and brought Saturday school back the following year. Students' grades went on the rise that year.
Homeroom would start at 7:50 am for middle school and high school, with class starting at 8. At 12:40 we'd then have a lunch period and we'd start back up at 1:10. School would be out normally at 3:20, the year that we had seventh period we would get out at 4:20, and when it was winter time it was dark outside at that time.
They come periodically enough, in fact I think they have more holidays than the US. Their longest holiday during school is the Golden Week, which lasts about five days. Summer vacation is 40 days long, and usually school starts back up September 1st unless that is on a Sunday. School gets out on either Dec 21 or 22 for winter, and will usually start back up on Jan 8. For spring they get out the last week of March and usually come back the second week of April.
The Japanese academic year starts in April and ends in March.
A very large majority of the schools in Japan run on a three semester per year system. I have known some people to go to a school where they had 2 semesters per year. I'll come to the rest of these later, that's a LOT of questions. |
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Jkid
 Posts: 197 Location: Capitol Heights ,MD |
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How do high schoolers withstand the long hours required of them, and Saturday school?
Why the need for Saturday school anyway? |
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ManSlayer07
Posts: 214 |
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From the very little that I know about Japanese schools, Saturday school isn't as long as regular weekdays. I think it's not every Saturday that they go but I'm not sure about that. |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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Quite correct, they only do about three periods, so you would get out about 11:30 or so. At the lower level when I was going it was every other Saturday, but I know when you get into middle school and high school it's every Saturday. |
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hentai4me
Posts: 1313 Location: England. Robin is so Cute! |
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Are lessons organised into doubles or more? For example would they have to sit through a double period of maths totaling 1hr40? Total lesson time around 300mins(50x6 periods). not as bad as I thought, at the school I went to here we had nine 35 minute periods arranged into doubles and triples totaling 315mins, I'm suprised we spend longer as I always thought that Asian schools did more teaching.
An earlier start than here, but an earlier finish, though we do get slightly longer breaks.
slightly more than my old school, but similar, you have less in the US?
strange...we always started in September, first term in the sun?
How long is each of those? Are they of similar length? Or do thay have some longer and shorter than others? We usually have 3 terms of around 14 weeks of lessons and 1 week break.
I want to understand the whole deal, knowing this kind of thing makes understanding these shows a lot easier as they rely upon understanding the background environment for maximum enjoyment. It's one thing to like the characters, entirely another to understand their situation and the kind of pressures they face on a day to day basis. |
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