The Importance Of The Japanese Education System

In order to accommodate the year round calendar, there are several forms of year round education. The first form follows a single track calendar. This is the most popular type of calendar (Shields, 2000). A single track year is usually implemented to “provide a more balanced and enriched education program or to accommodate the special scheduling needs of a community” (Glines, 2002, 2699). A single track calendar takes on a 45/15 design. This is where students go to school for forty-five days in a row, and then have a fifteen day break. It is a continuous cycle. Schools usually begin in early August, and follow this pattern four times to complete the school year (Glines, 2002). The three week break in between is called an intersession. During this time, students can choose to take additional educational courses through “remedial,

Japanese education is very influential to the youth of Japan. It can affect students future and plays a big role in society today. Some people believe that students in Japan are better educated than the students in United States. While some people think this is not true, there are many strong reasons that prove this is accurate.

By the nineteenth century Western nations had developed superior military technology than other countries. Western countries were able to control other nations by coercing them into unfair trading treaties which would leave the country economically dependent on them. The countries rarely resisted successfully due to their insufficient military power. This occured often Asia with only Japan and Thailand remaining independent. Only Japan thrived however and became an imperial power. Japan was an isolated country until the United States forcibly opened it to trade. Japan experienced a regime change following a tumultuous time in which western nations coerced Japan into trade treaties. The new government favored capitalism and industry which lead to Japan industrializing impressively fast through “top down” government mandated modernization. Western imperialism forced Japan to modernize in order to remain a sovereign and successful state. Modernization in this case was synonymous with becoming more like the West. Imperialism drastically changed Japanese economic interaction as well as Japanese culture and class system because modernization included becoming more like the West in most aspects but their treatment of women remained the same because the West did not treat women very differently.

In the last fifty years, Japan has been undergoing a series of considerable changes such as the development in technology, the improvement of its economy and the changes of its culture through westernization. Westernization is a phenomenon which consists of countries transformed by ideals, concepts and practices from western countries. Japan is a country which is known for its deep changes caused by this phenomenon, especially in the food industry. In only the last fifty years, the well known traditional Japanese diet has been transformed completely. The aim of this essay is to address the what makes a balanced and unbalanced diet and what are their effects on our lives. This essay will also discuss the changes in the Japanese diet caused by

During the pre-war education period, the curriculums showed how nationalistic one country's schools could become. In addition, the fact that during the pre-war period elementary school (grades 1-6) was the only compulsory and free schooling in Japan. This shows that at the time school was not there for the purpose of enlightenment, but for creating machines. The curriculum for elementary school consisted of citizenship (morals, Japanese language, Japanese history and geography), science (science and arithmetic), physical training (physical education and the martial sports of Judo and Kendo) and the arts (drawing, calligraphy and handicrafts). During the higher levels of elementary school, domestic science was added for girls.

Though school might be a pain to some students, their health and learning abilities can be effectively productive with year-round education, or YRE. In contrast to the U.S., Japan uses a 220-day year-round school calendar, and Japanese students consistently test higher than students in the United States (“Year-Round School”). Putting students in YRE can help them in the long run when it comes down to maintaining knowledge for the “real world.” YRE generally operates on a 180-day schedule that includes a reduced summer vacation and frequent short breaks throughout the school year (Chittom et al.). Failing tests and quizzes after coming back from breaks are the last thing anyone wants to happen.

She describes her experience with the Japanese education system as very organized and active. In her town, the majority of the children go to public school. Weeks before your child starts school for the first time, the government sends you a letter in the mail with information about where your child will be attending school and the meetings that you must attend before school starts. These meetings are hosted by the neighborhood PTA. There is a PTA in each town and the head of the PTA invites you to the meeting where you basically get to know the other parents, the children get to play and the 1st graders are introduced and they say goodbye to the 6th graders. The school year in Japan starts at the beginning of April and ends around the middle of March. The longest break children have from school is from July through September. They also have two weeks off in December, one week in May (golden week), and many other holidays throughout the

Westernization, which primarily spread in the mid to late 19th century, brought forth a profound change of ideas and cultures across the world. Both Japan and India were affected greatly as Western practices and ideologies seeped into the minds of individuals throughout various societies. Influential individuals, such as Thomas Babington Macaulay and Fukuzawa Yukichi wished to reform India and Japan by introducing Western ideas into these countries. Artists such as Honda Kinkachiro and Werner Forman showed the effects of Westernization on Japan. Through the writings and artwork of Macaulay, Yukichi, Kinkachiro, and Forman, we are able to understand that Europe’s colonizing mentality, as well as Asia’s acceptance of new ideas, were both supported by the belief that the West is superior.

Western Influence on Japan Japan, as a nation, is a continually changing society. Ever since western nations became involved with Japan, its changes over recent times have increased at a substantial rate. Japan now faces cultural, economical and social differences as a result of the western involvement. The involvement was initiated by the Japanese themselves, beginning during the Meiji Period1 through current times.

With the focus on academics, “More than 90% of all students also graduate from high school and 40% form university or junior college” (“Education In Japan”). The success rate is influenced also by the teachers. The student have one teacher and some might argue that the teacher doesn’t master everything she teaches because “70% of teachers teach all subjects as specialist” (“Education In Japan”), she create student teacher relationship with is the key to the success of many students. The student behave differently because of the cultural influence.

The comparison between Japanese and North American educational systems is often used. The Japanese system, along with other Asian cultures, places importance on the group and the interdependence of its members (Cole & Cole, 2001, p. 541). The North American model, in contrast, focuses on the ideals of individuality and independence (Cole & Cole, 2001, p.541). This contrast is due to a conflicting cultural/social structure and outlook of the world. Japanese look at the development of self as doubled sided: the inner self and the social or public self (Hoffman, 2000, p.307). Within the Japanese education system, the teacher's goal is to develop and cultivate both layers.

     For years, people have always felt that the Japanese school system was superior or more effective than that of the United States. Although some feel this way, others feel that the Japanese system is too strict and not flexible enough for those who may need extra help along the way. Through researching two different case studies, and also reading other materials, I have found many similarities along with many differences between the two, including teaching methods, overall emphases, and student involvement. Both countries have developed very effective and intricate systems of teaching, which compliment, and clash against one another. The Japanese system is not in all ways

The culture of a place is an integral part of its society whether that place is a remote Indian village in Brazil or a highly industrialized city in Western Europe. The culture of Japan fascinates people in the United States because, at first glance, it seems so different. Everything that characterizes the United States--newness, racial heterogeneity, vast territory, informality, and an ethic of individualism-- is absent in Japan. There, one finds an ancient and homogeneous society, an ethic that emphasizes the importance of groups, and a tradition of formal behavior governing every aspect of daily living, from drinking tea to saying hello. On the surface at least, U.S. and Japanese

Around sixty years ago the United States was the world leader in manufacturing. They led the frontier in production after World War II when they converted all the facilities they had used to produce war machines into factories for cars and other domestic products. However, in the past few decades a new company has risen up and passed the United States on the leaderboard for most successful manufacturing capabilities. Ironically, this company is Japan, the company whose economy was completely destroyed by the United States during World War II. With its economy completely wiped out, Japan had nothing to lose in trying out a new cost management strategy that was actually designed by an American that had actually been laughed out of the United States for his ideas. Japan gave this man’s methods a shot, and they are now currently more profitable than the majority of United States based companies. The secret to Japan’s success lies in two areas, one being the way Japan goes about cost management, and the second being how they train and manage their employees. If the United States were to modify their business’s to follow Japanese businesses in these two aspects they would see much higher profitability. Unfortunately, they do not comprehend how these two aspects create such a difference in profitability, which is why it is important to properly understand that.

Recently, Japanese women’s ways of thinking about the marriage have been changing and they also change the course of Japanese life. The trend towards late marriage and the number of unmarried people have increased year by year. There are mainly two reasons why Japanese women have changed their mind. It is said that this situation in Japanese society is related to the social and economic factors deeply. Also, I will write about the latest trend towards divorce and a decreasing number of children because they are related to the marriage.