Monday 15 April 2013

New school year in Japan



Did you know? In Japan, the new school year starts in April. Entering a new school is called 入学 (nyūgaku) in Japanese.
Every April there is a 入学式 (nyūgakushiki - entrance ceremony) for the new students who enter the school


Japanese Schools:

Japanese children enter the first grade in April after their sixth birthday. They dont have prep year.  There are around 30-40 students in each class!!The subjects they study are: Japanese, Maths, Science, Social studies, music, English, crafts, Phys Ed and home economics (to learn simple cooking and sewing skills) Students also learn traditional Japanese arts like shodo (calligraphy) and haiku (form of poetry)
Most school building are 3 stories high due to lack of space.




School Life:


Classes are divided into small teams for many activities. For example, every day the students clean the classrooms, halls and yards of their school.



School provide lunches and students take turns serving lunch to their classmates. After lunch everyone cleans their teeth.



Students take their shoes off when they enter school and wear school shoes for the day. When they go outside they wear their normal shoes.
Students also dont have to wear a uniform in Primary school, only in high school.










入学式 (nyūgakushiki) is held from Elementary school (小学校 - shōgakkō) to University (大学 - daigaku). It is common to see parents attending the ceremony with their kids and taking pictures.