Today, I’d like to talk about Japanese elementary schools.
You probably went to school in your own country, but school cultures can vary widely from country to country.
I found it fascinating to learn about different cultures when I visited other countries, so I want to introduce Japanese culture, especially schools.

While there’s a lot to talk about regarding schools, I don’t have enough time to cover everything.
So, first of all, I’ll focus on elementary schools. If there’s interest, I’ll make another video about Japanese schools or colleges.

I’ll speak about this topic based on my experiences and information available to me today.
Please note that information may change over time, so be careful in case you refer to this video.

Okay, let’s get started!

Overviews

In this section, I’ll give an overview of Japanese elementary schools, including their types, typical schedules, and the overall educational system.

types of schools

First, let’s talk about the types of schools.
In Japan, as in many other countries, there are two main types of schools: public and private.

Public schools are established by the national, prefectural, or municipal government and are tuition-free.
While tuition is free, there are additional costs associated with public schools, such as school lunches, supplies, and fees for school events.
In most cases, the total costs for attending a public school are significantly lower than for a private school.

If your child attends a private school, you pay expensive tuition and additional fees.
However, private schools often offer specialized curriculums focused on specific areas like academics or sports.
Additionally, they are often affiliated with universities, which increases the chances of their students gaining admission to these prestigious institutions.

typical schedules

Second, I’ll talk about the typical schedule of a Japanese elementary school.
The law stipulates that all Japanese children must attend elementary school when they reach a certain age.

Generally, children attend school for six years, from six to twelve years old.
The school year is divided into three semesters: April to July, September to December, and January to March.

Between these semesters, they have vacations.
Summer vacation is the longest, lasting about forty days.
But even during the break, students often have homework, so they need to balance their time for both fun and study.

school system

Third, I’ll talk about school systems.

about class

In most cases, a class consists of thirty to forty students, and they study together for a year.
A grade typically has between one hundred and two hundred students, but the number can vary depending on the location.
In rural areas, there are usually fewer students. For example, in my school, there were one hundred fifty students in one grade, divided into five classes.

Generally, students take all their classes with classmates from the same grade in the same classroom.
After a year, they move to a different class and have new classmates.

assigned teacher

A teacher is assigned to one class throughout the year and has a heavy workload.
They teach all subjects to the class, including Japanese, social studies, arithmetic, science, life environmental studies, music, art, home economics, physical education, and others.
They also coach their students and maintain contact with their parents.

This is in elementary school, not junior high or high school.
Teachers are often overworked but are not eligible for overtime pay. This is stipulated by law in Japan. Instead, teachers receive an additional 4 percent payment on their salary.

If you want to become a teacher in Japan, you’ll need to obtain a teaching license.
You can acquire this license by completing a teacher education program at a university.

after a year

Students receive a grade at the end of each semester, and it is easy to get a good score.
Grades are based on attitude in class, test results, and assignments, which are usually straightforward.
It is not too challenging for diligent students.

However, there are some students who struggle to keep up with the coursework.
In Japan, during compulsory education, all students are promoted regardless of their understanding of the material.
As a result, these students often find it difficult to catch up on their studies.
This is considered a significant problem within Japan’s educational system.

Subjects

In this section, I’ll discuss the subjects taught in Japanese elementary schools.
While there can be slight variations from school to school, I’ll provide a general overview based on my experiences and public information.

If you want to know more details, you can use this website. Please check it:
Ministry of Education: https://www.mext.go.jp/en/index.html

Required subjects

In Japan, the national curriculum strictly outlines the subjects that must be taught in elementary schools.
As mentioned earlier, these subjects can be broadly categorized into thirteen areas: Japanese, Social Studies, Arithmetic, Science, Life Environmental Studies, Music, Art and Crafts, Home Economics, Physical Education, Ethics, Foreign Language Activities, Integrated Studies, and Special Activities.

Life Environmental Studies is typically taught until the second grade.
From the third grade onwards, this subject is divided into separate Science and Social Studies classes.
Additionally, Home Economics and Foreign Language Activities usually begin in the fifth grade.

The number of hours dedicated to each subject is meticulously regulated by the Ministry of Education, and these requirements vary depending on the grade level.

Detail

Although I’m not sure what subjects are common around the world, I believe some of these subjects are likely familiar to many.
So, I’d like to focus on three subjects that might be less familiar to you: Home Economics, Integrated Studies, and Special Activities.

Home Economics

Based on my experience, Home Economics classes typically involved learning about household tasks and hands-on activities.
While I don’t remember every detail, I recall enjoying the practical aspects of the class, such as cooking and sewing.

Before cooking, we learned about the nutritional value of different foods like meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables.
This knowledge helped us understand the importance of a balanced diet.

Similarly, we learned about appropriate clothing for different seasons before starting our sewing project.
Thanks to these lessons, I can still sew today.

Integrated Studies

I’ll share my own experience with this class.
When I was in elementary school, I found this subject to be more engaging compared to others because it didn’t feel like traditional studying.

In this class, we often conducted independent research using the school library or computers on topics assigned by our teacher.
After our research, we would present our findings to the class.
Since this format was quite different from other subjects, some students didn’t like this class.

We also practiced various hands-on activities that changed from year to year.
For example, in fourth grade, we cultivated rice over the course of a year.

This project was very detailed and aimed to replicate the methods used by Japanese farmers.
Before starting our rice cultivation, we learned a lot about rice, such as how it’s grown, the different types of rice, the major rice-producing regions in Japan, and so on.

While we were learning about rice, we went through the entire rice-growing process—from preparing the soil, planting, nurturing, and harvesting, to finally eating the rice we had grown.
This experience was truly memorable for me.

Special Activities

We had a lot of special activities, such as Sports Day, school trips, social tours, concerts, various clubs, and committees.
I will explain some of these later. So in this section, I’ll talk about committees and clubs through my experiences.

Committees

When I was in elementary school, as far as I remember, there were many committees including the Student Council, Health Committee, Sports Committee, Library Committee, Broadcasting Committee, and Breeding Committee.
All of these committees played an important role in school life.

Since I was a member of the Student Council, Library Committee, Broadcasting Committee, and Breeding Committee, I’ll provide more details about these.
I’ll also briefly explain the other committees.

The Health Committee members took care of students who were injured or sick during class. They would take these students to the health room, but I’m not sure about their other responsibilities.

The Sports Committee members were responsible for maintaining school facilities, such as the swimming pool, school grounds, and gym.
The swimming pool, in particular, required a lot of cleaning before the summer season.

The Student Council members represented the student body. They made decisions about school rules, solved problems, planned school activities, and hosted assemblies with teachers.
While I don’t remember the specific election process in elementary school, in junior high, students ran for and were elected by all of the students in school.

The Library Committee members were responsible for maintaining the school library.
They checked books in and out, sorted books, and assisted students with their library needs.

I found the Broadcasting Committee particularly interesting because we had access to the broadcasting room.
We were responsible for playing music at specific times, such as morning, afternoon, and evening.
After completing these tasks, we could use the broadcasting system to play music freely, especially in the afternoon. I really enjoyed this experience.

As the name suggests, the Breeding Committee was responsible for raising animals, particularly rabbits.
As a member of this committee, I had to go to school early to feed the rabbits.

These committees were typically led by older students and teachers.
Student members were elected or volunteered, and usually only upper-grade students could participate.

Clubs

I also belonged to a different club every year.
Although I don’t remember all of them, I’ll tell you about some that I joined.

In fourth grade, I was a member of the Go and Shogi Club, which focused on board games popular in Asia.
I had 45 minutes to play these games freely with my friends.

When I was in fifth grade, I was in the Table Tennis Club, and in sixth grade, I joined the Soccer Club.
These activities were a lot of fun for me.