CHIBA - A U.S. family took part in a Japanese school experience program at a former school building in Chiba Prefecture, joining calligraphy, disaster drills, school lunch duty and a sports day-style event in a six-hour program that has attracted more than 200 foreign participants since it began about a year ago.
The experience began with a formal classroom greeting before the family, identified as the Tagishi family from the United States, joined their first class: calligraphy. Participants practiced brush writing with serious expressions, while the eldest daughter, Hana, chose the character for flower. "I like fireworks, and I thought this character looked cool, so I wrote it," she said.
The program, held at a closed school in Chiba, is not inexpensive at 35,000 yen per person, but organizers say more than 200 foreign visitors have taken part since the service began about a year ago. The program is conducted entirely in English, with staff playing the roles of teachers and classmates.
One participant said the children were especially interested in comparing the school systems of Japan and the United States. The family wanted to spend a day experiencing a Japanese school and see what was different and whether some aspects might be better.
The program includes more than ordinary lessons. During an earthquake drill, the family put on disaster-prevention hoods for the first time and crouched under their desks. In the U.S. East Coast region where the family is from, earthquakes are relatively rare, and school drills are usually based on fires.
"We have a lot of fire drills, probably about once a month," one participant said. "But over the past 10 years, there have been earthquakes near Washington, D.C., and New York, and most people were not prepared. That is why I think drills for various natural disasters are important."
The family was especially surprised by lunchtime. In the United States, students generally do not serve meals to one another, but the family viewed the Japanese system positively, saying it helps children learn cooperation and responsibility. "I think it is a good experience because students can learn different roles," one participant said. "It is good that they learn to work together."
The set menu, however, drew a more cautious response. In the United States, school lunches generally offer many choices, allowing students to select their own meals. One participant said that if everyone is given the same meal and someone does not like it, they may throw it away without eating it, while having options could help reduce leftovers.
In the afternoon, the participants moved to the gymnasium for a sports day experience. Split into two teams, they competed in events including ball-tossing and tug-of-war. The family said it was refreshing to see everyone take part in the same competition as members of assigned teams.
"There is nothing like a Japanese sports day in the United States," one participant said. "There are sporting events, but not everyone takes part. I think Japan’s sports day is a special community event."
After working up a sweat in their first experience of the event, participants exchanged high-fives to praise one another’s efforts. At the end, they received graduation certificates, bringing the roughly six-hour school experience to a close.
"It was so much fun, and the time passed very quickly," one participant said. "We were able to do many different things, and it felt very fulfilling. Japan’s sports day was different from the way sports are done in the United States, and it gave us a real feel for the atmosphere of a Japanese school."
Through the experience, the family said they noticed that Japanese school education places strong emphasis on cooperation. "American schools have a stronger sense of individualism, while Japanese schools place more importance on cooperation," one participant said. "Each has good points and bad points, and I think we can learn from both systems."
Source: TOKYO MX NEWS
