Japanese High School Culture~

[heartles2]

Being born here in the US, high school to me was a terrible, uncomfortable and difficult time. Whether they were mental, physical, or social blocks during my 4 years in high school, I would look to the pop-culture that is Japanese anime and wonder, "Why can't I be that happy?"

Obviously only experiencing through media such as anime, manga, and documentaries, I am only looking at the Japanese High School Culture through a narrow lens. Does Japanese High School really look that fun? Do they really have lunch in their classrooms? How do you get girlfriends or boyfriends? Is it the same anywhere else? How are their teachers? What's the most popular way for a teenager to get around? Does anyone have problems with anorexia, depression, drugs, alcohol, or gangs?

Does no one have a weight problem?!

I dont know, a lot of these questions really come from me wondering why anime has a hard time directing social issues (If any) that teenagers have (at least here in the U.S).


Any experiences or advice would help. I'm willing to listen, I may have no knowledge or experience with the Japanese culture but it was always something I wanted to be apart of. :exhausted:

Thanks.

Dan.

 

[aquamarine]

There is TOO MUCH to say about high school culture and life here. I'd be willing on giving a lecture on it via skype to you and anyone else interested in the topic.

 

[HarutoAsou]

Although Korea is a different country entirely, I will shed a bit of light on the subject seeing as they are both countries in East Asia and have similarities in culture (and my major is East Asian Studies)

After having been a University student AND an Elementary teacher in Korea I will tell you a few things.

1) Yes, there are overweight children/teens/adults in East Asian countries in general, just the ratio compared to the United States is far less.

2) Yes, the school have their own niche cliques and they stick together (but much like Canada this is hardly evident as a child, it only happens once they hit their teens).

3) I don't think there is a huge difference with the whole BF/GF issue...it's pretty much standard.

The one thing I will let you know though is if you thought life was hard for you in North America and you DON'T like studying...boy, you would have been extremely unhappy in countries where the university you are accepted into decides what job you are getting. Especially in a country like Japan if you want a "life time employment", something that is almost non-existent at this day and age, you would only be considered if you went to Tokyo U.

 

[isityours]

i dont have any direct experience with high school students but:

the 'difficulties' are the same. with the enormous pressure to conform in japan and the constant training to be part of a group （団体行動） kids will inevitably end up on one of the two sides.

'anime' is largely an escape for the people that watch it. students that were, for example, being bullied probably dont want to watch an anime about bullying. they would probably prefer to fantasize that they are the popular hero/heroine.

in elementary and junior high 99(100?)% of public schools provide school lunch (for a small fee) for the students. this is distributed by the students and eaten a their desks, or in a lunch room depending on the school. once compulsory education is finished it is common for students to bring a lunch box to school. most private schools have cafeterias. whether all HS students eat together in their classrooms im not sure but it is common.

depression, organised crime and eating disorders are among some of japans biggest social problems and japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
many children have weight problems due to changing diet and lifestyle but obesity is still the exception rather than the rule (as seems to be the case in america).

getting a BF/GF is just as hard/easy as anywhere but it is uncommon to spend time at each others houses and, while the things are changing, many children may not have had any sexual encounters before they graduate from high school. many will seek and find consolation from sources like anime, decreasing their urgency to find real encounters. also more girls than boys have been found to have lost their virginity by the end of JH, indicating that a lesser number of boys are sleeping with several partners between the age of 12 and 15.

children in smaller cities will use bicycles/buses primarily and in larger centers (Tokyo for example) trains, but there is no general rule. the legal age for getting a drivers license is 20.

children, even elementary students, can be very cliquey. and although often not evident, very clear lines are sometimes drawn among classmates, especially among girls. this is almost certainly still prevalent during HS.

if you would like more info then, as he said, Aquamarine-Sensei is prepared to impart his knowledge to us plebs.

hope you found some of this interesting.

 

[guy]

Anime depictions of high school life are, in a word, quite fetishized. That is, while they aren't inaccurate, they tend to show only a (often exaggerated) narrow slice of school life, with each successive anime trying a different angle (school-related dramas do this too).

In response to specific questions:

Yes, unlike most schools in America, public schools in Japan don't have cafeterias. In elementary and junior high, students all have school lunch (brought to the classroom in large pails/pans, and then served by a handful of students on lunch duty; no lunch-lady). There is no way to opt-out, except in rare dietary circumstances. In high school, school lunches are still available, but many students bring their own food from home; lunch is still had in their classroom. Many private schools have cafeterias (notably in high school), but there's no specific standard.

Relationships are more or less the same. There are two notable distinctions: 1) As tacky as it is, it is not uncommon to ask someone out, or confess one's love, via a letter or other seemingly crass method. Exchanging phone numbers is still seen as a significant indicator of a serious relationship, as juvenile as it may seem to us. 2) Absent the values of chastity that are pervasive in historically-Christian societies, sexual activity is comparatively high. Boys ask for sex just as much as anywhere else, but girls generally consider sexual activity is a normal part of a relationship and are less inclined to say "no" than their Western counterparts may have been taught to do. Anecdotal evidence suggests that sexual activity among junior high students is higher in Japan, with things leveling out in high school. A popular hyperbole suggests that it is impossible to find a high school girl who is still virgin.

Public school teachers in Japan are just as exciting/aggressive/dull/passive/memorable/ineffective/etc as in America. It should come as no surprise, as MEXT (Japan's Ministry of Education) has tried to model much of the Japanese education system (and its training of educators) to resemble America's. The depictions of teachers in anime is highly skewed, often because 1) most mangaka, just like students, don't really know what goes on in the teachers' room, and for that reason 2) teachers are rarely seen as playing any "central" role in school life (from the perspective of the students). Perhaps this misrepresentation of teachers is a reason why anime isn't popular among veteran educators, though it must be conceded that an anime about teachers would probably suck.

Teenagers get around by train, bus, bike, or just walking. Just like you see in anime.

Anorexia (and bulimia), depression, alcohol, gangs, and (to a lesser extent) drugs are still commonplace in Japan. The pervasity of these problems depends largely on locale (inner-city versus rural public schools). Peer-pressure and bullying is still commonplace. The only reason drugs are less of an issue is due to Japan's strict narcotics regulations. Cliques still exist, though tend to be based more around club activities (volleyball team, band members) rather than strict stereotypes (jocks, geeks). Whether or not cliques are well-defined mainly depends on the size of the school.



The truth is, as varied as the stereotypical high school life in America is, so is high school life in Japan. But anime tends to emphasize the "fun-ness" of school life, because in stark comparison to Western life, grade school (particularly elementary and junior high) is the only chance for most Japanese children to fully enjoy themselves in their entire lives, before entering a cut-throat (or dead-end) high school career, and then inevitably assimilating into the relentless workforce until they retire or die.

Perhaps along that line, high school-themed anime tends not to deal with school-life issues, because normal Japanese life is wrought with so many other problems after entering adulthood (for which there are tons of other anime dealing with those topics). But to that end, you will need to dive into the complicated mess that is Japan's post-war culture.