Man! It's been 10 days since my last posting!!!

Hey sorry my friends!!! I knew it had been about a week since I last posted, but 10 days!? I mean wow!!!!! That is a long time.

Unfortunately......it is pretty late here and I have school early in the morn....though, I could quickly talk about Japanese schools. I would hate to miss an opportunity like this!

So here's the quick run down. Japan's school system from elementary school is know as "6-3-3", six years of elementary, three years of middle school....so let me stop there. Notice that elementary is six years and middle school is three. Elementary starts at 1st grade and lasts until 6th grade. That can only mean that middle school starts at 7th grade and ends in 9th. See the problem with this, if you are talking to a Japanese student about your high school years, they are often confused by this difference. I will often tell them about studying Japanese language for 4 years in high school and I have on many occasions been corrected by them on how many years high school lasts.

So quickly back to 6-3-3. Elementary is 6 years. Middle school is 3 years and ends after 9th grade. This leaves high school. Technically, high school is optional. At this age, students can choose to go to a technical school, focus on work or become an apprentice to someone (this happens with young sumo wrestlers!).

If the student chooses to continue to high school, they will have to choose their career path in their second year and will be placed into classes accordingly. Mind you, in Japan, the students remain in the same classroom throughout the day, with the same classmates. The teachers are the ones who rotate through the classes. There is often a homeroom teacher who will start and end the day, taking roll in the morning and is in charge of making the necessary announcements. A bit different from American schools, huh?

At the end of high school, the students are studying diligently for the college exams necessary for attending their desired colleges. Many colleges of prestige, such as Tokyo University (also known as Todai, which the restaurant is named after), are known for their nearly impossible entrance exams. The students can only take these tests once a year, so if they fail to get in, they have to and often do spend the next year studying for the test again. There are some students at Waseda that are around my age that are only 1st, 2nd or 3rd-year students for this reason.

Once in college, the students are not allowed to choose their major until their 3rd year at the school, nor are they allowed to change it once it has been declared. We Americans are truly fortunate that our entire future does not hinge on one decision in college.

Some else of interest is that colleges/universities here do not offer double majors or any minors to the Japanese students. There is a program here at Waseda that offers a double-degree, but it is only for the International students....

Also, in the younger years, there can be entrance exams to get into the choice schools. They do not get shuffled into the closest school within the designated school distract, like we do. They have the choice, but it does come with difficulties. So, yes, the Japanese are judged growing up by what schools they have attended.

There is always a trade-off, my friends. Think about that during the upcoming election!!!!

Til then, Later Peeps!