#75: 4 Major Differences Between High School in Japan vs the U.S.
"We did this together!" vs "I really did this!"
The differences between Japanese and American high schools all stem from what I deem the biggest difference between Japan and the United States: the collective vs the individual.
Coming from Ohio in the United States and living in Japan for two years now, it’s been interesting to not only observe what a different culture looks like but live within this other culture and immerse myself in it. As a teacher, I get to experience Japanese high school life firsthand. While I generally try to understand Japan through the Japanese lens (rather than my foreign lens as an American), I cannot help but make note of what is different between these two countries.
Here are some of the key differences I’ve noticed throughout my time here:
1. The School Year Itself
In the United States, the typical school year looks something like this:
The school year begins in late August or early September.
The first of two semesters wraps up before Christmas, giving students and teachers a 2-3 week winter break (which is typically longer for most universities in the U.S.). In between August and December, though, there is Thanksgiving Break at the end of November for students and teachers to celebrate with their families.
The second semester begins after New Year’s and lasts until May or June (again, this is usually earlier for universities, which end in late April or early May). In March or April, students and teachers get a week-long spring break.
After this, students and faculty get a three-month-long summer vacation.
You may have noticed that I often repeated “students and teachers” in the explanation above. That is because teachers in Japan are not given the same summer, spring, and winter vacation time as students. They are given a handful of days around New Years and Obon (a time in summer to honor your loved ones who have passed away) in addition to national public holidays, but this is it. As for the students…
The school year begins in April, the opposite of the U.S.! Spring Term lasts until July, and students are then given a month-long summer vacation. Teachers must still report in, save three days for Obon and any paid time off that they’d like to use.
The Fall Term begins at the end of August and lasts until mid-December. After that, students get a 2-3 week winter vacation while teachers get the week of New Year’s off.
From here, it’s the Winter Term, which is shorter than the previous two. During this time, students in their final year do not come to school as often, with many preparing for university or vocational school and taking entrance exams or gearing up to join the workforce.
Graduation Day happens at the beginning of March (it was on Sunday for us)! And I’ll get into the differences between the graduation ceremonies later in this entry, so stick with me.
After graduation, the other grades have three more weeks of school before spring break, which lasts 2-3 weeks just like winter vacation. Teachers do not get any time off during this time. After all, they might have something big that they have to prepare for:
2. “The Sensei Switch”
One of the most shocking aspects of teaching in Japan for someone used to the American K-12 education system is that teachers are not hired by their school. Instead, they are hired as teachers by the Prefectural Board of Education (for example, Osaka or Hiroshima) and placed at a school in need of their services. After a year or a number of years (typically three), it is extremely likely that they will get transferred to another school within the prefecture.
I’ve asked why this is the case, and some teachers have said that it happens in an effort to curb complacency and allow for fresh starts and fresh minds at new places. This is all good and well…until you’ve made a real impact at your school, it’s an easy commute from your house, and you have great relationships with your students and co-workers…but the Board of Education decides that you need a “fresh start” at the most problematic school in the prefecture, an hour away your apartment by car. On the other hand, teachers can request to be moved, and their request can be granted or denied! The exact rules differ by prefecture, but it was definitely a shock to me when I first learned about this system.
3. Homeroom (kumi [組]) System
Maybe the biggest difference between Japanese and American high schools is the homeroom class system, which I believe profoundly shapes one’s high school experience and is the biggest example of the difference between collective vs individual in Japanese and American schools, respectively.
To preface, one difference between American and Japanese schooling is the division of the 12 grades of schools. In America, it typically looks like this: elementary school is grades 1-5, middle school is grades 6-8, and high school is grades 9-12. In Japan, you are in elementary school for your first six years (grades 1-6), junior high school for three years (grades 7-9), and senior high school for your final three years (grades 10-12). In Japanese culture and society, your grade resets with every new school. That said, if I’m a middle schooler and in my eighth grade, I wouldn’t say I’m at “eighth grader” but instead in my second year of middle school (chugakko no ninensei).
I can only speak to high school as an ALT and I can say that, when students enter the school, they are placed in a kumi (組). A homeroom class. Students spend the entire day with their kumi classmates in the same classroom, other than a handful of special classes like gym. Teachers don’t have their own classrooms and instead travel to different classrooms from the teachers’ room that everyone works in.
Regarding a kumi’s homeroom teacher: they are responsible for everything regarding their students. Not only their students’ grades in the homeroom teacher’s subject (English, social studies, etc.) but also their other grades as well as college admissions profiles, hiring companies, and even students’ own personal lives and issues at school and at home. It is a massive responsibility!
In all likelihood, students will spend all three years of high school with their kumi, thus forming tons of great memories along with countless inside jokes and a family dynamic. As a result, students and their homeroom teachers, alike, are often quite emotional at the graduation ceremony.
Formalities aside (more on that later), the biggest difference between graduating from Japanese high school vs American high school is a strong feeling of We did this together! in Japan. When I was a student in Ohio, I went to school in the same school district for my entire K-12 career and had spent years 4+ and in some cases 12+ years of seeing the same kids every day. The thing is, because I had my own schedule from middle school onwards, graduation was more an I finally did it! or My friends and I each did it! sort of feeling. I don’t recall any tears being shed.
4. Test Specialists
Since previously writing about test-taking culture in Japan, I have learned that other forms of university admissions are starting to gain traction in Japan, such as interviews and comprehensive personal evaluations. However, both the Common Test followed by universities’ specific entrance exams remain the most common for admission to Japanese universities. Testing as a whole seems to be more emphasized in Japanese schooling as opposed to American schooling.
Believe it or not, high school (grades 10-12) is not mandatory in Japan, even though most students attend. That said, where you go to high school is not based on your location but which school’s entrance exam you pass (my school is currently preparing for prospective students to take ours next week). I’ve also noticed that in each semester our school has numerous multi-week periods where all students take exams, and even dedicated days for teachers to grade exams. My high school had a finals week at the end of each semester, but that was it.
I’ve been thinking about the standardized tests for undergraduate admissions in the United States: the SAT and the ACT. After writing that initial entry on test-taking culture in Japan, I thought to myself, Is it really so different in America? What stands out to me is that being a well-rounded student is heavily emphasized in U.S. schools., and it also never felt like the end of the world if you didn’t test well. Doing all of your homework and scoring high on the class project could help to save your grade, and apart from the elite universities you still had a chance to enter a good school with good grades and extracurriculars. Some of my friends got perfect scores on the ACT and SAT and even perfect grade-point averages, and they were still rejected from some schools. Granted, these were Ivy League and Ivy-caliber schools, but I still remember being shocked that it wasn’t enough for them. By all accounts, if you get a perfect score on the Common Test in Japan, you can take your pick as to which university you want to go to in Japan. This being said, it makes sense that within the Japanese school system students typically participate in only one school club and spend the bulk of their time studying for exams (midterm, entrance, or otherwise).
*One final note about the Common Test in Japan: it can only be taken once. Well, there is one single rain date, but that version of the test is even harder. The pressure to perform at your best is immense, and students are extra careful around this time to not get sick.
What is so cool about my job as an ALT is that I’ve been afforded the opportunity to become immersed in a Japanese high school and get an inside-look into what high school is like in another country. There are things I like and things I don’t like about school in Japan and the U.S. Each one has their pros and cons. I’m excited to learn more in the coming school year, set to begin next month!
New Word/Phrase: kando (感動) is a word you can use when you are deeply moved by something, like a heartfelt or wholesome moment. In this week’s case, the graduation ceremony and the graduating students.
Music Recommendation of the Week: I’ve been jamming to Bruno Mars’s new album! I think my favorite song off the album besides the lead single “I Just Might” is the last song “Dance With Me.”
Stay studious!
Your Friend,
Nathan
P.S. Weekly Recap Teaser: In this week’s Weekly Recap, I gave a full breakdown of what a high school graduation ceremony looks like in Japan and talked about something I went to last week, like a Nujabes Tribute Event. If you haven’t subscribed yet, make sure you do so that you can read all about it! And if you have…check your inbox!