Tanabata

Today was Tanabata.  Not that we did anything special, but I just wanted to show a few of the special things you'll find during this time at school. 

You will definitely see one of these in front of the 1st grade classrooms.  Sometimes they're displayed at city hall or some shopping centers as well.  Children write their wishes on rectangular pieces of paper and tie them to the branches. 

This kid wants to get better at swimming. 

Some of the wishes can be pretty interesting and they're a good sign of each child's personality.  Many of them want to get better at some school subject or have better writing.  Some of them write what they want to be in the future (soccer player, pastry chef).  Other kids just write something they want, like it's a letter to Santa....  *facepalm*

Kyushoku gets in on the celebration as well.  This is a typical Tanabata soup.  Includes star shaped...whatever the heck that is...and okra (which is naturally star shaped).  Not terribly delicious, in my opinion, but it's tradition. 

Student art

A couple of weeks ago, all the 6th grade classes at one of my schools held an art "exhibition" in their classrooms and invited all the other kids to come during the break times.  It was all Buddhist art (I believe they had been to Nara awhile ago and saw the great Buddha there).  Every student's work was different, since there are so many varieties of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.  These two were my favorites.

One of the many-faced, many-armed Bodhisattvas.  I've always liked these kinds of statues.

This one...I have no idea how this was made.  Look at it!  This picture could have multiple interpretations, but I think it's Fudo Myo-o (a kinda angry-looking protective deity).


**Disclaimer: I'm not a Buddhist, therefore any information on this page comes from Google.  If I'm mistaken, sorry!

Kyushoku #2

As promised, more pictures of Japanese elementary school's lunch!

A more Japanese-style lunch.  Rice, miso soup, dry crunchy beans with kinako, and fish in a slightly sweet sauce.  There was also "wakame furikake", but I generally prefer plain rice so I opted out. 

Bread with chocolate spread, chicken & quail eggs, "bi-fun" with veggies.  OK, I have to explain some of this...  First off, chocolate on bread is super delicious!  I never had this before coming to Japan.  Next, I had to look up "bi-fun" and I came up with "rice noodles".  It's a kind of noodle from China.  Finally, the quails eggs.  When my mother visited Japan many years ago, I brought her with me to school and we had quails eggs.  She was surprised to see them in school lunch because back home, these kinds of eggs are much more expensive than regular eggs.  I bought some once, but trying to peel the shell of those tiny things was much more trouble than it was worth!

Seriously, I recommend trying chocolate on bread.  You can try cake frosting, if you have it!  Or if you're in Japan, many grocery stores have chocolate spread, in the same section as peanut butter and jam.

Crime?? in Japan?!?

From early this morning, I could hear alot of sirens, then helicopters.  The helicopters have been going all day long.  I knew this wasn't something good.


A man stabbed a police officer in front of a koban (like a mini neighborhood police station, usually manned by 1 or 2 officers) near a train station.  Stabbings/slashings aren't too rare, especially as the weather warms up and all the crazies & pervs emerge from hibernation.  BUT, the suspect stole the officer's gun.  This ups the danger level to 11. 


I also received notification that if the suspect isn't caught by 9am tomorrow, school will be closed for the day.  I wonder if this isn't taking things a bit too far, considering how difficult this makes things for families with both parents working/single parent families.  If school is cancelled, the after school care is also cancelled. 


In some countries, where pretty much everyone has guns, this wouldn't be a big deal, I guess.  It highlights how generally SAFE Japan is.  However, even in Japan, crime does happen, so you shouldn't let your guard down too much.




EDIT:  The suspect was arrested the next morning, just over 24 hours after the initial crime.  It was early enough so most schools were able to open as normal, some with slight delays.  More information keeps coming, but this guy came here from Tokyo on purpose.  He called in a fake robbery report to get most of the officers out of the koban.  It's been said that earlier this year, he was trying to get the addresses of classmates from his school days (he used to live around here until he went to university in Tokyo), so it's possible he wanted some very very late revenge for some childhood slight?  He's also certified as "mentally ill", though at the risk of sounding insensitive to people with actual mental illness, how bad could his illness be if he was able to put this plan into motion?

School Clubs

Today's topic is school clubs.  I'll be talking about elementary school clubs, which are rather different from junior high school (and beyond) clubs.


First off, there are two different kinds of clubs.  The first kind take place during school hours, usually once a month, and are manditory.  The second kind are out of school hours and are only for students who want to join.  These are competitive sports clubs such as baseball or badminton.


What kinds of manditory clubs are there?  These vary from school to school, according to the interests of the general student body and teachers.  Of course, there are sports clubs.  Some are specific sports while others are general "outdoor sports" or "gym sports" clubs.  Computer clubs are quite popular.  There are also various arts and crafts clubs, including origami, "kirie" (cut paper art), and sewing.  Other clubs include cooking, ecology/recycling, traditional Japanese games such as shogi, sign language...the list is nearly endless.  One of my favorites (though I've never seen them in action) is comedy club.  I can't imagine what a bunch of elementary school kids can come up with!  I heard they sometimes have performances for senior citizen groups... 


With such a variety of clubs, anyone can find something that interests them (which is good since they're manditory, right?).  What kind of club do you think you'd like to join?  Personally, I'd join the sign language club.  I'm interested in Japanese sign language (shuwa), but no longer have anyone to practice with. My daughter's special needs school teachers all use shuwa to support students with limited verbal skills.

Kyushoku! #1

Some of you may have heard things about Japan's kyushoku (school lunch).  I've mentioned it a bit in previous posts.  It's definitely healthier than the average lunch in US schools!  But what's in it?  Maybe you've seen something in one of those "isn't Japan wacky?" news reports.  School lunches differ according to area, as they usually try to use locally grown produce as much as possible. 


Here are a few samples:

You KNOW I'm gonna start of with curry and rice!  My favorite lunch of all time!  They usually pair it with a salad or fruit gelatin.  I mix my rice into the curry.  Kyushoku curry is just the right level of non-spiciness, but without falling into the "sweet" category.

Sorry, I should've rotated this one!  Anyway, it's "kokuto" bread (made with a darker sugar, but not Western style "brown sugar"), harusame (clear noodles) soup, and a piece of fried(?) chicken with lemon sauce. 

This is another favorite.  Tuna and potato salad, bread, cheese slice (to make a sandwich) and minestrone soup.  I love that soup!  So much better than any store bought one.

Pot-au-fu (forgive me if I spelled that wrong!), "American dog", and bread.   Wait, what??  American DOG?  That's what corn dogs are called here! 


Well, today's lunch photos are mostly Western style with bread.  I'll be posting more photos in the future, so stay tuned!  As long as I remember to snap a photo before I dig in...  LOL 


What's your favorite lunch from today's blog?

You gonna eat that...?

The other day, I received a "lucky" school lunch!  What made my lunch so lucky? 

Yup, that's a piece of carrot cut into a heart shape.  Daycares and elementary schools often add some specially cut veggies (usually carrots) to soups as one way of getting kids excited about veggies.  In addition to hearts, sometimes there are stars or flower shapes.   


I haven't gotten a lucky lunch in so long, I'd forgotten about them!  But school lunch isn't the only place to find cute veggies.  Special veggie cutters are available in stores so parents can also encourage their kids to eat cute veggies in their boxed lunches too.


But I admit...Japanese kids are alot better with eating vegetables than I was as a kid.  American vegetable dishes are AWFUL.  Just plain boiled veggies in US school lunch!  Japanese school lunches are designed with kids' taste buds in mind, while still being healthy.  I think my favorite added flavoring is sesame dressing or oil.  The various soups, stews, and curries make veggies easy to eat!


More on school lunch to come!

School fees in Japan

I don't know how it is in other countries, but here, public school isn't actually "free".  The amount depends on the school/grade/area, but the categories are generally the same: school lunch (the main one!), PTA fees, textbooks & materials, school trip fees...

Sample of school fees bill for this school year

As you can see from the above sample, the payments are split across the school year over 4 semesters.  You can choose to have them withdrawn automatically from your bank account, or go pay each one separately (who would want to do that??).  The total for my daughter's school year is 72,470 yen.  Even broken down, this could be difficult for some families, especially if they have more than one child in school.

BUT...I don't actually pay this.  OK, I do, but I get most of it back.  How??  Every year, I sign off on a paper which gives the school permission to look at my income tax records on file at the city tax office.  Then, families are divided into three groups: 1- Pay in full with no rebates; 2 - Get about half back; 3- Get most of it back (supposedly ALL back, but my calculations for last year don't add up).

My daughter goes to a public special education school, but is there a system like this in regular public schools as well?  I had to ask around a bit, but the answer is yes!  I think there are more payment tiers, but it's essentially the same. 

I should also add that public daycares (hoikuen) also work on a sliding scale fee basis...if you can get into one, that is.  We definitely need more public hoikuen in Japan! 

Welcome to your new school!

Do any other countries make a big deal out of starting elementary school?  Do you have entrance ceremonies? 


Japan is all about the ceremonies!  The entrance ceremony for elementary school is a BIG deal.  Both parents and kids come in formalwear.  Because the kids are still little, the ceremony is fairly short and somewhat entertaining.  Usually the new 2nd graders (who were, themselves, 1st graders one year ago) perform a song and/or show off some skills to impress the little guys like jumping rope or playing kendama.  Sometimes, the teachers perform a little skit.  Afterward, there are a lot of photos - of the new class with their teachers, of the kids with their parents, etc.  It seems a bit stressful for the teachers, from what I've seen.  There's no possibility of rehearsal, so you have no idea what's going to happen.  Will some kids cry?  Will you lose a kid who wanders off unnoticed?  Will there be any parental problems? 

The entrance ceremony is here, yo!

Post-ceremony group photo time

Letters of congratulations from local politicians and the various kindergartens & daycares the new 1st graders graduated from.

I'm looking forward to meeting all my new students!  Granted, some of them will definitely be in the "pain in the @$$" category, most of them will be super adorable and ready to learn English.

Super Cute Classroom Decorations

Warning.....these things can take alot of time to make, especially when you're not used to the process!  But, on the other hand, there are quite a few merits:

• Gives you something constructive to do during "off" time.
• Other teachers/principal will look at what you're making and think you're awesome!
• Because you're working from templates, you don't need to be an artist.
• Monthly/Seasonal classroom decorations are fun for the kids.  They can notice something new each time they enter the English classroom.

First, you need to get a template book.  Yes, you need to buy one.  I've looked online and I've found very few templates available for free.  Sorry.  I use this book, but I think if I was shopping now, I'd look for something that has templates specifically for holidays and seasons.

You also need a copier that can enlarge the templates.  I enlarged the original frog template in the book (left) by 250% (right).

Cut each piece individually and trace onto colored construction paper.  You should add a bit extra on certain parts so they're easier to glue or tape together.

The faces are the hardest part.  If the balance is just a little off, the whole thing goes from kawaii to kimoi!

And here's the finished product, along with the color page in the book you can use as reference for which kind of paper to use. 

Here are a few others I made over this past school year.

So, hey, teachers, do you decorate your classrooms? 

Congratulations, Graduate!

In Japan, the school year starts in April, which makes March graduation season.  April is also when many company workers start their jobs or transfer to new positions/locations. 


Today, I'll share some photos and information from an elementary school graduation.

There is no mistaking when there's a graduation going on at the neighborhood school.  Almost everyone gets their pictures taken near or in front of these commemorative signs.

All the teachers in the school wear suits, but the teachers of the graduating classes sometimes choose to dress Japanese style in a hakama, especially the female teachers (though I have seen a male teacher in a hakama once).

Students also usually wear suits, but this varies from family to family.  I've seen kids in the school uniform of their next school, some boys in more casual slacks and a button-up shirt and/or sweater, and sometimes (usually girls, but boys too) in Japanese hakama.  Most of the girls these days opt for AKB48-style blazers and checked mini-skirts.   
Parents are mostly in dark suits and mothers have a corsage.  A few moms will go all out and wear kimono.  I'm not a kimono expert, but notice the differences between kimono and hakama.


What do you think?  Personally, I don't like to be told what I "should" wear...so for my daughter's daycare graduation and her school entrance ceremony, I wore jeans!  But I dressed her in a kids' version hakama, rather than the stupid mini-skirt.