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  You can choose to have them withdrawn automatically from your bank account, or go pay each one separately (who would want to do that??).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! 

Voting & "Sankanbi"

Voting time again today, for the city assembly members and mayor, as I mentioned before.  I got there fairly early, so the place was nearly empty.  Walked in, voted, walked out.  One problem with writing your vote by hand is if a candidate has difficult kanji characters in their name!  Or not necessarily "difficult", but just ones I've never written before.  I actually double-checked with an election worker just to make sure my writing was OK!


Yesterday, I went out to a little street-side "rally" for a mayoral candidate.  There was one guy there who kinda confused me...he seemed to be there to support the candidate, but wasn't one of the volunteers.  Then I saw a candidate car with his face on it!  Turns out he's an "independent" candidate for the assembly who came to give a short speech in support of the mayoral candidate. 


I've NEVER seen a politician like this guy, especially in Japan.  No suit, but a pink shirt and white pants!  Dyed reddish-brown hair!  During his speech, he SANG....  This dude is my new political hero!  I talked to him and he said he's not really a politician.  He just felt like running because he has some issues that he feels need to be addressed in our city and wants to do something about them.  He told me he's an "artist" so I looked him up and found an old photo on Twitter.

This shot should've been on his campaign poster...  I'd vote for a guy with abs like that!

So, I guess I'll see the results tomorrow and hope for the best!

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In addition to voting, they had a parents observation day at my daughter's school.  On a Sunday.  These days, most schools have this once a year on either a Sunday or Saturday, so working parents can attend more easily.  This means, the students and teachers get a replacement day off on Monday (but working parents DON'T...).

I know my expectations are too high.  I mean, I'm not expecting her to be a genius.  I know she's mentally disabled and it's a school for special education.  I just wish she'd participate more.  I know she's pretty smart and there's alot in her head, but it just doesn't come out as much as I'd like. 

And, to be honest, I was feeling disappointed with the school in general.  There is supposed to be 1 teacher for 2 kids, but her class is 5 kids with 2 teachers.  One of those 2 teachers is new, but she didn't bother to introduce herself.  I just had to assume she was one of the teachers...  And the "seikatsu" lesson, which I had assumed has to do with life skills or something, was just them singing songs.  WTF?!?  I guess there's not much you can do with special ed kids...  orz

Ended up pretty depressed, thank you.

Japan's "Disability Identification Booklets"

I feel that Japan offers much more support to me, as a parent of a child with special needs, than my country of origin would. I plan to discuss this topic more in future posts, but today I want to introduce Japan's system of disability identification booklets (or as I call them, Disability IDs).

The color and layout varies

First, I should say that while the Disability IDs are a Japan-wide system, sometimes the names of the IDs differ according to region.

There are three types of IDs:

身体障がい者手帳 – Shintaishogaisha Techo This is for people with physical disabilities. For example, hearing and vision impairments, mobility impairments, HIV, or internal problems (heart, liver, etc.)

療育手帳 – Ryoiku Techo This is for people with intellectual disabilities. This is given based on an IQ test and ability to handle basic life activities. The grading system may be a bit different in different areas. For example, Tokyo uses a 1 through 4 system (with 1 being the most severe disability). In Osaka, we have three levels: A, B1, and B2 (with A being the most severe).

精神障がい者保健福祉手帳 – Seishinshogaisha Hoken Fukushi Techo (wow, that's a long one!) This is for people with mental disabilities. For example, severe depression, alcoholism, stress-related illnesses, autism, or epilepsy.





What are the benefits of having one of these IDs? I think one big merit is you don't have to be constantly “proving” a disability in order to apply for special services. These IDs are nationally recognized.

There are also financial benefits. Depending on your family's income, you are eligible to receive 特別児童扶養手当 Tokubetsu Jido Fuyo Teate, which is a monthly (though usually paid out a few times a year) stipend for parents of disabled children. My daughter also receives a small “pension” (shogai nenkin) from the city. There is also a significant tax break for families with a special needs child. In addition, your child and one caregiver (usually) can get discounts on transportation (trains, buses, taxis, even airfare) and on entrance fees to various facilities such as theme parks, public pools, aquariums, etc.





How do you apply for one of these IDs? This may vary according to region and/or disability type, but I go to the 障害福祉室 Shogai Fukushi Shitsu (Disability Welfare Department) at city hall. They handle the application and it's also where you pick up the ID once it's ready. The evaluation, in my daughter's case, is at the city 子ども家庭センター Kodomo Katei Center (Center for Children and Families). Once she hits 18 (which won't be for a long time!), I'm not sure where we will have to go. Also, I assume there would be a different evaluation system for a physical disability, maybe at a medical facility.





Any additions based on your own experiences here? Any similarities or differences in your country?





In Japanese:

https://chopi.jp/archives/711

https://h-navi.jp/column/article/761