Questions Answered... maybe

A Japanese science class

So, you guys actually asked me questions this time when you posted on the blog. Cool! Now I have a little direction on what to write about. So, here we go:

Felicity asked:
"Don't you wish the students here were as well behaved as the ones in China? I do, sometimes. But the uniforms were hideous. Seriously."

Answer:
Yes. I wish you guys did behave better. Here's my question to you. Why don't you? Several of you made comments on the behavior of the kids, and even mentioned that you wished American teenagers were better behaved. That's totally in your control. Don't get me wrong- the Japanese kids that I visited yesterday seemed to be having a lot of fun at school. But they also worked hard. They laughed and smiled and joked. They were probably the giggliest group of girls I had ever met. We had about a 45 minute talk with a group of about 20 Japanese juniors and seniors. They were fantastic. They were really interested in American teenaers- especially in the whole concept of dating. Japanese teenagers don't really "date." At least not in the American sense of the word. (Oh, and Mrs. Davis, they don't have a prom either!) They have group "dates" and group study sessions with both boys and girls. And this leads into another question that you asked:



Venacia asked:
Also, are sports important in their school, the way it is in our school?

Answer:
Sports (and clubs) are considered important, but in a very different way. First, I think it's important to point out that joining 2 or 3 (or 6) different clubs and playing more than one sport is a concept that does not exisit in Japan, like it does at our school. Think about how many of you guys are in multiple clubs- Beta Club, Anchor Club, SGA, FCA- and then play one sport in the fall and another in the spring. Well, the Japanese consider clubs and sports to be part of their students' "moral education." They believe you should choose one thing and focus your energy on being good at that sport or committing yourself to that club, not spreading yourself thin over many different activities. In contrast, American students try and fill their resumes with as many different things as possible. It's an argument of quanity vs. quality. What do you guys think about that?



Oh, and let me point out that I was told in China that art was not considered an important subject. Slap in the face to me. But it's different here in Japan. The fine arts (and especially music, Mrs. Pace and Mr. Gipson!) are considered very important subjects. In fact, it's part of the core curriculum. Both art and music. Kids have to take, and test, in both.

Estzer asked about the government in China and Japan, paritcularly about the Emperor.

Answer:
China no longer has an Emperor. Japan has an Emperor and a Prime Minister. The Emperor is like the Queen in England, just a figure head. The Prime Minister is like the President. I think I have that right, but I will ask some of the history teachers tomorrow.

Spencer asked me about sucicide rate in Japan. I will try and ask the guide about that tomorrow and get back to you on that. I know they have such a thing as "Sudden Death" which is where overworked adults either committ sucicide or have heart attacks/strokes. A lot of times the families will then sue the companys.

Lastly, you asked me to look up Lolitas and J-Rockers. I will look that up now. I would almost bet that Mrs. Brock and I have pictures of both!

I did ask the kids to write down the names of the bands that they listened to, so that I could take the list and go and buy some CDs for us to listen to in class. The first band they said was Green Day. I told them that you guys would be so mad if I went to Japan and all I brought you back was a Green Day CD! So here are some of the bands they suggested: Rad Wimps, Bump of Chicken, SMAP, Perfume, Hyde, Aiko, and L'arc~en~Ciel. Do you know any of these bands? I bet Priscilla Han does!
And Felicity Swafford!

Well, to close today, I will leave you with a cool photo. It's not artistically the prettiest photo, but there is a neat story behind it. We brought a lunch to eat on the bus yesterday before visiting the high school, but we arrived early enough that we voted to have a picnic lunch. It was a bit warm, and some of the teachers wanted to stay on the bus to eat. But a few of us got off the bus and were going to take our lunches to a nearby park. On the way to the park we came into a clearing and there was an old Shinto shrine. There was no one around, so we sat on the steps of the old shrine and ate our noodle bowls. For those of you who don't know what Shinto is, it's the native Japanese religion. To worship at a Shinto shrine is very easy. You just walk up to the shrine, bow twice, clap your hands twice to alert the kami (the spirit that lives in the shrine) of your presence, pray and ask the kami for your wish, and then you bow one last time. Tada!