Structure:  The structure of the Japanese school system consists of the number of days in school and the number of children in attendance at school. Japanese students attend school for 240 days out of the year which is 60 days longer then the average school year in America. There is an average of 40 students in class vs. an average of 24 student in an U.S. class room.

Curriculum:  The curriculum that of a Japanese school doesnít differ that much from an American school. The common curriculum of a Japanese student is Japan language, math, social studies, science, art and music. In the elementuries and Junior Highs students also learn moral education and physical education. Science and math are the strong point in the Japanese students. In science the High Schools focus on the ideas of "Living things and their environmentî, ìmatter and energyî, and ìthe earth and the universeî. An example of a lesson elementary children learn is there ìshapes, nursery rhymes, donít cry, and never take more than one cookie from the cookie jar when offered.î Also, in the junior high students start to learn English and continue for an average of another six years. Which is allot unlike U.S. because the American students only go threw a foreign language class for about two years.

Typical School Day: On a normal school day the average student gets about 4 hours of sleep per night. The students go to at eight forty-five in the morning and donít leave till very late the next day.

Cram schools:  A Cram school or jukus are schools set up after school to prepare them for major test to get into the best colleges and schools. Parents send their children at an early age to these schools and spend hundreds of dollars to send them there.

Exam Hell:  Is a test that each Japanese student takes in order to get into the best schools. These test start from first grade all the way to college. An example of a first grade entrance exam isÖ ìHanako drew a circle on the paper, and then drew a triangle in the circle, and then colored the right half of the triangle black.  Now look at the four shapes. Which one is the one that Hanako drew?î  Then it gives you a list of examples to choose from.

Bullying and Suicides:  Recently Japanese educators are alarmed with the increasing amount of fighting, suicides, and vandalism. One reason why many kids are being bullied is because they donít fit in or they stand out.  With the continues bullying many of the kids being bullies resort to suicide or rebel. ìThe nail that stands up gets knocked downî is a proverb which relates to the bullying of the children. Suicide is becoming a popular result of the pressures of the exams as will as bullying.

Extracurricular:  In many of the cramming school there are extracurricular activities such an art and music.  Music and art are major parts of the Japanese  culture and heritage. Therefore they find it is extremely important to their society to be able to play and understand art. Although the cramming school would also be called and extracurricular event even though it related to school. They still learn allot about the process of taking test and many more beneficial tips in school.

Other Similarities and Differences:  A major difference between the Japanese and America is that they are a great degree smarter then us. Although they donít have the resources we do such as computers and the Internet. The Japanese students show a tremendous amount of respect for their school teachers unlike the United States. The Japanese schools also stress Nationalism more than the U.S. does. A major difference that is seen even by other Japanese is that they are not creative and like conformity, because throughout their school education they all looked, acted, and did the same things.  Which is a major difference between the Japanese and the Americans. A differences between the teachers is that they switch classes unlike America where the kids switch classes. Also, another difference is that the children during school serve each other were as in America adults serve the children.

  Created by:
Barry Garrett/ Chris Lehmann
the Work cited:  ìIn Japan, Even Toddlers Feel the Pressureî; Sheyl WuDunn; January 23 1996
 ìA Profile of Japanís Education System College-Bound Studentsî  Educational Issues Department
 ìhow to fix our grade schoolsî Denise M. Topolnicki and Baie Netzer
June 1993
 ìYodobashi No.6î
 ìJapan schools lag online despite proliferation of high tech gadgets there, its education system is far behind U.S. in embracing computers and the internetî ; Michael Zielenziger;  San Jose Mercury News; Feb. 21 2000
 ìJapanese schools moving to add national symbols to ceremonies: Critics of action link Rising Sun, anthem with past militarism.î Kathryn Tolbert;
Dallas Morning News; March 5 2000
 ìThe struggle to create creativityî; The Economist; June 28 1997
 ìEducation: Costly tutoring is seen as key to entering elite kindergardens.î
Sonni Efron; Los Angeles Times; Feb  16 1997
 ìReaching the ëNew Youthíî Hideko Takayama; Newsweek International; Sept. 6 1999
 ìJapanís smart schools: how do they do it?î  Diane Ravitch; The New Republic; Jan. 6 1986
 ìA world of understandingî  Anita Merina; NEA Today; May 1992