Nations that use hieroglyphs have a different way of thinking. Does it affect their lives? It is hard to say. Such people are visual by nature, they figuratively perceive the world around them. And this system of perception does not bypass even the exact sciences. How the Japanese multiply will be interesting for everyone to know. Firstly, you don’t have to panic looking for a calculator, and secondly, this is a very exciting activity.

We draw

It's amazing, but Japanese children can multiply without even knowing about the multiplication table. How do the Japanese multiply? They do it very simply, so simply that they use only basic drawing and counting skills. It is easier to show with an example how this happens.

Let's say you need to multiply 123 by 321. First you need to draw one, two and three parallel lines, which will be placed diagonally from the upper left corner to the lower right. On the created groups of parallels, draw three, two and one lines, respectively. They will also be placed diagonally from bottom left to top right.

As a result, we get the so-called rhombus (as in the figure above). If someone has not yet understood, the number of lines in the group depends on the numbers that need to be multiplied.

We believe

So how do the Japanese multiply numbers? The next step is to count the intersection points. First, we separate the intersection of three lines with one in a semicircle and count the number of points. The resulting number is written under the diamond. Further, in exactly the same way, we separate the sections where two lines intersect with three and one. We also count the points of contact and write them down, then we count the points that remained in the center. You should get the same result as in the picture below.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that if the central number is two-digit, then the first digit must be added to the number that turned out when counting the points of contact in the area to the left of the center. Thus multiplying 123 by 321, we get 39,483.

This method can be used to multiply both two-digit and three-digit numbers. One problem is that if you have to count numbers like 999, 888, 777, etc., then you will need to draw a lot of dashes.

Japan until the end of the late Middle Ages was hidden from the whole world: neither enter nor leave. But as soon as the high walls fell, the world began to actively study this mysterious country, in particular, education in Japan.

Briefly about the main

In the Land of the Rising Sun, education is one of the first and main goals in life. It is this that determines the future of man. The education system in Japan has hardly changed since the 6th century. Although after the Second World War it was strongly influenced by British, French and, in particular, American systems. Residents of Japan begin to learn almost from the cradle. First, their parents instill in them manners, rules of conduct, teach the basics of counting and reading. Further nursery, kindergarten, junior, middle and high schools. After them universities, colleges or schools of special vocational training.

The academic year is divided into three semesters:

• Spring. From April 1 (this is the beginning of the school year) to mid-July.
• Summer. September 1st to mid-December.
• Winter. From the beginning of January to the end of March. The academic year ends in March.

After each semester, students take intermediate tests, and at the end of the year, exams. In addition to lessons, the Japanese have the opportunity to attend circles and participate in festivals. Now let's take a closer look at education in Japan.

Preschool

As already mentioned, etiquette and manners are instilled by parents. There are two types of kindergartens in Japan:

• 保育園 (Hoikuen)- state child care center. These establishments are designed for the little ones. By government decree, they were created specifically to support working mothers.
• 幼稚園 (youchien)- private kindergarten. These institutions are designed for older children. Here they teach singing, drawing, reading and counting. In more expensive institutions they teach English. So they come to school fully prepared.

It should be noted that the main function of kindergartens is not so much education, but socialization. That is, children are taught to interact with peers and society as a whole.

elementary School

Education in Japan in elementary school begins at the age of six. Most of these establishments are public, but there are also private ones. The elementary school teaches Japanese, mathematics, science, music, art, physical education and labor. Recently, English has been introduced as a compulsory language, which used to be taught only in secondary schools.

There are no clubs, as such, in elementary school, but extra-curricular activities are held, such as sports competitions or staging theater performances. Students wear casual clothes. The only obligatory element of equipment: a yellow panama, an umbrella and a raincoat of the same color. These are mandatory attributes when the class is taken on a tour so as not to lose children in the crowd.

high school

If translated into Russian, then this is training from grades 7 to 9. A more in-depth study of the sciences is added to the subjects of elementary school. The number of lessons is increased from 4 to 7. Interest clubs appear in which students are involved until 18.00. The teaching of each subject is assigned to a separate teacher. More than 30 people study in the classes.

Features of education in Japan can be traced in the formation of classes. First, students are distributed according to the level of knowledge. This is especially common in private schools, where they believe that students with poor grades will be a bad influence on excellent students. Secondly, with the beginning of each semester, students are assigned to different classes so that they learn to quickly socialize in a new team.

Old school

High school education is not considered compulsory, but those who wish to enter a university (and today this is 99% of students) must complete it. In these institutions, the focus is on preparing students for university entrance exams. Also, students take an active part in school festivals, circles, attend excursions.

juku

Modern education in Japan does not end exclusively with schools. There are special private schools offering additional classes. They can be divided into two types according to the areas of study:

• Non-academic. Teachers teach a variety of arts. There are sports sections, you can also learn the tea ceremony and traditional Japanese board games (shogi, go, mahjong).
• Academic. Focused on the study of various sciences, including languages.

These schools are mainly attended by students who have missed school and cannot absorb the material. They want to successfully pass exams or prepare for entry into a university. Also, the reason why a student may insist on attending such a school may be closer communication with the teacher (in groups of about 10-15 people) or in company with friends. It is worth noting that such schools are expensive, so not all families can afford them. However, a student who does not attend additional classes has a losing position in the circle of his peers. The only way he can compensate for this is self-education.

Higher education

Higher education in Japan is mainly received by men. For women, as well as centuries ago, the role of the guardian of the hearth, and not the head of the company, is assigned. Although exceptions are becoming more common. The institutions of higher education include:

• State and private universities.
• Colleges.
• Schools of special vocational training.
• Technology colleges.
• Institutions of further higher education.

Colleges are mostly girls. The training is 2 years, and they teach mainly the humanities. In technological colleges, individual specialties are studied, the duration of study is 5 years. After graduation, the student has the opportunity to enter the university for the 3rd year.

There are 500 universities in the country, 100 of which are public. In order to enter a state institution, you must pass two exams: the "General Test of Achievement of the First Stage" and an exam at the university itself. For admission to a private institution, you only need to take a test at the university.

The cost of education is high, ranging from 500 to 800 thousand yen per year. There are scholarship programs available. However, there is a big competition: there are only 100 state-funded places for 3 million students.

Education in Japan, in short, is expensive, but the quality of life in the future depends on it. Only those Japanese who graduated from higher educational institutions have the opportunity to get high-paying jobs and occupy leadership positions.

Language schools

The education system in Japan is a cult leading the country to success. If in the post-Soviet space a diploma is a beautiful plastic crust, indicating that a person has been doing something for 5 years, then in the Land of the Rising Sun a diploma is a pass to a brighter future.

Due to the aging of the nation, higher education institutions accept international students. Each gaijin (foreigner) has the opportunity to receive a scholarship if his knowledge in a certain area is high. But for this you need to know Japanese well, so there are special language schools in the country for foreign students. They also offer short-term Japanese language courses for tourists.

Studying in Japan is difficult but fun. After all, students have the opportunity to develop harmoniously, make decisions independently and decide their own future. So, education in Japan, interesting facts:

• In elementary school, students are not given homework.
• Primary and secondary education is compulsory and free in public institutions.
• To enter the school, you need to pass the exams, those who failed to pass can try their luck next year.
• Schoolgirls are not allowed to dye their hair, wear make-up or jewelry other than wristwatches. The appearance of students in schools is carefully monitored. Even socks can be taken away if they are not the right color.
• Schools do not have cleaners. Starting from elementary school, students themselves clean the classrooms and corridors after the end of classes.

• Also, each group of students in the class has its own responsibilities. There is a group that is responsible for cleaning the school grounds, organizing events, health care, etc.
• In schools, the composition of students often changes so that children learn to quickly join the team. In higher education institutions, groups are formed according to the chosen subjects for study.
• "The System of Lifetime Employment". Education in Japan is also significant in that many universities cooperate with high schools, accepting students with good grades. And above universities there are well-known companies that hire graduates. A Japanese who graduated from a university can be confident in future employment and career advancement. Many Japanese work their way up from junior employee to department/branch manager and retire with a sense of accomplishment to the country.
• Holidays last only 60 days a year.
• A unique uniform has been established in middle and high schools.
• Each academic year begins and ends with ceremonies to welcome newcomers and congratulate graduates.

Mugs and festivals

The development of education in Japan is rooted in ancient times. Already in the 6th century there was a national education system. The Japanese have always been supporters of early and harmonious development. This tradition continues today. In middle and high school, students are given the opportunity to attend hobby groups. Each circle has its own supervisor, but he interferes in the activities of the club only when there are competitions or creative competitions between schools, which happens quite often.

During the holidays, students attend excursions organized by the school. Trips are carried out not only within the country, but also abroad. After the trips, each class is obliged to provide a wall newspaper in which it will detail everything that happened on the trip.

In high school, special attention is paid to such an event as the autumn festival. For each class, the school allocates 30,000 yen and buys T-shirts. And students are required to come up with an event that will entertain guests. Most often, cafeterias, fear rooms are organized in the classrooms, creative teams can perform in the assembly hall, sports sections arrange small competitions.

A Japanese student has no time to wander the streets of the city in search of entertainment, he has enough of them at school. The government has done everything possible to protect the younger generation from the influence of the street, and this idea they did very well. Children are always busy, but they are not mindless robots - they are given the right to choose. Most school and university events are organized by students on their own, without the help of supervisors. They come into adulthood already fully prepared, and this is the main feature of education in Japan.

The Japanese "Soroban", or mental arithmetic, is a unique preschool development technique that teaches counting and helps develop a child's thinking.

Classes harmoniously develop both hemispheres of the brain, thanks to which even pronounced humanitarians “click” puzzles and equations in the blink of an eye.
The Soroban method got its name from the name of the Japanese account. This unusual device is rarely seen in our area. It is a "calculator" on which only one-to-one representation of numbers is possible. This avoids confusion, as in ordinary accounts.
Soroban has an odd number of needles arranged vertically, which represent one digit. Five bones are strung on each needle. The four tiles at the bottom are ones, and the top one is a five.

Advantages of the Soroban Method

Toddlers learn Japanese mechanical abacus very quickly. It should be noted that this device surprisingly affects the development of thinking in children.
1. Classes according to the Soraban method make the figurative right hemisphere of the brain solve mathematical problems. This allows you to use two hemispheres at the same time, which means that the brain works twice as efficiently when practicing mental mental counting.
2. People who have learned to count on the soroban can easily perform the most complex calculations in their minds in the shortest amount of time. Masters can do this easily without even having a soroban in front of their eyes. Even a child can add three-digit numbers in a couple of seconds at the beginning of learning. And with practice, they will learn to operate with numbers with five zeros.
3. Not only success in mathematics, but also in learning in general, is shown by children who master the method of mental counting. Teachers and psychologists note: "Soroban" improves the concentration and attention of the child, trains observation, memory and imagination, as well as creative, non-standard thinking of the baby. The child literally grasps information on the fly, analyzes it with ease.

Training in the method of oral counting

The subject of mental mathematics has even been introduced into the curriculum of elementary schools in Japan. Thanks to this technique, erudite children are annually among the winners of mathematical Olympiads. Also, educational programs using sorban are provided in China and Malaysia.
We also open schools for the study of Japanese oral counting. It is recommended to start training at the age of 4-11 years. It is during this period that the child’s brain is actively “gaining momentum” and developing. This means that it is quite easy to achieve active work of both hemispheres. In adulthood, mental arithmetic serves as a method for preventing atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's. But it is no longer possible to achieve such phenomenal results as the kids demonstrate.
Many parents worry that mixing regular and Japanese math can confuse their child and leave them behind the core curriculum in school. In fact, practice shows that children who previously did not have enough stars in the exact sciences showed good results after a couple of months of training and were ahead of their peers.
The Japanese method of oral counting "Soraban" is an original approach to learning, which is just beginning to develop in our country. This technique not only teaches kids instant addition and subtraction of numbers. Its main advantage is that it develops the mental abilities of the child, opening up new intellectual possibilities for him.
Katerina Vasilenkova

For most Russian mothers, the Shichida method is something unknown, in contrast to the methods of early development according to Doman, Montessori, Nikitin and others that are well-known among “advanced” parents. But this fact cannot detract from the merits of the Shichida method, which has become widespread throughout the world. It is not for nothing that in Japan (as well as in some other countries - Thailand, Singapore, the USA) there are already about 460 developing children's centers that are in great demand. Information about the methodology is just beginning to appear in Russia, but the “winning” of the respect of parents and teachers is taking place at a serious pace. And this despite the fact that there are no schools of development according to Shichida in our country yet, just as there is no more or less serious literature and Russian-language sites dedicated to this method of early development. Why is the Shichida method so captivating for young mothers?

Professor Makoto Shichida: "All children are born geniuses"

Makoto Shichida (Makoto Shichida, 1929-2009) - Japanese professor, doctorate in education, member of the International Academy of Education, adviser to the Japan Association for Mathematics. For a significant contribution to the study of the brain and its capabilities, Makoto Shichida was awarded the highest Honorary Prize of the World Scientific Council in 1997, and in 1998 - the World Peace Prize.

Shichida has dedicated his life to research and practice in the field of learning and education, writing over 100 books (some of which have been translated into English) and creating his own unique methodology for early childhood development. Makoto Shichida's website: shichida.co.jp

According to Makoto Shichida, children are born with genius and have unique abilities. The task of parents is not to let the baby “lose” the talents given by nature. Like many early childhood professionals, Shichida believes that all newborns have the same high potential. However, unlike, for example, Doman, Makoto Shichida argues that parents should not get involved in the academic education of the crumbs. The main thing is to provide the child with such conditions so that his brain develops as much as possible in them.

Right hemispheric development according to the method of Makoto Shichida

Modern preschool education is aimed at developing the left hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for logic and analytical thinking. The right hemisphere, associated with the unconscious, intuitive, is practically not given attention.

The main idea of ​​Shichida, which distinguishes his method from others, is the need to develop the right hemisphere of the brain. A Japanese professor speaks of the "high memory capacity" of the right hemisphere, which quickly processes and stores information in the form of images. Unlike the left hemisphere, which is something like random access memory (quickly “throws off” unnecessary), the right, by analogy, is a kind of unlimited hard drive, information on which is stored forever in the form of visual images. The left hemisphere develops through slow learning, with multiple repetitions. The right hemisphere, on the contrary, is associated with the subconscious and intuition, and information in it is absorbed very quickly.

For the normal functioning of the brain, a person, of course, needs both hemispheres. They work synchronously: the right one stores a huge amount of information, and the left one extracts, processes and uses it at the right moments.

Shichida claims that in children under 3 years old, it is the right hemisphere that dominates (they do not have developed analytical thinking and logic), and it is up to parents to create an environment around the child that will stimulate the right hemisphere development - the basis of future abilities. Moreover, the kids are very fond of and want to learn.

Already from the age of 3, the left hemisphere begins to manifest itself - the child develops logic and linguistic skills. By the age of 6, the child's brain is approximately 80% formed, and the left, logical hemisphere finally "subdues" the right one. Therefore, Shichida considers the age from six months to 6 years to be ideal for right hemispheric development.

Makoto Shichida says the following about the importance of developing the right brain at an early age:

“When a child is born, his right and left hemispheres are connected by several trillion temporary neural connections. If in the first three years of a child's life they are not used (not filled with information), then they simply disappear. This does not mean that after 3 and 33 years a person does not need to be dealt with, but the effect is reduced several times.

In Children of Geniuses, Shichida refers to the right hemisphere as the “image of the brain,” explaining that it is the right hemisphere that is responsible for photographic memory and the ability to dream. People with a well-developed right hemisphere of the brain, which means that they have a photographic memory, easily restore any picture they have ever seen in their memory. They write competently, have a huge store of knowledge, because they keep information from many books in their heads, have perfect pitch, and can see the problem from different angles. It is easy for such people to study; at school and university they do not have to do cramming. According to Makoto Shichida, “when the right and left hemispheres are well developed, the child will have a high level of potential, the child will be able to exceed all our expectations and show his greatest strengths. Such children quickly remember huge amounts of information and recall what they read or saw with accuracy, and all the information is understandable to them, and they are also able to improve their athletic abilities.

It seems like a miracle, doesn't it? However, many studies by Shichida show that flashing different images quickly has real developmental benefits for preschool children. In addition, according to research by scientists from Harvard University, outstanding people do have equally developed cerebral hemispheres.

Makoto Shichida Early Development Technique

In short, the Makoto Shichida system is based on the following basic principles:

• children are brilliant from birth;
• The LOVE of the parents for the child is the basis of education;
• in the development process, it is important to use all the baby's senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch);
• at an early age, it is necessary to pay maximum attention to the development of the right hemisphere of the brain, which dominates in children under 3 years old;
• The success of classes depends on their systematic and consistent nature.

Development according to Shichida is aimed at developing the capabilities of the right hemisphere: photographic memory, mathematical abilities, high speed information processing, visualization, foreign language learning abilities, musical abilities, intuition, extrasensory perception. Children who are developed in this way learn to use the right hemisphere consciously, and not at an unconscious level, as most adults do.

What are Shichida's cultivation methods?

1. Creating a warm, welcoming environment during class . In Shichida schools, classes with children are held in small groups - no more than 6 people, and with the obligatory presence of one of the parents of each child. The feeling of connection with mom or dad helps babies feel secure, makes them more confident, and stimulates brain activity. The Makoto Shichida Method emphasizes the importance of harmonious and loving relationships with children in relation to their mental development. Classes should be held in an atmosphere of relaxation, not pressure, so the time for them must be selected so that the child has a good mood.
2. The duration of classes at the Shichida school is no more than 50 minutes . But half an hour of practice a day Makoto Shichida considers necessary for the child's brain to reach its maximum potential.
3. Setting up for classes . As mentioned above, for the success of Shichida classes, it is important that the baby is in a good mood, and also not overexcited. Before starting the exercises, it is recommended to let the child listen to music with alpha waves, which activates the brain. What are alpha waves, or alpha signals? These are some vibrations on which intuition, telepathy and clairvoyance are based. Alpha waves are emitted by the brain during moments of relaxation and meditation. Shichida believes that children, unlike adults, can read alpha signals, and this ability needs to be developed. In terms of concrete examples, an example of music with alpha waves is the audio recordings of Ocean Waves by Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, Rest and Grounding by Kelly Howell. Also in the schools of Shichida, breathing exercises are practiced before performing the main tasks.
4. Dynamism and variety of forms of activities with the child . Shichida's technique covers a wide range of tasks - humanitarian, musical, mathematical, for the study of foreign languages, physical. And, of course, all tasks should be interesting for the child. Ideally, each Shichida method exercise takes 1-2 minutes (maximum 5 minutes). If the process is delayed, the child needs to be helped and continue to use simpler tasks.

The Shichida method includes the following games and exercises:

• games for the development of imagination (imagine yourself as someone else, make up a story);
• exercises for the development of the ESP function (clairvoyance, telepathy, psychometry, foresight);
• demonstration of flash cards for the development of photo memory;
• games with cards (develop memory, fantasy);
• games with tangrams, puzzles, constructors (develop imagination, creativity);
• mathematics (recognition of the number of dots on cards, familiarity with numbers);
• music and exercise;
• creative tasks (sculpting, drawing);
• reading of books.

1. No need to expect instant results . Parents should not require the child to reproduce the displayed images. Information in the process of training is deposited at a subconscious level and will be retrieved when it is really needed.

Parenting Principles by Makoto Shichida

Makoto Shichida advises parents to believe in the child and his potential, not to demand the impossible from him, not to compare with other children, to praise as often as possible and less often to point out shortcomings. Your child's academic success should not be the main value for you. Remember that all children are perfect from birth, and try to show love to the baby in all possible ways. By the way, when Professor Shichida once spoke with a group of children, he heard from them that their parents did not love them enough. So don't be so sure that your child is getting enough attention and love. Makoto Shichida's tips on how to show love to a child:

Strong 8 Second Hugs

After the baby has fulfilled your request or task, praise him: “Thank you very much, you helped me so much (so pleased me)! I love you very much!" and hug tightly. In 8 seconds of hugs, your love will reach the heart of a child, says Makoto Shichida. This method helps to cope with whims and bad behavior. Praise makes the baby more self-confident, motivates to do good deeds.

Listen carefully to the child

Many mothers try to talk more with the child, but it is important not only to talk yourself, but also to listen to the baby. One-sided conversations, especially in a didactic and moralistic way, make the child withdraw and feel unloved. Listen and try to LISTEN. The practice of the “echo method” works well in talking with children, in which an adult plays a passive role, repeating, like an echo, the child’s words, analyzing them and asking questions. For example: “Mom, I don’t want to go to kindergarten.” - “You don’t want to go to kindergarten ... What don’t you like there?”. - "Sasha offends me." “Sasha offends you. Why does he do that?"

Use the 5-minute setup method

This method is used when there is a need to correct any violations of the baby's behavior - thumb sucking, throwing toys, unwillingness to go to kindergarten, tantrums, etc. 5 minutes after falling asleep, when the child's consciousness is already asleep, the subconscious mind continues to be awake and respond to information coming from outside. At this time, you can effectively influence the subconscious of the baby directly, telling him in a whisper about what his behavior will become.

For example, a boy, 2 years old, sucks his thumb. Mom, 5 minutes after he falls asleep, begins to tell him the following: “Son, you are already so big, you are two years old. You are happy and calm, dad and I love you very much and always take care of you. You feel confident and loved. You don't have to suck your thumb. Now you will sleep soundly, sweet dream. You feel very good. Tomorrow you will wake up in a joyful mood, and we will play together.”

Makoto Shichida says in his book that all mothers whose children had some kind of behavioral disorder noticed improvements after using this technique. One child went to kindergarten without tears in three days, the other stopped sucking his thumb in less than a week.

Shichida technique: pros and cons

Shichida's development methods, on the one hand, are confirmed by many years of research by a Japanese professor and have some points of contact with other methods. On the other hand, any promises to develop extrasensory abilities, intuition and other "ephemeral" matters are often perceived as a deception. However, regardless of your position on the topic of clairvoyance, you should not deny the methodology of Professor Shichida.

The unambiguous advantages of the methodology are: emphasis on love and harmonious relations between parents and the child; the desire to fill the life of the baby with various and interesting tasks for him; the presence of a system that facilitates daily activities with the child; adults' lack of a goal to teach the baby to read and count as soon as possible, i.e. develop his academic skills.

The disadvantages of the method include the author's assumptions already mentioned above about the development of superpowers - not everyone likes them. However, it is this part of the Shichida technique that attracts someone. And exercises like the “Ball of Energy”, which seem too magical to some, can be compared with any other children's games, where the baby simply trains the imagination.

Some people in the methodology do not like the point about showing a huge number of cards, which must be constantly different. Indeed, if one follows Shichida's method thoroughly, printing out thousands of cards can be a problem. And displaying images on a computer is not very good for the baby's vision.

In any case, mothers who use the Shichida technique in classes with children speak of it with enthusiasm. They talk about the brilliant successes of their kids, who have a good memory, start talking early and master reading and counting with ease. Whether this can be considered a merit of the technique or the mothers themselves is hard to say. One thing is certain: communication with a child, games with him and classes will definitely not be in vain.

Directly about the classes themselves according to the Shichida method will be discussed in the next article -.

The Japanese have many features: they raise children differently than they do in Europe. It is quite possible that this fact makes Japan such a cool and successful country, which almost everyone dreams of visiting.

We talk about a unique education system from which we could learn a lot.

First manners, then knowledge

Japanese schoolchildren do not take exams until the 4th grade (when they are 10 years old), they only write small independent ones. It is believed that in the first three years of study, academic knowledge is not the most important thing. The emphasis is on education, children are taught respect for other people and animals, generosity, the ability to empathize, the search for truth, self-control and respect for nature.

The school year starts on April 1

When in most countries children finish their studies, the Japanese celebrate their September 1st. The beginning of the year coincides with one of the most beautiful events - cherry blossoms. So they tune in to a sublime and serious mood. The academic year consists of three trimesters: from April 1 to July 20, from September 1 to December 26 and from January 7 to March 25. Thus, the Japanese rest for 6 weeks during the summer holidays and 2 weeks each in winter and spring.

There are no cleaners in Japanese schools, the guys clean the rooms themselves

Each class takes turns cleaning classrooms, corridors and even toilets. So children from an early age learn to work in a team and help each other. In addition, after schoolchildren have spent so much time and labor cleaning up, they are unlikely to want to litter. This teaches them respect for their work, as well as the work of other people and respect for the environment.

Schools prepare only standardized lunches that children eat in class with other students.

In primary and secondary schools, special lunches are prepared for children, the menus of which are developed not only by chefs, but also by medical workers, so that the food is as healthy and healthy as possible. All classmates have lunch with the teacher in the office. In such an informal setting, they communicate more and build friendly relationships.

Continuing education is in high demand

Already in the elementary grades, children begin to attend private and preparatory schools in order to get into a good middle school, and then a high school. Classes in such places take place in the evenings, and in Japan it is very typical when at 21:00 public transport is filled with children who rush home after additional lessons. They study even on Sundays and holidays, given that the average school day lasts from 6 to 8 hours. Not surprisingly, according to statistics, there are almost no repeaters in Japan.

In addition to the usual lessons, schoolchildren are taught the art of Japanese calligraphy and poetry.

The principle of Japanese calligraphy, or shodo, is very simple: a bamboo brush is dipped in ink and hieroglyphs are drawn on rice paper with smooth strokes. In Japan, shodo is valued no less than ordinary painting. And haiku is a national form of poetry that succinctly presents nature and man as a whole. Both items reflect one of the principles of oriental aesthetics - the ratio of simple and elegant. Classes teach children to appreciate and respect their culture with its age-old traditions.

All students must wear a uniform

Starting from high school, every student is required to wear a uniform. Many schools have their own uniform, but traditionally for boys it is military-style clothes, and for girls - sailor suits. The rule is designed to discipline students, since the clothes themselves create a working mood. Also, the same uniform helps to rally classmates.

School attendance rate is 99.99%

It is difficult to imagine even one person who has never skipped classes at school, and here is a whole nation. Also, Japanese students are almost never late for classes. And 91% of schoolchildren always listen to the teacher. What other country can boast of such statistics?

The results of one final exam are everything

At the end of high school, students write one test that decides whether they will enter the university or not. A graduate can choose only one institution, and what it will be will determine the size of the future salary and the standard of living in general. At the same time, the competition is very high: 76% of graduates continue their education after school. That is why in Japan such an expression as "exam hell" is popular.

University years are the best holidays in life

It's no surprise that after years of non-stop preparation for admission and "exam hell", the Japanese want to take a short break. It so happened that it falls on the university years, which are considered the easiest and most carefree in the life of every Japanese. An excellent rest before work, which the Japanese were taught from childhood to approach not only with responsibility, but also with great love as their life's work.