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Japan |
Welcome to my Japanese website!
In November of 2004, I was honored with a trip to Japan sponsored by the
Fulbright Memorial Teacher's Fund through the Japanese government. It was
an exciting three weeks of travel with other American educators to study and
better understand the Japanese people, culture, and educational system.
Although my main focus was to
study the educational system of Japan, the trip was filled with exciting
opportunities to learn what life was like outside of the United States including
the culture, traditions, and schools. As can be seen from the pictures and
descriptions below, Japan is a traditional country where beauty can be seen in
age old traditions involving respect, courtesy, and honor. Japan is filled with a long cultural history that can be
seen in the Japanese people today--whether in the temples and shrines that
abound or the daily school life where customs still prevail in how students
treat each other with respect and 'oneness'.
Tradition
is seen everywhere in Japan. In the Nara prefecture of 400,000
people, a walking tour was available which listed a shrine or temple every seven
or eight minutes along a specific route throughout the city. Buddhist and
Shinto statues, monuments, and worship areas are seen side by side with the day
to day businesses that line the small and narrow streets. On special
occasions, kimonos and holiday attire can be seen intermixed with the business
suits and school uniforms of the students. Sumo wrestling (although very
expensive and therefore not accessible to the average worker) can be seen in
stadiums or on TV. Sushi and noodle bars are standard fare along with the
box lunches students bring to school. And art work is abundant in
calligraphy, stencils, sewing, crafts, painting, and traditional flower
arranging displays.
But Japan is also in the midst of change. The traditions still exist and make the Japanese people what they are today but the outside world is creeping into a land where tradition has ruled for centuries. These outside world influences are causing the Japanese people to adjust to a global world where competition to succeed is tremendous. Although the Japanese economy has recently shown an upswing, for many years, times were hard as many jobs were eliminated and the unemployment rates rose. Businesses competed for workers and, instead of being trained and working for the same company for lifetimes, many workers lost their jobs and/or had to find new jobs in a tight economy resulting in a loss of loyalty that was so important. These changes have encouraged more and more women to take jobs or start their own businesses to help support their families.
And schools are not exempt from the change. Japanese students are adapting to a technology world that their parents did not have as youth. Students have access to American movies, music, and books that are causing them to grow up in a global society that compete with the traditions of their parents. The business world and the Japanese Ministry of Education are helping to push the changes in their youth as they encourage students to learn problem solving skills rather than rote memorization that will be an asset when it comes to hiring new employees. Students learn English in school starting in fourth grade because that is the Japanese 'business' world language. And, to take some of the intense pressure to succeed, Saturday school was eliminated even though most students go to Cram School at night for tutoring to pass their elementary and middle school exams.
But the philosophical problem
arises for educators when student mathematical test scores start to fall
from third in the world to fourth or fifth. Traditional educators, many of
whom have taught by lecturing classes of 40 or more students at a time, are
questioning whether the new problem solving approaches are actually better in
the long run than rote memorization. In a competitive world market, how
should students be taught so that Japan can maintain its place in a global
market and move forward with more jobs and an economic upswing? What
happens when students who, traditionally, respected their teachers and peers are
starting to act out or be truant from school? These are tough questions
that adults in all worlds must deal with for each and every generation as the
world moves on beyond what we ourselves experienced. Time will tell what
Japanese schools become as they struggle to figure out what is best for teaching
students and how to get the best quality education possible.
So, trying to develop a website to
share my experiences is not an easy task. Visitors must understand that
the culture and where the Japanese people came from in the past has a direct
bearing on what they are today as a people. But societies do change and,
as such, Japan should be studied from a global changing society that is adapting
quickly to a world connected by television, cell phones, and technology.
Tradition or a changing world? Sushi or McDonalds? When it comes
right down to it, there may not be the opportunity for a choice but instead a
blending of two worlds that will be different in the future.
But, I am wandering on philosophical thoughts. Instead, enjoy the pictures and descriptions. I hope that you are able to better understand more about the wonderful Japanese people, culture, and land that has so much to offer visitors... And, once again, my thanks to the Japanese government for sponsoring me on the trip!
Kenneth Jantz
kjantz@usd259.net
Wichita Public Schools
Wichita, Kansas 67201
Visit Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet K-8 School where I am principal.
| People | Tradition | Business | School |
Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program