Friday, November 13, 2009

Comparison between Japan and America in Education

Have you ever thought about the education in your country? Japan, which is my country, has some similarities and differences of the education from America. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast of the education between Japan and America. In order to understand the education between the two countries, it is useful to compare the system of the failure, school uniform, and entrance examination.

First of all, there is one difference from the system of the failure between Japan and America. America adopts the system of the failure from the elementary school. When the teacher decides that the student should take the grade again because of his or her inadequate understanding for the class, the student must take the same curriculum. On the other hand, Japan does not adopt the system from the elementary school. The system is used from the high school. In Japan, the compulsory education is from the elementary school to the junior high school. Inside the period, the system of failure is not applied. In the case of the failure in Japan, thirty percent is the deadline in each test. In the system of the failure of the two countries, the primary education and the secondary education are completely different. However, from the higher education, the system is the same.

Second comparison is the school uniform. In Japan, almost all students wear the school uniform every day from the elementary school to the high school. It is good for students themselves because they do not need to worry about their cloths every day. Their parents also do not care about the cost of the cloths. In contrast, almost all students in America do not wear the school uniform. Some private schools adopt the school uniform, but it is rare to see the uniform in America. As for the school uniform, there is no similarity.

Third, there are the difference and similarity in the entrance examination. In Japan, a lot of universities depend on the written test to measure the students’ academic ability. On the other hand, in America, many universities make a point of the students’ character. The essay is one of the good ways to make students express their own opinions. Although Japanese universities adopt the written test in the entrance examination, many high schools use the creative tests in the entrance examination to measure the students’ character. One of the good examples is the interview. Interviewer can know their character soon. Similarly, American schools use the telephone interview. In the entrance examination, there are the same ways and difference ways in the two countries.

In conclusion, it is useful to compare the educational system of the failure, school uniform, and entrance examination to understand the education between Japan and America. I think it is the best way to share the good points in each country to improve the level and quality of the education.

Friday, November 6, 2009

The Holiday for Children

The Holiday for Children

Are there any holidays for children in your country? In Japan, there is one holiday for children called “Children’s Day” or Kodomono-hi in Japanese on May fifth every year. You must know the reason why people celebrate the day and the way they celebrate to understand the holiday.
First, the reason why people in Japan celebrate the children’s day is to wish the children’s success and health. In Japan, the children are very important for their parents or a family because the children have the role to maintain the house in the future. It is impossible to retain the family without the children.
Second, how Japanese people celebrate the day depends on each family but almost all families hold a party for their children and spend the day together. In recent years, both father and mother tend to work and the frequency to go out is increasing. Children do not have enough time to talk with their parents. It is the good opportunity for children to talk with their parents. In front of the house, parents display three to five flag of carps called koinobori in Japanese. They are used to wish the children’s success and health. The custom has been kept since 1948. Japanese people have been keeping the day as one of the most important day in Japan.
In conclusion, as you see the reason and ways to celebrate the children’s day, you found that the day is very important for people in Japan and should continue it forever. It is also important for you to know the role of children in Japan to understand the day.