From: tanaka@til.til.com (Yokichi Tanaka)
Subject: Re: High School in Japan
Organization: Togai InfraLogic, Inc.
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 19:54:21 GMT

In article <92353.32016.J105270@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM>, J105270@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM writes:
|> Instead of e-mailing, pls consider a post or two explaining why not impressed.
|> Comparison of subject matter? Subject proficiency?
|> 
|> Probably more than a few of us are interested.
|>
|>      I attended a Japanese high school for a year.  I wasn't impressed.
|>

I have never attended a Japanese high school in Japan, but I attended
Asahi Gakuen in LA on Saturdays until "kou-2" (2nd year high school).

I couldn't comment on other aspects of a Japanese high-school, but I 
can comment some on the subjects and the entrance exams.  By the way,
from my class of about 20, 2 got into Tokyo U, 4 into Keiou, 3 into
Waseda, others into Tsukuba, Jouchi, ICU, Kansei Gakuin.  I'm sure some
got the "kikoku-shijo" (returning citizens) treatment, but others
didn't.  (And, you know Toudai doesn't do kikoku-shijo.)

I was born in August so I was 1/2 year ahead in my American school than
my Japanese school.  I also went to a good American public school ...
out of 400, 2 went to Harvard, 2 were accepted to MIT (myself being one),
1 to CalTech, 4 to Stanford, many to UC schools including Berkeley, etc.
(Remember, we're talking a public school, here.)

Math and sciences.  Japanese curriculum tends to emphasize solving 
problems than the concepts.  For example, in calculus, here you take
a pre-calculus course which emphasizes the meaning of differentiating
(slope) and integrating (area), using "limit as delta x approaches 0"
type stuff.  In Japan, you dive quickly into derivative of x**n is
n*(x**(n-1)).  You're learning how to manipulate to get the right
answer without fully grasping what you're doing.  Same applies for
integration, trigonometry, and physics.  In trig, here in the US
(or LA, at least), you spend hours with the unit circle.  So even,
years down the road, you can figure out sin, cos by reverting back
to the unit circle.  In Japan, you jump right into "right triangles"
and diddle with "opposite over hypotenuse", etc.  So while, every
Japanese high-school graduate gets through calculus, not many will
remember or really understand it past their entrance exams.

Chemistry and biology are more similar; although, again concept is
stressed more in US (LA) than in Japan.  Biology in Japan is almost
pure memorization.

It seems in all these courses, the American method built a foundation
that allowed me to learn more advanced concepts with little difficulty.

"Kokugo" (Japanese) is taught fairly similar to English here.  Again,
though, the text is followed more strictly, and there is little outside
reading, since the text contains excerpts from Japanese classics, as
well as Shakespeare, etc.  We didn't have to read the Grapes of Wrath,
or the Jungle, or the Catcher In the Rye, and debate and think
critically.  This could be different in a Japanese school in Japan,
but as the numbers show have little bearing on which schools you get
into.

Social studies is split into history, geography, and "koumin"
(laws and government).  It's pretty much a waste of time just like
here. :-)  Seriously, history is more interesting here, since
1) the truth is taught here :-), 2) again, it's more thought 
provoking.  Shoot I remember having to read a little DeToqueville
(sp?) here for US history!  In Japan, since the history stretches
over thousands of years, material covered tends to be shallow.
Lots of memorizations of useless dates, eras, etc.  I feel modern
history can be more enlightening and thought provoking due to its
similarities with the present, but Japanese text flies through
that ... perhaps to bury the ugly era of Japan.  I think teaching
Japanese pre-WWII atrocities and making students debate and think
would be wonderful, but that part (of history) is totally glossed
over.  (Pisses me off.)  Koumin is marginally interesting, since
it deals with government and law, but again here is an interesting
subject matter whose surface is only scratched by the Japanese
education system.

Emphasis in "eigo" (English) is mostly on writing and reading.  Less
so on speaking and hearing.  I don't know if it's by design, but
this works out well for them, since it's easier to test writing 
and reading skills, and since there is a lack of qualified teachers
who can teach "eikaiwa" (spoken English).

In addition, there is "kobun" (old Japanese), "kanbun" (Chinese),
"rinri" (??), "keizai" (economics), "seiyoushi" (Western history),
etc.

Unlike here, where during one semester students take about 6
classes and have the same classes every day, students in Japan
take many more classes, but fewer hours per week on many of them.

But with all this schooling, there really is no area for developing
critical thinking or awareness/interest in surrounding issues. :-(

The basic difference is that in the US, the aim is to teach students
how to think.  In Japan, one of the major aim is "kyoutsuu-ichiji"
(standarized testing) and the entrance exams.  Kyoutsuu-ichiji is
quite interesting.  In general, the math and science sections are
more difficult than its SAT and Achievement Test counterparts
here.  But when the curriculum is geared towards it, you can
become good at solving these problems.  The English section is
quite hideous.  It's convoluted, difficult, unnatural, and even
contain errors!

Anyway, I always feel that my US school taught me how to think,
and that my Japaneses school taught me how to be clever.  I value
the former trait more.

(What do you think Mr. Hawley?)

Post Script

I do have to admit that I did attend a really good (IMO) public
school in the US, so my evaluation of US schools may be inflated.
At my school I was allowed (with some others) to take pre-calc
as a sophomore, calculus as a junior, group theory as a senior.
I had 4 years of science (2 yrs of biology including organic chemistry).
I had to read quite a few Shakespeare plays, Hemingway, Fitzgerald,
Salinger, etc.  This was a while back ... maybe things have changed here.

-- 
Yoke Tanaka             Togai InfraLogic, Inc.             "fuzzy"
714-975-8522            5 Vanderbilt
tanaka@til.com          Irvine, California, USA

"A plate of shrimp."