Manga and Anime provide us with an image of Japan that is completely independent of our perceived view of the nation. Japan's pop culture has a strong focus on the creativity of the individual. Press on the manga picture to find out more about Manga. This topic is flexible, focus of study could look at Japanese art, Japanese gardens and things that are 'uniquely' Japanese. This topic investigates the link between education and working life.
Education plays an important role in the Japanese persons ability to gain a successful job.
The metaphor of the career escalator means that people get on at the bottom and slowly work their way to the top. In order to gain a good job the Japanese person must attend a good university, to attend a good university they must go to a good high school, to go to a good high school they must attend a good junior high school, to go to a good junior high they must attend a good primary school, to go to a good primary school they must attend a good kindergarten. From this cycle we can see that a strong emphasis is placed on education from an early age. Once employed in a good company the Japanese person makes a lifetime commitment as starting in a new company means starting from the bottom again. Here the focus is not only on religion in Japan but the role that it plays in everyday life.