School lunch

Almost all elementary school has a time for school lunch(kyushoku).Generally after finishing 4th period children work in cooperation and set the tables.There are about 6~8 children who lead this setting.They are called "kyushokutoban".Children take this part in turn.

School lunch in Japan is based on an idea called "shokuiku"(education of food or eating itself) a lot. The menu  is planned by dieticians.So school lunch is very norishing,well-balanced,and of course delicious.And more importantly, children eat with their freinds and their teacher and talk each other a lot.They spend good time and learn joy for eating.

The menu changes every day,and usually it is reguralated on day of the week what carbohydrate is served as a staple food.For example,rice on Tuesdays and Thursdays,noodles on Mondays,and bread on Wednesdays and Fridays.I would often be looking forward to the 1st Monday of each month ,because oyakoudon is served  in my school.

Elementary schools in Tsukuba

In Tsukuba there are 37 erementaly schools. Each school has so many children.May be each school has deferrent characters depending on its location .I want to visit as many schools as possible.Is there any good chances? If you know,please tell me! Or if you have any idea like "I like this school most" or "I think this school is my favorite place",I would like you to tell me.
To tell the truth,this is the reason I make this blog on this topic...

School events

Children experience many events through the year spending  in elementary school .I think school events help children develope themselves.Through each school event they learn friendship,effort,patience,joy of accomplishment and so on.Teachers often make children practice hard for the performance.They coarch them very seriously and almost angrily.But when they see children get through the performance  their faces are filled with smile or sometimes tears of joy.For parents,school events are enjoyable and moving too.They praise their children for their wonderful performances after they come back home.So,for the children every school event becomes an important part of their elementary school memory.

Subjects learned in elementary schools

Children learn many subjects in elementary school : national leanguage,mathematics,PE,music,etc. After becoming third grade,they come to learn science and social science.National leanguage,mathematics,science and social science are regarded very important and called "main subjects". But many children prefer practical subjects like PE,music,art, home economics etc to "main subjects".
In higher grades, English is also learned. But it is after entering junior high schools that they take English seriously as a subject.

Compared to junior high school

After graduating elementary school, children enter a junior high school. It is also compulsory education in Japan.

In junior high school, many things are different from that of elementary school. So some children suffer from the gap. It is called "中一(first year of the junior high school) ギャップ(gap)".
I show you some example of the gap. For one thing, there is a change about their teachers. In junior high school they have teachers who take charge of each subject while homeroom teacher teaches almost all subjects in elementary school. Another big change is introduction of  English as a subject. Club activity is also a new thing. Furthermore,they will encounter many changes.

Compared to kindergerten or nursery school

Most children in Japan enter the kindergerten(yochien,幼稚園)  or nursery school(hoikuen,保育園) before entering elementary schools.

Childrens spend their time in there playing with their teacher and friends rather than studying like in elementary school.

History about elementary school in Japan

Elementary school education is compulsory education in Japan. Children aged 6-12 enter the school.　More than 99% of  elementary school-age children are enrolled in school.  Sarting school is considered a very important event in a child's life.

In the Edo periodo,some children attended schools called terakoya,where children learnt  practical  methods of reading, writing, and calculation.This is a model of elementary school system.
In 1886, the modern elementary school system started as compulsory education. Until 1947, only elementary schools were compulsory. Immediately before and during World War II, state education was used as a propaganda tool by the Japanese fascist government.