A Social Model

This weekend we had the annual 'Culture Day'.  (School Fete/School Concert).  Displaying all The Arts, music, drama, song etc.

Now to preface the actual event, it's worth explaining how Japan currently runs most of it's schools on a 'social' based model, in comparison to western societies which run on an 'individualism' model.  What this means is that any activities and any school-related events are usually designed around, and encourage social unity.  They encourage the group as opposed to the individual.

At first year of Junior High School, every student must join a club or sport.  These clubs are run nearly every day after school meaning students are often at school until 6 or 7pm; on Saturdays and Sundays too.  The idea being that it is not school work, but rather team work.  Each team member must struggle through together.  Tests and exams are seemingly intentionally stressful, which students seem to rally together to help eachother out and get through it together.
Cleaning the school every afternoon instead of cleaners.  School wide songs or  class wide projects.  They're all there to get the students working together rather than on their own.

Whether by coincidence, or by design, it is really amazing how these students form such close bonds with each other.  They go through so much together and experience so much together that all but the most alienated of students form close knit friendships and it really is incredible to see how it progresses throughout the year.  If there is anything at all that I wish would have been different in my life so far, it would have been having a much more socially orientated school life.  Whether by chance, or by design, these students all experience hardships together and evolve into young adults together.

Both the Individualism and the Socialism ideologies have their strengths and weaknesses, and to be honest, I don't know if you could culturally bring many of these features into a western school system.  (Try getting Australian teenagers to sing pfft yeah right).  But it has been a beautiful thing to witness and articulates a source of how Japan's society runs as a whole.

Here are some pictures of the school 'Culture Day'.  These students have trained for months every day and on weekends.  The quality of their performances could easily match what you'd go and pay to see.  Truly astonishing.





The huge backdrop is made out of folded origami flowers.



Each year level sang a song together as part of a chorus competition.







School rock band.







The school orchestra was incredibly talented.



Each homeroom class also had to sing a song as part of the chorus competition.  Some classes were fantastic while others were a bit out of tune but every class had their fingers and toes crossed when the competition results were announced.  They worked hard!





Here's a video of some of the music they played and sung.

Just a few random pics

It's a strange thing living in a different country.  Some days are lame and you miss things from home.  Other days you see a strange cultural quirk, some funny signs or you just look out your window and realize how awesome it is to be where you are.  Here are a handful of pictures of Fuji I've taken over the past year, especially recently as the clouds start dispersing with the cooler autumn weather.

The most photographed natural feature in the world certainly does have a photogenic streak.

Kozu Island Getaway!

The hospitality of the Japanese people is a bit strange.  It's in some ways it is very superficial.  A person will be very friendly and agree to everything you say, only to actually not like you and disagree with everything you said.  It's a culture where there is an 'expected' level of politeness, and it makes it extremely difficult to get to know Japanese people, especially if you can't speak the language.  Being in a small town, it's been difficult to find people that speak english, let alone around my age.  So I've had to outsource.  I've joined a gaijin (foreigner) group based in Tokyo.  They're a snow club but during the rest of the year they do other random outdoor/exploration stuff.

This weekend was the first activity I joined in on.  We basically caught an overnight ferry to one of the islands way off Tokyo.  Pictures will inevitably explain the island more than words will so I'll  stop typing soon, but it's worth mentioning that I met some cool people! I met a graphic designer so I got to ask some questions about my career direction, got some new contacts in Tokyo to visit, and by pure chance, met an American guy who works at the Naval base here in Gotemba! He is in the same position where there was nothing to do in Gotemba so joined the Tokyo Snow Club!

I've sort of hesitated to join 'Gaijin' clubs as of yet, as I really wanted to try make it work with some Japanese people.  I don't know if I have 'failed' in that goal, but merely just met unexpected obstacles in cultural and language barriers along with a town non-conducive to it.  In hindsight I probably could have joined something like this a bit earlier, but no regrets.  If anything, it just highlights to me how that each decision you make is inevitably right for the time that you make it.  Things may change, and you just need to make new decisions as they do.

Enjoy the pics!