You heard correctly, all you kids out there wishing with all
your might to be an adult! All you have to do to make all of your dreams come
true is either go back in time to make Japan your country of birth or convince
your parents to uproot the family and move to the island nation.
Kids here have no free time. I don’t mean it in the way that
whiny spoiled American kids say “wah, wah, we have to do homework for 30
minutes tops after getting home at 3:30 from school.” No. By no free time I
mean just that. No. Free. Time. Kids here arrive at school around 7:15 or 7:30,
usually after walking about 20 to 30 minutes to get here. Classes go from
8:50-12:40 and then comes lunch which sounds as though it would be relaxing but the kids have to serve lunch to all of their fellow classmates which takes about ten minutes, leaving about ten minutes to shovel down the food before cleaning time. Yes, as if a dictator-like education system weren't bad enough, the kids are forced to clean the entire school for 30 minutes. Afterwards, classes resume until 3:30 when mandatory clubs begin. Every student must participate in brass band, art club, track and field, basketball, badminton, soccer, or more than one.
After the clubs finish at 6:30 PM, the kids go home, usually on foot or via bicycle which takes approximately 20-30 minutes, they shovel down dinner, then do homework and go to bed. It would be even slightly more understandable that they live this way if they had a weekend to look forward to. Not the case. Kids have to sacrifice their SATURDAYS to attend their club activities at school. Seriously.
A substantial number of the students have grey hair at the ripe young age of 12. That is terrifying, and either caused by their extreme, off-the-charts stress levels or from the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster. Who knows. Either way, I pity those children.
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| What every kid in Japan is probably thinking,,, |
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