Estimated three thousand Japanese high school students enrolled in universities abroad in 2011

"According to an estimate by Benesse Corp., which offers correspondence courses, about 3,000 Japanese high school students enrolled in universities abroad in 2011. "

Source:School, government encouraging teens to study abroad

June 11, 2013

By MAYUMI UJIOKA

The Asahi Shimbun

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201306110010

What are the impressions of a Japanese student foreign exchange in the USA?

"“Candy is too sweet. Water tastes different,” Tanabe said. “I've gained 20 pounds since I came here.”.What's his favorite food? “I like ribs. We don't have such big beef (in Japan) like ribs,” he said, motioning with his hands that servings of meat are typically smaller in his hometown."

Source: Japanese student tastes American life, Mount Pleasant style

Monday, May 20, 2013

Byy Tyler Heffernan

Moultrie News

http://www.moultrienews.com/article/20130520/MN06/130529997/1007/japanese-student-tastes-american-life-mount-pleasant-style

Video: Healthy lunches for Japanese children served at school and eaten with teacher in the classroom

Source: Healthy lunches for Japanese kids
By Lucy Craft
CBS News
May 18, 2013 7:45 AM


While American kids often leave the healthy option, nutritious lunches aren't just a goal for Japanese kids-- they're required.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50147102n

The number of Japanese students studying abroad peaked in 2004 at 82,945

Picture: Japanese students

"The number of Japanese studying abroad hit its peak in 2004 with 82,945 students, but dropped to 58,060 by 2010."

Source: Forum stresses career benefits of study abroad

BY KAZUAKI NAGATA

August 28th 2013

Japan Times

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/08/28/national/forum-stresses-career-benefits-of-study-abroad/#.Uh5UQBswf9g

Video: Akaboshi - Japanese movie by Ryohei Yoshino

"The story concerns a mother (Park) who is distraught at the disappearance of her husband. On the verge of a total breakdown she is discovered by a cult and they take her and her son Tamotsu (Aren) into their fold. The story examines a woman falling deep into a cult’s world-view, how the cult uses children to proselytize (there is also a teenage girl named Kanon, played by actress Vlada, in the cult) and the effect it has on the relationship between mother and child. While examining the mother-and-son dynamic, the film also sheds light on how children can be pushed into adult roles in Japanese society." 

 Source:eiga

 Akaboshi 

Extraordinarily performed tale of a cult 

By: Rob Schwartz 

 Jul 30, 2013 Issue: 1010 http://metropolis.co.jp/movies/eiga/akaboshi/

Preview 1 - Japanese language

Video: 映画『あかぼし』予告編

Source: あかぼし 映画

You Tube Channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jin9kxQ3rqw

Preview 2 - Japanese language

Video: 映画『あかぼし』特報

Source: あかぼし 映画

You Tube Channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7mmU4iWXYk

Education Ministry Japan looks to speed up new anti-bullying legislation

"A (Education) ministry spokesperson added that it is attempting to expedite enactment of the new legislation after it learned that 144,000 cases of bullying were reported between April and October last year."

Source:

Education ministry expediting enactment of anti-bullying legislation

August 15th 2013

Japan Today

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/education-ministry-expediting-enactment-of-anti-bullying-legislation

What does the word amaenbo mean in Japanese?

"an amaenbō (甘えん坊) is someone who relies too much on someone else. It’s usually used to refer to a spoiled child, but an adult can be an amaenbō too, like a man who has to have his tie straightened out for him every morning by his wife, or a girl who expects her boyfriend to pay for every meal and give her lots of gifts."

Source:The bittersweet taste of Japanese words

BY MAKIKO ITOH

Japan Times

August 27th 2012

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2012/08/27/language/the-bittersweet-taste-of-japanese-words/#.UggdupIwdFs

Powerful book by Japanese schoolboy Naoki Higashida explores autism from the patients perspective

"Because he is severely autistic, Naoki cannot speak or write. When he was 13, he was ''locked in'', lonely and frustrated. But then his teacher gave him an alphabet grid that allowed Naoki a voice. He then proceeded to reach out to those around him, structuring a book cast in the form of questions and answers. "

Source: The Reason I Jump

August 10, 2013

Reviewed by Dianne Dempsey

THE AGE

http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/books/the-reason-i-jump-20130808-2rj2w.html

Survey suggests an estimated 10 percent of high school students in Japan addicted to the Internet

"(Survey).. the ministry said that 5.9% of junior high school students and 9.4% of high school students are “dependent” on the Internet almost to the point of addiction. "

Source: 

10% of all high school students can't live without Internet: survey

August 3rd 2013

Japan Today

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/10-of-all-high-school-students-cant-live-without-internet-survey

Video: JapaneseCustomer.com

Video: JapaneseCustomer.com 

 Source: JapaneseCustomer.com 

You Tube Channel 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMnOfRiJQsY

OECD urges Japan to reduce the gap in employment protection between regular and nonregular workers

"Pointing out that many Japanese women tend to return to jobs as nonregular workers after quitting their previous regular positions due to reasons that include childbirth, the OECD urged Japan to reduce the gap in employment protection between regular and nonregular workers."

Source:

OECD urges Japan to raise female employment

July 17th 2013

Japan Times

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/07/17/national/oecd-urges-japan-to-raise-female-employment/

Low number of nursery teachers in Japan may be because of low pay

"One factor behind the lack of nursery teachers is the low salaries they earn. Nursery teachers make an average of 214,000 yen a month, 100,000 yen less than the average salary for all occupations. As a result, many qualified people do not work at day care centers, or quit after a short period of time."

Source: 

Local govts tackle day care waiting list

July 30th 2013

Daily Yomiuri

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000417899

What are the differences teaching Japanese and American kids basketball?

"(Jo) Kurino, who trains Japanese students, from elementary to high school in northern Japan said that there was a distinct difference in terms of teaching Japanese vs. American kids......Japanese are relatively controlled and reserved and I think they are highly disciplined but in hindsight sometimes I think that they should have more fun. Of course when you’re dealing with American kids they are very energetic and enthusiastic; they want to make body contact with you so there is a lot of difference in that.”

Source:Japanese basketball players conduct clinic for local youth

July 19th 2013

DVIDSHUB

http://www.dvidshub.net/news/110444/japanese-basketball-players-conduct-clinic-local-youth#ixzz2ZWz9itVx

Why study Japanese?, survey reveals some interesting insights

"The main reasons students gave for studying Japanese reveal continued interest in Japan. Most students were studying Japanese because of popular culture. Anime, manga and history, it was reported, are attracting ever more students to work on what is one of the world’s most challenging languages."

Source: 

More people studying Japanese

July 13th 2013

Editorial

Japan Times

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2013/07/13/editorials/more-people-studying-japanese/#.UeHS4kEwdFs

Number of Japanese students taking IELTS english test doubles in past year to 20,000 per year

"The number of people taking the International English Language Testing System exam, an English proficiency test used by many foreign universities to assess overseas applicants, reached 20,000 in Japan last fiscal year, a nearly twofold increase in two years, according to a report recently published by the Eiken Foundation of Japan."

Source: Takers of IELTS English test double in 2 years

July 11th 2013

Daily Yomiuri Shimbun

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000344320

Japan has higher than OECD average of adult with a tertiary education at 46 percent of 25 to 64 year olds

Picture: Japanese students

"Japan...has a highly educated adult population, with 46% of 25-64 year-olds having attained a tertiary education in 2011, up from 34% of 25-64 year-olds in 2000. This proportion is much larger than the OECD average (32%) and the third largest among OECD countries after Canada and Israel " 

Source: Education at a Glance, OECD, 2013, Japan Section

http://www.oecd.org/edu/Japan_EAG2013%20Country%20Note.pdf, page 4

Survey finds that 55 percent of Japanese college students would like to study abroad but feel it is too late

Picture: Japanese keyboard

"A survey by a Tokyo-based cram-school operator found that 55 percent of college students would like to study abroad but feel that it’s “too late… to deal with a globalizing world.”

Source: The Incredible Shrinking Japan, and other sideshow acts

Jul 3, 2013,

Issue: 1006

The Small Print

http://metropolis.co.jp/features/the-small-print/july-3-2013-2/

Modern Japanese language is a mixture of kanji, hiragana, katakana and romaji

"Japan imported kanji some time during the first millennium to use as a writing system, despite there being no linguistic link between Japanese and Chinese. By around the eighth to ninth centuries, it had developed the hiragana syllabary, a system of consonant and vowel blends...Modern-day Japanese is a mixture of kanji, hiragana and katakana, with an increasing amount of Western script also thrown in, known as romaji, or Roman letters."

Source: 

For kanji, ancient writing collides with digital era

BY MIWA SUZUKI

July 3rd 2013

Japan Times

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/07/03/national/for-kanji-ancient-writing-collides-with-digital-era/#.UdTpevkwdFs

Public high schools in Japan must get approval from local boards of education before using textbooks

"Public high schools (in Japan) normally select the textbooks they wish to use and ask their local board of education for approval. But if the board withholds consent, the schools cannot use them,"

Source: 

Texts that say teachers told to obey axed

June 28th 2013

Japan Times

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/28/national/texts-that-say-teachers-told-to-obey-axed/#at_pco=cfd-1.0

Studying abroad still difficult for Japanese students as academic year not aligned globally

Picture: Japanese students

"The Japanese educational system should integrate with the world, but also it needs to have its internal barriers removed so that students can really learn, both here and abroad."

Source: Internationalizing university terms

June 30th 2013

Japan Times

Editorial

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2013/06/30/editorials/internationalizing-university-terms/#.Uc9MD_kwdFs