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Nevertheless, when comparing the Japanese and American educational structures, and the cultures associated with each, it is interesting to see the many similarities and differences.  The levels of learning are similar in that students attend elementary, middle, and high school, although compulsory education is nine years (some students do not attend high school).  The school calendar begins in April and ends in late March, and is generally divided into three terms. Students in the first year of first year of each level refer to themselves as being in the first grade, and subsequent grade levels follow the same pattern.

The overriding factor in most Japanese students' lives in the exam, which determines admission to higher levels of learning.  The emphasis placed on this all-important entrance exam is considered by some to be bane of Japanese education, while others credit it as a reason for the signficance of education in Japanese culture.  To prepare for the exam, many students will attend juku, or cram school, extending the number of daily hours spent with academics.

It is also somewhat ironic to note that both systems have looked to each other as a model for reform.  While it is true that both systems could perhaps beneift from some type of restructuring, each has many advantages as well as obstacles.  What follows is a breakdown of the Japanese schools system, based largely on personal observation.
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At each level of schooling, students take courses in math, science, social studies (including Japanese history and world history), art (including calligraphy), reading, and the like.  A typical class is usually teacher-oriented, with lecture, homework review, reading from the text, and student response to teacher-posed questions.  Little discussion takes place, and students rarely ask questions.  At each school we visited (and at schools throughout Japan), students served each other lunch and ate in the classrooms with the teacher.  Following lunch, every student was involved with the cleaning of the entire school building, including windows, bathrooms, floors, and desks.  Needless to say, schools were extremely clean and void of graffiti.

Almost all students participated in club activities (which included sports such as baseball, soccer, kendo, and water polo, as well as cultural activities such as calligraphy and dance).  These pursuits were very much a part of the overall growth of the child.  The older students essentially ran the activity while the younger students deferred to them and modeled their behaviors.  At all levels of Japanese society, one’s status is of high significance and readily apparent to others.  This structure corresponds with the hierarchical nature of Japanese society as a whole, and similar conditions can be found in families and the business world.
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Many attribute the high scores attained by Japanese students to a straightforward, nationalized, and rather unbending curriculum.  While it is true that Japanese schools are often inflexible in teaching methodologies and maintenance of the status quo (and are increasingly criticized by many for being so), the classroom environment was not what I expected.  Many students held conversations while the teacher lectured (and it was almost always a lecture), and some students seemingly paid little or no attention to instruction.

The problem is apparently not isolated.  In a recent study, 37.4% of the teachers in one prefecture felt they faced some difficulties maintaining classroom control, and 11.3% stated that they knew some teachers who had quit because they could not run the classrooms the way they envisioned.  Such classroom behaviors are especially pronounced at the elementary school and junior high school, but taper off dramatically at the high school.  There are perhaps several reasons for this.

Teachers often to continue to teach regardless of any disturbances (including the presence of American educators), and it is possible that many felt no need to remind students of the importance of their education.  The burden of responsibility was focused much more on the student and his or her family.  To this end, high school students tend to be much more focused on their studies due to the imminent and fiercely competitive exam that all Japanese students must take to determine entrance into college.  The weight of this exam cannot be emphasized enough. 

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