All Japanese schoolchildren, except the youngest, are required to wear a uniform. Moreover, each school has its own uniform. But in reality there are not so many options: for girls it is either an English-style suit with a checkered skirt, or just a plain skirt, as well as white blouses, sweaters, ties or bows on the neck, or another, also very popular, sailor style .
In Japan, school uniforms appeared at the end of the 19th century. Nowadays, most private and public schools have school uniforms. The Japanese word for uniform is seifuku or sailor fuku (sailor suit) .
In primary schools, uniforms are most often optional. Where it is, boys usually wear white shirts, short white, dark blue or black shorts and caps. For girls, a school suit may consist of a long gray skirt and a white blouse. Dress code may vary depending on the season. Bright headdresses are common among both boys and girls.
Boys wear gakuran - trousers (or shorts) and a dark-colored jacket with a stand-up collar. The girls' uniform in most schools is called "sailor fuku" and resembles a sailor's costume. This is a shirt and a skirt. The women's uniform also includes socks, a jacket, a scarf and even underwear.
There are certain rules regarding form. For example, boys must wear shorts both in winter and summer, until the seventh grade, when they are given trousers. Girls walk around with bare legs all year round, and they are required to come to meetings with the school director, which is held three times a week, in a jacket, even if it is hot outside.
The uniform usually comes with large bags or briefcases that are the same for everyone. So, Japanese schoolgirls can only stand out with accessories, which is why the fashion of hanging all sorts of baubles on bags, mobile phones and clothes came from Japan.
With the uniform you are allowed to wear only low-heeled shoes and socks that are almost knee-length. By the way, to make long socks look “down” but still stay on your feet, they are glued to your feet with special glue. This “sock glue” is very popular among schoolgirls. The only disadvantage of the glue effect is that when moving, the socks can come off and move, so girls carry glue in their bags just in case.
So, Japanese school uniforms in middle and high schools traditionally consist of military-style uniforms for boys and sailor uniforms for girls. This uniform is based on military clothing from the Meiji period, modeled on European naval uniforms. At the same time, many schools are switching to school uniforms similar to the Western ones worn in parish schools. It includes a white shirt, tie, sweater with the school crest and trousers for boys and white blouses, ties, sweaters with the school crest and plaid woolen skirts for girls.
Sex and marriage laws
According to Chapter XXII, Article 177 of the Japanese penitentiary system, anyone who has sex with a woman under thirteen years of age commits a criminal offense, which is considered rape, and the penalty is a minimum of three years' imprisonment with forced labor. However, according to the Child Welfare Law, Chapter II, Article 34, Section 6 states that “no one shall commit fornication with children.” At the same time, the word “fornication” is interpreted as sexual acts, and “children” refers to persons under 18 years of age. The penalty in this case is not specified.
Although thirteen-year-old boys reach the age of consent in Japan, they are not eligible to marry until they are 18 years old. Girls can get married from the age of 16. At the same time, persons under 20 years of age, considered the age of majority in Japan, cannot marry without parental consent.
“Children clean the school themselves and wear a T-shirt outside in winter” - how schools are organized in Japan
Yulia Lamazhapova, 33 years old, hometown - Irkutsk, blogger
@julia_japan_beauty
I'm a journalist by profession, so when I moved to Japan, I started blogging
. Then she opened a store of Japanese cosmetics and vitamins. My husband is a Japanese translator. We have two children and live in the port city of Toyama. Our daughter Ksyusha goes to the second grade of elementary school.
The Japanese school consists of 3 levels: junior 1-6 grades, middle 7-9 grades and senior 10-12 grades.
The principle of enrollment in schools at the place of residence of children is strictly observed, since schoolchildren go to the educational institution on their own. For the first two weeks, first-graders are accompanied by their senior comrades. Then the children go to school on their own or in pairs. They return from school in the same way.
Additionally, schoolchildren are looked after by retired volunteers who go out into the streets in green raincoats in the morning and afternoon.
. They stand at busy intersections and railroad crossings and help children get home safely.
Exercises are regularly conducted on how to behave during a tsunami and earthquake
. Children are introduced to the world around them and taught how to care for plants: from the first grade, children grow vegetables and flowers in the school garden. Children are also taught to respect and honor their elders. Schoolchildren go to visit old people, invite them to school, and give them crafts.
Each school has an anthem and a uniform that shows which school the student is from.
Children are prohibited from wearing chains, earrings, rings, bright hair clips to school - anything that will make the student stand out from others. You are also not allowed to go to the shops or courtyards after school. In summer, the child must be under adult supervision after 18:00, in winter - after 16:00. At 17 and 18 o'clock a signal is heard from the loudspeaker, after which the playgrounds are empty.
Knowledge assessment system 100-point
. In the first year, children must learn 80 hieroglyphs, in the second year 160. By the end of school, the student should not only know, but also write beautifully about 2000 hieroglyphs.
Among the disadvantages - for the first two years, children study in the original composition, then they are shuffled annually, and the composition of the class is updated
. It is believed that in this way children become more socially active, they have more useful contacts, and each new school year provides a chance to reveal themselves in a new way. Not only classmates change, but also teachers and the principal; they are transferred to other schools in the district and city. My daughter was worried that the first teacher had left for another school. In the spring we will have a change of classmates, it is difficult to find a true friend in such conditions. It is not without reason that they say that the Japanese are not inherently affectionate: they build superficial relationships with everyone.
Children are taught to tolerate discomfort from childhood
. For example, walking barefoot on a cold floor, running outside in a T-shirt in winter, since in winter it is rarely below 0 degrees. A normal occurrence in a Japanese school is to do physical education under the sun in 30-degree heat. The situation is aggravated by the fact that schools do not have air conditioning.
Japanese schoolchildren are loaded
. In primary schools they return home after 15-16 hours, in secondary schools at 17-18 hours, and in high schools late in the evening. Sports and creative clubs take up a lot of time. Summer holidays are short compared to Russian ones, lasting just over a month. On the one hand, schoolchildren do not have time for various nonsense, on the other hand, constant tension and competition do not have the best effect on the mental health of schoolchildren.
Jamilya Saparbay, 31 years old, hometown - Kokshetau, doctor
@saparbay_j
My specialty is a surgeon
. I'm in my final year of doctoral studies. It so happened that my husband is in Astana, and my son and I have been living in Japan for four years. I work at the Hiroshima University Hospital in the department of organ transplantation and abdominal surgery.
When we arrived in Hiroshima, our son was not yet three years old, and here he went to kindergarten
. The school year begins in April, and in kindergarten - in April or November. We arrived in November and were a little late. Therefore, he went to a private accredited kindergarten.
Last April, my son started first grade at a municipal school.
. Before school began, teachers gathered parents and held a conversation. They said that the child should say hello, introduce himself, be able to tell what his name is, how old he is. The emphasis here is on respect and discipline.
My son goes to after-school care, which is provided for working parents.
. There, children do their homework, learn Japanese and the alphabet. They have a subject called “Environmental Knowledge,” which includes how to clean the yard and plant flowers.
The main subjects are mathematics, spelling, environmental knowledge, which includes biology and other subjects.
My son doesn't have grades at school right now. The teacher checks the correctness and accuracy and gives something like stars. Every two months there is a one-on-one meeting with the teacher and the teacher talks about the positive aspects as well as what the child is lacking.
In junior school, the emphasis is on development.
Mental tests and exams - in high school. Also in primary school, much attention is paid to children's physical activity. All children are physically developed; both boys and girls tumble on the horizontal bars. There are several sections to choose from where a child can study. Before the start of the first lesson, children have a long break of 30 minutes. The schools have a large yard where everything is made of sand. In the summer it is hot throughout Japan, and throughout the summer season children swim in the pool, and physical education takes place there.
Children with disabilities study in regular classes; they have different requirements and a different educational plan.
. The rest of the children help them if something doesn’t work out for them.
The school has a canteen, we pay for lunch
. The amounts vary depending on the income of the parents. I pay 6,000 yen, which is about 18,000 tenge per month. We also buy textbooks, but they are inexpensive.
There are no janitors in Japanese schools
. When the younger students go to lunch, the sixth graders serve them their lunch and clear the table. Children have a uniform for cleaning the canteens. They also clean the toilets and floors themselves.
During the winter holidays, children rest for two weeks.
In summer there is a month and a half vacation. During the summer holidays there are many tasks, and you need not only to write and read, but also to grow a flower and collect seeds. What’s remarkable is that the children have a diary where they note what they do around the house every day.
My son loves going to school
. Every day they are met at the school gate by the director, head teacher and two parents. We have a duty, we have to take time off from work twice a month in the morning and meet the children. In the summer we are also on duty at the pool ourselves.
The disadvantage of Japanese schools is that the level of education provided in municipal schools is slightly lower.
When we return to Kazakhstan, I think the child will lag behind. All children here are treated equally. And if a child is smarter than others, he will not be singled out. In Japan there is no central heating and children do not have winter uniforms. I wear a warm jacket, and my son wears shorts. But at the same time, children grow and do not get sick.
Marina Gurina, 35 years old, hometown - Khabarovsk, entrepreneur
@sawamari
I've lived in Japan for about 15 years
. For the last two years in Tokyo, before that I lived in the port city of Toyama. I am engaged in purchasing and shipping Japanese goods around the world. I have two sons growing up.
The education system in schools has not changed for a long time
. No one uses gadgets - it is prohibited, just like bringing a phone to school. Each child has a “whistle” hanging on his backpack - if something happens, he pulls it, and the “whistle” begins to squeak wildly, attracting attention.
There are schools with free uniforms, and there are also those where uniforms are mandatory and must only be purchased in special stores.
The price varies in junior schools from $200 and above, in senior schools from $800. You also need to buy a tracksuit with the logo of the school you go to. Price - from 200 dollars.
There are no canteens here
. Food is brought to school every day, and the attendants help lay it out and bring it to everyone’s table. Once a month, parents are given a child’s daily menu.
There is almost no homework, you have to take extra classes, which are also expensive,
so that a full-fledged education is given there. Education seems to be free, but with such knowledge you won’t get anywhere.
Among the shortcomings is a biased attitude towards foreign children and children from mixed marriages with Japanese.
It happens that they are not accepted into the general team.
The school also keeps silent about many problematic situations that occur.
The country is developed, but all documents are still on paper.
Anna Lidrik, 38 years old, hometown - Vladivostok, color therapist and illustrator
@lidrikanna
I have two main professions: illustrator and color therapist.
. I work with both adults and children using color. 18 years ago I got married and moved to Japan. I have four children who go to four different schools. We live in Japan in a small town near the city of Osaka.
Schools are divided into junior, middle and senior, which is not compulsory education.
There are three quarters in a year. The child chooses the high school himself, based on the results of his studies in high school and the exam. This choice determines which university you can get into. There are universities that you can get into by only graduating from certain middle and high schools. Who to be in the future and where to go to study, you need to choose in kindergarten. That's why the Japanese say from childhood that the child will be a doctor or a teacher. This was something that was unclear to me about the Japanese education system. When my oldest daughter is in high school, I understand why there was a lot of studying involved. If she wanted to be a doctor, she definitely wouldn’t have gotten into the right school.
In the junior school there are school lunches, which students eat right in the classroom at their desks.
The food is delivered to schools in containers and large pots from the city's "lunch hub."
School uniforms are not mandatory everywhere
. Until recently, a certain type of portfolio was mandatory. His weight, together with textbooks, sometimes exceeds a third of the weight of a first-grader, simply an unbearable burden for a child. You also need to carry spare shoes, musical instruments, a set of paints, a bag with an apron and a napkin for lunch. Textbooks cannot be left at school.
The school curriculum is not difficult, but it is not enough to enroll further, and many take additional classes
. There are many companies that provide such services. This is called "juku". The cost of classes is 15,000 - 100,000 yen per month. And the cost of school with lunch is from 7,000 - 12,000 yen.
Secondary school differs from junior school in the amount of study and knowledge
. Interest clubs appear - tennis, football, drawing. Children come home after 6-7 pm, have dinner and go to extra classes until 10, and sometimes until 12 at night. But there is practically no homework.
School uniforms are required and are expensive - from 60,000 yen for the minimum set.
The cost of a public high school is practically the same as a junior high school.
There is no heating in schools; only when the temperature in the classroom drops below eight degrees, a heater is placed near the blackboard
. You can’t skip school, even if you’re sick; it’s better to come and ask for time off at the school’s medical center. A few absences and that's it - school is over, regardless of grades.
At the end of each quarter they conduct a test, based on the sum of its results, they will offer possible high schools for admission
. The lower the score, the fewer schools and chances of getting a job in the future. If the score is not enough, you cannot enter the desired school.
Tuition is more expensive in high school
. There are few public schools and the passing rate is high. Many schools are specialized, and after graduating you can go to work. For example, flight attendant school. Examinations for senior public schools are held on the same day throughout the country, while private examinations are held a few days later. So everyone has two chances to enroll. Those who do not enroll are preparing for next year.
What I dislike most about the Japanese education system is that there is no free time to go out and play. It seems that children have no childhood.
And also that everything needs to be decided in kindergarten - an adult has practically no choice, and for me this is wrong.
Territorial provisions
All prefectures and municipalities in the country have independent laws on the age at which young people can consent to sexual intercourse. Most prefectures have criminal and administrative provisions against indecency with minors and payment of their sexual services. Also in many territories in Japan, the age of consent ranges from 16 to 18 years, and it is illegal to engage in sexual activity with partners who are under this age. But there is one caveat: if the parents do not approve of such a relationship. For example, in Tokyo a person must be at least 17 years old to consent to any form of sexual activity, but in the country's seven prefectures the age starts at 18. But on some isolated islands, such as Minamitori, the local age of consent is still 13.
In anime, the Sailor school uniform is used most often.
The Japanese school uniform for girls, Sailor Suit, has many variations. The main elements of clothing are a blouse with a sailor collar and a skirt. The length of the sleeve depends on the season; in our version it is assumed that the uniform can be worn in autumn or spring. Properly selected accessories play an important role, since they are all part of the uniform: socks or leg warmers should be dark or white, shoes should be brown or black. I would like to note right away that our set of accessories includes only a ribbon instead of a tie.
This Japanese anime school uniform has a loose fit and is made of elastic fabrics, so it only comes in one size (can fit several sizes at once). Therefore, before you decide to buy a Japanese school uniform, it is better to come to visit us to try it on.
The schoolgirl image is a sexual symbol of Japan
Girls in school uniforms going to class in a group is a phenomenon of modernized society that has appeared in Japan since the beginning of the 20th century. After the war, the image of an innocent schoolgirl began to be actively used in pop music and cinema. In the early 1970s, thirteen-year-old Momoe Yamaguchi became a national pop idol when she sang “Green Peach,” a song with a very ambiguous chorus, and played the role of a “bad girl.”
At the same time, from this period, the largest Japanese film company Nikkatsu for the first time made a number of films where schoolgirls were subjected to sexual and other forms of violence. The theme, picked up by several other studios, began to be widely used in the film industry, becoming a tasty bait for an audience consisting entirely of men. Such films gained incredible popularity; they were not considered child pornography and were legal, since the age of sexual consent in Japan everywhere at that time began at 13 years old. In the early 1990s, the image of schoolgirls began to be used enterprisingly in comics, animation, video and photo pornography.
Japanese school uniform for girls
The colors in which the uniform is sewn can be white, blue or dark blue. In some schools, it is customary to wear a version of the English suit with a checkered skirt. In others, real sailor suits with ties are worn over pleated skirts.
Japanese school uniform for girls
There are also options for regular jackets and skirts. But all the girls wear knee socks, which they glue to their legs with special glue to create a fashionable “low-low” effect on them.
Shoes only with low heels are allowed. Even in cold weather, schoolgirls do not wear trousers, but wear long white stockings. When attending a line where the director is present, they must wear jumpers or jackets.
Japanese school uniform for girls
Common uniforms for girls are called “sailor suits.” They were invented by Rector Elizabeth Lee. She herself once studied in the UK, and brought the idea of the form from there.
"Market value" of Japanese schoolgirls
In the early 1990s, a generation of 13-18 year old girls suddenly became aware of the demand for their bodies and age, which, despite the acute economic crisis in the country, had a stable value. Thus, the practice of enze-kosai, “paid dates” between middle-aged men and schoolgirls, began to rapidly spread. This phenomenon had nothing to do with pedophilia, since thirteen-year-old girls corresponded to the age of sexual consent. In Japan, prostitution is officially prohibited, and therefore enjo-kosai is only illegal if schoolgirls accept gifts or money from men for sexual favors. But, as a rule, both sides argue that the schoolgirl only accompanies the man and spends time with him without engaging in sexual contact, and he financially compensates for her attention.
The sexual exploitation of children in Japan has reached appalling levels, the UN says. Today, about 13% of middle and high school students provide escort services to men, and the country has a developed network of firms that organize clients enjo-kosai with girls who have reached the age of consent in Japan. There are about 110 registered agencies of this kind in the country, and another three dozen operate unofficially.
The difference between schoolgirls now and 13 years ago
According to @petit_flare, the schoolgirl on the right (2007) looked like this:
- Hairstyles were thicker on top, with sharp ends in a shaggy style.
- Eyebrows are thin and angular
- The ribbon tie had long cords
- Leather or nylon school bag with trim
- Short jacket
- Uniqlo men's cardigan
- The skirt is rolled up at the waist two to three times to make it look shorter.
- Requires "Sock Touch" (an adhesive stick that sticks the golf top to children's feet)
On the other hand, the current schoolgirl looks like this:
- The hairstyles at the bottom are thicker, with heavy cuts at the ends of the hair.
- Eyebrows are thick and horizontal
- Ribbon tie with hook
- Simple backpack
- Long blazer
- The skirt is designed so that it cannot be shortened - a school badge on the hem, a thicker waistline that is difficult to fold, double pleats, etc.
- Socks are short and wrinkled
When it comes to technology, entertainment and social networking sites, the 2007 girl enjoyed the following trends:
Exploring Otaku Culture
- Social networking and communication tools such as Fumikomyu, Mobile Space, Real, Zenryaku Profile
- Photos were taken in a purikura ("photo booth"), which could then be cut up and distributed among friends in the group.
- Bands such as: 175R, Bump of Chicken, Radwimps, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Ellegarden, 7188, and Beat Crusaders
- Manga and anime series such as: Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, and Hetalia: Axis Powers
- Video sharing site Niconico has just been created
- All the otaka geeks had their own websites
- The dark past of Maho no i-land (a free website building service for mobile phones) has been revealed as devices have been hacked with Trojan malware.
- The anime series "Genesis of Aquarion" was popular
- Simple push-button mobile phones or sliders
What is purikura? Purikura is a photo studio where you can take photos with friends and then print the photos. Fun fact: "Purikura" is a shortened expression for "Print Club" in Japanese. Purinto Kurabu = Purikura.
Our modern schoolgirl lives with the following trends:
- Social networks and communication tools such as Instagram, Twitter, Line and Snow
- In Purikura, square photographs began to appear. You no longer need scissors to separate them (they can now be sent digitally to smartphones)
- Bands such as One Ok Rock, My First Story, Shishamo, Blue Encount, Alexandros, Back Number and Kana-Boon
- Manga and anime such as Love Live!, Mr. Osomatsu, and Uta no Prince-sama
- Otaku geeks now live on Pixiv (a Japanese online community for artists where you can post and view illustrations, manga and novels)
- As long as you have an iPhone, everything is fine
Views: 5,071
Share link:
- Tweet
- Share posts on Tumblr
- Telegram
- More
- by email
- Seal
Measures taken
Although the age of consent in Japan is over 13 years old in various prefectures and municipalities, many schoolgirls who practice enjo-kosai are under 14 years old. Finally, in June 2017, a law was passed banning paid dates for girls under 18 in Tokyo. Agencies that provide intermediary or organizational services for enjo-kosai, as well as those who incite girls to do such things, will be fined up to one million yen, approximately equivalent to $9,000.
For the first time in Japan, a law has been passed that restricts the sexual activity of schoolgirls for money, and is also aimed at reducing the demand for such services and stopping the exploitation of girls under 18 by commercial enterprises. This legislative act so far applies only to Tokyo, but there is hope that such an experience will spread to at least part of the state’s territory.
