It was a fairly big change for Tara to move from the Finnish elementary school to a Japanese elementary school. Especially without any previous knowledge of the Japanese language. This is so true with all of us as the only words we could say before coming to Japan were "Konnichiwa" and "Ohayo gozaimasu", so Good afternoon and Good morning..
The first few weeks were quite scary for her, well for all us 😅. We didn't know how anything worked, Tara couldn't understand anything at school and I was of no help either. After few months of school Tara received help from the local university students who have been acting as her translators a few times a week. Tara's school has also been really supportive in all of this and they have arranged several Japanese language lessons for her every week. The school was really good help before our move as well, they provided us with loads of information and have continued to do so throughout. Yes, the elementary schooling system is different from the Finnish one, but with the help of the teachers we have managed to understand what is expected of Tara and what is expected of us, the parents 😊. The first few weeks were really busy, mainly because we had to buy several items that were needed for school. In Japan elementary schools do not provide school equipment like they do in Finland, so we had a long list of things to purchase (and the challenge was to first find them...). Because we are here only for a one year, the school has lent many items for us, which has been really good! They, for example, lent us the Randoseru. Its the legendary backpack used by Japanese elementary school children. They are really expensive.. The cheapest ones we have seen have been around 27,000yen and the top of the range backpacks cost around 80,000yen.. They are made of leather and seem really long lasting. I guess it's better to pay a bit more for a good quality school bag, than having to buy one every year as the ones we have in Finland just don't seem to last...
There are still many things that we cannot read due to our lack of the Japanese language, like most of Tara's school books 😥, but thank goodness for the Google Translator App which lets you take pictures and translates everything from that 👍. But Tara has learnt so much in such a short period of time (she has been going to a Japanese school for 5 months now) and her Japanese is really good already. It also sounds so much better than mine 😅. She is usually my translator as I have a very limited Japanese vocabulary, so if the conversation doesn't include the verbs or other words that I have learned during my Japanese lessons, then I'm hopeless 😂...
According to Tara elementary school is very different here compared to Finland. In Japan children have to be at school by 8:30 as the school starts around 8:45. But all children go to school already for 8 o'clock. I have no clue why, but I think it's because they want to play outside/inside before school starts. Tara said that it is also, because they need to prepare everything for the school day, i.e. put all of the books and other equipment needed for that day under their desks and a certain peer student goes through their groups homework to mark that they have done it for the day.
School lunch is very different here also - but Tara really likes it and according to her it is delicious! The school has its own kitchen, so they prepare the food, but each class takes turns in serving the lunch for their classmates. The children are divided into groups and they have these outfits that they use when they serve the food for their classmates. After the week is over, this outfit is brought home to be washed and ironed.
Breaks seem a bit different also as the teachers here, at least in Tara's school, take part in children's break time games and activities. They also plan different activities for the children during break times (relay race etc.). Tara said that the teachers are really good at tag for example 😅 and rope jumping 😀.
I have walked past the school many times during daytime when walking to my university and heard loads of noise from the school. This, I think, is also a bit different. Apparently the children here go and play musical instruments during break times - and you can really hear them. I think that's really good, music is appreciated in Japan and they encourage children to play different instruments, even during break times. So its not just something that you can do during your music lessons. Musical instruments are therefore like toys - you can also learn by experimenting. I remember from my own childhood that school instruments could only be played during music lessons - if you touched them outside of the lessons, you were in big trouble..
Singing is also taken seriously here, which I love. You can see from the children that they enjoy singing. They are not just messing around, but playing with their own vocal instrument and learning to utilise it. Tara has been singing with her class and the performance by her class choir last year was amazing. The children here can truly sing. Even Tara said it in the beginning of the school year. She came home one day and said that when she hears her class sing she always feels like crying, because it sounds so beautiful 💖. When I heard them sing for the first time I understood what she meant. Tara has learned several Japanese songs already and really loves to sing in her class choir.
The school has arranged several activities also for parents. Last year I took part in dance lessons which the school had arranged for all the parents and their 4th grader children (all of the parents that attended where mothers, surprisingly...). That was so much fun!
All the parents were also invited to come and observe a lesson at the school. That was really nice as well. I obviously didn't understand most of the lesson 😂, but it was nice to see that Tara seems to be quite comfortable at her school.
What is your least favourite thing?
Maybe when the class has a test and there is no one to help me (sometimes this happens). Doing presentations in Japanese in front of the class.
If you could, what would you like to bring back to Finland from Japan?
Musical harmonica (keyboard harmonica). Cleaning that the children do after school for an hour because its fun. The way the Japanese children respect the elderly and their teachers.
At the moment the influenza has hit the schools around Sendai quite badly and Tara's school is closed now for three days...
The first few weeks were quite scary for her, well for all us 😅. We didn't know how anything worked, Tara couldn't understand anything at school and I was of no help either. After few months of school Tara received help from the local university students who have been acting as her translators a few times a week. Tara's school has also been really supportive in all of this and they have arranged several Japanese language lessons for her every week. The school was really good help before our move as well, they provided us with loads of information and have continued to do so throughout. Yes, the elementary schooling system is different from the Finnish one, but with the help of the teachers we have managed to understand what is expected of Tara and what is expected of us, the parents 😊. The first few weeks were really busy, mainly because we had to buy several items that were needed for school. In Japan elementary schools do not provide school equipment like they do in Finland, so we had a long list of things to purchase (and the challenge was to first find them...). Because we are here only for a one year, the school has lent many items for us, which has been really good! They, for example, lent us the Randoseru. Its the legendary backpack used by Japanese elementary school children. They are really expensive.. The cheapest ones we have seen have been around 27,000yen and the top of the range backpacks cost around 80,000yen.. They are made of leather and seem really long lasting. I guess it's better to pay a bit more for a good quality school bag, than having to buy one every year as the ones we have in Finland just don't seem to last...
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| Tara with her randoseru backpack |
According to Tara elementary school is very different here compared to Finland. In Japan children have to be at school by 8:30 as the school starts around 8:45. But all children go to school already for 8 o'clock. I have no clue why, but I think it's because they want to play outside/inside before school starts. Tara said that it is also, because they need to prepare everything for the school day, i.e. put all of the books and other equipment needed for that day under their desks and a certain peer student goes through their groups homework to mark that they have done it for the day.
School lunch is very different here also - but Tara really likes it and according to her it is delicious! The school has its own kitchen, so they prepare the food, but each class takes turns in serving the lunch for their classmates. The children are divided into groups and they have these outfits that they use when they serve the food for their classmates. After the week is over, this outfit is brought home to be washed and ironed.
Breaks seem a bit different also as the teachers here, at least in Tara's school, take part in children's break time games and activities. They also plan different activities for the children during break times (relay race etc.). Tara said that the teachers are really good at tag for example 😅 and rope jumping 😀.
 |
| Tara running a relay race during a school break |
I have walked past the school many times during daytime when walking to my university and heard loads of noise from the school. This, I think, is also a bit different. Apparently the children here go and play musical instruments during break times - and you can really hear them. I think that's really good, music is appreciated in Japan and they encourage children to play different instruments, even during break times. So its not just something that you can do during your music lessons. Musical instruments are therefore like toys - you can also learn by experimenting. I remember from my own childhood that school instruments could only be played during music lessons - if you touched them outside of the lessons, you were in big trouble..
Singing is also taken seriously here, which I love. You can see from the children that they enjoy singing. They are not just messing around, but playing with their own vocal instrument and learning to utilise it. Tara has been singing with her class and the performance by her class choir last year was amazing. The children here can truly sing. Even Tara said it in the beginning of the school year. She came home one day and said that when she hears her class sing she always feels like crying, because it sounds so beautiful 💖. When I heard them sing for the first time I understood what she meant. Tara has learned several Japanese songs already and really loves to sing in her class choir.
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| 4th grade choir |
The school has arranged several activities also for parents. Last year I took part in dance lessons which the school had arranged for all the parents and their 4th grader children (all of the parents that attended where mothers, surprisingly...). That was so much fun!
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| Tara's goals for the year in hiragana |
Although Tara sometimes feels like she is different from everyone else (as she is the only non Asian/blond haired person in the school...) she has really fitted in well. She has made some nice friends, and although communicating in Japanese is still a bit difficult, she has coped with all the challenges really well. She has been so positive about everything which has helped with fitting in. Of course it hasn't really been that easy at times, as there has been some ups and downs, but she has really had an open mind about everything. She does miss her friends back in Finland but a year is such a short time 😊.
I asked Tara few questions about her school:
What is your favourite subject at school in Japan and why?
Math, because we are learning new things that we haven't done in Finland. And you don't need a common language to understand it. We do things very differently, for example at school in our math books, on the last pages, there are several cardboard cutouts, games and things like that that help you to learn things.
Maybe when the class has a test and there is no one to help me (sometimes this happens). Doing presentations in Japanese in front of the class.
If you could, what would you like to bring back to Finland from Japan?
Musical harmonica (keyboard harmonica). Cleaning that the children do after school for an hour because its fun. The way the Japanese children respect the elderly and their teachers.
At the moment the influenza has hit the schools around Sendai quite badly and Tara's school is closed now for three days...
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