5. Hoikuen vs.Yochien
Hoikuen
(nursery school)
- for working parents*
- from 1 month to 5 y.o.
- run all day*, M-F*, all year*
- some offer extended care
- no buses, no uniforms
- food, snacks provided
- not enough – waiting lists
- Ministry of Health, Labor & Welfare
( Kousei Roudou Shou)
Youchien
(kindergarten)
- for all parents
- for preschoolers (3-5 y.o.)
- 9am~2pm, Monday~Friday
- have long holidays in
summer, winter, spring
- usually buses, uniforms
- must bring o-bento
- wider variety of choice
- Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology
MEXT ( Monbu Kagaku Shou)
Source: National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER) (2011).
Preschool Education and Care in Japan. Tokyo: NIER.
7. Hoikuen vs.Yochien (2008)
Source: National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER) (2011).
Preschool Education and Care in Japan. Tokyo: NIER.
Age Hoikuen (000) Yochien (000)
0 50 (4%) -
1 230 (22%) -
2 320 (29%) -
3 400 (38%) 430 (41%)
4 460 (42%) 600 (55%)
5 455 (41%) 645 (58%)
8. Preschool in Three Cultures Revisited
Socialization:
• Children have fewer siblings and the quality of parenting
in Japan is decreasing. Also, there are fewer opportunities
to play with neighborhood kids.
• Preschools are expected to compensate for this situation
by providing opportunities for socially complex play.
– Crying and fighting are symptoms of social inexperience and are
an opportunity to learn.
• That is, preschools are playing a larger role in socializing
children. Some argue that primary socialization is
becoming less important, and secondary socialization is
being given a larger role in contemporary Japan.
9. Characteristics of Preschools
• Both intellectual development and emotional/social
development are emphasized, as they are seen to be
closely related.
• Preschools and teachers have a great deal of freedom
about what and how to teach, and there is a great deal of
diversity, so parents can choose* what type of education
their child will receive.
• The primary roles of national and local governments are
to set standards for buildings and facilities, organize and
facilitate teachers' careers, and decide the basic
direction of care and educational activities.
Source: National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER) (2011).
Preschool Education and Care in Japan. Tokyo: NIER.
10. Characteristics of Preschools
• Free playtime is much longer than in Chinese preschools,
and teachers often play with children just like their peers,
playing the hidden role of activating children’s play.
• Outdoor activities as well as indoor activities are
emphasized.
• Japanese preschools do not overprotect young children,
letting them wear less clothes with the feet often bare,
experience small and slight injuries, etc.
• On the other hand, teachers keep in constant contact with
parents about the children’s daily health, behavior, and
learning, using notebooks for two-way communication.
Source: National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER) (2011).
Preschool Education and Care in Japan. Tokyo: NIER.
12. Preschool in Three Cultures:
Words
• hoikuen nursery school
• youchien kindergarten
• ijime bullying
• amae sense of dependency
• kodomo rashii childlike
• mi-mamoru to look, guard, protect
• omoiyari empathy
• ki ga tsuku learn to anticipate
needs of others
• tate-wari kyouiku mixed-age education
13. Characteristics of Primary Schools
Source: National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER) (2011).
Primary Schools in Japan. Tokyo: NIER.
14. Characteristics of Primary Schools
• compulsory
• academic year: April 1st to March 31st, with three terms
• entrance: children who are aged 6 on April 1st
• no skipping or repeating grades; pupils absent for a long
time always return to their age grade
• 99.9% are public, run by the local municipality
• designated school districts, little cross-district enrolment
• increasing number of school hours per week as children
get older
• most primary schools provide lunch, served by pupils
Source: National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER) (2011).
Primary Schools in Japan. Tokyo: NIER.
15. Characteristics of Primary Schools
• one classroom teacher is in charge of each classroom,
and in principle teaches all subjects
• however, upper grades usually have subject-specific
teachers e.g. science, music, home economics, (English)
• subjects decided by the central Ministry of Education
(MEXT) in a Course of Study updated every decade or so
• each pupil's performance is kept in a teaching-learning
record; reports are issued to parents each term
• textbooks are provided free of charg, and children carry
school bags called randoseru
• most schools do not have uniforms, but some do
Source: National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER) (2011).
Primary Schools in Japan. Tokyo: NIER.
16. Primary Schools
Source: National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER) (2011).
Primary Schools in Japan. Tokyo: NIER.
18. Primary School in Japan:
Words #1
• nakama group of people naturally
belonging together
• uchi , primary group one belongs
to and identifies with
• tomodachi friend
• attakasa warmth
• yasashisa kindness
• han small group organization
• seikatsu han daily life small group
• kyuushoku han lunch group
• kakari han extra duties group
• nitchoku touban daily monitor
19. Primary School in Japan:
Words #2
• nisshi class diary
• gakkyuu kai class meeting
• wakare kai farewell party
• zen-in asobi everyone playing together
• sotsugyou happyou kai graduation show
• sotsugyou shiki graduation ceremony
• ganbari nooto trying-your-best notebook
• jibun o kitaeru hi days for self-discipline
• mokuhyou goal
• katamaru making a hard lump or clique
• matomeru coherent, collected, in order, united
• joushiki common sense
20. Main References
Benesse Educational Research and Development Institute (2016).
Research on home education: From early childhood to first grade of
elementary school (longitudinal survey). Tokyo: Benesse.
City of Yokohama. (Summer 2015) NakaWard Town News.
Erikson,T. H. (2015). Small places, large issues:An introduction to social
and cultural anthropology. London: Pluto Press.
Giddens, A. (2009). Sociology (6th ed.). Cambridge: Polity Press.
National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER) (2011).
Preschool education and care in Japan. Tokyo: NIER.
National Institute for Educational Policy Research (NIER) (2011).
Primary schools in Japan. Tokyo: NIER.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (2016),
OECD family database. Retrieved from
http://www.oecd.org.els/family/database.htm
Scott, B. M., & Schwartz, M. A. A. (2006). Sociology: Making sense of the
social world (2nd ed.). Pearson.
