Tag Archives: Hyogo prefecture

Life In Japan: Japanese School Kids

Posted on July 15, 2021 by John Rachel

There are a hundred ways I could write about the kids here. But I’m going to focus on only elementary school students and one very particular aspect of their education, because it so perfectly illustrates the overall relationship between students and their schools, their teachers, adults and other authority figures, their communities, and most important of all, to one another. It is also extremely revealing why Japanese are so obsessively considerate of others and so community minded, later in life. It also is illustrative of the extremely high dietary standards and nutritional awareness of Japanese society. Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Food, Japan, Social Commentary | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Life In Japan: I Love Japan Redux

Posted on June 12, 2017 by johnrachel

Japanese have kept alive some traditions which promote sense of community, and the shared responsibility of living in that community. They create opportunities to work together for the common good, get to know one another, and just enjoy other folks who happen to live in the same geographical setting. This is what America desperately needs to overcome the fear, divisiveness, isolation, fragmentation. Here’s a challenge to my fellow Americans: How do you think people would react if you went from house to house and said, “How about if we get together and clean up the neighborhood, plant some flowers, then have a nice barbecue?” Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Social Commentary, Spiritual | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments