Join Our Newsletter
  • Visit Our Store
  • Come Write for J-List!
J-List Blog
Visit J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
No Result
View All Result

Raising Kids in Japan

Peter Payne by Peter Payne
15 years ago
in Your Friend in Japan

I often write about what it’s like to raise kids in Japan, since this subject may offer some insight into the country that would hard to find elsewhere. As a general rule, Japan seem more focused on education than the U.S., at least compared with my own experiences with public schools in Maryland, Virginia and California. Both my kids attend juku, or evening schools which help the kids keep up in their studies, and the general culture of attending these extra lessons helps keep them more focused on learning than they would be otherwise. (These schools are often translated as “cram schools” in English, although that word is better applied to yobiko or “preparation schools” which are specifically for getting students into universities, slightly different in this case.) It also seems to me that there is a lot more contact between schools and parents here, in part due to the custom of impressing parents into volunteering to be special helpers for school events, which everyone hates, although it does bring parents and kids closer together. The other day my wife attended a parent-teacher-student meeting to discuss my daughter’s future direction. The teacher hadn’t figured out that our daughter was haafu (half-Japanese and half-American) and was going on and on about how good her English was. We got a good laugh out of that one, and made sure not to correct her misunderstanding.

Asuka is one of the most famous haafu characters in anime.

Tags: cultureeducationkidsUSA

More Posts Like This

I Raised That Boy
Your Friend in Japan

What Anime Raised You? J-List Customers of Culture Respond!

by Peter Payne
5 months ago

One reason I love social media like X, Bluesky, and Facebook is that I can post questions to my followers...

Reverse Culture Shock Usa Vs Japan
Your Friend in Japan

Back in Japan! What is ‘Reverse Culture Shock’ Like?

by Peter Payne
3 years ago

I'm back in Japan after a very busy trip to the U.S. for the summer conventions, followed by a few...

Why Cats Are Good And Polite Japanese Is Bad

Why Cats are Good and Polite Japanese is Bad

6 years ago
Tommy Lee Jones Boss Coffee

Tommy Lee Jones? Helen Keller? 14 Famous People Who Love Japan

7 years ago
Anime That Started Out As Hentai Fate Stay Night

Japan Doesn’t Worry About Hentai

8 years ago
Which anime girl will you protecc

Why We Protecc Moe Anime Girls

8 years ago
Next Post
APB163 P64 W

Encountering Unknown Words in Japan

Trending Today

The Top 11 Anime Sex Scenes Blog
Your Friend in Japan

Happy Sex Day! Let’s Rank the 11 Most Surprising Ecchi Scenes in Anime

1 month ago
Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime Web Cover
News

Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime and Where to Watch Them

4 months ago
Yandere Dark Elf Episode 1 Featured Image
Featured

Yandere Dark Elf, Episode 1 — Love Heavier than Chocolate Melons!

3 months ago
Haite Kudasai, Takamine San Episode 9 Featured Image
Featured

Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san, Episode 9 — Slippery When Wet!

2 weeks ago
Dengeki Moeoh August 2025 Cover
Anime Magazine

What’s Inside Dengeki Moeoh August 2025? Ecchi Illustrations, Posters, Art, and More!

1 week ago
Get the Newest Figures from J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
Screenshot
News

They’re Back: Announcing the Return of J-List Tissues!

by Peter Payne
July 19, 2025

They’re Back: Announcing the Return of J-List Tissues!

3 Horny and Hungry Reasons to Watch Clevatess

Dandadan S2 Pulls No Punches (and the Fight Scenes Hit Hard, Too)

Cultural Exchange with a Game Center Girl — A Kawaii Romance

Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider and Fight Shocker

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Discord
  • YouTube

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.