Training
 Already at the turn of the 1900s, virtually all adult
literacy was in Japan, and Japan has long been considered
the world's most educated population. Higher education has
traditionally high status, and even in modern Japan, a
degree from one of the highest-ranked universities is an
entry ticket to the most sought after and fastest careers.
During the post-war period, education up to high school has
come to be characterized by extremely tough competition.
Most parents are prepared to prioritize a long and expensive
education for their children over almost everything else in
the household budget. About half of the high school students
continue to university and college studies.
Most children now attend preschool at the age of 3-5.
Preschools are often private and they have gradually become
increasingly school-like in their demands for achievement.
However, a curriculum from 2008 states that learning in
preschool should be based on play.
The compulsory, free schooling is nine years old and
starts at the age of six. It includes a six-year primary
school and a three-year lower secondary school (equivalent
to Swedish high school). Almost all primary schools are
municipal, while private schools are more common at higher
levels. The school year starts in April and consists of
three semesters. Since 2002, five-day week has been
completed.
For the first six years the children are trained to work
together and work as a group. On the schedule are the
internationally used subjects but also training in
traditional Japanese art types such as calligraphy and haiku
poetry. All children should also be able to play two
instruments. In primary school, students will learn just
over half of the approximately 2,000 characters needed in
everyday life. In year four, the student learns the Western
alphabet. In the lower secondary school, school work is
gradually becoming more and more focused on ensuring that
the individual student gets good results on the degree that
gives entry to the high school. Teaching in English started
earlier in the seventh school year but starts year five from
2012.
It is very important to get high marks on the entrance
exam. It is required to enter a high-ranking high school
with stiff competition for the places. However, large extra
efforts are required. The students participate in courses in
the school in their spare time and usually they also attend
expensive courses in private preparation schools (juku)
where they are trained for the degree. Weak pupils cannot
count on extra support in school. Their parents, if they can
afford it, must pay for extra evening lessons. Thus, there
is a thorough sorting of the young people already at the age
of 12-15.
The vast majority of Japanese youth (96% in 2006)
continue to study in high school. Most colleges are
three-year-olds, with college preparatory or more
professional study programs, but there are also five-year
technical colleges. Furthermore, there are four-year evening
gymnasiums and also distance education for young people who
have already started working during the day and for adults
who want to study further. High school studies are subject
to fees, and at that level the pressure is further
increasing on students to pass the entrance exam to a
high-ranking university. Check topschoolsintheusa for test centers of ACT, SAT, and GRE as well high schools in the country of Japan.
In 2010, Japan had 95 national and 570 private
universities, plus several hundred colleges (junior
colleges) with 2-3 years of education. In addition, there
were several thousand special vocational colleges. In
particular, junior colleges provide education that is
traditionally intended for women (such as health care and
home economics). In 2007, the vast majority of college
students were women, but only 40% of the university
students. However, the traditional gender roles are changing
rapidly, and in 2011, the proportion of women at
universities was almost the same as the proportion of men.
At the elite university, men still constitute a large
majority.
Academic studies mean a quiet time without tough
competition. Time studies in the late 1990s showed that on
average, students spent less than two hours daily on
studies. Internationally, Japanese academic teaching does
not have the same high reputation as lower education, while
natural science research has been internationally prominent.
Since 1980, Japanese researchers have been awarded the Nobel
Prize in chemistry on six occasions and in physics and
medicine on each occasion. On a global ranking of
universities in 2011, the University of Tokyo (Todai) came
in 20th place and the University of Kyoto in 27th place.
The reduction in population in Japan means fewer and
fewer young people. It has become difficult for many
colleges and small universities to get enough students and
thus sufficient income. Government grants have also
declined. Several colleges have gone bankrupt and even small
universities on the outskirts of the country have been
forced to close down the business. At the same time, more
forms of entrance exam have been developed, especially at
the elite university competing for the best students. The
universities also strive to get more foreign students, but
not even at the elite university Todai was the proportion
higher than 7% in 2010.
Traditionally, Japanese school students have shown very
good results in international comparisons, especially in
science subjects and mathematics. At the same time, they
have been less good when it comes to investigative tasks
that require independent thinking and final ability. More
and more, employers are also complaining about young
people's lack of ability to speak and understand spoken
English. To counteract these weaknesses, a new school law
was adopted at the end of the 1990s with new curricula and
timetables for the compulsory school. The course content was
sharpened and the number of hours was increased, especially
in Japanese and mathematics.
Tokyo
Tokyo, formerly Edo, Japan's capital, located in central Honshu; 9.36 million
including in Tokyo city, 13.61 million in Tokyo Prefecture (2016); moreover,
9.15 million lives. in neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture, which includes the
cities of Yokohama and Kawasaki, as well as 6.2 million. in the neighboring
prefecture of Chiba). Tokyo is one of the world's largest cities and Japan's
population and economic center. 25% of the country's population lives in the
Greater Tokyo area and 31% of GDP comes from this. The city is located on the
Gulf of Tokyo on flat river plains around the Tone and Kinu-gawa rivers. The
plains are on all sides surrounded by mountains and are in several places formed
by volcanic ash from e.g. Fujiyama, which is only 100 km away.
The climate is characterized by the mountains to the west. In winter, they
decrease for the NV monsoon, so winters are relatively mild and dry, while
summers are hot and humid due to the humid east winds from the Pacific Ocean.
The average temperature is 25 °C in summer and 2 °C in winter.
The Tokyo area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, but much of the
urban development has occurred late, especially after Tokyo became the imperial
capital in 1868. The oldest neighborhoods lie out to the bay and are the center
of the current city. From here, Tokyo has evolved into poor, and growth has
meant that surrounding cities have been engulfed by urban growth. These old
cities now form independent urban centers in the metropolis. Close to the old
city center lies the imperial palace, surrounded by walls and gardens, east of
the palace are most ministries, and west of Nagatacho with the Parliament and
the Supreme Court. The buildings in the central parts consist of both
traditional Japanese wooden houses from the 19th century, stone and brick houses
from approximately 1900 and newer skyscrapers and high-rise buildings. Tokyo does not
have one central shopping district, but several; best known is the fashionable
Ginza. Around the inner city are a number of urban centers with banking,
industrial and shopping districts as well as residential. The most important
centers are those located where the Yamanote railway line around Tokyo
intersects highways and train lines from the city center. Shibuya, Ikebukuro and
Shinjuku; the latter is also the most famous entertainment district.
Tokyo is the center of the Keihin industrial zone, which is economically the
country's most important. Keihin extends all the way around Tokyo Bay and also
includes the cities of Kawasaki and Yokohama. The shortage of land has led to
some industries lying on reclaimed land. Keihin encompasses all types of
industry. The service-intensive and labor-intensive industry is centered, while
the heavy industry is mainly located along the bay, and the new high-tech
industry is located in the outer areas. In addition, Tokyo's role as one of the
world's financial centers with a large stock exchange and a myriad of banks,
insurance and finance companies.
The large concentration of people and production causes many problems. The
demand for land means that house prices and rents are at a very high level, and
the residents are forced to either live small or move out of the central parts
of the city. The majority of the buildings here are from the 1950's and 1960's and
are inhabited by single elderly people who lack the means to maintain the
houses. The pollution is great, but has come under scrutiny by targeted efforts
by the government. The infrastructure is very well developed with, among other
things, a large subway system and a dense network of railways, but the many
daily commuters are burdening the systems. The metro network of the Metropolitan
Region (Tokyo Metropolitan Region), including the subway's 12 lines, comprises
approximately 2300 km and are among the largest in the world. In 1997, a bridge-tunnel
connection was opened across the Gulf of Tokyo; The 9583 m tunnel section is the
world's longest road tunnel under the sea. Since the 1960's, the government has
sought to limit continued urban growth. by supporting developments in other
parts of the country and through financial incentives make it attractive for the
industry to move out of Tokyo. Since 1993, the population has fallen slightly.
Tokyo is the hub of national and international traffic. All major railway
lines start from the three main train stations, Tokyo (with the high-speed
Shinkansen), Shinjuku and Ueno. There is also a motorway connection to the
different parts of the country. Domestic air traffic leaves from Haneda south of
the city center, while foreign routes are served by Narita 65 km from the city.
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