Although it sometimes seems that there are few differences between Japanese students and American students (both love to get silly, both eat like bears preparing for hibernation, both love to find out the juicy details of their teachers’ personal lives), there are some key differences in the way these students go about their daily routines.

In Japanese schools, there are somewhere between two and six adults (depending on school size) who take care of photocopying materials for teachers, preparing endless pots of tea and coffee, sprucing up the gardens and fixing any plumbing or electrical problems that arise. However, there are no janitors who clean the school every afternoon, nor any lunch crew to serve hot lunch in the cafeteria. In fact, there is no cafeteria at all.

Every day at 12:40 the bell rings, sounding the call of lunchtime to the delight of famished students. Then comes the clatter of desks and chairs being arranged in each classroom since students have lunch there, grouped into clusters of six. Next, a handful of students from each class, donning white lab coats and hats (picture adorable scientists in the lab) hurry downstairs to the back of the school where school lunch gets dropped off each day. The food is brought in by truck, prepared by a company that is in charge of school lunches for this area. (Peter and I usually ask each other after school, “What did you think about yakisoba with shrimp today?” since we’re eating the exact same lunch.) Students haul big pots of soup, rice, noodles and salads, bread, milk, chopsticks, trays and straws up the stairs to their respective class rooms where they then serve lunch to fellow classmates. There is even a table at the front of the classroom that folds out to reveal a stainless steel top with wide openings in which to place the pots of soup, noodles, etc. The “mad scientists” dish up the same amount in every bowl and pass out all necessary accessories for that day. While this is happening, the rest of the students sit at their desks or hang out on the balcony, chatting happily and waiting until lunch has been served to every desk. Only then, once the “scientists” have removed their outfits and sat down, does one student stand at the front of the classroom calling everyone’s attention and finally saying, “Itadakimasu,” which means “we are grateful for this meal.” Then the chow down begins and those who need a larger caloric intake head to the serving table where there’s always some extra grub left. The homeroom teacher eats at the head of the class on top of a raised platform. There is rarely any misbehaving; the kids are so hungry by this point that all they care about is eating! When lunch wraps up, everyone brings their tray and dishes to the front and stacks them in neat piles. Then a group (not sure if these are the same “scientists” or not) carry everything back downstairs for the truck to pick up and bring back to company headquarters. It’s so systematic that it makes lunch sound unappealing, but the food itself is decent and the efficiency offered by this system could really help out the ailing school budgets in the States! No cafeteria or cafeteria staff, plus a hands-on way of teaching students about generosity, patience, hygiene and respect.

Lunch consists of a salad or vegetable of sort, the protein portion, rice or bread, a miso soup, a serving of fruit and milk. Some intriguing alterations to this standard have been chocolate spread or jam with the bread, seaweed and salt mixture to top the rice and frozen fruit. This is perhaps more information than you care to know, however, because I eat school lunch every day, any “special addition” they throw at me is greatly appreciated.

I have started making it a routine to eat lunch with the students since it’s far more interesting than sitting in the teachers room, unless I’m feeling lethargic and just want to read The New York Times. Eating with them enables open conversation in which they usually ask about my “kare” (boyfriend) and I get to practice a little Japanese.

The other major difference between the daily routines of America and Japan is school cleaning. Japanese kids clean their own classrooms, bathrooms, hallways and teacher’s room! No joke. Every afternoon, once classes have ended and before club sports begin, someone runs to the “recording studio” (as I like to call it) and puts on their music of choice. On any given day, I hear the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, Bach, Jpop, The Beatles, Mariah Carrey or Christmas tunes blast through the halls. It’s hilarious! The school becomes a temporary free-for-all as the jams pump and kids wash toilets, sweep floors, take out trash and polish the floors. My favorite is the floor polishing. The boys run across the floor on all fours, their hands pushing a cloth out in front of them, making squeaking noises every time their trainers hit the linoleum. During cleaning time, teachers assume positions across the school, checking to see that everyone is doing his/her chore. When a group finishes an area the teacher will check to see that it’s sufficiently clean and then thank these students for their hard work, at which point everyone bows in unison offering more thanks.

During my first week here, I was getting accustomed to so many new things that when I initially experienced school cleaning, I was like, “Check, kids clean school in the afternoon.” Although now, I am in awe that with such a simple addition to the daily schedule, Japanese schools have eliminated the need for janitors and are teaching kids to clean up after themselves… and after their teachers!
Today’s theme music? Harry Potter soundtrack. Oh yeah! J