This Is Japan
Explore everyday life in Japan
It’s no secret that Japanese children are responsible for cleaning their schools on a daily basis.
Everyday after recess, or sometimes after the last class of the day, students divide into groups and report to assigned locations where they meet with a group leader and are given tasks that range from sweeping the floor, taking out the garbage, cleaning the windows, washing smears and smudges off the walls, dusting doorways, desks, and other things, cleaning out shoe lockers, and mopping the floors in a very unique way—by bending down and pressing a damp towel to the floor with both hands, then pushing it up and down long hallways at a running pace.
The duration of this cleaning period depends on the school, but generally it lasts somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes. After the cleaning period has come to an end, students once again report to their cleaning leader (generally an upper classman) and review what they did well and what they need to improve on. To ensure that students remain on task and that group leaders fulfill their duties, a teacher is also assigned to each group and manages the group leader.
While this is a great idea in theory, in practice, like most things, it only works as well as the people who are involved, specifically the teachers. If the teachers who oversee the group leaders and set the expectations for the group as a whole don’t do their jobs well, nothing gets cleaned thoroughly and students tend to use this time to talk, laugh, or space out. It’s not uncommon to find students sleepily sitting on the ground looking at their laps while pathetically moving a small sponge back and forth near their knees a centimeter or two.
Another aspect of school cleaning that is probably less well known is preparing the school pool for the swimming block of PE class.
This is a task that is often given to sixth grade students in elementary school and that the various boys’ sports teams do in junior high school. Occasionally, teachers and PTA members will help as well.
School pools in Japan tend to be outdoors, either somewhere on the school grounds (near the baseball and soccer fields) or on the roofs of the schools. For three quarters of the year, these pools are left as is, uncovered and exposed to the elements, which means that leaves and dirt gather at their bottoms and the water in them slowly turns green. Then, prior to summer, usually at the beginning or middle of June, they are drained and students, along with some teachers, are given the task of climbing into them with bare feet, scrubbing them clean with long handled, stiff bristled brushes, and spraying them down with powerful hoses.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.
It was funny - yesterday after lunch one of the kids who vacuums the teachers room was literally just doing the gesture of vacuuming - not plugged in or anything.
That's pretty clever. Just going through the motions, don't mind me.
I think it is very cool that the kids have all these responsibilities. Not only for themselves but for the good of the community/school as a whole. Again, more positive reasons in my bucket showing that kids growing up in Japan will be more independent and overall better citizens to others.
I try not to promote one or the other, but I don't think I could go back to the States and raise my kids there. I don't know. There are things I want my children to experience in America, but when I think of them becoming adults, I think they will learn a lot of valuable lessons here in Japan.
Nice post ! That reminds me my stay in Japan. Can't wait to go back ;)
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Love japan <3
You've got some great pics there. I especially like a couple of the bamboo shots and the butterflies. Have you been sharing those on Steemit?
Thanks a lot :) Not yet on steemit coz I'm totally new on this platform but I'm going to create content with them. Like articles by country I have visited and the pictures I have taken ;) It's coming soon but need time to create ahah
Thanks again for your interest !
Looking forward to them.
It looks amazingly clean! I think there are a lot of benefits to the system that Japan uses. Out of curiosity, do you know (or is it widely known) why they do this? Is it to teach the students things such as group work, responsibility, etc, or rather to cut costs or another reason?
I don't know for certain, but I would say all of the above: teach responsibility, cut costs, promote group work, make certain realize the value of the things they use everyday and the importance of maintaining them, etc.
Thanks for replying! That's really cool, I think it should definitely be implemented in more places!
They keep students very busy and very involved in school affairs here. I think they keep kids a little too busy, but a lot of things that can be seen as positive do come from that.
I have heard that about Japan. Nearly every part of a child's life takes part at school right? I don't think that is great by any means.. I think children need creativity and I can't imagine how parent/child relationships survive (although I guess the working hours are also incredibly long).
After they enter junior high school, much of their life is tied up in school related activities, many of them at a child's school, others at tutoring and sports facilities, etc.
Within the constraints of this, children are given quite a bit of say and responsibility and also have many chances to be creative. While I do think it can be stifling, one thing that it does do is keep kids off the streets and out of trouble, for the most part.
I can't decide what I think about it, but it often appears a little over the top to me.
So different from the school I work in. If we were to have our students clean anything the parents would complain!
I can imagine. I think the cleaning is a good thing. I don't know that it necessarily teaches kids more responsibility or gives them more pride in their schools like many people often suggest, but it definitely introduces kids to working as a group, being reflective, and having meetings, which they will need to do for the rest of their lives here. This culture is very much carried over to the business world.
Do they think twice about dirtying it during the day after cleaning in the morning or do they have short memories?
They clean in the afternoon. And most of them don't make a mess. I think they probably understand they will have to clean it up later if they do, but that's not always a deterrent. Adolescents and good decisions don't always mix. Neither do adults, though.
They clean in the afternoon. And most of them don't make a mess. I think they probably understand they will have to clean it up later if they do, but that's not always a deterrent. Adolescents and good decisions don't always mix. Neither do adults, though.
All Japanese children are so cute! And it's amazing how they are taught to keep clean from first years of their life! I am amazed every single time I go to Japan, although I already know well their treats. I have visited dozens of Japanese schools, and every time the kids make me smile.
They're very welcoming and sweet in elementary school. As they get older they tend to become a little shy.
Yes... Indeed they become shy as they grow up.
Can you check my posts about Japan? I'll be happy if they reach more people.
I'm following you now, so I'll keep an eye out for any new ones as you post them. I'll also check out your older ones in the morning.
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Haha, I always see this scene of cleaning swimming pool in Anime.
I enjoy Japan culture a lot especially FOOD.
I will be writing a series about Asian food
So if you're interested, follow me :)
I'll check it out. Thanks for letting me know.
I love the way Japanese children are taught responsibilities at a young age, builds good responsible adults. Cheers