The mechanisms of Japan's group structures, big differences in education between Japan and the U.S., and some useful Japanese words

The Japanese, as I've written many times, are quite group oriented, and it's interesting to observe some of the actual mechanisms that support this aspect of society. In virtually my entire education from the 7th grade on, I've had mixed schedules -- math in second period with Mr. Johnson, English in third period with Mr. Mihalka and so on, with different students around me each hour. In Japan, the system is quite different: students are are assigned to a class that they stay in all year long, with teachers coming and going each hour. Being with the same students all day for a year often has the effect of bringing them closer together, and it's probably more common for Japanese to maintain those connections throughout their lives than for Americans. Japanese usually get two sets of these special school groups: those they attended Elementary and Junior High School with, usually kids from the same neighborhood; and friends from High School, which is not part of compulsory education, thus students are free to choose which school they want to go to based on their study goals. My son commutes to school with several boys, a group that calls themselves Hosoya-gumi since they get off the train at Hosoya Station. It wouldn't surprise me if they maintained their friendship throughout their lives.

One aspect of this group-centered approach to education is, what do you when students who must study together are at different levels? When I took Spanish in High School, there were students of all ages in the class with me, since we were all at the same level Espanolically speaking. But in Japan, with its stricter senpai-kohai relationships, it's inconceivable that students of different school years would study together for any reason. If there are students who have trouble keeping up in a certain subject, they are required to take extra lessons and do more homework, since everyone must progress through the same material together. The concepts of a very smart student skipping a grade or a slower student being held back a year are rare here, part of the reason why parents of extremely gifted children often move to the U.S. or Europe, where special talents can be treated as a positive thing. When my daughter gets to Junior High School she's going to have a big shock, since she'll be taking English along with the other kids and learning phrases like "this is a pen" or "I am a boy" despite the fact that she's bilingual already. It's funny how sometimes a single word of Japanese can carry so much meaning, and there's a group of especially descriptive three-syllable words that can be quite challenging for foreigners to learn. One of word you run across a lot is sokkuri (so-KU-ri), meaning "almost exactly the same as," so if you had a friend who looked like a guy named John, you'd say say "John ni sokkuri desu" (you are the spitting image of John). The Japanese like to do things the proper way, which is expressed in the word shikkari (shi-KAI-ri, proper, correct), and just about the kindest praise you can heap on someone is that they're shikkari shiteiru (they are upstanding and proper in all ways). Another word from this group is "sappari" (sa-PAH-ree, fresh, clean), as in the phrase "sappari shita!" (I feel so refreshed!), said after you get out of a hot bath. Other words from this group include gakkari (gah-KAH-ree), the feeling of being let down or disappointed; kossori (koh-SOH-ree), doing something secretly; and pittari (pi-TAH-ree), describing a perfect fit. Since one valid approach to learning a foreign language is "memorize whatever phrases will make cute female speakers of that language squeal with amusement," consider memorizing some of these words and pulling them out at the right moment to see what happens. Well, darned if we don't have even more 2008 calendars posted for preorder today. There are lots of nice new calendars up on the site, including the gorgeous upcoming calendar for the all-new Evangelion movies, new Hello Kitty offerings, kanji calendars to learn Japanese with, cute idols like more of the popular "Hao Hao Baby Panda" calendars, several new anime calendars, and a great "Doraemon's Go-Anywhere Door" offering for 2008. Remember that J-List carries hundreds rare and fun traditional items from Japan, from bento boxes to really high quality yunomi (traditional tea cups) to kanji T-shirt and a variety of Japanese headbands and wooden geta shoes. We also have authentic custom hanko name stamps with your own name rendered in kanji or katakana, a really cool item, and legal for use in Japan, too. The J-List staff will work with you to get just the right characters for your name -- that's all there is to it. Here are today's "really cool products" that I thought were especially noteworthy. Note: the J-List links below may be for adult products and should probably be considered "not safe for work" (a yes/no verification screen will be displayed to filter products from our mature site). To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Bachelor June 2007. Yulia Nova is often compared with Betty Page, and I have to agree, she's something.
	Versus -- Hotaru Akane vs Riko Tachibana. Super battle between Hotaru Akane and Riko Tachibana. Who will in?
	Indies Debut -- Risa Koda. Today we learned the word "sokkuri" meaning "looking exactly the same as." This girl is a "sokkuri-san" (a look-alike) of talented JPOP singer (and kogal) Kumi Koda.
	Angel Amidst Walls vol. 1 ~ Kabe no Naka no Tenshi Jyo. Excellent new manga from Nao Kokonoki. Love the art,
	Push! Art Library. Another outstanding collection of illustrations from Japan.
	Haruhi EX Figure　from Sega -- Nagato Yuki Figure. I love Yuki, she's one of the most interesting characters to come along in a while. And she likes sci-fi books by Dan Simmons, same as me.
	Haruhi EX Figure　from Sega -- Haruhi Suzumiya Figure. Gorgeous Haruhi figure, great for displaying anywhere.
	Rocobo "Raity" ~ Interactive Doggy Pet -- Dark Blue. Several new Rocobo variants on the site. Incidentally, we provide a full translation of the instructions for this, so you can enjoy your cute little pet.
	Cinnamoangels Aluminum Pen Case. I like this new Sanrio character, a trip of Cinnamoroll style angels.
	2008 Calendar -- Neon Genesis Evangelion *Preorder*. The Evangelion 2008 calendar is up for order. It should be good this year!
	RED FUNDOSHI ~ Japanese Macho-ism Underwear. Totally wacky item, real underwear worn by people in the Edo Period. Possibly good for a Halloween costume?
	MITSUAMI ~ Japanese School Girls Braided Hair Set. Become a Japanese school girl with these.
	2008 Calendar -- Seto no Hanayome *Preorder*. Nice 2008 calendar for an anime I want to see personally. (A mermaid meets up with a yakuza family.)
	2008 Calendar -- Mitsuo Aida *Preorder*. Mitsuo Aida is a famous calligraphy artist from Japan. I just love his stuff.
	2008 Calendar -- Doraemon Door *Preorder*. Go anywhere with this cool Doramon 2008 calendar.
	2008 Calendar -- Risa Kudou *Preorder*. Gorgeous 2008 calendar for fans of this lovely idol.
	Black Sesame Sembei. Delicious rice crackers loaded with black sesame.
	Super Mario Light Mascot Swing Strap Full Set of 5. A nice Super Mario Brothers item you can preorder now.