For example, as you hinted at, basic standardized testing is one of the biggest problems in US education; here in Japan, standardized tests are the entire point, purpose and goal of education. You talk about kids who can’t even read in the US, well, we have kids in Japan who can’t even tell you what food they like, or what things make them happy, because they just don’t even know anymore. You have private schools where kids are crammed 50 to a class and never, ever ask the teacher questions.

And I don’t think you understand what juku is. It’s a second school that students go to after regular school – it is a repetition of the same stuff they do all day, but slightly more intense. Most jukus go until 9 or 10 o’clock at night. My 11-year-old was going to juku until 9 each night for a few months before we pulled him out. So, juku isn’t just special tutoring – it’s basically a regular school classroom. So think about that: from 9AM to 9PM doing the same thing, all day – 12 hours a day, studying the same things over and over and over again. It’s not a special, better class where you pay money for your kid to get a real education – it’s just more hours of your child crammed into a small classroom doing worksheets late into the night.

Think about that: 12 hours a day for many of these kids, with little one or two week vacations that aren’t really vacations (they still go to school every day despite being on vacation), and it’s STILL not enough??? I’m sorry, but there is just no point in comparing the two systems, because our problems are so different. In fact, Japanese school as it exists would be highly illegal in America, because it would basically be categorized as “abuse” and shut down over night.

My point is, any time someone says something about Japan, you don’t need to jump in and start saying, “Yeah, but America!” It has NOTHING to do with anything happening here, and making comparisons is pointless.

However perhaps all the talk of four seasons is to hide the fact that Japan has five seasons, spring, summer, autumn, winter and tsuyu, the rainy season, which no one likes.