# Public schools in Japan



## cy1

Hi, can someone share their thoughts on public schools in Japan?

- I hear that bullying of expat's kids is common at public schools, is that true?
- Did anyone send their kids to Hoshuko in California and later move to Japan? Did Hoshuko help your kids settle into Japanese schools? Was there a big academic gap between Hoshuko and Japanese schools?
- Does anyone send their kids to private schools? If you don't mind how much do they cost around Yokohama or other suburbs?

Thanks,
CY


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## myrrh

cy1 said:


> Hi, can someone share their thoughts on public schools in Japan?
> 
> - I hear that bullying of expat's kids is common at public schools, is that true?
> - Did anyone send their kids to Hoshuko in California and later move to Japan? Did Hoshuko help your kids settle into Japanese schools? Was there a big academic gap between Hoshuko and Japanese schools?
> - Does anyone send their kids to private schools? If you don't mind how much do they cost around Yokohama or other suburbs?
> 
> Thanks,
> CY


1) Regarding bullying, this depends on the school, on the personality of your kids and (maybe most importantly) on their ages. First or second year in elementary school should not be a problem anywhere. Late elementary school and junior high school can be a problem (anywhere in the world), as relationships will often be set and newcomers sometimes ostracized. Being active in the PTA and maintaining good communication lines with your kid's homeroom teacher can really help.

2) It depends on both the hoshu program and on the quality of the school in Japan. By the way, you should be able to find the reputations of the local hoshu programs by asking around or checking online. 

3) Private schools or international schools? If the former, you'd be paying a lot but still have the potential for bullying. As for the latter...you can search online. (I just did, and the yearly tuition seems to be between $12-18,000 US...plus lots and lots of fees.)


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## larabell

1) I had two kids in city-run public schools, one still there. Neither seems to have had any trouble with bullying but I agree that probably depends more on the personality of the kids. My oldest, in fact, was fairly popular and was selected the "class representative" for one of his Jr. High years.

3) My oldest just started in a private High School [1] and his annual tuition comes out to around USD 8000 per year. We never checked out private schools for their Elementary education but I can believe the fees would be even higher than that. As for international schools... keep in mind that the majority of international schools cater to expats or reverse-expats returning from a stint in the UK or the States so the tuition is often paid by the employers. I'm guessing that drives prices even higher. On the other hand... if your kids aren't already fluent in Japanese, you may have no choice. Trying to keep up with the other students while also trying to catch-up on multiple years of basic Japanese is going to be tough.

[1] High school isn't mandatory in Japan so all High Schools are either private or semi-public (ie: run by some government entity but still charging tuition).


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## myrrh

Just to clarify regarding my post, I'm referring to students aged 10-14 transferring in from another school (or from outside the country). 

My (now college-age) kids also had no problems in school, but then they started with their peers in kindergarten. However, they (and I) had to intervene to stop the bullying of a kid who transferred in later. Of course, it's difficult to say whether "foreignness" was a major cause of this bullying. Japanese colleagues have sometimes reported the same issues with their similarly aged kids transferring to schools in different prefectures.

High schools are less of a problem in that entrance is neither obligatory nor necessarily easy. Students usually need to test well to get into a particular school, meaning that many students will start off their first year without a large, established core of long-term friends around them. I.e., in a sense, everyone is starting over. I would also think that most students at academically orientated Japanese high schools would be too busy with test preparation and/or club activities to bully much. Wishful thinking?


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## larabell

Yeah... it probably makes a big difference when a kid transfers in mid-year. Mine both started in public day-care so until the eldest's entry into High School, each transition was more-or-less with the same group (though the Jr. High areas were partitioned differently than the Elementary areas so there was some degree of "newness" introduced).

But bullying isn't just a Japanese problem. Heck... I was bullied in Jr. High and High School, mostly because I lived far enough away from the schools that I wasn't able to participate in activities outside of regular school hours. As you know (but the OP probably doesn't), in Japan you're almost required to participate in some sort of extra-curricular activity starting in Jr. High and I do think that helps the students develop social ties and also keeps them reasonably busy, depending on which club you join.

As for High School... I've been discovering that between school time, studying, and club activities, my oldest is hardly at home any more. And yes... the fact that he and his colleagues had to pass a relatively difficult examination just to get into the school really changed his outlook toward school and if most of the other students are taking this time as seriously as he is, I really doubt there's any energy left to even think about bullying.


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