Junior High School

[tokyostreet]

Today is the school festival here at one of my schools and it really goes to show how good it can be. While Japan may be criticized for bring too strict with their students - the students are sure having a good time. Everyone I have talked to today seemed very happy. They were all working together and did an excellent job throwing this festival

Comments

[ichihana]

I think maybe Americans have what makes people happy backwards. Kids in places like Japan and China may be pushed hard, but at least they can say they've accomplished something at the end of the day. Here, we have it easy and we still hate it. I figured out what I hated about my life so much, and it was the lack of drive and accomplishment. Now that I'm older it's hard to force myself into doing anything useful no matter how hard I try and that makes me much more upset than having been pushed hard in my childhood would have. I think all that strictness probably makes their freetime and recreation time a lot more fun as well.

Japanese school system > American school system

[tokyostreet]

Yes, I think that's a pretty big problem we have in middle America - no one is motivated to do anything when they can go home and watch tv all night and "get by". I am really glad I got past all that and now I have a drive to do things - but at times I still want to procrastinate.