Japanese Lessons: A Year in a Japanese School Through the Eyes of an American Anthropologist and Her Children

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable analysis; something hard to come by
Review: I had Gail Benjamin as a lecturer in a Japanese society course at the University of Pittsburgh in late 1999. Not only was the class fascinating, but "Japanese Lessons" (compulsory reading for the class) sparked within me new interest in the subject. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in japanese society, and stress that it is not in the least bit textbook-like.

Rating:
Summary: Accurate and Detailed
Review: I teach English at two Japanese Elementary schools an hour's drive from the elementary school described in this book. I also have an American daughter in a Japanese pre-school who is headed for elementary school soon. I found this book rich in useful, practical details and perceptive analysis. In fact, as one who has studied American education I found that Gail Benjamin's weaker points arose when she described American elementary education to contrast with the Japanese elementary school. I also believe readers should be aware that many changes occur after Japanese primary education (grades 1 E6) in the following junior high school, high school, and tertiary education. I believe the most negative aspects of a Japanese education occur AFTER the primary education. In Japanese elementary school children are relatively free spirits in the classroom compared with what follows. This uninhibited spirit is coupled with academic rigor. Gail Benjamin's book accurately and richly portrays much of Japanese elementary school experience.

Rating:
Summary: See the forest for the trees.
Review: Many books on Japan and China will try to give you everything from a history lesson to a break-down of their culture and ideals. Whole chapters are needed by the author just to define the terms he, or she, will be using. This book is nothing like that. She does not TELL us about Japanese school systems, she SHOWS us how a Japanese school works, through her eyes and the eyes of her two kids. She explains about uniforms, Sports Day, lunches, how classes are set up, how many hours a student goes to school in a year, how a class is run and so on.
The book is an easy read, full of details that other books just seem to over-look. Remember, that this is dealing with one elementary school, and does not reflect how things are done in the Senior High Schools and/or Colleges, but it does destroy a few myths I had about how the Japanese taught their children and the book was also a delight to read!
Try to get a copy, any condition. It's worth it!