Attending elementary school

Seyasan set up a meeting for us to speak with the local elementary school's principal, superintendent, and potential teacher. That was when we learned that they did not have assistance available for international kids and that all of our son's classes would be taught in Japanese. Since we were looking at this option or sending him to private school (a train-ride away), we decided to keep it local and give it our best shot.

Then we were given the list of required items. It was immensely confusing because some items would be purchased by the school and we would be billed for, and others were things that we needed to purchase ourselves.

The Japanese pianica, which is exactly like a harmonica
and a piano had a baby

I think all of the items were a little unexpected. We didn't realize he would need indoor shoes for inside the school and outdoor shoes for recess. We had never heard of a "pianica," which surprised the school employees. The fact that he needed an earthquake cushion was not really a surprise, but was new to us. And then there was the $300 backpack (no, that's not a typo).

From left to right: gym clothes, indoor shoes, backpack,
hand towel, pencil case, pianica, bag/cushion,
school hat, swim towel, toothbrush, cup and
bag for the latter two

So why is it a $300 backpack? Culturally the Japanese put a great deal of importance upon the beginning of something, and the beginning of a child's formal education is no different. The first day of school means wearing nice clothes and special greetings by the teachers and older grade students. There are speeches by local pillars of the community, and photos. And aside from the hand-stitched backpack that is meant to be worn throughout the child's educational years, parents typically spend around $500 to purchase a child-sized study station.

The neighborhood walking groups, ready to leave

We missed out on the hubbub because the Japanese school year begins in April. Our son's first day of elementary school was still viewed with excitement by the neighborhood, though, and all three of the small groups that walk together in the morning wanted to have our son walk with them.

It's about a 15 minute walk for the kids, including an
overpass that allows them to cross a busy road safely

It's a little like watching a bunch of ducklings make their way to the pond when you watch elementary school kids go off to school each day. Rain or shine, they walk because there are no buses. Typically each group is led by a 6th grader, and often another older child will stay at the back to urge stragglers ahead and keep order. There is no singing, and on colder days the talking falls to a minimum. But there they all are in their yellow hats, on their way to a day of learning.