Japanese Kindergarten

    The Japanese kindergarten in quite different from the kindergarten model followed in the West.  I became very interested in Japanese children’s education after living with a Japanese family with a 4 year old boy. Kids in Japan definitely have less everyday tasks than kids in America or Brazil , for example.

    For example, they don’t have to clean up after themselves, they have many things that they request as fast as their parents can run to bring it to them and in kindergarten class they also have lots of freedom to do what want. 

My host brother's kindergarten class consists of one teacher and approximately 30 kids.  Unlike western schools, the teacher is not supposed to interfere with the actions of the children.  In Japan, kids learn that fighting is wrong through social interactions and sometimes by fighting and being hurt. If the teacher interferes with the social interactions in the class, the kids will never know how a fight can hurt and be bad. It’s a very interesting method that seems to really work, as when these kids advance to middle school and beyond, their behavior is much disciplined.

    I went to a Kindergarten festival and it was very interesting to see how the kids are noisy and they don’t seem to care about the festival very much. But it was amazing to see how they stand nearly four hours of festival, changing clothes and doing various performances without complaining. In contrast, a 4 year old child in Brazil would perform for no more then 15 minutes and would surly complain every time some one asked for something as simple as taking a picture. 

The Inspiring Nara

    

   Japan's first capital, Nara is a stunning place located in the Kansai region of Japan. When we think about  traveling in Japan we usually think about Tokyo or Kyoto and usually Nara isn’t in the list. But, Nara has a rich History with many temples shrines and ruins.

    

    One of the most stunning sightseeing is the temple Todai-ji, where the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha is situated. This statue is something beyond words … I have seen many pictures of the “big “ Buddha, but none of them were able to express what that statue is . It is definitely something you have to experience on your own to fully appreciate.

    

Daibutsu of Todai-ji: Height: 14.98 m,Face: 5.33 m ,Eyes: 1.02 m. It weighs 500 tonnes

Deer in Nara is sacred, designated as National Treasures and  protected as such

Omikuji :  random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan

Incense burner at Todai-ji temple:  the smoke is believed to have healing power

  Besides the Temples and shrines, Nara has something else, difficult to describe. I guess the beautiful trees changing leaves in the autumn the peaceful lakes, the deer everywhere makes Nara a unique place, where Japanese families gather to enjoy themselves.

      Observe the japanese eating, talking to each other and playing with the deer  makes me realize how rush and work isn’t everything in the Japanese people’s life . Praying and admiring the nature are also important for them.


For more information about Nara, check this website: 
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2165.html