things worth mentioning

These are just a few things. parts of my daily life that I have become accustomed to and no longer think twice about, but it occurred to me that they might be of interest to people who aren't living in Japan.

school lunch always involves rice, some sort of soup and some sort of salad, usually some version of seaweed salad. everyday. along with creamy milk in a glass bottle that is later cleaned and reused.

there are no lunch ladies or cafeterias. students serve their fellow students. before doing so, they don white chef-esque uniforms and students line up to grab trays and be served by their classmates in their classrooms.

after lunch the whole school brushes their teeth. there are trough-style sinks in the hallways and students stand around brushing their teeth and talking to one another in garbled, mouth-full-of-toothpaste Japanese. teachers brush their teeth in the privacy of the teachers' room, but, rest assured, the super-sanitary and aesthetically-pleasing talking while brushing takes place there, as well.

speaking of a teachers room. they have one. teachers do not have their own classrooms. students have classrooms, and teachers must go to the different classrooms and teach the students associated with each one. the grades are divided into classes, and these students stay together in their classroom for the academic year.

at the end of the day all teachers and students tie bandanas on their heads and line up in two rows, facing one another in the hallways. music plays over the intercom, and we bow to one another while saying, in unison, "onegaishimasu" or please, and then begin cleaning. students are assigned to different areas all around school and everyday the whole school is cleaned, without a single janitor. during cleaning time, the same poor quality karaoke style instrumental songs play - including "Cheer Up Sleepy Jean." after cleaning, we line up and bow once more, while saying "gokurosamadeshita" or I appreciate your efforts.

all of my students must wear uniforms. the boys wear plaid pants with a white shirt, a plaid tie, and a blue jacket (see photo above). the girls wear the same blue jacket, also over a white shirt, but with a boy tie and a knee-length plaid skirt. all students wear a plastic nameplate with their names written in kanji symbols pinned on the left side of their jacket. under their uniforms, all students wear their school sweats - boys wear bright blue (perhaps aquamarine?) gym shorts with white shirts, and girls wear sea green gym shorts with white shirts. After PE class, students are allowed to stay in their sweats. They also have pull-over sweatshirts and parachute-style sweat pants which they can wear for PE in the winter.

we don't wear outside shoes inside. students have white canvas slip-ons to wear indoors. the rubber soles are either green, yellow or blue, depending on what grade the students are in. teachers can wear whatever indoor shoes they choose. there are also slippers available for visitors.

in the school gym, everyone must wear special shoes. students have special gym shoes, all matching of course. everyone else can use the slippers that are kept on a shelf outside the gym entrance.

students cannot wear makeup, decorative hair ties, jewelry or nail polish. they also cannot have their hair hanging down.

this is a brief sketch of middle school in japan. enjoy.