Today's topic is a typical day in a Japanese high school.  There are some big differences.  Japanese high school lasts 3 years and it is not a requirement to attend.  Students take very difficult exams in order to be admitted to high schools and universities.  As a result, schools are ranked by quality, and students study very hard to be accepted to the top schools.  Families pay tuition and book fees.  Students take the exams so seriously, it is very usual to go to the temple and pray about the exams.  You can even buy a good luck charm for "academics" or "scholarship" to have more luck from the gods.  I've got one to show you when I get back.  Some of you may want to hold it if you're looking for some extra boost for second quarter honor roll.
       School starts at 8:00 A.M., and students take 4 classes every day with each lasting 75 minutes - no breaks either!  The students wear uniforms.  The girls must wear navy blue pleated skirts.  They have lunchtime for 1 hour.  They eat in the classrooms, and no adults are necessary for supervision.  They sit in groups with desks pulled together.  The girls and boys sit in separate groups.  There's no mixing -- until after school.  Most of the students bring their lunch, with the main course in one section of the lunchbox and the rice (you always have rice with every meal) is in the bottom part.  The main course items are always neatly and attractively arranged in the container.  They have a small thermos of green tea, which is supposed to be very good for your health.  We had been given a very large meal, and we offered our food to the students.  They were not shy about taking it, and they wanted us to try their food.  Of course, we did.  To say "No" is very impolite - you just don't do it.  So, you have to be very careful about what you ask for or what you admire -- you may just get it. 
       At 3:00 P.M. the bell chimes a short tune, and everyone starts cleaning.  I wanted to take a photo of students sweeping the driveway, and I forgot to change my "inside" slippers for my regular shoes before going outside.  Oops!  Bad mistake.  Because schools and homes are places of great importance, keeping them clean is a priority.  A person removes the "street shoes" and wears slippers.  We had been told to bring our own, but there are always some available if you don't have your own.
       All students attend "club" activities after school.  There's a wide variety - baseball, judo, chess, history, band, chorus, etc.   The teachers are in charge of this, although the students get started on their own without the teacher for about 45 minutes to an hour.  One teacher (A Spanish teacher) had to be absent today because of a meeting.  The students planned and rehearsed their skit with no need for a substitute.  Hmmmm  ..........