Ridiculous School Rules in Japan Reveal a Lack of Common Sense
No jackets in winter, what's wrong with that?
The temperature is at the freezing point, possibly well below, as a seventeen-year-old boy walks to school.
No big deal. I grew up in the mountains and did the same. The difference? I was allowed to wear a jacket. This boy in Kagoshima city could only wear his thin school uniform. Something barely suitable for Fall.
The Mainichi Shimbun (newspaper) interviewed this boy. As they were posted around the school they noticed other boys wearing jackets while they were far from the school only to take them off and stuff them in their bags before they entered the school grounds.
Why?
The school forbids boys from wearing jackets unless they get permission from the school by calling them first.
Girls are allowed to wear coats IF they are school-designated ones.
Why this rule? When the principal was interviewed he said:
The rules have existed since long ago, so I don't know their purpose.
That’s it, case closed. He doesn’t know why. It was made a long time ago so we just keep on doing it the same way it has always been done.
Does it make sense? Does it relate to the actual world the kids live in? Don’t be dumb, why should that matter?
And this ladies and gentlemen succinctly explains many of Japan’s burdensome rules.
I work at a Japanese high school. We don’t have rules this draconian but I have seen some that are adjacent to it—no piercings, no chewing gum on campus, and so on.
But at least those rules have some rationale to keep things clean and orderly. The main reason I have ire against what this principal said is that they were enforcing a rule that kept children unprotected from the cold for NO reason. It was only done for tradition. Maybe laziness as well.
If a rule has been in place for decades the easy thing to do is to keep it without questioning it.
Last year, in March, a boy in Himeji wasn’t allowed to attend his graduation ceremony with his peers because he, whose mother is Japanese and father is black, decided to do his hair in corn rows to honor his father’s roots.
The administration said that he knew the rules, therefore he was being punished. The school in question does have rules concerning ponytails, coloring, and more, but does not have any concerning braiding.
In 2017 a high school girl in Osaka sued her school for trying to force her to dye her naturally brown hair black. She lost the suit (the school did not receive blame for the dying issue) but did get some money from the school because they removed her name from the class roster after she stopped attending because of the hair issue.
Back to my school (which I can’t/won’t name). Most of the rules I can abide by. Having students look their best and adhere to the rules can instill discipline and I’m all for that. But even we say that the kids can’t wear hoodies or sweaters while in class, only the school blazer.
On some days it can be so cold that the frail girls of my class can’t pay attention. I let it slide when they wear a sweater but I’m technically supposed to call it out.
These may seem like minor nuisances. I think they are emblematic of larger issues in the country.
Namely: why change anything? Such as:
Police routinely stop foreigners in the street and question them (this has happened to me).
Air conditioners in buildings aren’t switched on when it’s hot but rather when a pre-decided date is reached (regardless of temperature).
Older people in a business are promoted regardless of their actual ability and competency.
Having your period? Sorry, can’t attend the local festival (someone I know’s experience).
A man is having a heart attack!? Sorry, no women allowed in the sumo ring to save his life. Yes, we know you are a doctor but…. tradition!!
This is a rant, yes. I love Japan but there are so many rules in place (which may help to create the peaceful society I enjoy living in) but for fuck’s sake let’s apply some common sense.
I found myself chuckling at several points while reading this article. It highlights several useful examples of the excessive amount of rules - some explicit and some implicit - by which Japanese society operates. For long-term expats like us, following these rules can be both a blessing and a curse. I often find myself muttering under my breath, "Chill the _uck out!" but long ago I learned to "gaman suru," or just put up with it.
While many of these rules can be frustrating to deal with, you would go crazy if you allowed the many rules and regulations between the lines to constantly upset you. So it's often better to just go with the flow. (Of course, following extraneous rules without questioning the purpose of such rules is not a healthy situation.)
When politicians or other people with some form of power (e.g. corporate executives, etc.) blatantly flaunt the rules, my Western heritage often gets the best of me. The recent accounting scandal plaguing members of the Japanese Diet, the ongoing Tokyo Olympics scandals involving Dentsu, etc. seem to be good examples of plain and simple fraud where the players clearly acted in their own self-interest in clear violation of established principles, the law, and ethical standards. This does not sit well with me, and it seems strange that these issues never seem to go away.
The promotion of older people just for their age and the arbitrary turning on or off for heating and cooling make Japan closer to Italy in this silliness.
I remember my Japanese friend telling me that he wasn’t allowed to have brown hair in school and I was so so puzzled (I have light auburn hair, I thought I’d be expelled in Japan).