Which is supported by family, state and society.
Japan has a very special method of raising children.
Children under 5 years of age are treated like an emperor here., never punishing him or even raising his voice at him, after 5 and before 15 - like a slave, using almost cane discipline, and after 15 - as an equal.
In Japan, a 15-year-old teenager is a responsible adult who obeys the rules accepted in society and is responsible for himself, his family and the state as a whole.
There is strict subordination in Japanese families and society. The man is the unconditional head of the family, the mother raises the children and creates comfort in the house.
In Japan, elders are respected - both in age and in official position. The peculiarities of education in Japan are strict adherence to traditions and centuries-old way of life.
Attending kindergartens in Japan is not compulsory. Almost all preschool institutions here are private.
There are very few public kindergartens in Japan, and in order to get there, parents must provide the administration with very good reasons.
Mothers are mainly involved in raising children.
The mother never resists the will of the child; she can only warn him of danger. The mother influences the Japanese child indirectly: she can show that she is upset by his behavior or contrast his actions with the rules accepted in society.
Japan is a country of groups and communities: to be outside a certain circle of people, to remain isolated and alone is a tragedy for the Japanese.
In Japanese kindergartens (even private ones) there is always a modest, if not ascetic, atmosphere.
Children play, study, sleep and eat in the same room.
The groups here are small, 5-6 people each, and the composition of the children changes every six months.
Teachers in groups also change. This is necessary for the child’s development of communication skills with people.
The preschool education system in Japan is designed to make future team members out of little Japanese or corporations.
The education reform in Japan, which was carried out several decades ago, primarily affected preschool education and training.
Much attention began to focus on early childhood development. This happened thanks to the book of the Japanese teacher (and part-time founder of the Sony concern) Masaru Ibuki.
His work was called “After Three It’s Too Late,” and it argued for the need to develop the character and abilities of children from a very young age.
Japanese universities also have their own hierarchy.
Several private Japanese universities occupy the highest level of prestige and popularity.
There are few of them, and among them are, for example, the following universities like Nihon, Waseda or Hokkaido Tokai University.
Graduates of these universities constitute the elite economy and politics of the country.
It is almost impossible to enter these universities without serious preparation and special recommendations.
A diploma from any of these universities provides a complete guarantee of successful employment, regardless of grades and sometimes even specialty.
A step below are several public universities that occupy the highest positions in Japanese university rankings. These include, for example, State Yokohama University or Tokyo Institute of Technology. The tuition fees at these universities are lower, but the competition is very high.
The tuition fee here is low and the competition is quite moderate.
The most “non-prestigious” are considered small private universities.
They are distinguished by high tuition fees and a diploma that is not highly valued when hiring.
The Japanese education system is one of the most well-structured and effective in Asia and throughout the world, and it is this system that ensures a high standard of living and economic growth in the country.
The basics of the Japanese school education program are determined by the standards approved by the Ministry of Education. Municipal authorities are responsible for financing, program implementation, and staffing of those school institutions that are located on their territory.
The Japanese educational system was established in 1947 and consists of five levels from kindergarten to university with the following duration of study: 3-6-3-3-4. Where 6-3-3 is the school you are looking for. School in Japan is represented by three levels. This is elementary, middle, high school. Primary and middle school are compulsory levels of education; high school is optional, but over 90% of Japanese youth try to continue their studies in high school. Education in primary and secondary schools is free, but you have to pay for high school.
Little Japanese go to primary school from the age of six and continue their studies here until the 7th grade. Education in secondary school lasts from 7th to 9th grades. High school education lasts for 3 years, until the end of 12th grade.
A table clearly showing the education system in Japan.
|
Age |
stage |
Educational establishments |
|---|---|---|
|
6-7 |
1 |
Primary School (Grades 1-6) - Shogakko shogakko |
|
7-8 |
2 |
|
|
8-9 |
3 |
|
|
9-10 |
4 |
|
|
10-11 |
5 |
|
|
11-12 |
6 |
|
|
12-13 |
1 |
Middle school (grades 7-9) - chugakko(chugakko) (compulsory free education) |
|
13-14 |
2 |
|
|
14-15 |
3 |
|
|
15-16 |
1 |
High School (grades 10-12) - Kotogakko(koutougakko) (paid education) |
|
16-17 |
2 |
|
|
17-18 |
3 |
The uniqueness of Japanese schools is that the composition of the class changes annually, which allows students to develop communication skills and provides the opportunity to establish friendly relations with a large number of peers. Teachers in Japanese schools also change every year. Class sizes in Japanese schools are large, ranging from 30 to 40 students.
The academic year in Japanese schools begins on April 1, it consists of three trimesters, which are separated from each other by holidays. In spring and winter, schoolchildren rest for ten days; the summer vacation period is 40 days. The school week lasts from Monday to Friday, some schools have classes on Saturday, with schoolchildren resting every second Saturday.
Lessons in Japanese schools last for 50 minutes, for kids the lesson lasts 45 minutes, then there is a short break. The daily learning process for a Japanese schoolchild ends at 3 pm. In the elementary grades, Japanese language, social studies, science, mathematics, music, fine arts, physical education, and housekeeping are taught. Primary school students are not given homework and do not take exams.
Two years ago, English was introduced for compulsory education, it is taught from secondary school, only native speakers of the language are allowed to teach English. Secondary schools in Japan teach several more special subjects, their composition depends on the school itself.
Traditionally, the most difficult subjects in a Japanese school are the study of languages - native and English. Students begin to be examined in high school. They take exams at the end of the trimester in all subjects; in the middle of the first and second trimester, exams are held in mathematics, natural science, social studies, Japanese, and English.
Japanese schoolchildren can eat lunch for an hour. There are no canteens in schools; hot lunches for children are prepared in a special sterile room, and here they are placed in individual boxes, which are brought to classes on carts.
All foreign students living in Japan have the right to school education, which can be obtained in municipal schools. To do this, parents should contact the municipality, where they will be given information about which school their child can attend. To study at school, parents will only need to purchase notebooks for written calculations and other educational supplies for their child. (With)
One of the schools, in the right corner there is a plan of the school.
parking near the school
The numbering of classes is not continuous, as in Russia, but internal - “first grade of elementary school,” “second grade of high school,” and so on. Parallels are usually indicated by letters of the Latin alphabet: 1-A (first parallel of the first class), 1-B (second parallel of the first class) and so on, or by numbers: 1-1, 1-2 and so on.
Primary and secondary schools in Japan are compulsory for everyone and free of charge.High school is not compulsory, but about 95% percent continue their studies after high school. 48% of high school graduates go on to college (2 years) or university (4 years).
Tuition in high school and university is always paid, but in public institutions it is cheaper. There are also fee-paying private primary and secondary schools. In all paid institutions you can study for free or get a big discount if you win a scholarship competition.
Japanese mothers tend to be very attentive to their children's success. They maintain close contact with teachers, participate in the life of the school, and in case of illness of children, sometimes even go to classes instead of them and take notes on lectures. Such fanatical mothers are called “kiyoiku mama.”
At the same time, the children themselves often “sit on the neck” of their parents until they are about 25-30 years old, when they begin to earn enough to feed themselves.
Academic year
The school year in Japan is divided into three trimesters and begins on April 6. The first trimester lasts until July 20, then the big summer holidays begin, the second trimester begins on September 1, the winter holidays start from December 26, and the last, third, trimester lasts from January 7 to March 25. Then there is a short spring break, during which there is a transition from class to class. The exact start and end dates of terms vary from school to school.
The beginning of the school year in April is due to the fact that at this time in Japan spring comes into full force and cherry blossoms begin to bloom. There is a movement to move the start of the school year to September 1, but it is not very popular.
During the holidays, students receive homework. Sometimes they continue to study during the holidays (in special courses), if they did not study well enough during the trimesters. It is recommended that elementary school students keep “picture diaries” during the holidays - pictures fill in gaps in kanji knowledge and develop the student’s ability to write and draw.
Studying in Japan lasts six days, but every second Saturday is considered a day off.
School program
The teaching program varies from school to school, but is based on standards approved by the Ministry of Education. Responsibility for funding, teacher staffing and the school curriculum lies with local authorities.
In Japan, people begin to attend school when they reach the age of six. Before this, children usually go to kindergarten. By the time they enter school, children should have basic arithmetic and be able to read hiragana and katakana.
In elementary school, children study Japanese, mathematics, science (physics, chemistry, biology), social studies (ethics, history, etiquette, music, fine arts, physical education and home economics.
By the end of primary school, children must, in particular, learn 1006 Kanji characters from the 1945 characters on the state list.
The composition of these subjects depends on the school.
The most difficult subjects are mathematics and languages - Japanese (learning kanji) and English.
The high school curriculum is slightly more varied than the middle and primary school curriculum, but students are given more opportunities to specialize in a particular area of study.
Timetable
Just like in Russia, but unlike the USA, primary and secondary schools are usually located within a 5-10 minute walk from the student's home. Of course, in rural areas the school may be significantly further away.
School classes usually start at half past eight in the morning.Every Monday before classes begin, students line up and the school principal speaks to them for 15 minutes. On other days, this time is reserved for school-wide announcements and attendance. Attending school diligently is of great importance in Japan. However, a truant may run away from school after the first lesson.
The duration of lessons in elementary schools is 45 minutes, in middle and high schools - 50 minutes. Between lessons there are small breaks of 5-10 minutes; after the fourth lesson (at about half past one) there is usually a long break for lunch - about 60 minutes. Students who try to start eating breakfasts brought from home before the official start of lunch are punished, especially if they eat during lessons.
In elementary school there are rarely more than four lessons a day. In high school their number can reach up to six.
In elementary school there is no homework, but in middle and high school there is a lot of homework, so despite having days off, older Japanese schoolchildren are the busiest people in the country.
Organization of studies
Unlike Russian schools, in Japan each class is assigned its own office (in Russia the office is assigned to the teacher). Therefore, it is not the students, but the teachers who walk from office to office between lessons. The office assigned to the class is signed with the appropriate sign.
There are different teachers for each grade and each subject, although in small schools this may not be the case.
Japanese schools often do not have cafeterias or locker rooms, so students have to eat lunch and hang their clothes in the classrooms.The children on duty themselves, under the supervision of an adult, prepare food for their class, which they then take to class, or the children eat food brought from home
There are no cleaners in Japanese schools.At the end of lessons, all students clean their classroom and their assigned school area.
Joint field trips and excursions to ancient Japanese cities and temples are often organized for schoolchildren. Such excursions usually last up to three to four days.
School uniform
For most middle and high schools, school uniforms are required. Each school has its own, but in reality there are not many options. Usually this is a white shirt and dark jacket and trousers for boys and a white shirt and dark jacket and skirt for girls, or a sailor fuku - “sailor suit”. Black or white knee socks, the skirt covers the knees, low heels.The uniform also includes a bright baseball cap, which is a kind of identification mark. Primary schoolchildren, as a rule, dress in ordinary children's clothing.
junior school uniform.
High school girls uniform
Clubs and courses
Participation in the activities of school clubs (kai) is considered an important part of studying in secondary school. Usually their activities are related to either sports or art,takes place at the end of classes and is organized by the students themselves.
Aside from the obvious benefits they provide, clubs are also breeding grounds for hazing, where older students bully younger students to get better results (or just to make fun of them).
At the very beginning of the school year, the leadership of the clubs puts out their “advertising” for seventh grade students.Almost every seventh grader enrolls in one or more clubs and remains in them throughout their entire time in high school.
In addition to the school itself, most students attend paid preparatory courses called juku, which help them better prepare for passing school exams. Juku classes usually take place in the evening, two to three times a week.
In addition to all that has been said, I would like to add that: culture in Japan includes activities in the pool
Exams
The main problem of Japanese schools is the exhausting exams, each of which takes several hours of hard work and much more time in the process of preparing for it. From time to time they become the cause of suicide among schoolchildren.
Middle and high school students take exams at the end of each term and midway through the first and second terms. There are no exams in primary school. Mid-term exams are held in Japanese, mathematics, English, science and social studies. At the end of terms, exams are held in all subjects studied.
A week before the start of exams, club meetings are canceled to allow students to prepare for exams. Examinations usually take the form of written tests. Exams are graded using a percentage system. The highest score is 100 points.
After high school
The transition from middle school to high school is based on exam results.First, based on his school performance, the student receives a list of high schools to which he has a chance of admission. He then takes a transition exam, and based on his results and previous performance, the question of which high school the student will enter is decided.
Good students get into prestigious high schools, bad ones - to run-down schools for those who do not intend to receive higher education. T Some schools focus on home economics, agriculture, and so on. Their graduates have no career prospects.
Those who do not want to enroll in high school can enroll in five-year "technical colleges" - vocational schools. However, entering them is not so easy - there is a lot of competition for the best of them, since skilled workers are highly valued in Japan.Some technical colleges are owned by large firms, and their graduates are immediately employed.
Academy.
In addition to regular public schools, there are also private fee-paying academy schools (gakuen), as well as “national” schools - schools of national importance. To enter them, you need to pass special exams in conditions of great competition. On the other hand, they have better educational programs, and many of them provide non-competitive admission to high school or university.
Typically, the children of the Japanese elite study at academy schools: politicians, businessmen, diplomats, and professors from famous universities. Those who receive scholarships to study at academies often turn out to be “black sheep” and sometimes become the subject of bullying by classmates.
Some academies do not require wearing a school uniform.
Universities and colleges
The main criterion when choosing a university is prestige.Those who were able to graduate from a prestigious educational institution are hired for almost any job.It is believed that a capable and diligent young man can understand any matter that is entrusted to him.
Instead of a university, you can enroll in a two-year college that provides specialized education. About 90% of Japanese girls enroll in them and receive “lower” female professions there: nurses, kindergarten teachers, primary school teachers, qualified housewives, seiyuu actresses.
Admission to the university takes place in two stages.
At the first, high school graduates take a national exam. Based on its results, they submit applications to the university of their choice. There the issue of their admission to the entrance exams themselves is decided, which they then pass.
The most prestigious universities include public universities in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Sapporo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sendai, as well as private universities: Waseda, Keio, Chuo, Meiji in Tokyo, Kansai University in Osaka and Ritsumei in Kyoto.
The most prestigious is the State University of Tokyo (Todai), founded in 1877 and occupying an area of 30 hectares in the center of Tokyo. About 10 thousand people study within its walls at the same time, 2,000 of them are foreigners. 90% of Todai's graduates take their place among the country's elite; two of its graduates became Nobel Prize laureates in literature (Kawabata Yasunari and Oe Kenzaburo).
Those who did not pass the exams at the desired university can take the exams in a year or two. At this time, applicants either study in special yobiko courses, or work, or combine the first and second.
Unlike school, studying at university is a time of relative freebies.
The set of disciplines is chosen by the student himself, naturally, within certain limits. As a rule, there are no large term papers or dissertations - you just need to write reports of several pages. Therefore, students are practically not involved in serious scientific work. And if they are involved, then as assistants, but not as independent researchers. Many students devote their time to studying to find a job and live with a variety of extra jobs.
After graduating from university, you can enroll in a 2-3-year graduate school and receive an academic degree after graduation.
A story about a Japanese school would be far from complete without mentioning the teachers.
So what is a Japanese teacher like? The title “my second mother” or “my second father” might well be appropriate for a Japanese teacher, since there are a lot of male teachers in Japanese schools. For a Japanese schoolchild, a teacher is something like a close relative. Together with the primary school teacher, schoolchildren clean the classroom after lunch and classes. Often the teacher delves into all the disagreements between children and shares all their joys or failures. A teacher's working day in a Japanese school begins at 8 am and ends at 6-7 pm. In Japan, school holidays are only 2 months and 1 week in total, but this is only for schoolchildren, and even less for teachers.
By the way, there are no pedagogical universities in Japan; they don’t teach “to be teachers” here. Any citizen who has completed higher education can take the (quite difficult) exam and obtain a license to work as a teacher. And in order to confirm the title, every 10 years the teacher must take courses, after which his license can be renewed. In addition, parents or employees of the district education committee have the right to recognize a teacher as a “teacher who is teaching improperly.” In this case, he will be required to take courses to “correct the nature of teaching.”
Japan has passed a law requiring teachers to be in the top 25 percent of earners. The average teacher salary is 2.4 times the national average.
Children's education in Japan begins in preschool institutions. Kindergartens were included in the education system after the Second World War. Before this, only wealthy families could send their children to preschool; kindergarten was not a compulsory level of education.
Japanese children begin to be sent to kindergarten at the age of three. In it, the child learns to communicate with peers, to be independent, and develops abilities and skills in music, modeling, drawing, mathematics and language.
Kindergarten plays an important role in a child’s life and prepares them for adulthood. It is in a preschool institution that the basic principles of typical behavior are laid: respect for the opinions of others, perseverance in one’s work, perseverance.
School in Japan is divided into three levels: elementary, middle and high school. The academic year begins in the spring and is divided into several semesters. The first semester begins at the beginning of April and continues until the end of July. Then comes the summer holidays. The second semester begins on the first of September and lasts until the last week of December. The last semester starts after the New Year holidays. There are no exact dates for the start and end of holidays and semesters, because in each school classes can begin with a difference of several days.
Children are educated from 6 to 12 years of age. The list of disciplines studied at different schools varies slightly. However, subjects such as Japanese, history, mathematics, natural history, physical education, and art lessons are taught in all primary schools.
In secondary school, children study from 12 to 15 years of age. In addition to the subjects that children studied in primary school, a foreign language is added. Schoolchildren also begin to study a number of other elective disciplines.
From secondary school, children begin to take exams after each semester in all subjects studied. Japanese schoolchildren spend a lot of time in classes; in their free time they attend courses and clubs. The Japanese spend so much time and effort on studying because a good education ensures a stable and well-paid job in the future.
High school in Japan is preparation for entering university. Children start their education at 18 years old. In addition to general education subjects, high school students begin to study subjects such as medicine, agriculture, economics and others. At the end of school, Japanese graduates take something like the Unified State Exam.
After school, graduates can go to either university or college. At the same time, the chance to enter a prestigious university depends on the student’s mental abilities, as well as on the financial status of the family.
In most universities in Japan, students study for four years first, then enter a master's program. The duration of study in Japanese colleges ranges from two to five years. It is believed that studying at a university is easier than at school. The student is free to choose subjects to study and does not write any complex scientific papers.
Since 1996, every year 15 to 20 students from around the world have been selected to study at Japan's most prestigious universities.
This grant was created to create conditions for the development of bright students and help them study away from their home countries.
Fellows receive monthly payments from the fund in the amount of:
It's time to talk about the Japanese school and its features. We have long been accustomed to the fact that Japan is a slightly different planet with its own special traditions and rules. But what can be said about the Japanese school? Most anime and dramas are dedicated to Japanese school, and girls' school uniforms have become a model of Japanese fashion. How is the Japanese school different from the Russian one? Today we will talk a little about this topic.
The Japanese school consists of three stages:
Junior, middle and high schools are separate institutions and separate buildings with their own charters and procedures. Primary and secondary schools are compulsory levels of education and most often they are free. High schools generally have tuition fees. It is not necessary to graduate from high school if a person does not intend to enter a university. However, according to statistics, 94% of all Japanese schoolchildren graduate from high school.
The school year in Japanese schools begins not in September, but in April. Schoolchildren study in trimesters: the first - from April to the end of July, the second - from early September to mid-December and the third - from January to mid-March. The so-called summer holidays in Japan last only a month or a month and a half (depending on the school) and fall in the hottest month - August.
We are used to studying with the same people throughout our school lives. But in Japan everything is completely different. We have already said that junior, middle and senior schools are separate institutions, but that’s not all. Every year classes are formed in a new way. All students of the same parallel are randomly distributed into classes. Those. Every year the student gets into a new team, which half consists of new people. By the way, before being assigned, Japanese schoolchildren can write their wishes on special pieces of paper: their name and two people with whom they would like to be in the same class. Perhaps management will heed these wishes.
Why is this necessary? This strange “shuffling” is necessary to develop a sense of collectivism. The student should not get hung up on the same people, but should be able to find a language with different peers.
After finishing school, students usually do not go home, but go straight to the clubs in which they are enrolled. Clubs are something like Russian circles. And, as a rule, every student is a member of at least one club (by the way, participation in them is not necessary). Diversity and a large selection of sections are a sign of the prestige and wealth of the school. There are clubs of all kinds: sports, artistic, scientific, language - for every taste and color.
Almost all middle and high schools in Japan have uniforms. Moreover, each school has its own. Each student has a school uniform sewn individually, and the school uniform set must include a winter (warm) version of the uniform and a summer version. Moreover, each school charter specifies rules regarding the wearing of socks, school bags (bags are often issued along with the uniform), sports uniforms and even hairstyles.
In Japan, all schoolchildren have the same removable shoes. Usually its role is played by either slippers or uwabaki - school shoes that resemble sports slippers or ballet shoes with a jumper. Japan has very strict requirements for replacement shoes, especially regarding the color of the sole: the sole must not leave black marks on the floor. This is why uwabaki is most often white (with other colors interspersed). The color of the slippers or uwabaki depends on the class you are in. Each class has its own color.
By the way, in elementary school there is usually no uniform. Perhaps Panama hats of a certain color and stickers on briefcases - so that an elementary school student on the street can be seen from afar.
Each student in a Japanese school is assigned an individual number, which consists of 4 digits. The first two digits are your class number, and the last two are your personal number, which is assigned to you in your class. These numbers are used on cards in the library and on stickers on bicycles. Students use these numbers to sign all their tests (student number, then student name).
Every week, the lesson schedule for Japanese schoolchildren changes. Usually students learn about the new schedule only on Friday. Therefore, it can be difficult to predict in advance, for example, which lesson will be the first on Monday in two weeks. In Russian schools, you will agree, everything is quite predictable in this regard.
There are no cleaners in Japanese schools: the students themselves do the cleaning every day in the afternoon. Schoolchildren sweep and mop floors, wash windows, throw out trash and do much more. And not only in his class, but also in the toilets and in the assembly hall, for example.
Each student in a Japanese school has his own desk. In other words, one person sits at one table. Not two (as, for example, in most Russian schools).
In Japanese schools, teachers do not give grades for the presence or absence of homework and the degree of readiness for the lesson. If you have done something, the teacher circles the task in red, and if not, you are left with your debt for the future.
However, grades cannot be completely avoided even in a Japanese school. Tests are carried out periodically in all subjects (especially towards the end of the term), and these tests are assessed on a 100-point scale. Don't forget about the exams that plague middle and high school students.
Japanese schoolchildren practically do not write with pens, but use pencils for these purposes. Pens are mainly needed to fill out a diary. Everything else - work in class (or lectures), homework, tests - must be written down in pencils.
In Japanese schools, you are not allowed to take out cell phones in front of teachers. If a teacher sees your gadget in class or hears an alert signal, then your smartphone will most likely be taken away, and you can only return it with your parents.
In fact, all of the listed facts are far from exhaustive information that can be told about the features of the Japanese school. We will be glad if you provide your examples in the comments to this post.
And in order to be able to communicate with the Japanese on everyday topics in a year, sign up for ours right now!
In Japan, the school year begins on April 1 and consists of three trimesters, separated by holidays - short in spring and winter and longer in summer. The vacation schedule is the same for schools, kindergartens and universities. Schoolchildren in Japan attend classes from Monday to Friday or Saturday, depending on the school. A distinctive feature of the Japanese educational system is that throughout education in kindergarten and school, the composition of groups and classes is constantly changing. This gives students who, for whatever reason, did not have good relationships in the team, the opportunity to make friends with other students next year. It is also believed that it develops communication skills. Teachers in kindergarten and school also change every year, this reduces the negative effect if the teacher dislikes the child.
Kindergartens in Japan are not a compulsory step in the education system, so they are all private. They are accepted from the age of 4 (if parents are particularly busy, from the age of three). There are also nurseries from 1 year of age, but a child can be sent to them only if there is a very good reason, upon mandatory application and provision of documents to the commission, which may refuse. The thing is that this contradicts the principle of home education.
Most schools in the Japanese education system are municipal and financed from the budget, but approximately 5% are private schools where tuition is paid. Students in Japanese schools study for 12 years, which is slightly longer compared to other countries. Classes in schools are usually large, about 40 people. Each class has its own room, and teachers come there to teach a lesson, which lasts 45 or 50 minutes. Education in grades 10–12 is not compulsory, but 94% of students study for 12 years.
Primary school – from 6 to 12 years old (grades 1–6);
Secondary school – from 13 to 15 years old (7th–9th grades);
High school – from 16 to 18 years old (grades 10–12).
After graduation, 75.9% of graduates continue to study at universities, schools, colleges, etc.
With higher education in Japan, the situation is almost the opposite - 80% of universities are non-state. There are 726 universities in Japan, with 2.8 million students (for comparison, there are 7.5 million students in Russia). Education at universities is carried out according to a two-level scheme: bachelor's degree (4 years) and master's degree (another 2 years). Two universities are considered the best in Japan: Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo, and Keio and Waseda universities also occupy high positions in world rankings.
