h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Nice name - but you've made me hungry.

Japan? Groovy! I don't know too much about Japan.. Although everybody thinks I should for some reason!

Got any questions? Don't hesitate to ask...

Lisa,
Thank you for writing. I have yet to learn why people think you should know about Japan, but if there's anything you ever want to know, feel free to ask. For example, did you know that almost all Japanese students have had 6 years of English before graduating from high school? They have 3 years of Junior High School and 3 years of High School, and English is required all the way through.
Thanks again,
Noodles (Rob)

Interesting, six years...(muses in hyperspace)...and all this time I thought that they had twelve, like us out here in India. I hear that the Japanese education system is even worse than the Indian - heavy parental pressure, blah blah, all that. Is this true? And if it is, how come all the characters in Japanese anime are never seen inside a classroom, or ever seen studying for that matter...

Though standardized test scores and the like might indicate otherwise, I'd have to say the Japanese education system is pretty bad, at least in certain respects.
There is a great deal of pressure put on kids at very young ages - especially junior high school students. Admission to high school is based almost entirely on test scores, and often a person can't get into a good college unless they went to a good high school. Thus many junior high school students enroll in "juku" schools outside of their regular classwork, for extra study in the four basic subjects - English, Japanese, Math and Science... often from right after school until late in the evening.
There's something else, too. Japanese students often take 12 to 15 subjects at a time (though they don't have every one every day) but are only expected to retain a small amount of the information thrown at them (40% might be a passing grade on a quiz).
This is, of course, in addition to the peer pressure put on kids in a country where differences are not as celebrated as they are in other parts of the world.
Don't get me wrong - I love Japan - but I wasn't the best student when I was in junior high school, and I would hate for that to have kept me from going to a good college many years later.
-Noodles

Hey there.

I just wanted to stop in after Lisa to extent the services of the Guardian Angels to you. We, along with Assistant Community Editors like Lisa, take it upon ourselves to make the new researchers comfortable and to let them know that someone's looking out for them. If you need anything reply to this message or start a new conversation over at my homepage.

http://www.h2g2.com/U145245

while you're at it, check ot the guardian angel's homepage. It's got a ton of links to other resources you might find useful.

http://www.h2g2.com/A300943

And since you get your only real sustinance from Ramen, check out

http://www.h2g2.com/U145244

She lived off the stuff just as you did. She's a friend of mine.
good to meet you.

Triv (Patron Saint of Merry-Go-Rounds)

Triv,
Thank you for writing.
I checked out the Guardian Angel's site and even said "hello" to your ramen-loving friend. I am pleasantly surprised at how many conversations I've gotten myself into since volunteering my services as a researcher for h2g2. I haven't yet written a formal entry, but plan to do so in the near future. There are several subjects I am considering.
I think it's worth mentioning that this is the first site with "chat" capabilities that doesn't seem to have been co-opted by those inclined to mindless vulgarities and racist, sexist and other unpleasant sentiments. There are also quite a few talented writers here.
See you around,
Noodles