Japanese Language Training Course Level 4 / Japanese Language Teacher Training Program × Katsuta Secondary School Collaborative Class #1 (Wednesday, December 3)

On December 3, twelve international students enrolled in the Japanese Language Training Course Level 4 (Intermediate) and thirteen Japanese students from the Japanese Language Teacher Training Program visited Katsuta Secondary School in Hitachinaka City to engage in a collaborative session with twenty third-year junior high school students from the school’s “Future Exploration Global Seminar.”

The theme of this first session was “School Rules.” After self-introductions, participants discussed the rules at their own schools and the reasons behind them. They then tackled a case study titled “Is a smelly lunch against school rules?”—a scenario involving cultural differences in food—and explored how schools can create rules that respect diversity.

The discussion was lively and thought-provoking. One international student reflected, “Talking with Japanese junior high school students about school rules was refreshing. It was fascinating to think about rules that respect cultural differences.” Another added, “I was surprised to learn that in Thai schools, bangs are not allowed, while in Japan they are. Even within Asia, school rules can be very different.” A Japanese student commented, “I realized that school rules vary by country and that we need to think about why these rules exist. It made me reconsider what fairness really means.”
Junior high school students also shared their impressions: “I was nervous speaking with people from other countries, but it was fun to learn about different school rules. I realized that rules have meaning and that we need to think about diversity,” said one participant. Another noted, “Hearing about Thai school rules made me think our school is relatively free, but having uniformity can also feel nice.”

Through this exchange, participants came to a shared understanding: school rules should not simply be rigid regulations but frameworks that allow everyone to feel safe and respected. Future sessions will continue exploring what an ideal school looks like, culminating in a joint presentation at the end of January.