Elementary school—the place where Japanese are made

Would you go to the cinema to see a film documenting a year in the life of two classes in a typical elementary school? It’s hardly the most gripping topic for a feature-length film. But I only managed to buy a ticket for the last seat in the cinema when I arrived a few minutes before the film Shōgakkō was due to begin.

The English title of the film is revealing—The Making of a Japanese. It encapsulates the premise of the director, Ema Yamazaki, namely that Japanese elementary schools are where children learn to think, behave, and react as Japanese. “Six-year-olds are the same the world over, but by the time Japanese children reach twelve years old, they have become ‘Japanese people’,” she said.¹

“What makes Japanese people distinctively Japanese? For me, the key lies in what we are taught during our elementary school years. Children as young as six are given the responsibility to clean their own classrooms and serve one another lunch,” she added. “Schools are structured like mini societies, where everyone has a role and is expected to contribute to the community. There’s a strong focus on nonacademic education intended to teach teamwork, work ethic, and a sense of accomplishment.”

The daughter of an English father and a Japanese mother, Yamazaki attended an elementary school in Osaka. She then attended international middle and high schools and went to college in the United States. While living in New York, she realized that all of her strengths came from the sense of responsibility and diligence she had imbibed at elementary school.

Those two qualities are portrayed in spades during the film. First graders receive lessons in cleaning, while two sixth graders are responsible for making announcements over the public speaker system. Students dole out school lunch to their classmates, and students practice tirelessly for sports day and a musical event. Students also rehearse emergency procedures for earthquakes.

The overall impression of life in elementary school given in the film is a positive one. The teachers seem very hardworking and display genuine care for their students. And there is a lot of camaraderie among the students, who help and encourage each other happily.

That said, the scene that stood out the most for me was when a male teacher shamed a first-year student in front of the whole class for not practicing the cymbals at home, reducing her to tears. The episode felt really damaging and traumatizing. Not surprisingly, the student, who had been brimming with enthusiasm, lost all confidence.

But subsequently, a kindhearted female teacher came alongside her, comforted and reassured her. The male teacher also encouraged her and explained that he said those things because he believed in her and her ability to perform well. In the end, the student performed well in the concert, but it made me wonder how much shaming is used in Japanese classrooms.

The film, which was produced with support from French and Finnish broadcasters, has attracted a lot of interest overseas. The public education systems in Western countries tend to be much more individualistic and often have problems with discipline and motivation. NHK’s coverage of the film showed that Western audiences have been flabbergasted that elementary students could assume such responsibility and display such a communal spirit.

Last year, I heard Roger Goodman, a professor at the University of Oxford and a social scientist specialising in Japanese studies, give a talk about the Japanese education system. He spoke very highly of Japanese elementary schools and the way they teach children important community and social skills. He was less positive about the higher levels of Japanese education and their focus on preparing for exams and emphasis on rote learning.

If you are weighing up the options for primary education for your child, you should definitely see this film. But whether you have children or not, it’s well worth watching just for the insights it provides into Japanese culture.

Perhaps the most effective cultural training for new missionaries would be to attend elementary school. After all, if the film’s premise is correct, they would emerge as true Japanese at the end of six years!

A 23-minute portion of the film is viewable on The New York Times’ YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/DRW0auOiqm4 (“Instruments of a Beating Heart | An Oscar-Nominated Op-Doc”)

1. 小学校〜それは小さな社会〜 [Elementary school: it’s a small society] (Japanese website), https://shogakko-film.com (accessed May 6, 2025).