Japan is a country that is considered very advanced and its people are often considered to be geniuses. Japanese people are seen as people who are great at their work and are always eager to achieve excellence in whatever they do. This characteristic of Japanese people is highly respected throughout the world and Japanese people are largely considered as geniuses in their respective fields. So, what could be some reasons behind the intellect and genius of Japanese society, is what we will try to uncover in this article. So, let’s get started!
One of the most important reasons why Japanese people are geniuses is because of their excellent education system. In Japan, a holistic education is emphasised and overall development of the children is taken care of. In the early years of schooling teachers and educators focus on developing a good character in students instead of only focusing on the academic subjects.
Although learning academic subjects is equally emphasised, learning to build a good character is also taught to the students. Dotoku or moral education is of utmost importance and mindfully taught to the students.
Students are taught to respect their elders and each other. They are taught to communicate politely and nicely to others. Skills like these help in managing relationships in the future and build a solid foundation for navigating social awareness and intelligence.
Another skill that is taught to the students is to have authenticity in themselves but still know to work in a team. A core skill of leadership as well as that of teamwork helps the student become a better member of the society in the future.
These skills are taught by:
Letting the students clean their own classrooms and other school facilities
Giving students the duty to serve lunch to their classmates
Assigning group projects to the students to improve their networking and team work skills
Classroom activities to improve peer learning
Japanese schools put a lot of effort and mindfulness in teaching students the value of the environment. Students are taught important lessons of learning how to take care of nature and surroundings. Many japanese schools have gardens where students learn to grow plants. Students are regularly encouraged to go on trips in nature like trekking or hiking. Children from a young age are taught the importance of waste management and how to sort waste. And not to mention they are taught to conserve natural resources and not waste them mindlessly.
The Japanese education system tries to emphasise learning for the sake of learning itself (at least in the early years of schooling). Rather than only focusing on the grades and marks, a student is encouraged to learn things to pursue knowledge and understanding of the ways of the world and its elements.
Students spend time in activities, reading books, going to museums etc. to develop authentic understanding and not just mug up concepts to pass some tests.
It is important that we understand that every country faces some challenges in their education system and it's not “all perfect”. Same for Japan, its education system is not perfect but is highly efficient and striving to reach perfection each day.
We can observe the success of the Japanese education system by looking at the data of literacy rates, big achievements in STEM, and the overall polite nature of an average Japanese person.
The Japanese education system’s emphasis on building a good character, learning for the sake of learning, building teamwork skills and having respect for the environment contributes in the building of a solid foundation, which leads to the emergence of many geniuses.
Hope you found this post interesting and fun to read. Thank you!