hurryharry1 comments

Once I was told by an innocent Japanese mom that the "Randoseru" is made from leather and hard materials, so that justifies the obscene price and that, MOST IMPORTANTLY, it'd protect the books if the kid got hit by a car...(LOL)

If my kid got hit by a car, the math book is the last thing I'd worry about!! "Whew....the kid's in bad shape, but, Praise the Lord, the recorder didn't get broken..." Hilarious.

Back home, many schools are leaning towards "dress codes" where guidelines are given (say, blue bottom, sky blue top, black / blue socks, black shoes, blue sweater...) rather than set uniforms and parents put together the outfit however they can. Again, these are schools, even private pricey ones, that simply got tired of being milked by uniform manufacturers or the good ole Takashimaya-type joints.

At my school, we order in bulk and sell to parents at lowest price possible. We only charge for the patch parents sew onto the uniform themselves. No point in bleeding parents when, realistically, a 7 year old will pour paint, ink or their juice on the shirt at any time.

Uniforms are not economical. Our school charges about ¥70,000 for a uniform, plus the bag. The quality is low, and comes from Takashimaya.<

This is the kind of blind robbery I'm talking about. Where I'm from the government does whatever possible to lower the prices of any education-related materials. For example, PCs and laptops are not taxed, neither are books or stationary. The government also checks on price averages and makes sure all school uniforms are sold at approved stores at reasonable prices. They even create a "school basket" (uniforms, textbooks and books and basic stationary) for low income families and give subsidies or tax cuts to stores selling them. I once bought a short-sleeve,hand-made white cotton elementary school shirt as a souvenir for my friend's kid for about $1!!!

The most recent types are just remains of the bubble era where private schools held fashion shows and many dumb superficial moms chose schools by the uniform....(sigh)...

I know some pubic schools that require uniforms charged at obcene amounts of money for low quality items: A pair of polyester PE shorts you can find at Uniqlo for 1,000 is priced at 4,000-5,000 because it has the school logo on it. 8,000 yen for a plaid skirt with matching vest (5,000 yen) you CAN ONLY order from the school...the list goes on...ha...I was forgetting the horrible school bag priced at 8,000...(I've bought top of the line Eastpak backpacks for less than that) and this is a public school supported by tax payers...

I know a gaijin-Japanese couple that bought a house (as in 4 walls) here and don't own the land. They plan to retire overseas anyway; therefore the reluctance to buy house + land here. Although, they do save on rent, they don't own land overseas either??? I just wonder if it actually makes sense to buy an apartment or house "shell" at all in Japan given the 30 year building life span and the fact that owning the land is probably what matters most after all???

I grew up in Latin America, raised by an illiterate mother who worried daily about being able to make ends meet and eternally broke. We had zero luxuries, but there was always food on the table. The 5 pesos I got for my 15th birthday I lent to the neighbors so that they could buy rice. Nevertheless, I made it to college and beyond. I've learned to appreciate what I have and wish more young Japanese were exposed to the realities of life to realize that not being able to buy a designer bag, the latest docomo phone or their monthly manga is not the end of the world.

I have 2 Japanese female staff in their late 20's, both 'parasite singles' who are constantly bitching about how hard their lives are. I wish I could give them a 3 month stay in Haiti or Rwanda for them to come to their senses. Cry babies.

mrskit...you have a point, but that is exactly why we have at least 4 waste baskets in a small apartment: Private sticky bodily-related stuff in the restroom and shower rooms and less embarrassing more-socially acceptable waste in the living room and kitchen bins...

...dropping sanitary towels/pads in the kitchen garbage when there is a waste basket in the restroom and one in the shower room and all garbage ends up in the one bag I take out once or twice a week...

Fadamor is right. The knife cuts both ways. I know (and have managed) teachers that took out their frustrations on their students and nuisance parents who just made everybody's job so difficult, all within a school system and culture that suppresses individuality.

I manage a private school and sometimes have to deal with Japanese parents that think that, just because they are paying for a private education, they can come in a ask for the royal treatment or that unleash their own frustrations on the school and teachers.

I actually refused re-admission to a parent that sent daily emails to the school complaining about everything from the color of the curtains in our reception to specific lesson contents. She sometimes sent 3 emails a day...crazy! I told her she was a nuisance and that we were to busy to deal with her daily complaints. The teachers and administration backed me up 100%. I know teachers and administrators in public schools don't have this luxury, but, as institutions supported by tax payers, the principal should stand firm and tell monster parents to stop the harassment. Education is a privilege.

I heard the company that arranged the stay for a previous 3rd-world opponent for the one of the Kamedas did whatever they could to make the visiting fighter's stay miserable...delayed flights, crappy hotels, transportation issues, you name it. The night of the fight the poor guy was jet lagged and exhausted and couldn't beat a tied up 5-year-old paraplegic...I say line-up a real fight with a Brooklyn homeboy in Vegas or Atlantic City and see what the boys are made up...

In Japan, everything turns into business...even the most painful of situations...sad...