Education
Early education in Japan was started to prepare sons of Samurais to become Samurais. They were taught culture, moral subjects, and martial arts needed to become a samurai.
Another kind of school taught non-samurai people to read, write and do arithmetic.
Japanese schools are in session from 9am to 3:30pm. Students also go to school on Saturday for a one half day of school.
Almost everybody in Japan can read and write. In fact, Japan ranks near the top in the percentage of people that can read and write.30% of students go on to college.
The University of Tokyo is the oldest and most famous in Japan. Graduates of the University of Tokyo are usually guaranteed a top job with a big company.
To increase chances of getting into a good university many students go to a special after-school program called a Juke. The Juke schools help prepare students for a college entrance exam they take at age 18. Many of the students say their Juke classes are more demanding than their regular schooling.
