To the original poster;
Do you have any idea where in Japan you will be going? I may be able to give you some advice or connections in the area.
In the meantime, you might want to check out the
Yahoo group MIJ (Married in Japan) for wives of Japanese. They are generally very helpful, and there are a lot of women on there who started out in a situation similar to your own.
I also have been married for 10 years, but we started out in Japan so our situation is quite a bit different than yours.
Elementary school is very accommodating, and if you do some consulting with the school they may allow your children to start out receiving one-on-one tutoring through special support until they are more proficient. Languages are very easy for children to pick up when immersed, so I doubt there will be any huge problems. I would try to get your husband to speak to them more in Japanese now so that they will be able to convey their basic needs and have a foothold at the beginning.
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Originally Posted by ryuurui
It's very text book oriented, following ridgid methods and whatever teacher tells you is sacred (same as with a doctor - you cannot argue or in extreme cases, cannot even ask questions). If I were to send my kid to a Japanese school, I would have to attend some classes to see how they teach.
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She isn`t going to be sending her kids to the university you were a guest at. They`re just going into elementary school.
Elementary schools are group oriented, but do not stifle individuality. (ie. Be yourself, but think of how it will affect everyone else and be careful not to hurt your peers.)
I have heard that Japanese schools are "difficult" when compared to those in the west, but I haven`t found that elementary school is particularly challenging even for my son. (Mild disability)
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To the fees, yeah I know they are high, but public education isnt that free either. Lots of insane things to pay, that sometime do not make any sense (like a uniform for 70,000 yen). Ask the moms.
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Elementary school is
*free*. Elementary schools do not wear uniforms. The only things you will be required to pay for are lunch (about 5000yen a month) and the account for the 6th year school trip (something like 1000yen a month).
Junior high school is also free in the same way as elementary school (unless you send your children to a private junior high, but only the most competitive parents do) - but there are uniform costs in addition to lunch and school trips. The cost is usually around 50,000 yen for 2 sets. They are very high quality and will actually last the full 3 years (as long as they fit.) Most parents buy large sets and have them adjusted for size.
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I am off to count down the second till my post gets bombed.
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You should have known it would happen as you don`t seem to know much of anything about elementary schooling in Japan.