[jasonbvr]

I think trip reports is full of threads with good pics. I don't go to many shrines and that sort of thing right now. Most of the time I am at work and on the weekends I am snowboarding which consumes the majority of my income.

What I mean by rebels is not really comparative to rebelious kids in the US or Europe. They just don't go to classes and when they do are disruptive. At some schools the kids will get out of control because the discipline in a lot of schools has become more light. They have really moved from one extreme to the other. From being too harsh to not harsh enough at times but you have to understand the stress that a lot of them are under.

In order to get into a good high school, you have to perform very well from age 12 to 15 in junior high school. The schools, in my opinion, work the kids too hard and really expect too much of them. They come to school at 7:30 if they are in a sports club for practice and running. Then have classes from 9 to 3:30, clean the school and then have club activities again. Most clubs have activities on Saturdays too for half the day. After their club activities they get home around 6 and eat dinner before they go to juku (cram school) where they study more. By their last year the kids are completely exhausted and some of them end up giving up on the hope that they will get into high school. They pretty much know whether or not they will make it by then, so a lot of them will just stop going to school.

The atmosphere that is portrayed in animes seems more similar to high schools. When they move on to high schools they usually are studying just as hard if not harder. A lot of them have to ride their bikes for an hour to get to school and some ride the trains. You can see the high schoolers on their way to school seven days a week. They are always wearing their uniforms or carrying their sports gear. Often you see them passing out on the trains on their way back from juku or hanging out in groups of six or seven noisily chatting on the trains.

The students are in both schools a lot more independent. The teachers in the morning and afternoons hang out in the teacher's office while all the students are coming into school. Their is a lot less supervision and a lot more responsibility placed on the older students to set an example for the younger ones.

Anyways, check the requirements for obtaining a work visa for your nationality. Different countries have different policies such as Australia where you can do a working holiday visa that does not require a degree.