The Pros And Cons Of Returning To Japan

George Washington Carver famously said, “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” Many people in Japan study abroad to learn another language, to meet people from diversified cultures, or to broaden one’s perspective; however, some people experience reverse culture shock after coming back from another country. Returnees, in particular, have a hard time getting used to Japan because of the social, educational, and environmental reasons. The strict social rules of Japanese society are one reason why returning to Japan can be so difficult. Returnees have difficulty getting used to Japan because there are many strict rules that people have to follow. As it is mentioned in the Kikokusha: Japanese Returnees, many will

It is no exaggeration to say that returnees used to perform well in the country that they returned from, especially on math as there is a stereotype, “Asian are smart.” However, many returnees have a hard time adjusting to the Japanese educational system and will be stressed out because they used to do an excellent job with their math performances. One of the examples is that of my friend, who just came back from America at that time, used to get all A’s on her mathematics tests; however, she barely passed the tests in Japan. In addition, how teachers educate their students are completely different. In Japan, students are required to clean-up their classrooms after school, but in other countries, janitors clean the room. Another example would be “sitting one’s knees crossed” is considered something rude, since “sitting on the floor holding one’s knees” is an exemplary posture. Japanese societal norms would be difficult to follow if returnees had lived in places where they had more freedom. Therefore, educational systems and unique manners in Japan make returnees go through

If one were put into an environment where people around him could not speak English, it is possible that he would not talk English during the class to avoid getting much attention from his peers. Also, one might intentionally pronounce the words badly so that he would not be the target who gets teased in the class. Some of the time, returnees have a hard time understanding what teachers have said in English because of their Japanese-English pronunciations and taking spelling tests from them digresses from the point of learning English. It is stated in the Why Do Japanese People Not Speak English? that, “[s]tudents who are fluent in English often are heard speaking in Japanese or a combination of Japanese and English when with their peers” (Rohrer, 28). This suggests that returnees are not in an environment to speak in English even though they are in an English class. It is enervating to pretend that one has a bad pronunciation or to listen to what teachers have said carefully, and it will not help students to enhance their English skills. Another environmental reason is that the train is one of the most convenient transportation systems in Japan, yet it would be challenging for people to ride the train if they were used to riding a car or a school bus to go to school. For instance, when I came back to Japan, I was nervous just to get off at a station ahead.