Student in Japan misses week of class after school won’t let him wear sweatshirt on snowy day

I’ve seen kids blustery in winter with no coats on as it’s not part of their uniform. Crazy.

‘Blustery’? I wish this forum would let us edit autocorrect mistakes!

If he had worn a sweater as the school allows, he would have been warm and would not have gotten into trouble. While I often thing these school rules are foolish and outdated, I think this story is a little too much bluster for nothing.

I am so glad I never had to wear a uniform growing up, that’s just crazy!

Sensible rules for school uniforms. And cost factors. Wearing uniforms prevents students from competing with designer clothes and footwear.

I'm glad I got my son out of Japan before he would have had to enter the Japanese education system.

wallaceToday  07:55 am JST

Sensible rules for school uniforms. And cost factors. Wearing uniforms prevents students from competing with designer clothes and footwear.

an argument that has always been used as support for school uniforms..... however, not all school uniforms (for any given school) are created equal. in my own experience at grammar school in England, some uniforms were obviously of higher/lower quality. it was obvious who came from a weathy family, and who didn't..... and anyway uniforms aren't the only indicators.

Why couldn’t he have just worn a coat ?

If the junior high school uniforms in Hiroshima are anything like they are in Tokyo, they have no winter coat as part of their designated uniforms. My son wears a flimsy suit jacket over a white shirt and thin sweater. He can also wear gloves and neck warmer. Not sure about a hat.

That being said, he can wear his thicker warmer track and field jacket over his sweatsuit(jersey) on PE days, but there is nothing for wearing over his suit on those days.

There are many stupid rules in Japanese high schools. One of the stupidest is girls having to dye their naturally fair hair black, even though the schools have a no died hair policy. They did it to my daughter. I nearly came to fisticuffs with the principal over it. He straight up said, dye her hair or she will be expelled. We changed schools.

High schools in Japan, especially senior high schools are like a military prison. A lot needs to be done to change them into schools but I doubt it will ever happen.

I tell my kids to ask their teachers why are they allowed to wear coats and scarfs and not the kids.

he was stopped by a teacher, who told him that he’d have to remove the sweatshirt, as they aren’t allowed under the school’s rules.

That teacher's behaviour is worst than the kid's infraction. Seriously, this just reflects the archaic ways of Japanese education.

My school just began allowing students to wear school uniforms based on their own body temperatures. There are still regulations about how to wear things, but it is really up to them when to wear summer, winter, and in-between uniforms. Sadly, we teachers still must wear neckties and long sleeves, except during the CoolBiz term. It can be unpleasantly hot some days.

It is also worth pointing out: as a ridiculous and futile measure to reduce the spread of Covid, they are keeping windows open in the middle of winter. So of course students are going to need to dress as if their classrooms are ten degrees cooler, because they are.

Herd mentality and hierarchy worship is destroying Japan.

One difference I saw between Korean folk, who have the heating on high and are dressed for the cold, and Japanese people, who tend to embrace the cold more, is that that the Koreans were always coughing and hacking and having colds.

"the boy was wearing a sweatshirt instead of a sweater,"

does it blinking matter that much?

totaly stupid, silly, petty rules!!

Today  07:13 am JST “ Why couldn’t he have just worn a coat ? I think the issue here is that he wore a sweatshirt over his school shirt. The school I went to in the uk was very specific about wearing non uniform sweaters sweatshirts etc although coats were totally fine and up to the student’s choice . This isn’t as clear cut as it seems and will cause a knee jerk reaction from those unable to see the problem that may have been with the boy and not the school. “

Today  07:28 am JST “ If he had worn a sweater as the school allows, he would have been warm and would not have gotten into trouble. While I often thing these school rules are foolish and outdated, I think this story is a little too much bluster for nothing. “

This. He had options but he probably wanted to look cool and different and now he’s playing the victim (did he really have a fever(?), also, the timing’s perfect…) because he knows that some people are against the stupid code/rules (yes, me too)…; or maybe he just feels like he wants to start a war against the whole system…, in that case, you have my support.

I went to remind myself how to differentiate between a sweater and a sweatshirt. The difference is that the sweater is knitted and a sweatshirt is sewn.

Wow, a strong basis to risk the student's health on (sarcasm).

Another of these crazy and inhumane Japan non sense rules.

Really no wonder this country in many ways still stuck it’s head in the fax era.

The school authorities should have the common sense not to enforce these rules in times like this. There should be an exception especially when there is no damage or injury to any person or entity. The strict implementation of these rules can be unreasonable sometimes.

Why didn’t he just wear the sweatshirt under his shirt?

Many Japanese school rules are frozen in a time warp.

What these schools should be teaching, is logic.

Not only to the students, but to ignorant faculty members as well.

wallace: "Sensible rules for school uniforms. And cost factors. Wearing uniforms prevents students from competing with designer clothes and footwear."

There's the flip-side of that, too. Every single year the local uniform company gets a massive windfall from the fact that people have no choice but to buy them, and if they have more than one kid and hand-me-downs aren't an option, double or triple it. When that company starts to see a dip in profits, know what they do? Update the uniform, and they all have to buy the new one again. Compare that with clothes you already have or need to buy anyway, and your argument really doesn't have any weight.

In any case, I still see little boys running around in the super high-cut shorts on their way to kindergartens or first grade elementary. A friend's kid was sick for a few days from the flu this past week and she said she thinks that's why, though she likes the "uniforms" because it makes them "look genki even in winter".

Schools in some areas of Japan will not let students wear rubber boots or water resistant shoes over their leather shoe, so kids have to walk on wet snow with their feet wet and freezing cold water.

Sure enough, the next evening he started running a fever which wound up requiring him to stay home from school until February 1 to recover from.

Fevers are caused by viruses, not cold weather.

Crazy! Many people here are missing the common sense.

uh oh,

Always speaking reason and wisdom nippon is back.

To your ‘average’ ( in all meanings of the word ) school in Japan if you dismiss the rules the sky will fall, cultures will collapse, chaos will reign and unspeakable horrors will appear. This lad can die of pneumonia before the system will question itself.

If they were focused on the actual job (you know education and the stuff happening in the classroom) they wouldn’t be too bothered about a sweater; but they ain’t. They think the job of an educator is to police, with vigor!

This is why the rules are so important to them.

It is hard to believe that in this time that these preposterous dress codes still exist. Keeping warm in cold weather and dry when everything is wet should not just be a matter of human rights but also a matter of common sense.

A sweater is knitted wool. A sweatshirt is woven cotton.

If all students of his school do not have to wear a uniform, why can this student not wear what he wishes to wear? As long he does not attend classes in his pajamas. A sweatshirt is not offensive in any school. If he says he does not feel cold, the school should believe him.

I never liked the uniform system, I always thought it was dumb, unnecessary and severely outdated.

At school, we wore uniforms and had no problem with them. They serve many purposes not just inside the school but also outside. If students with uniforms outside of school are misbehaving or doing something illegal the uniform identifies the school. They tend to behave better when people know which schools they attend.

The uniforms should be sold by the schools so the prices can be reduced.

Only about 20% of American schools have uniforms. But the numbers are increasing not decreasing.

Only about 20% of American schools have uniforms. But the numbers are increasing not decreasing.

Not in public schools.

"According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 20% of all public schools have adopted uniform mandates. Approximately 22% of elementary schools, 19% of all middle schools, and 10% of high schools currently require uniforms, and this trend continues to accelerate."

https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/uniforms-the-pros-and-cons

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 20% of all public schools have adopted uniform mandates. Approximately 22% of elementary schools, 19% of all middle schools, and 10% of high schools currently require uniforms, and this trend continues to accelerate."

It still will never capture or fully embraced in the public school system, more reason why people continue to home-school their kids. Most Americans don't like conformity

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/homeschooling-popular-pandemic/

Just like with the metric system, they tried so hard to implement it back in the late 70’s and it got overwhelmingly rejected.

bass4funk

you comment was

Not in public schools.

That turned out not to be correct.

Only 3-4% of children are home-schooled. They do not require uniforms so not related to the topic.

Do your Japanese children wear uniforms?

Awa no Gaijin,

That's very likely. I'm not a doctor. I do think that cold weather may make people more susceptible to fever-causing illnesses.

But it's likely this kid didn't have 'any pre-existing medical conditions or other special situations,' or else they'd have allowed him to wear the sweatshirt.

At any rate, I'm just not sure you can say with 100% accuracy that not letting this student wear a sweatshirt one day was directly responsible for his fever.

Cold weather does not make people sick.

you comment was

Not in public schools.

That turned out not to be correct.

Wrong again.

Only 3-4% of children are home-schooled. They do not require uniforms so not related to the topic.

I only made the point that I'm glad that I wasn't raised in the uniform system and started that it will never take root on a massive scale in the States, it just won't happen.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/why-homeschooling-is-growing

I can't and I'm not trying to change the system, I'm just saying that I'm glad and thankful I wasn't subjected to this.

bass4funk

But your Japanese kids wear uniforms.

But your Japanese kids wear uniforms.

I was referring to myself growing up.

bass4funk

yes but you didn't grow up in Japan and if you did just like your kids you would have worn a uniform.

So glad I am not raising kids in this country.

yes but you didn't grow up in Japan and if you did just like your kids you would have worn a uniform.

Again, I’m talking about myself and how this system is run in this country.

I'm glad I got my son out of Japan before he would have had to enter the Japanese education system.

> So glad I am not raising kids in this country.

You guys are doing the right thing. I pray that our family can one day immigrate to Canada.

I really don't want to raise them here.

High schools in Japan, especially senior high schools are like a military prison. A lot needs to be done to change them into schools but I doubt it will ever happen.

I've never thought of my school as a military prison. But some of the rules are a bit old-fashioned, and I've sort of boiled it down to two reasons.

First and foremost is the fear of society making a negative judgement of the school. Complaints to schools about students behavior and looks are more common than you think. And when a negative image of the school persists, it does affect recruitment of students, especially for private schools.

Second, I find that many of my fellow teachers never grew out of their old school life. They liked the rigid life of high school so much that they became teachers themselves. And unfortunately they seem a little naive about the real world outside of high school.

And they wonder why the birth rate continues to plummet. What would-be parent would want to raise a kid in an environment that doesn't protect kids and afford them basic human rights like wearing an extra layer because it was SNOWING? Japanese schools act like it's the end of the bloody world if uniform rules are nudged just a hair out of place - like what, will it cause students to riot and the entire academic structure to collapse if even one wears a sweatshirt just to keep himself warm?

Not having and having uniforms have both good and not so good side on it.

But this particular case can easily avoided.. You can actually wear anything you want under your uniform..

Most of us wear the warm clothes under and as long as the we don't wear anything over our uniforms, there won't be any problem.

Not sure though what the ladies do.. I can only speak for the men.

If Japan is to pose as a democracy, where people have the freedom to wear warm clothes in the winter, these old systems need a complete overhaul. (As they say, clean up your own backyard before you complain about your neighbors.)

I think it is a fact you can't get a cold from cold weather other than a reaction and a runny nose

I suppose the thing here is that you mightn't want to buy a school official sweater if your child hardly ever wears it. Some school uniform items can be very pricey compared to regular clothes.

Since the sweater exists, the school are making allowances for cold weather, so that criticism doesn't count.

We found that with school gymwear, swim wear etc. the official versions were so expensive as to discourage buying spares or at least many spares. This then places you in the unenviable situation of having to do many extra washes just to get the gymwear or swimwear ready.

Do they also teach sometimes a little bit or are they only busy with creating dress codes , hair style and coloring rules and all such and then checking if the students abide? Maybe all those principals and teachers fit better into the fashion business or as staff at a hair makers’.

There are many stupid rules in Japanese high schools. One of the stupidest is girls having to dye their naturally fair hair black, even though the schools have a no died hair policy. They did it to my daughter. I nearly came to fisticuffs with the principal over it. He straight up said, dye her hair or she will be expelled. We changed schools.

Great for you! We had a similar incident at my oldest daughter's junior high school, where the Principal told my daughter to dye her hair back to her original color. She told him and her homeroom teacher that she never dyed it. The school called my wife (Japanese) to come down to the school to discuss the matter. She told them that I (me, a light brown American) has the same color hair. A short time later, I get a call at work to come to my daughter's school. I asked my wife what happened, and she said to just come to the school and she'll explain it. I thought my daughter was in serious trouble and I got nervous.

My wife told me to go with her to the Principal's office (again, I thought my daughter was in trouble). I introduced myself to my daughter's homeroom teacher and the Principal and asked in Japanese what was the matter. My wife said that they wanted to see my hair. I said, "Why are they concerned with my hair color?" She said that they thought our daughter had her hair dyed. I said, "What the hell?"

Both, the Principal and the homeroom teacher apologized. I got angry because they had me come all the way from work (it was an hour and a half commute) for hair color. After that, I never heard from my daughter's school again.

Both, the Principal and the homeroom teacher apologized. I got angry because they had me come all the way from work (it was an hour and a half commute) for hair color. After that, I never heard from my daughter's school again.

They never heard of a photograph?

As the boy approached the school’s entrance gate, he was stopped by a teacher, who told him that he’d have to remove the sweatshirt, as they aren’t allowed under the school’s rules. The boy complied, attending his classes without wearing the garment and also keeping it off as he left school to return home. Sure enough, the next evening he started running a fever which wound up requiring him to stay home from school until February 1 to recover from.

LMAO!! Yeah, the fever was caused by not wearing a sweatshirt. What medical school did you stay away from?! I'll bet you think colds are still caused by the cold weather!

Second, I find that many of my fellow teachers never grew out of their old school life. They liked the rigid life of high school so much that they became teachers themselves. And unfortunately they seem a little naive about the real world outside of high school.

This is a major problem of teachers everywhere. They were kids and went to school, they went to University to train to be teachers and as adults have only worked in schools.....they have no real experience of any other kind of life. It can be a problem for their outlook. I used to work as a Pupil-support worker in my home country, a kind of educational social worker I guess, and I worked always with the most challenging students. Those from chaotic social backgrounds who were behaviour problems for the school. I found that these teachers who had pursued other careers before retraining as a teacher, tended to be the best teachers. They were able to reach those challenging students more than those teachers who had only known education. The kids themselves would often grudgingly give respect to those, hard but fair types who knew what the world was like more than the 1 track life teachers.

Absolutely backwards with no common sense any where to be found. I have a daughter in Jr highschool I made sure to tell her to wear her warm winter coat to school especially on these really cold days and if anyone tells you to take it off tell them to talk to your parents. never ever any words from her teacher or principle. I hope japanese school board can fix this ridiculous problem in the futue…… but thats me just being a wishful thinker. cmon. we talking about jp.

Sometimes Japan is so down right primitive & just plan stupid! This is one is BOTH!

There’s some really good thermal underwear available which can go happily under a uniform. (The tights case would not have been solved though.)

Some kids (and some parents) like to test the rules, whatever they are. A nightmare for staff to have to police their own institution’s agreed and signed rules.

When it is cold students have the right to protect themselves against the weather. Any stupid rules and punishments can be sorted out later. Health is foremost.

Not allowing the young ladies to wear tights is just cruelty !

Girls should be allowed to wear tight-fitting clothes