This Woman Shared The Rules Schoolkids In Japan Must Follow, And The Rest Of The World Should Take Notes

While, from what we have seen in numerous Hollywood films and sitcoms, American high schools are full of intense drama where romance and teenage tears meet the kind of gossip you only see in the headquarters of a super cool fashion magazine, Japanese schools offer a very different kind of student life.

Thanks to Japan’s high educational standards, school there is a place to learn structure and discipline. This Japanese school teacher known as Hito Bito on TikTok is sharing a rare glimpse from her firsthand perspective about how amazingly different Japanese schools are from the schools you and I went to.

Hito Bito’s TikTok channel boasts an audience of 427.9K followers and her videos have amassed a whopping 16.2M likes in total. Below we wrapped up some of the most interesting things about Japanese schools Hito Bito shared on her TikTok channel, so pull your seat closer!

More info: Braid.network/Hitobito

"Things about my school in Japan that could send Americans into a coma. We all have to change from outdoor to indoor shoes as soon as we enter the school. And no, I've never seen any love notes or confessions in the shoe cubbies."

"Also, you don't know clean until you've been to a Japanese school because these kids clean the school from top to bottom every single day."

Bored Panda reached out to the creator behind the Hito Bito TikTok account, who was happy to share with us about the Japanese lifestyle.

“Ever since I was young, I watched videos of YouTubers living in Japan (Abroad in Japan, Rachel and Jun, etc.),” the creator recounted. When she was graduating, she decided it was time to shoot her shot at becoming an English teacher in Japan. “I had visited Japan prior to living here, and realized I’d always regret it if I didn’t live in Japan for at least a year.”

"They also serve themselves lunch and clean their trays. This admittedly blew my mind but definitely in a good way."

"Now, what sends me into an absolute spiral almost daily is that they leave the windows open and there's no heating or cooling in the hall so I have to walk around in a coat."

"Then, probably the most coma inducing part is the dress code. Girls either have to wear their hair above their shoulders or in a low pony. Definitely no dyed hair, so no anime protagonists."

"And I don't follow these rules, but no piercings and no makeup."

The Hito Bito creator said that although she did a minor in Japanese, the shock after moving to Japan was real. “I think the real shock is piecing all the rules together at once. I knew about a lot of the intricacies of living in Japan before living here thanks to my many Japanese teachers, but as soon as you step foot in Japan, you’re flooded with rules — some rules are obvious and explicit but some are learned by accidentally stepping out of line and having to learn from it,” she explained.

According to the creator of Hito Bito, a lot of people in Japan really trust the established rules and the system. “Many aspects of life are very smooth and convenient as long as everyone knows what’s expected of them,” she said.

Having said that, “if you have an issue that is even slightly exceptional or isn’t outlined in the rule book, then that can be difficult.”

If you’re planning on moving to Japan, the TikTok creator has some advice. First, “don’t just watch videos about the robots, vending machines, and bright lights of Japan!”

According to the author of Hito Bito, it’s best to prepare yourself by watching different content. For example, “videos about countryside life, traditional forms of theater or tea ceremony, and the everyday Japanese life experience.”

“This way, you can come to appreciate the deep history influencing the way Japanese society works,” the creator of Hito Bito concluded.