The Making of a Japanese is a documentary film that chronicles life at a large Japanese elementary school in suburban Tokyo. Filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki distilled over 700 hours of footage taken during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic into a compelling examination of how Japanese educational institutions cultivate culturally distinct characteristics in young students. Historically, many Westerners have viewed Japanese approaches to teaching discipline and responsibility in elementary education with both curiosity and skepticism. However, in recent years, these methodologies have garnered increasing recognition and are now considered exportable models of educational excellence. The film explores the transformative processes that shape unsuspecting six-year-olds into disciplined twelve-year-olds, while thoughtfully examining both the advantages and potential drawbacks of Japan’s educational system.
The film is available through Amazon Prime or Kanopy. A free classroom-friendly teacher’s guide for this documentary film is available for download below. The guide is appropriate for junior high through high school students.
At the beginning of the lesson, students are asked to share their impressions of what they think schools in Japan are like. Then, students are provided with a “Letter to Educators and Students,” written by filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki. Students are then asked to answer questions pertaining to the letter. These answers are collected and then saved until the end of the lesson. Students then review the terms “empathy,” “resilience,” and “cooperation,” which they focus on while taking notes as they view the film. Extension activities after viewing the film include a group activity in which small groups examine different excerpts from the film and complete presentations regarding them, as well as an activity that analyzes images from the film. Students then assemble additional images to form a digital class presentation pertaining to Japanese and U.S. education.
To conclude the lesson, students are asked to revisit their answers pertaining to the “Letter to Educators and Students,” and engage in a class discussion to debrief what they have learned.
SPICE is grateful to the Japan Fund Committee, FSI, for making the development of the teacher’s guide possible. SPICE also greatly appreciates the generous support of the Chao Minami Family Fund for making the Visual Arts and Documentary Film initiative possible.