Japanese Culture

[Tri-ring]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Sometimes I wonder why people think they can "academically" scrutinize and break down music to come to some absolute conclusion.

Have you ever heard of Musical analysis?
It is an academical approach in analyzing music.

It doesn't give a conclusion but it does provide a written explanation for people to understand.

[Sumeragi]

Originally Posted by Tri-ring

Have you ever heard of Musical analysis?
It is an academical approach in analyzing music.

It doesn't give a conclusion but it does provide a written explanation for people to understand.

Yes, I've heard of it, but I'm wary of any conclusions or explanation that results, because in the end you can have quite different conclusions from the same piece of music. Basically, to me it's just personal opinions that attempts to legitimize itself as science for the most part.

[Marcus H.]

What should I know when writing with a Japanese middle school as a setting?
I'm a bit in the dark about when exactly clubs open for applicants and all those little details about the comings and goings of a Japanese middle school student.

[Shinji01]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

What should I know when writing with a Japanese middle school as a setting?
I'm a bit in the dark about when exactly clubs open for applicants and all those little details about the comings and goings of a Japanese middle school student.

Usually clubs actively look for applicants at the beginning of the school year which is April.
But most schools allow students to join any club at any time.
Also students that transferred mid term may experience some recruiting ( good example would be Haruhi and her recruiting) but vary few schools have clubs that are significant enough for enthusiastic recruiting of any student...

Did you have any other questions you had in mind???

[Sumeragi]

What exactly are you trying to write?

[Marcus H.]

^ I'm trying to write a story that involves a school setting, and I wanted it to be as accurate to a Japanese middle school as possible, so I wanted to know some details regarding a Japanese middle school academic year.

@Shinji01: When does a school year begin?

[DonQuigleone]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

^ I'm trying to write a story that involves a school setting, and I wanted it to be as accurate to a Japanese middle school as possible, so I wanted to know some details regarding a Japanese middle school academic year.

@Shinji01: When does a school year begin?

I believe the school year starts in spring, around March. This stands in contrast to the western school year, which starts in Autumn, or September.

[RandySyler]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Yes, I've heard of it, but I'm wary of any conclusions or explanation that results, because in the end you can have quite different conclusions from the same piece of music. Basically, to me it's just personal opinions that attempts to legitimize itself as science for the most part.

Musical analysis: AkA interpreting how and why the human ear/mind reads and responds to how different music sounds.

Usually on the harmonic level, interpretation that is most commonly spoken of is largely based off of chord constructions in tertian triadic harmony, i.e. what the chords are in relation to the tonic, as in if they are based off of the I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, viio tones of the scale, and the quality (major, minor, augmented, diminished) of the chord (written to be as: major chords-roman numeral capitalized, minor-lower cased, augmented-capitalized +, diminished-lower cased o). Major chords have a major 3rd then a minor 3rd intervals between the three notes of the chord (tertian TRIadic harmony), minor chords a minor 3rd then major 3rd, augmented double major 3rds, and diminished two minor 3rds. Because there is a certain spacing (intervals) of tones per key (major/minor), the pattern of major, minor, and diminished chords is very exact. For example, the major scale has the pattern of which I wrote above which is as follows, I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, viio. (it only goes to seven as eight is the octave and is therefore the tonic I) Each chord produces a different sound and tension/resolution to the precending/forecoming chord/melodic tone.

This is the most clear and exact definition of basic that I can give to the simplest extent, and even as such I still assume quite a bit of musical background knowledge to fully understand the above paragraph. However, my point is not to teach interpretation but to show that your statement of "it's just personal opinions that attempts to legitimize itself as science" as very inaccurate. I can explain the details as to how the ear reacts the way it does (it is very specific and staunch as to this) and how analysis works on a more detailed level but I do not feel that there is much interest (usually people ignore my musical lectures) and do not wish to derail this thread.

[Amorok]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Yes, I've heard of it, but I'm wary of any conclusions or explanation that results, because in the end you can have quite different conclusions from the same piece of music. Basically, to me it's just personal opinions that attempts to legitimize itself as science for the most part.

I see where you're coming from, but as RandySylver said, musical analysis is a legitimate science that can be quantitatively studied using scientific methods. It's not like something like, say, handwriting analysis or blood-type personality analysis, both of which are pseudoscientific nonsense. :P

[Shinji01]

Originally Posted by DonQuigleone

I believe the school year starts in spring, around March. This stands in contrast to the western school year, which starts in Autumn, or September.

Not March, but April.
March is Graduation, April is the Entrance Ceremony.
What precise day, will depend on the school and calender but usually in the first week of April.

[risingstar3110]

Originally Posted by Shinji01

Not March, but April.
March is Graduation, April is the Entrance Ceremony.
What precise day, will depend on the school and calender but usually in the first week of April.

How difference it is to have Summer holidays during mid school year? Other than lots and lots of home works?

Australian school start at around February- March as well. But our "summer" is around December to February. So the summer holidays are similar in nature to the US (which i assume start from April to August?)

[GDB]

Originally Posted by risingstar3110

Australian school start at around February- March as well. But our "summer" is around December to February. So the summer holidays are similar in nature to the US (which i assume start from April to August?)

US Summer vacation for K-12 is June through late August/very early September. But yeah, the structure seems to be similar in that, after summer vacation, the next grade-year starts.

[Shinji01]

Originally Posted by risingstar3110

How difference it is to have Summer holidays during mid school year? Other than lots and lots of home works?

Australian school start at around February- March as well. But our "summer" is around December to February. So the summer holidays are similar in nature to the US (which i assume start from April to August?)

I happen to have gone to Japanese and Australian schools so I this is my field of expertise...

I found that having the school and fiscal year end March and start April was a difficult concept to grasp after moving back from Australia.
In Australia, you everyone in your grade is born in the same year.
In japan, (and US?) you can be in the same grade, but your friend can be born the year after you because kids are also grouped from April 1st of a year to the March 31st of the next year.

This causes great confusion enrolling in schools if you move back and forth between countries.

Having the Summer holiday in the middle of a school year is really not that different.
Summer is uneventful in terms of calender, so it doesnt feel too special.
The free time just encourages you to do whatever kids would do during a holiday.

However, the winter is packed with events so its more dramatic.
You have Xmas which is romantic, new years which is solemn, entrance exams, then valentines before the graduation ceremony which often becomes your one last shot at declaring your crush before that person graduates and goes to high school/college/new job etc.
All goodbyes happen in winter, and then we start over new again in spring.

i feel its much more poetic..., whereas the Australian calender seemed more logical.

[GDB]

Not sure if it's a national thing, but at least where I went to school in the US it was by year, not school-year. One of my classmates almost wasn't allowed to start school until the next year because he was born at 11:58pm on December 31st.

[risingstar3110]

Originally Posted by Shinji01

I happen to have gone to Japanese and Australian schools so I this is my field of expertise...

I found that having the school and fiscal year end March and start April was a difficult concept to grasp after moving back from Australia.
In Australia, you everyone in your grade is born in the same year.
In japan, (and US?) you can be in the same grade, but your friend can be born the year after you because kids are also grouped from April 1st of a year to the March 31st of the next year.

This causes great confusion enrolling in schools if you move back and forth between countries.

Having the Summer holiday in the middle of a school year is really not that different.
Summer is uneventful in terms of calender, so it doesnt feel too special.
The free time just encourages you to do whatever kids would do during a holiday.

However, the winter is packed with events so its more dramatic.
You have Xmas which is romantic, new years which is solemn, entrance exams, then valentines before the graduation ceremony which often becomes your one last shot at declaring your crush before that person graduates and goes to high school/college/new job etc.
All goodbyes happen in winter, and then we start over new again in spring.

i feel its much more poetic..., whereas the Australian calender seemed more logical.

And the Sakura bloom around March-April? Maybe that's why they don't bother to change the school year around a bit


But, wait, how come entrance exams start before 14th of February if the graduation is in March (supposed that when the results are released)? I thought they will have a national exam (similar to VCE). And then some really good high school/university require a separate entrance exams?

Crush, eh? I got a crush in high school which never materialised. And the graduation ceremony in Australia actually was before the exams (i don't understand why they did that for). So the last time i see her was after my final exam, nothing romantic/poetic about that in both place and location ;_;

[Sumeragi]

Here's how Japanese university examinations are done:

Late January: National Center for University Entrance Examinations (A two day nationally administered uniform achievement test, called senta shiken)

February ~ Early March: Individual university secondary exams (niji shiken)


Since the graduation ceremony is usually within the first week of March, there are times where you take the secondary exams AFTER you graduate (Yokohama and Hiroshima were usually done in MID March.)

[Shinji01]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Here's how Japanese university examinations are done:

Late January: National Center for University Entrance Examinations (A two day nationally administered uniform achievement test, called senta shiken)

February ~ Early March: Individual university secondary exams (niji shiken)


Since the graduation ceremony is usually within the first week of March, there are times where you take the secondary exams AFTER you graduate (Yokohama and Hiroshima were usually done in MID March.)

Yep, that's right.

Actually, I don't know too much about the entrance exam schedule because when I was preparing for mine, I got a recommendation from the school and got accepted to a university in late November.

But many of my friends were taking exams until the last minute.
It sucks when you go to your graduation and you don't know which school you are moving on to next.

Also , many seniors don't have to come to school after the new years holidays because all the classes are finished and everyone is too busy with entrance exams.

I was encouraged not to come to school by the teachers because many students don't want students that are already done with their entrance exams around. ( jealousy etc)

Which again circles back to to being able to see each other so often any more, and the rare occasions when you are required to show up to school becomes more meaningful.

[Vexx]

Actually, I don't care what country we're talking about -- when a politician or bureaucrat babbles out bullshit like this, it isn't a "gaffe" it is an illumination of just what kind of thinking goes on in their tiny brain. They should never have gotten to their positions in the first place.
(Japan's defense minister faces sacking over "gaffes")

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...0718770149.681

[Autumn Demon]

University of Tokyo was contemplating moving the start of their school year to fall. I don't know if anything came of it.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/features/arch...na014000c.html

[Terrestrial Dream]

How popular is Younha in Japan currently?