23 Why are school rules in Japan so strict?

<p>On this episode of <em>Ichimon Japan</em> we ask: Why are school rules in Japan so strict?</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Topics Discussed<br /></strong></h2> <ul> <li>Experiences working at and attending Japanese schools</li> <li>A selection of "weird" school rules (<em>k</em><em>ōsoku</em>) from across Japan</li> <li>The history behind why school rules became strict in Japan</li> <li>The case of a female high school student who filed a lawsuit after her school did not allow her to attend classes due to her refusal to dye her hair black</li> <li>The paradoxes surrounding rules restricting dying and perming one's hair</li> <li>Mandatory hair drying</li> <li>Mandatory perms for students with naturally curly hair</li> <li>Students having to prove that they were not born with black hair</li> <li>A survey that sheds light on what some students and teachers think of Japan's school rules</li> <li>The justifications behind the strict school rule "mentality" that is often seen in Japan</li> <li>Trying to protect girls through the implementation of rules that shame and blame them</li> <li>And much more!</li> </ul> <p>Note: As always, there are many more aspects to this topic that we could have covered, including how modern day schools in Japan have been shaped by policies implemented during the Meiji and early Showa (before and during WWII) eras. However, addressing that aspect of this topic would have led to a far lengthier discussion and thus it was decided to focus only on recent history for this episode.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Support on Patreon<br /></strong></h2> <p>If you enjoy <em>Ichimon Japan</em> and want to ensure that we're able to produce more episodes, then please consider becoming a patron on Patreon.com. For a minimum pledge of $2 a month you'll get access to exclusive content and our eternal, profound, and undrying gratitude.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32280122">Support on Patreon</a></li> </ul> <h2 style="padding-left: 40px; text-align: cent