Kids Web Japan

Studying for upcoming exams

The meeting room is used for fun activities like video games.

Of the 61 students attending Zenrin Gakuen High School, 47 live in the dormitory - 19 of them tenth graders and 28 eleventh graders. What kind of life do they lead?

Everyone gets up at 6 a.m. (6:30 in the winter). After the morning roll call, they go through a light workout and do samu. Breakfast and dinner are eaten individually in the cafeteria. Curfew is 7:50 p.m., and lights must be out by 10:30 p.m.

As a rule, two students each live in rooms with six tatami mats (slightly less than 10 square meters) plus space for desks. TV sets are not allowed in the rooms.

In one of the rooms, tenth graders Saito Teppei and Kojima Naoki are using their mobile phones to write and send e-mail. "We listen to music and read books a lot because we're not allowed to watch television here. But we probably spend the most time exchanging e-mail on our phones. Sometimes we get so tired from Shorinji Kempo practice that we simply crash out."

Talking with a roommate

Some students spend their free time in the meeting room. Here, students are allowed to watch television and videos.

There are some things that you can't experience unless you actually live together. "Since there are a lot of people here who are older than you," commented eleventh grader Kosaka Ryota, "by living at the dorm, I've learned how I should behave around them."