Students enjoy different atmosphere<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Japanese School (JJS) in Bintaro, Tangerang, appeared
\nvery serene that morning, suggesting that the students were busy
\nstudying in their classrooms.<\/p>\n
Step into the compound and take a glance at the classrooms or
\npay a visit to the library, you may be surprised to see that
\neveryone, students and teachers alike, are all very relaxed.<\/p>\n
Neither the teachers nor the students wear uniforms.<\/p>\n
Most students wear T-shirts and shorts. Their teachers are
\nequally casually dressed, with many of them also wearing T-shirts
\nand sporty short pants.<\/p>\n
Here at the JJS, the kids always smile and make friendly
\ngestures when encountering strangers.<\/p>\n
\"We enjoy our time very much here. It's a different atmosphere
\nfrom our school in Japan. I moved here from Japan when I was in
\ngrade one of elementary school,\" said Haruna Sakaue, 13, who is
\nnow a second-year high school student.<\/p>\n
Sakaue is just one of the hundreds of high school students
\nstudying at the JJS, the only Japanese school in the capital.
\nFounded in 1969, the school now has close to 1,000 elementary and
\nhigh school students.<\/p>\n
Before it moved to its current site, the JJS was located in
\nTebet in South Jakarta, before it moved to Pasar Minggu and then
\nto Cilandak, all in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Most of the children studying at the JJS are children of
\nJapanese diplomats and businessmen residing in the capital. Aside
\nfrom the JJS, there are also Japanese schools in Surabaya, East
\nJava; Bandung, West Java; and Medan in North Sumatra. There are
\naround 10,000 Japanese citizens living in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
JJS director for community relations Hiroshi Saito said most
\nstudents at the school had studied in Japan for some time before
\nmoving to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"They have no problems adjusting their lifestyles or culture
\nhere. They seem to enjoy the somewhat different atmosphere,\" he
\ntold The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Udo, who moved to Jakarta when she was in grade six, said that
\nshe found the school and the city very interesting as she had
\nlearned many new things, including the Indonesian language and
\nculture.<\/p>\n
\"I am very excited about being here. It is a different
\nexperience and I like it a lot,\" she told the Post.<\/p>\n
She said that most of her friends live in apartment complexes
\nin Pondok Indah, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Saito said that some students continued their studies in at
\nthe Jakarta International School (JIS), but most returned to
\nJapan for higher education after their parents finished their
\nassignments in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We provide education up to the junior high school level as
\nthe Japanese government has an obligation to educate its citizen
\nfor 9 years,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-enjoy-different-atmosphere-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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