Essay

The fifth season of the year

By Michael Pronko

Japanese always say they have four seasons, but I think a fifth one, different from the others and not connected to nature, should be added. In fact, the fifth season is totally unnatural: It's the entrance exam season. For those taking exams, or who have friends or family taking exams, the season is filled with the pressure of preparation and the painful wait for results.

Anyone connected with a school knows that the end of January through February is dominated not by learning but by preparing for the exams. Students stay up late, cram in the last few bits of information and psyche themselves up. It changes the feeling of the entire country before the warmer days of spring start to arrive.

Every school shifts into high gear. Campuses nationwide are converted from learning centers to testing centers. Doors are locked and all rooms are searched. Extra security guards are hired. Administrators, staff and faculty all participate in the national drama. The secrecy surrounding the exams is carried out at a level the CIA would be proud of.

All of these precautions keep the exams safe from cheating, but also crank up the pressure on young people. The test-takers' main concern is whether they can stand the pressure. They know the saying: Four hours pass, five hours fail. They believe an extra hour a day of study, not sleep, will be the key to entering their top choice of school.

Is all that healthy? Certainly not. Mothers making special nutritious food and students wearing a mask to avoid getting sick is healthy, but too much study pressure is not. For mothers, keeping their test-taking child fed and focused is almost as important a duty as giving birth. Families spend millions of yen on cram schools, but also offer prayers at shrines for what supernatural help they can get.

Sometimes, when I ask one of my students about their family, they will answer, in hushed, reverent tones, that their younger brother or sister is going to take the exam that year. That means the family is devoted to the exam, avoiding loud noises, maintaining a smooth atmosphere, and hoping all will go well. The pressure is not just on the kids. It's on everyone.

Will this system change? Not in the near future. The entire country is used to being put to the test, but one wonders if there might not be a better way to do things than create a season of exams. Observe the eyes and bodies of students on the train or in the streets and you can see the weight of exams pressing down on them. It's the season of pressure, the toughest season of the year, and the only season created by humans.

Shukan ST: MARCH 8, 2013

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