Stories from the Japanese Classroom

Many Japanese people remember the stories they read in elementary school: a lonely fox, a little fish in a school of big ones, a boy who is afraid of the dark. These stories aren't only read. They are discussed and questioned in class, and often remembered long after school. In each episode, we take one story from a Japanese school textbook, tell you the full plot in English, and look at how children are asked to think about it. Along the way, we explore the feelings, values, and ways of seeing the world that each story brings to the surface. If you're curious about Japan beyond the usual tr