First graders in a Tokyo public elementary school are presented with a challenge for the final semester: performing “Ode to Joy” at the ceremony for the new incoming first graders. Ayame, who often struggles to keep up with the group, is determined to play a major part.
A New York Times Op-Doc.
[…]
There is a lot of pressure on those little children.
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Surely from a child’s perspective, there always is, irrespective of societal ethos?
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You might be right there. Just trying to think back how I felt at the age of six or so and cannot really remember it, haha. I started to feel heavily under pressure from the age of 14 onwards.
For me from my European perspective, these lines and direction arrows are a bit over the top though. But, customs and expectations are different from society to society.
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