This is a day in the life of a Japanese wagyu high school student. Soma, a 17-year-old high school student living in southern Japan in kagoshima and he's just waking up to start his day. Like any other typical school day he starts with his morning chores. where are you headed oh how far is it oh that's not too far s's family runs a wagyu Japanese beef cattle farm and he's responsible to feed the cows every morning before heading to school blessed with a warm climate in vast Open Spaces kagoshima prefecture is Japan's top producer in wagyu beef particularly Japanese blackhaired cattle R wagu renowned for their exceptional meat quality with about 321,000 cattle this area probably holds the highest share of this premium breed in the country now that he's completed his morning chours he quickly gets ready for school and living in a traditional Japanese house like this he does so quietly so not to wake his father and sister who are still sleeping while his mother is already busy in the kitchen preparing his [Music] breakfast is that what you're wearing today your Mom prepares it for you every day nice in Japan it's quite common for students in public high schools to wear a uniform also known as SE fuku in Japanese in recent years though school uniforms and grooming codes have become a significant topic and since 2022 the number of schools which have updated the regulations and Designs have more than doubled as they try to address a more diverse student population nice his breakfast is ready in a different room he usually eats by himself as his mom is busy with morning tours for the farm I guess it's pretty common in many Japanese homes do you always eat this your mom is so sweet is that you in the [Music] picture oh what position awesome how are your knees oh no [Music] s commutes to high school by scooter which is quite rare in Japan as nearly half of high school students 45% rely on trains for their commute while 31% commute by bicycles and only 8% ride motorcycles [Music] by law motorcycle licenses are attainable at age 16 while car licenses are only available from 18 which is why you never see Japanese high school students driving cars to school good morning everyone I'm back with another day in the life and this one I've been wanting to do for so many years now and I finally got permission it's been tough but we finally did it and luckily we can get this one started soon because so much should be arriving [Music] shortly good morning morning did you sleep well last night good luck this is so high school a Japanese public school at nestled in kagoshima tranquil and open Countryside in addition to standardized courses it offers five specialized academic programs though relatively small in Japan with around 360 students and 60 dedicated teachers this school is a vibrant laughter filled Community where friendships and dreams grow hand inand Som now a senior has been enrolled in their concentrated livestock food agricultural program specializing in cattle what happened to your slippers when students arrive they change into aab baky indoor shoes and take off their jackets at the entrance a common practice in Japanese schools to prevent dirt and dust from being brought inside however recently some public schools in larger cities like Tokyo have started to move away from this tradition due to the financial burden it places on parents to purchase two pairs of [Music] shoes at this school all the students are required to arrive every day by A2 and to start their morning study individually before their first class s what are you working on oh you're studying oh okay in Japan students are assigned to groups with each group having their own home room where they spend most of their days teachers will visit this Home Room class to teach their specific subject except for some elective classes like PE or farming which require different facilities naturally students in the same Home Room class form closer bonds as they end up spending much of their day as well as year together s's Home Room teacher is here and every morning he starts by sharing important announcements although he may not teach a specific subject to the class he's their tanning teacher responsible for their wellbeing throughout the year next he has his first period class information science which is held in a different room and with just a 10-minute break between classes students start moving right after the Bell oh I guess students are learning how to use Excel today s how are your computer skills oh did you just start learning I love excel in Japanese high school students are graded on a scale of 1 to five with five being the highest based primarily on periodic exams since 2022 though Criterion based assessments have also been added evaluating students through small qu ques presentations group discussions and daily attitude in their class aimed to provide a more comprehensive evaluation emphasizing communication critical thinking and other essential skills needed to meet the diverse challenges of today's world so looks like someone's going to be in here for a while so while he's doing that let's do what we do and explore down some steps now oh what's this oh wow this looks like a shop class or something look at all these wasino I don't even know what this is like a drill man just looking at all of these machines I honestly wish I went to high school like this but they taught me like something that I can actually use and make well actually that's not true I went to a pottery class at in high school I guess I learned some cat as well I think there's a class going on over there let's go see so this is another specialized program that the school offers mechanical and electronic engineering these students are working on their thematic research project in the welding Workshop hi what's this oh that's cool and what do you want to do for a [Music] living what about [Music] you apparently the students for their team project designed and engineered this mechanical tool which allows them to easily create dustpans a tool that they've been building and refining for more than half a year and today they're doing more testing seeing what we could find here the light is bright it's not going to stop us oh look they even recycle their bottle caps here oh look at this all these Awards and this right here is when they won the wagu competition 3 years ago and they have it every 5 years so they're going to compete again in 2 years that's just amazing that they beat the whole entire country for wagu hey these doors look a little bit different let's see if we can go inside these [Music] ones hi what's this room apparently this is where the Japanese English and math teachers prepare their lessons what subject do you teach cool and what math specifically he adds that from 2025 University admissions exams will expand to include even more subjects making the senior year curriculum more challenging than ever so did you want to be a teacher when you were a kid thank you I think this is the principal's office right here but he's not here actually check this out look at all of these awards that they've won look at this they even have their uniforms right here all modeled [Music] out s where are you going the schools Farm is a 15minute walk away from their main campus and their break time between classes is limited so s and his classmates walk quickly there together hey so what's your dream what about you really show me something hey do you guys not have cell phones but I don't see anyone ever on it ah I see so what social media apps do you use the most sounds like you can't live without it and this is the school Farm home to about 36 blackhaired wagu cattle and 97 birkshire pigs along with green houses crop fields and a food processing facility here students in the livestock food agriculture program gain hands-on experience throughout the school [Music] year as soon as the students arrive they change into their farming [Music] uniform this specific class is called Chuan livestock farming today's lesson starts with weighing the cattle an essential step in tracking their health after the teacher gives the students instructions they quickly get to [Music] work now it's time to farm in this class students learn every aspect of cattle management from Raising calves to fattening through Hands-On practice they Master the fundamentals as well as the complexities of running a successful Farm oh no the cow doesn't seem to be enjoying being pulled although s grew up with cows and is used to taking care of them moving heavy cattle isn't an easy task so the term wagu refers to four specific breeds of Japanese cattle with blackhaired wagu making up 95% of them and kagoshima alone produces 20% of the nation's blackhaired wagu celebrated for its unique tenderness balanced marbling and unmistakably rich flavor in fact kushima Farmers have perfected their techniques to a point where they can produce the highest quality A5 wagi be 50% of the time now now that the weighing is done students work on learning how to best clean a barn as well as how to groom the cattle hey is there anything different here from your farm nice you're learning different things hi does your family run a farm too I see so other than W you what are you into really what position are you oh that's awesome so what have you learned here so [Music] far cool so do you like the class nice so what do you want to do in the future excuse me can I ask you a question so what do you think is important when teaching this class that makes sense is there anything you're extra careful about when teaching he says that cattle can recognize familiar faces and so first year students often have the most trouble yeah that does sound dangerous thanks I thought your mom made you a Bento I see now that someone's back to the farm it's finally lunchtime is your mom going to be sad that her food isn't [Music] enough that's good well you've been farming all morning I can understand why you're hungry in Japan high school students typically bring their own lunch often a Bento Box unlike Elementary and Junior High School where school lunches are provided as part of the country's compulsory education program high school isn't included hi can I see what's inside your Bento what that looks delicious your mom made it that's impressive seriously what's your specialty you like anything else aside from cooking oh what's your favorite these days sweet thanks and as promised he's dancing for us he's got some moves so this is pretty cool since they don't have like ventos or anything that they serve here they actually have a bread shop that comes out and sells their bread here out of a van and vegetables grown by the students are also sold here hi do you buy this often what did you get so convenient after a 1-hour lunch break all the students clean for 10 minutes each one assigned a task and so is in charge of the hallway this practice is common among all Japanese students from elementary school onwards working together to clean the school Fosters teamwork by dividing tasks and achieving a shared goal it also teaches the students to be considerate of others by maintaining a clean environment for everyone to share nice someone found his friend in the hallway baseball team you guys play baseball together what's your position this you guys must be close oh that's cool to hear [Music] now fifth period begins and I guess it's a math class in their home room everyone is studying so quietly so it looks like s's going to be in his math class for just a little bit longer so while he's doing that let's explore the Halls a little bit I love how everything is just open here cool look I just found that a is actually right here look at this they even have a Yuzu here oh wow I didn't see this at the elementary school it says bu [Music] Doan wow so I think this area right here is where they do Kendo over there where there's like the tummy that's where they do Judo it's nice that the school has these type of facilities and then just like the mat itself just stepping on it it is kind of like tatami but it's like a really soft bouncy tatami you can feel the texture as well nice the sophomore PE class is having a marathon hey excuse excuse me hi can I bother you you're the fastest in the class huh so how far are you running today wow you must play sports right oh awesome how often do you have this class got it well get back to your race thanks in Japan it's a common requirement for high school students to run long distances in PE class and even in the winter train in short sleeves reflecting the country's stoic emphasis on Health and Fitness do you have any homework today not at all really oh sounds practical hey is there anyone at school you're interested in you know it might be tough running a farm all by yourself this just kidding you're still young I know you'll find someone after classes many Japanese high school students typically engage in after school activities sports teams or cultural clubs in s's case he's a member of the livestock farming Club so he heads back to the school Farm to learn more about raising cattle wow the students are feeding a baby cow hey s what do you actually do in this club in Japan high school students uniquely have the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise in the Art and Science of raising premium wagu students like s who tirelessly learn to care for their cattle and strive to raise the highest quality breeds compete in events such as the wagu koshian which focuses strictly on the quality of the beef and kosai which evaluates cattle's appearance hey this tag has your name on it that's awesome bye-bye some of the cow before heading home he stops by his sodon Abacus and mental math School in Japan extracurriculars like piano swimming or even cram schools are common but the Abacus has gained in popularity as recent studies show its benefit to train the brain and since he's already mastered the Abacus he now focuses on Mental Math so how long have you been doing this he's so humble I'm sure he can do more in his head than 99% of the world finally home she before dinner he helps his dad with a farming task so did your son want to follow in your footsteps since he was [Music] young it must require a lot of sacrifice while wagu has gained worldwide notoriety cattle numbers in Japan are declining due to an aging farming population but a new generation of passionate wagu Farmers like Som are diligently honing their craft and with the support of Japan's school system the legacy of Japanese wagy beef has a promising chance to endure who's the little one does it have a name seriously I'd be honored yay dinner time I guess they're having skaki tonight and of course with kushima wagu beef it's truly amazing to see their family sitting together to enjoy dinner after a hard day of work in school I can only hope for the continued success of s's family and S himself as he takes over his family's Farm in the future and after talking to him and his family apparently the best way to support them is for the world to enjoy Japanese wagu beef if 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