ISESAKI, Gunma -- The number of students at the only night junior high school in east Japan's Gunma Prefecture has nearly doubled in the roughly sixth months since its opening. The school caters mostly to foreign nationals, and when this Mainichi Shimbun reporter visited, the students were seen enjoying their school life.

Gunma Prefectural Mirai Kyoso Junior High School opened in the city of Isesaki in April with a total of 35 first- through third-year students. The number had increased to 60 by Oct. 31, including 51 foreign nationals.

A valuable experience

Classes begin at 6 p.m. on weekdays. Students of various ages, from their teens to 70s, arrive at the school, with their greetings of "Konbanwa" (Good evening) echoing in the classrooms. There are four 40-minute classes a day, and students study compulsory education subjects such as Japanese, math and science.

"I'm so glad this junior high was founded," said a 54-year-old student from Peru with a smile. She came to Japan 35 years ago and attended several vocational schools in the prefecture with the goal of entering a university in the country. However, she found herself in a quandary as she did not feel that she had learned enough.

At Mirai Kyoso Junior High School, attendees can learn subjects systematically and also study Japanese language. Students who do not understand the Japanese in class are accompanied by support staff who interpret for them. The Peruvian native now feels that she is closer to her dream as she has become good at writing kanji, which she used to struggle with. She said, "This junior high school experience is valuable. Not just me but all students love this school."

The school's reputation has spread in the community, and the number of Peruvian students has increased from five to 13. An increasing number of people enroll through referrals from the city government and nonprofit organizations that handle the procedures for their coming to Japan. The number of classrooms for Japanese language instruction has increased from three to four.

The students include 13 Peruvians, 10 Brazilians, 10 Filipinos, nine Japanese and four Nepalis. They formed groups by country at first, but they gradually became comfortable with each other, and now they are seen chatting and laughing during breaks, transcending national boundaries.

A 45-year-old student from Brazil who arrived in Japan seven years ago began to attend the school to help her two children -- one in the first year of junior high and the other a preschooler -- adjust to Japanese schools. She said she wanted to improve her Japanese skills to communicate with her children's homeroom teacher and day care staff. She says she enjoys science class, and hopes to be able to help her children with their homework by learning on her own.

'Learning is inherently fun'

When this reporter visited a Japanese language class at the school in early October, Bangladeshi curry was displayed on a screen.

A student from South Asia was giving an explanation in English about the dish, called "nihari," saying that it was delicious and that people could get calcium from the bones in it because they are stewed for a long time. A student from South America who could not understand the English looked satisfied after a classmate interpreted the English explanation.

In this friendly atmosphere of mutual assistance, the teacher taught the students how to ask, "Do you like Bangladeshi food?" and reply "Yes" in Japanese. Everyone recited the question and answer together.

The school has 16 teaching and other staff members. In the evening, most of the staff who are available stand at the gate to greet the students. After the classes are done, they see them off, saying, "See you tomorrow."

Principal Miyuki Iijima said, "The teachers and other staff find it very rewarding." While the educational methods are still being explored, considering it is the first night junior high school in the prefecture, he explained that every time the staff hear students say that school is fun, they are reminded of the original idea that "learning is inherently fun, and this is a place where students fulfill their own dreams."

(Japanese original by Ryuko Tadokoro, Maebashi Bureau)