The hallmark of the Heisei Era has been peace. Yet the past three decades have been rattled by a quiet revolution in social norms, from a steady decline in the allure of marriage to a rise in the number of households with only one person.
Yet amid such changes, educational values have seemingly remained largely unchanged, not least in the hierarchy of schools and the path for being accepted into those vaunted institutions of learning. What's more, the way to climb up Japan's educational system remains unchanged and biased against working mothers. That may well be the Achilles' heel of the country as it looks to be competitive in a new era.
The belief in "Todai First" is undoubtedly one value that has remained unshaken over the decades. One of the best-selling educational books over the past year is by the principal of Kaisei Academy, an all-boys school that has steadfastly remained one of the top feeder schools to the University of Tokyo. Over 50,000 copies of Yuko Yanagizawa's 2017 book have been sold to date, tapping into the anxiety parents have about getting into the right college.