Osoji

Osoji is a short period at the end of the school day when all the students and some of the teachers clean the school. Schools don't hire janitors, so they have Osoji. It's not really a deep cleaning, just the basics: wipe off the tables and the blackboards, wipe the floors, etc. What's interesting is that before Osoji every day, the students line up in their groups. Then, they all sit on the floor one in front of the other. One student sits facing the others. They all sit with their hands around their knees (One girl sits with her hands clasped under her knees.) They all wear wipe caps. They all sit without saying a single word. Next, they stand up, bow, and say onegaishimasu. Next, they complete the cleaning. They line up again. I think it's customary to wait until every student in the group is present before sitting down. They sit in silence, stand up, bow, and say otsukare sama deshita (good job/you must be tired). This is all very ritualistic. Perhaps, Osoji is more about working together than it is about the actual cleaning. It certainly displays Japanese culture that is very unamerican. It's amazing to see a whole school of junior high schoolers sitting quietly. It's nice to have a few minutes of silence during the day. Perhaps it's something we need more of in the US.