ECA or co-curricular activities in Nichidai

Since we have talked about student life in Nichidai, well then, I guess we can continue more in detail about student ECAs (Extra- curricular activities) or clubs they call it here. Co-curricular activities, are what we call it as a balance for student life, and they, like academics require time and investment in effort- it is safe to say that, this is something that the students have freedom to choose and to discover what they are capable of and to induce their self-awareness alongside their classmates or, schoolmates to be exact.

For a traditional- (or conservative if you want to put it that way) school, Nichidai has certainly offered an array of ECAs that are meant to induce progressive thinking in students which ironically did not seem to have much effect in this country.

According to the school website plus our hasty visits around the campus, Nichidai's ECAs could be divided into 2 categories:

Sports/ physical based

1. American football
2. Kendo
3. Baseball
4. Golf
5. Soccer
6. Hiking/ Mountain climbing
7. Shooting
8. Judo
9. Swimming
10. Ski
11. Gymnastics
12. Table tennis
13. Cheerleading
14. Tennis
15. Softball
16. Basketball
17. Badminton
18. Volleyball
19. Rugby
20. Lacrosse
21. Track and field

Arts/ academic based

1. Japanese chess (go -or weiqi 囲碁 in Chinese and shogi -将棋)
2. Drama
3. Chemistry
4. Parlour music (acoustics including guitars etc)
5. Japanese calligraphy
6. Brass band
7. Biology
8. Geography and History research
9. Literature and Art (Japanese)
10. Broadcasting
11. Art
12. Physics
13. Diabolo (Chinese yo-yo 扯铃) or Magic juggling the students would call it
14. Ikebana or Kado 華道 (the way of flowers- Japanese art of arranging flowers)
15. Photography
16. Railway fanatics
17. Popular music fanatics

As you can see, the students were indeed given a vast choice in their ECAs. Also, Nichidai is a sports or ECA oriented school where the students don't necessarily have to prioritize their academics. However, some students (we've talked to) stated that the school is more well-rounded where they can focus on either or on both thus this do not give them much stress (or lesser stress) than other schools. It is safe to say that Nichidai has managed to compensate some or minimum life skills to their students, that's a good thing because ECAs are considered to be an important contribution to student learning and experience.

ECAs set the base for soft skills development in students. While the education system does the best in preparing us both technically and academically, but we still lack proper soft skills such as leadership, communication, betworking, team-management, time-management etc. ECAs give us the opportunities to lead a team, build our social circle, handle complex problems and much more. Practicing for example. trains our resilience, this allows us to be more accepting towards starting from square one and not fearing failure.

ECAs give us the opportunities to do self-discovery and self-awareness. We never know the things where we are good at unless we try them out. Also, they increase our chances of employability. Employers always prefer candidates who are well-rounded --balanced in their academics and ECAs, it shows how adaptable and flexible the person is. It is good that people excel in academics, but what does it prove to the employers? Not only that, they would always want an extra something to prove that you are different from the rest knowing that everyone has good grades. Especially in a very competitive nation such as Japan, this is the time where students should stand out, showing that they are the best of the best in order to successfully apply for admission in employment. Overall, involvement in ECAs have both intrinsic and extrinsic benefits if we look both in the short and long run. The seeds of eprsonality development start to boom exponentially as we take more and more participation in ECAs.

Holistic Education

Holistic education takes on a more existentialism/ progressive (in a way, if you think about it) philosophy and it is meant to help students be the most that they can be. Abraham Maslow referred to this as "self actualization". Education with a holistic perspective is concerned with the development of every person's intellectual, emotional, social, physical, artistic, creative and spiritual potentials. It seeks to engage students in the teaching/ learning process and encourages personal and collective responsibility.

The purpose of holistic education is to prepare students to meet the challenges of living as well as academics. Holistic education believes it is important for young people to learn:

• About themselves
• About healthy relationships and pro-social behavior
• Social development
• Emotional development
• Resilience

"Education is the process of living and is not meant to be the preparation of future living," - (Dewey, 1897)

The quote above is the reflection of what education (holistic) should be. When its focus is on process of living, that indicates learning begins at birth where the child gains knowledge unconsciously and primarily through touch and feel and then gradually acquiring knowledge through exploring and experiencing. Hence, it is necessary that education has 2 layers which are psychological and sociological. School education ought to help learners be more aware of their abilities and teach life skills that are often used as a base to true learning and helping them form self-identities and create self-awareness. Holistic education prepares children for their future.

School education ought to help learners be more aware of their abilities and teach life skills that are often foundational to true learning and helping them form self-identities and create self- awareness. Holistic education prepares learners for their future and help them tackle any of life's uncertainties. The lack of holistic education is the major reason why students are not able to face failures or rejections which may lead to engaging in antisocial activities, choosing destructive behaviors out of guilt and anger, or taking the ultimate step of ending their life, etc.

Training learners to use their kinesthetic tools like ears, eyes, legs and hands and learning to use their discretion to make decisions in adverse conditions is the primary objective of the education system. Education must focus the learner as a whole- which means, the pedagogy caters to the physical, emotional, social and cognitive development of children. This in turn creates progressive thinkers. Progressive thinkers are able to adapt and be flexible towards the ever changing society as it is inevitable.


The purpose of having ECAs is to allow students to develop their self- awareness. It is when and during the process, it assists the students to truly understand who they are. The different types of ECAs reveal the type of person the students are or they want to be. From the start, the choice of ECAs allow the students to be aware of cause and effect on their investment in time as well as a particular skill they wish to cultivate. Unknowingly, the students in Nichidai actually learns soft skills from their clubs because, as mentioned before, the school is a mini society for the students and it shapes how the students would become, how they would view and function in society.

Unfortunately, the society in Japan views education as otherwise, causing the education system to shape the minds of students to view learning and even their ECAs as a passport to succeed in life or at least to enable them to again, pass their entrance exams in universities; despite that ECAs do serve as an underlying contribution to their sense of self-awareness. But it is not prominent.