First off, to reiterate what everyone else has said. Thank you for the very informative post. It has been enlightening, possibly in the worst ways.
None of this should come as too much of a big surprise considering Japanese popular culture (TV Drama & anime) tends to portray college classes somewhat like what you describe (though not exactly). This is all disheartening as it defiantly dissuades someone like myself, who was considering a career in college academia, from ever wanting to try to teach there.
I'm hoping, if you are still reading your replies, you may be able to comment on what Graduate schools are like in Japan. I've noticed a trend with many of the Japanese professors at my US university, where they got their BA/BS in Japan, but most come to the US to get their Masters and eventually their Doctorate. I've always wondered if this means Japanese grad schools suffer from the same kind of problems that the undergraduate system does. Does the graduate level function much better than the undergraduate in respect to teaching and learning? (That's not to say learning doesn't/can't go on at undergrad, but I always figured [and you confirmed somewhat] that due to the high school academic system, many professors get stuck teaching their classes like they would a high school level class. In which case, its the constant spewing of facts with no real attempt made to make thinks make sense.) Would you as an assistant professor, encourage people to come to Japan's graduate schools? This may be somewhat of a stupid question but, are "traditional" (read: old) Japanese professors just as interested in teaching their students (those that will learn) as most professors in say the US? Finally, and somewhat off topic, how is research funding in Japan? Is it more widely available than the US or less so? More difficult to acquire or easier?
Thanks.
