Japanese primary schools are filled with surprises for foreigners. Students commute to school in groups with lower-graders being led by upper-graders. Children also break into teams to take on the tasks of cleaning and lunch duty. Japanese primary schools are not only a place to study but also a place to learn communal life. At a primary school in Saitama pref., children were having a jump rope challenge in teams formed with students from all grades, (one to six). At a primary school in Nagano Pref., a “rural education system” was being conducted where children from the city come to live together with schoolmates away from home in the heart of nature’s bounty.