Having a Zest for Life

Abstract

This chapter begins with a brief outline of the current Japanese educational system as understood by the author and demonstrates a human need for improved general well-being and inter-personal pedagogy particularly since COVID-19. The term social emotional learning (SEL) was simultaneously introduced in the mid-1990s to the West, while the term having a Zest for Life was promoted in Japan. Policies in Japan have attempted to keep in line with current Western trends in education, yet a gap between policy and practice persists. There are three key areas highlighted—high-stakes testing, enhancing inter-cultural communication, and finding voice—where further implementation of SEL resources and practices could improve outdated approaches and ease social tensions in Japan. This chapter concludes with the hope of inter-connectedness through reading, writing, open resources, and adaptation in classroom practices that would lead to greater understanding of what it means to become a global citizen.