The making of a JapaneseThe making of a Japanese

Tsukado, located in Tokyo's sprawling suburbs, is one of the largest public elementary schools in Japan. In the nation's unique educational system, children are tasked to run their own school in order to teach communal values and how to play one's role in the group. Intimately capturing one school year from the perspective of 1st and 6th graders, The Making Of A Japanese has the magic of childhood with precious moments of joy, tears, and discovery as they learn the traits necessary to become part of Japanese society. Also included on the DVD is the Academy Award-nominated Short Documentary Instruments Of A Beating Heart. First graders in a Tokyo public elementary school are presented with a challenge for the final semester: to form an orchestra and perform "Ode to Joy" at a school ceremony. The film examines the Japanese educational system's tenuous balance between self-sacrifice and personal growth as it teaches the next generation to become part of society.