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New Year is the most important holiday in the Japanese calendar and celebrations are very different to those in the UK. This lesson introduces the festival’s main foods, decorations, customs and vocabulary to KS2. Teachers will find background notes, a PPT with images to inspire students and a comprehensive lesson plan and activity materials. Also included is a PDF Activity Pack (containing information and tasks, kanji writing practice and a traditional game) which can be printed out and used by students independently or during extracurricular activities such as Japan club. An editable version of the PPTs are available on request - contact education@japansociety.org.uk. More resources related to Japanese culture are available from The Japan Society website.

This lesson about Otsukimi, the Japanese Moon Viewing festival, can be used to teach KS2 about Japanese culture, the harvest moon, and the diversity of beliefs and stories about the moon around the world. The PPT includes information about the customs and traditions associated with Ostukimi and an illustrated version of The Rabbit on the Moon story. There is also a version of the story with key vocabulary in Japanese for those wishing to teach Japanese language. After listening to the story, students will recall key locations, characters, and events in the story and summarise them on their own story plate. Also included is a PDF Activity Pack (containing origami rabbit instructions and a kanji practice worksheet) which can be printed out and used by students independently or during extracurricular activities such as Japan club. An editable version of the PPTs are available on request - contact education@japansociety.org.uk. More resources related to Japanese culture are available from The Japan Society website.

The Setsubun festival marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring and is celebrated annually in Japan on 3 February. This lesson gives students the chance to learn how children in Japan celebrate the arrival of spring. Included is a Powerpoint presentation, lesson plan, and activities including: a Japanese vocabulary challenge, true or false quiz, an oni (demon) mask template. Also included is a PDF Activity Pack which can be printed out and used by students independently or during extracurricular activities such as Japan club. An editable version of the PPTs are available on request - contact education@japansociety.org.uk. More resources related to Japanese culture are available from The Japan Society website.

In this lesson, KS2 pupils will learn about what life is like at a typical elementary school in Japan. Some aspects of Japanese school life are unique, and not seen in many other places in the world. For example, everyday after lunch or at the end of the school day, children clean and tidy their classrooms and around the corridors and hallways. Another unique aspect is that children serve each other their school dinners at lunch time, and eat together in the classroom! Pupils will learn more about these unique aspects within this lesson. But whilst there are certainly unique aspects, there are also many aspects that are similar to a typical British primary school too. Pupils will compare the similarities and differences by creating a comparison chart, and evaluate what they like and dislike about these aspects of Japanese school life. This resource pack contains a PowerPoint presentation, worksheets and extension activities, as well as background notes for teachers who may wish to learn more about what Japanese elementary schools are like before teaching the lesson. An editable version of the PPT is available on request - please contact us at education@japansociety.org.uk if you are interested.

Are you going on a school trip to Japan soon? This resource is filled with valuable information and useful things to know before embarking on your trip! It covers key information about Japanese society, etiquette, as well as useful everyday phrases and vocabulary. Within this resource contains a presentation for teachers, as well as an information pack for students they can bring with them to read and refer back to during their stay in Japan. The PowerPoint file for this resource is read-only, however if you require an editable version, please contact education@japansociety.org.uk

In this resource, pupils will learn about Katsushika Hokusai, arguably one of Japan’s most famous and influential artists. Hokusai is known for his iconic ukiyo-e prints and paintings, including The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1831) from his series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Pupils will study and examine some of Hokusai’s work from this series, learning more about how ukiyo-e prints are produced using a woodblock printing process. Following this, pupils will then produce their own prints inspired by Hokusai’s work, instead using polystyrene sheets. This resource also includes alternative art activities that pupils can do if you do not have these materials available. The Exploring Hokusai lesson is ideal for upper KS2 pupils but could be adapted for KS3 too. This resource was developed as part of a wider unit of work about Japan, however, can be taught as a standalone lesson. To see more resources like this one, please see The Japan Project (also available to download for free on our TES Shop). Please note that the PowerPoint file in this resource is read-only. If you would like an editable version, please contact us at education@japansociety.org.uk

In this lesson, pupils will explore the history of samurai from their origins in the early Heian Period (794-1185) up to the Meiji Restoration (1868). They will learn about how the samurai gained power as a group of people and how they gained control of Japan, as well as what led to their downfall. Pupils will also uncover some of the many myths that surround samurai through a fun myth vs reality activity, in which they will read and sort statement cards, encouraging them to think critically about the information that they read, as well as helping them to better understand what real samurai were like. The History of Samurai lesson is ideal for upper KS2 pupils but could be adapted for KS3 too. Please note that the PowerPoint file in this resource is read-only. If you would like an editable version, please contact us at education@japansociety.org.uk The Japan Society would like to thank Professor Oleg Benesch of the University of York and the Asia Department at the British Museum for their expert insights and support in developing this resource.