Phobias

Are you afraid of spiders? Then you're in good company. Fear of spiders is very common. In fact, some people are so afraid of spiders that they can't even go near one. If they see one, they might actually faint! A strong fear like that is called a phobia. Arachnophobia is a fear a spiders and other arachnids. Some more phobias are:

Claustrophobia: Fear of enclosed spaces. Claustrophobics become nervous when they are in a small space or a space with no easy way to get out.

Acrophobia: Fear of heights. People with this phobia usually don't like being on roller coasters or in skyscrapers.

Agoraphobia: Fear of open spaces and public places. People with agoraphobia don't like new environments or situations where they don't feel like they have control. Many of them like to stay in their rooms, like hikikomori.

習い事

Many of our students are children. They come to our classes after school. Many of them also take other types of lessons - for example piano, ballet, or just "juku", which are for-profit cram schools that teach a variety of subjects. Some of the best-known "juku" are Sanaru, Kumon, and Bunri Gakuin. I believe more than half of the high schoolers in Japan attend juku, and a surprising number of elementary schoolers and even preschoolers do as well.

My students often ask me what kinds of after-school lessons are popular in the US. Many kids and teenagers take music or dance lessons, and until high school, many kids take sports as well. I personally took private trombone classes. I never went to anything like a juku, and I don't know any Americans from my generation who have. One or two of my friends took test-preparation classes for the SAT (like the Japanese Center Test), but only for a few months.