In Japan, many look forward to the months of March and April when cherry blossoms begin to bloom, temperatures begin to rise, and the much-anticipated season of hanami (or “flower viewing”) commences; yet, to some, March and April are also the most dreaded months of the year, as it marks the peak of “exam hell” or juken jigoku in Japan.

As spring rolls around, thousands of soon-to-be middle school and high school students take their entrance exams, hoping to be accepted to elite schools. This is a critical time for many young Japanese students, since each entrance exam is viewed as a series of steps that eventually determines a student’s destiny. A graduate from a more prestigious university such as the University of Tokyo or Waseda University has a greater chance of landing a job at a large and successful company than a graduate from a less prestigious university. However, whether a student is able to attend a school such as University of Tokyo or not is often contingent on where they went for high school, which, in turn, is contingent on where they attended middle school. Naturally, the anxiety and stress that students experience during “exam hell” is justified.

So what do students typically do if they fail their entrance exams to their school for choice? Those attempting to enter middle school or high school will have to attend a school where they gained admission regardless of whether or not it was their first choice. Students looking to gain admission to a top Japanese university, but fail to do so, can either attend a tier two or tier three university, or become a ronin, which requires them to study harder and reapply the following year.

Either way, Yamamuraya, a local meat supermarket chain, has revived a campaign from last year, which rewards students who failed their entrance exams. Students who flunked their exams can bring in a hard-copy letter as proof to any Yamamuraya store and receive a 120-gram steak, which is valued at a little over 600 yen (US$5.50). Yamamuraya’s employees will also gladly destroy letters for their rejected customers and pray for their future success. The company states that 190 customers took part in the campaign last year and that one customer had reportedly brought in 12 letters of rejection.

Source: Yamamuraya

Although Yamamuraya’s campaign may seem like a joke to some, there is a powerful underlying message behind their campaign: never lose hope. So intense is the season of “exam hell” that a number of students who fail their entrance exams commit suicide. Through their campaign, Yamamuraya challenges the notion in Japanese society that a single exam or rejection letter decides a person’s fate and self-worth. This type of message is invaluable to youth, especially in Japan where exam results are (more often than not) seen as predictors of who will become “The Haves” and who will become “The Have Nots”.

By - grape Japan editorial staff.