With the end of summer vacation, Japanese schools across the country are experiencing an increase in inquiries from parents. This annual occurrence typically involves concerns such as a child's academic performance, behavioral changes, and uncertainties related to the upcoming academic stint. Educational institutions, teachers, and guidance councils are engaging in efforts to provide an apt response to the parental outpouring.

In Japan, both parents and children take the academic year very seriously. The completion of summer break signifies not just the start of the new semester but also a time for parents to evaluate their child's progress, with many reaching out to schools for reassurances or further information. The critical cultural value here is the appreciation and commitment towards education.

In contrast, the US and EU generally maintain continuous parent-teacher dialog throughout the year, including regular parent-teacher meetings. Though parents do show concern for their children's education post-holidays, the response in Western countries tends to be less concentrated than in Japan.