For many foreigners living here, the chance to study some Japanese art or craft, be it aikido, shakuhachi or tea ceremony, is very much a part of their "Japan experience."
Likewise, accounts of such pursuits, from Eugene Herrigel's classic encounter with archery to popular descriptions of making paper or pottery, or practicing Zen or tea ceremony, continue to fascinate both Japan specialists and general readers.
In recent decades the Japanese educational system, for better or worse, has been the focus of much scholarly and media attention. As in the past, though, a lot of the learning that goes on in Japan still takes place outside of school.