When road signs point to universities, racks at shrines fill with rows of handwritten ema (votive pictures/messages), and a respectful hush falls over the city, you know it's time for one of Japan's most important rituals -- entrance exams.
Everyone who has suffered through "exam hell" knows how a few hours answering questions can determine the direction of one's life. The power these tests wield for individuals, and for society at large, is greater than in almost any other country in the world. At times, the exam season feels like a huge social melodrama, at other times like a heroic display of will and endurance.
But as in all melodrama, there is great sadness. Just as in the annual high school baseball tournament, someone has to lose. The number of school-refusers, dropouts and self-chosen "freeters" increases year by year.