お知らせ
本日は「Newsweek Japan掲載記事を基に弘中塾が制作した公式英語版」を公開させて頂きました。
北海道大学歯学部 東北大学歯学部 長崎大学歯学部 鹿児島大学歯学部 九州大学歯学部 徳島大学歯学部 岡山大学歯学部 東京科学大学歯学部 新潟大学歯学部 大阪大学歯学部 広島大学歯学部 公立大学法人九州歯科大学 北海道医療大学歯学部 岩手医科大学歯学部 奥羽大学歯学部 日本歯科大学新潟生命歯学部 日本大学松戸歯学部 松本歯科大学歯学部 福岡歯科大学歯学部 神奈川歯科大学歯学部 明海大学歯学部 鶴見大学歯学部 愛知学院大学歯学部 朝日大学歯学部 大阪歯科大学樟葉キャンパス 大阪歯科大学天満橋キャンパス 日本大学歯学部 日本歯科大学生命歯学部 昭和大学歯学部 東京歯科大学歯学部
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各歯科大学生と既卒生のみなさん、こんにちは、弘中塾事務局からのお知らせです。
本日は当塾HP最下段掲載させて頂いております「Newsweek Japan掲載記事を基に弘中塾が制作した公式英語版」を公開させて頂きました。
後日では塾長弘中が何故大学に残らず勤務医にも成らず塾設立に至った経緯も公開予定です。
どうぞ宜しくお願い致します。
HIRONAKA JUKU
Official English Edition
CHALLENGER
“I Want to Free Dental Students, Even Just a Little, from the Suffering of a Harsh Examination System and Academic Retention.”
Takashi Hironaka
Representative Director, Hironaka Juku Co., Ltd.
The Beginning of Hironaka Juku
It began approximately 24 years ago.
At the time, Takashi Hironaka was a third-year graduate student at a dental university.
During a break, he was in the upper floors of the university building when he noticed a second-year student attempting to climb out of a window.
Hironaka immediately rushed to the student and stopped him.
The student was facing the possibility of repeating the academic year. He was deeply distressed and worried about disappointing his parents, who were living in Okinawa.
Hironaka stayed with him, listened to him, and helped him calm down.
Several months later, Hironaka received a telephone call at his home.
The student had ultimately decided to leave the university and return to Okinawa.
Before leaving, he said words that Hironaka would never forget.
He thanked Hironaka for helping him and asked him to help even one other student who might be suffering as he had suffered.
That experience became the starting point for what would eventually become Hironaka Juku.
Why Hironaka Juku Was Founded
At that time, Hironaka had been considering remaining at the university after completing graduate school. He had also been encouraged to pursue an academic career.
However, his experience with that student made him reconsider the path he had planned for himself.
Rather than remaining at the university, he decided to work as a practicing dentist, with the possibility of eventually opening his own dental practice.
But the memory of the student remained with him.
He came to believe that there had to be a place where dental students could receive support before their academic difficulties became overwhelming.
That conviction led him to establish Hironaka Juku, a school specializing in individualized support for dental students and preparation for the National Dental Examination.
The Growing Burden on Dental Students
The environment surrounding dental education in Japan has become increasingly demanding.
Students are required not only to study a vast amount of specialized knowledge, but also to pass examinations and assessments throughout their university education.
Progression through the six-year dental curriculum has become an important challenge in itself.
For some students, the pressure of repeated examinations, academic retention and uncertainty about the National Dental Examination can become overwhelming.
The burden is not limited to the students themselves.
Parents are also deeply concerned about their children’s future.
In many cases, however, there is a gap between the way parents remember dental education when they were students and the reality facing students today.
The educational environment has changed significantly.
Understanding that change is essential if students are to receive appropriate support.
More Than Preparation for an Examination
Hironaka Juku was founded with a simple purpose:
to reduce, even slightly, the suffering experienced by dental students.
This does not mean making the examinations easier.
It means helping students understand what they are facing and finding a way forward that is appropriate for each individual.
Some students struggle with basic academic knowledge.
Others have difficulty organizing what they have learned.
Some lose confidence after repeated failures.
Still others become trapped in anxiety because they do not know what information to trust.
For these students, simply telling them to study harder is not enough.
They need someone who will understand their situation and help them determine what they should do next.
That is the role Hironaka Juku seeks to fulfill.
Accurate Information Can Protect Students
One of the problems Hironaka has repeatedly encountered is the spread of rumors and inaccurate information.
Students hear many different things from their classmates and through social media.
They may become anxious about changes in the National Dental Examination, graduation examinations, university policies or future career prospects.
When reliable information is difficult to find, anxiety itself can interfere with learning.
Hironaka therefore places great importance on providing students and their parents with accurate information.
Understanding the current situation is the first step toward making an appropriate decision.
Rather than being influenced by rumors, students need to know what is actually happening and what they should prepare for.
The National Dental Examination
The National Dental Examination in Japan has become increasingly competitive.
The examination is not simply a test of memorization.
Students must be able to understand fundamental dental and medical knowledge, apply that knowledge appropriately, and continue learning as the examination system changes.
For this reason, Hironaka believes that relying exclusively on past examination questions has limitations.
Past questions are important.
But they cannot replace a thorough understanding of textbooks and fundamental knowledge.
A student who studies only what has appeared before may become comfortable with familiar patterns while remaining unprepared for questions that require genuine understanding.
Hironaka Juku therefore emphasizes the importance of building a strong foundation.
Supporting Students as Individuals
Every student has a different background.
Some students progress smoothly through university.
Others repeat academic years.
Some graduate and pass the National Dental Examination immediately.
Others become graduates who must prepare for the examination again.
The same study method cannot necessarily be applied to all of them.
Hironaka Juku therefore focuses on the individual.
The question is not simply:
“How many hours does this student study?”
It is:
“What is preventing this student from moving forward?”
Once that question is understood, the appropriate support can begin.
Education in a Changing Society
The way students learn is also changing.
Digital technology has made it possible to study using smartphones and tablets.
Hironaka Juku has developed Mobile Hironaka Juku as part of its effort to provide students with flexible access to educational materials.
The purpose is not technology for its own sake.
The purpose is to make learning more accessible and to allow students to continue studying according to their individual circumstances.
Education must change as society changes.
But the fundamental responsibility of education remains the same:
to help people move forward.
The Goal Is Not Simply to Pass
Passing the National Dental Examination is extremely important.
For a student, it can represent the end of years of difficult study.
For a family, it can represent enormous relief.
But Hironaka believes that passing the examination should not be the ultimate goal of education.
The real goal is to become a dental professional who can contribute to patients, families and society.
That is why Hironaka Juku’s support does not end with examination techniques.
The school seeks to help students regain confidence, understand their own challenges, and develop the ability to continue learning throughout their professional lives.
A Message to Dental Students
There will be times when studying becomes painful.
There will be moments when students wonder whether they can continue.
There will be times when the results of examinations do not match the effort they have made.
At such moments, it is important not to judge yourself solely by one examination result.
Instead, take a step back.
Understand where you are.
Identify what needs to change.
Then begin again.
The path to becoming a dentist is not always easy.
But students should not have to face that path alone.
This is why Hironaka Juku exists.
To help dental students move forward.
To reduce their suffering, even if only a little.
And ultimately, to help them become dental professionals who can contribute to society.
Why I Founded Hironaka Juku
A Message from Takashi Hironaka
There is one experience that I believe should always remain at the heart of Hironaka Juku.
While I was in graduate school, I once encountered a second-year dental student who was attempting to take his own life because he was facing the possibility of repeating the year.
I was able to stop him.
That day changed the direction of my life.
Several months later, after he had decided to leave the university and return to Okinawa, he called my home.
He thanked me for what I had done and said:
“Please help even one student like me who is suffering.”
I have never forgotten those words.
I could have remained at the university and pursued an academic career.
But I chose a different path.
I decided to establish a school that would help students who were struggling with dental education and the National Dental Examination.
That is the origin of Hironaka Juku.
Even today, my fundamental belief has not changed.
No student should have to face unbearable suffering alone.
About Hironaka Juku
Hironaka Juku is dedicated to supporting dental students with university progression and graduation, preparation for the National Dental Examination, and support for graduates preparing to take the examination again.
Our purpose is not simply to help students pass an examination.
It is to help them overcome difficulties, regain confidence, and move toward their future as dental professionals.
Hironaka Juku
Official Website of Hironaka Juku
Publication Note
This English-language edition has been prepared by Hironaka Juku based on a feature originally published in the Japanese edition of Newsweek. It is intended to introduce the philosophy, history, and educational mission of Hironaka Juku to readers outside Japan.
弘中塾事務局
歯科医師国家試験、歯科国試合格、歯科大学卒業・進級・留年、卒国試過去問、オンライン、CBT、歯科国試直前講習等をテーマに今後もコラム・よくある質問を公開させて頂く予定です。
