The term 'school culture' can conjure memories of one's own schooling, imbued with fond nostalgia for some and quite the opposite for others. One is likely to recall a different culture at preschool, primary school, secondary school and tertiary institutions. A person who happened to move to another school mid-way through an academic year, may recall initial feelings of excitement or anxiety about facing a new school culture. Furthermore, people often comment that today's school culture differs from that of the past. This diversity of school culture is usually taken for granted. However, in the English language literature, views of Japanese school culture emphasise distinctively 'Japanese' features, often oblivious of the varieties in school culture that are assumed in English-speaking society. School culture, simply stated, is how people attach meaning to various aspects of the schooling routine. It is a system of meaning which guides daily activities and interpretations, such as what teachers and students value as desirable. As such, school culture is conceived of as inherently existing in plural forms; and accordingly, this chapter adopts the term 'culture' to represent plural ideas. School culture displays unique institutional features, supported to differing degrees by governments and assigned specific tasks, missions and expectations (as distinct from other institutions like companies and hospitals). For example, modern schools take children of specific age groups and teach what is deemed to be necessary knowledge and skills in a systematic way. School culture is specific to the society's own history and institutional and social contexts.