How to Get Into Tokyo University

Someone has done research and written a book on the common characteristics of those admitted to Japan's most prestigious institute of higher learning, Tokyo University, a.k.a. Todai. According to this book, "Todai no Kodomo, Do Yatte Todai ni Itta no ka? (How Did the Neighbor's Kid Make it Into Todai)", just over 58 percent of Todai students ate breakfast and dinner with their fathers when they were between the ages of 4 and 7. Mark Schreiber writes in the Japan Times, "With dad presiding over the evening meal, the book theorizes, a young child's brain receives the highest quality stimulation - a considerably better way to promote his or her development than, say, sending preschool kids out to classes in English conversation or math." At first I bristled at this - what, only dads engage in intelligent conversation? - but then I realized that if two adults are present at the dinner table, they may talk with each other at a higher level than one adult and one or more kids. Just a theory. When I told my husband about this finding, he said, "What about that kid who started a fire because his dad was always nagging him about homework?" Perhaps a little more research is in order...