Much has been said about the difficulties that Latin American children of foreign Japanese descent (Nikkei) face in the Japanese school system since the implementation of Japan's new immigration law in 1990. The underlying monolingualism and cultural exclusion of the school system are often blamed for these difficulties. However, little detailed analysis has been provided on ethnonational belonging and the standardization of education, and their cultural practices. This study attempts to provide a missing piece of ethnographic analysis in this area. This paper focuses on the school rituals and the transition experiences of the child must traverse national borders during his or her elementary school years. Through the experiences of these Nikkei Brazilian sixth graders, the study presents an ethnographic investigation into how imagined Japanese nationalized ethnicity constrains the Nikkeis' involvement in Japanese schooling and the society at large. The study took place at a local elementary school in an urban multi-ethnic context. Despite efforts at ameliorating the marginal position of children of foreign origins, some hegemonic structural influences have remained from Japanese ethnonational identity, positioning the children against the meritocracy of Japanese school system and the society at large. The personal and collective senses of continuity tied to the experience of Japanese national "ethos" were intimately connected to the symbolic efficacy of the academic credentials of the students. This national "ethos" emerges from the rituals of the school, for which the graduation ceremony is the final institutional rite. In this complexity, the role of Gakkyu, or class, is the most salient constitutive element. This study suggests that the structural analysis of Gakkyu will be crucial in any further study of these issues. (Contains 12 notes.)