Various education policies, which are not necessarily oriented in the same direction, have been implemented over the last few decades in Japan. Two polarizing policies are Yutori-Kyoiku and Datsu-Yutori Kyoiku. However, how have these policies been perceived on the ground? Are they understood correctly? This paper describes perceptions of these education policies by exploring voices from local teachers in Japan. The paper concludes that while some policies have been well-received, teachers have not yet been informed as to what these policies are based on, how they are formed, etc., in the larger educational framework. It also suggests that smoothing the channels between policy makers and teachers at the local level by clarifying policy objectives, implications, and plausible effects would help enable not only to smooth policy dissemination but also to understand real needs from the local school level, thereby improving education policy as a whole. The results of this study were presented at the 197th CICE seminar held at Bandung, Indonesia on November 21, 2016.