Nature of lecture

Hi all students in Japan! I wish to ask how familiar is the following:

You sit in a class room. Teacher begins the lecture. He holds a monologue, or in other words talks alone until the end of lecture, and finally asks: any questions?

Is it typical Japanese teaching arrangement or an exception? I have observed teaching of this type while here. Teacher emphasizes on what we should know and remember. Our responsibility as students is to record that information into our braincells in a same manner as data is saved on a computer's hard disc. My straight forward opinion is that this type of one way interaction leaves little space for questions, debate and therefore reduces individual thinking.

During a lecture last week, my head was inflating of questions like: Why is it this way? What's the reason for that? How about this? Is there any other possibility? Why did such thing happen in the first place? Is this only one view of the subject? etc.

I felt a strong urge to ask but I didn't ask anything. I couldn't find proper timing for questions. I waited for a spot that never came. Teacher introduced new topics one after another and my questions became obsolete. No point asking them after half an hour had passed. Lecture went on and teacher preached: This matter is like this, then came this, remember this, don't forget this...

I also thought it would be improper to interrupt teacher. By asking I would just make disturbance and waste teacher's precious time. On the top, if I asked something and teacher wouldn't know the answer it would make him annoyed and resentful. Moreover, the surrounding group pressure, nobody else made any comments or questions, and I didn't want to act differently. Simply the atmosphere was adverse for questions.

Lecture finished and I didn't open my mouth at all, except of course when the teacher asked a question directly from me. My mind was bursting.

In Finland, no, I wouldn't hesitate to ask, interrupt or debate, nor would my colleagues. In Japan I refrained from those. Should I change to passive memory chip or take more active and deviate role? Any tips?

My presumption is that teachers are for students not the other way around.