Oh, hello, blog

It's been a while, old blog. The last post was made way back at the end of September, just before Yamasho's two-day school festival was about to begin. I'll try to highlight the ... highlights of first two weeks of October.

First, backtracking a bit, there was Yamasho's Sports Day. Basically it's like an elementary school field day on steroids. All 800 students, in their matching PE uniforms, line up in the athletic field area before the official beginning. The teachers wait under tents along the track, until the brass band kicks in with some marching tune. Then the students march, each homeroom together, with the class leader holding up a flag bearing their class number. The teachers stand along the track as the classes pass. The school song plays on repeat as all 18 homerooms pass. As the classes pass the principal, who is standing on a raised platform as if he's inspecting the troops, the students, in unison, salute him in a way that looks a lot like a certain political party in 1940s Germany.

Once the students get into their places, lined up two-by-two facing the teacher-tents, the opening ceremony continues with the school song and a strange Japanese tradition called radio gymnastics. Then the events begin.

Yamasho being a school known for its strength in sports, Sports Day is taken pretty seriously here. However, the serious events like relays and dashes are counted by a few fun things, like a tug-of-war and a silly relay-obstacle course. I took part in a silly teacher relay in which I had to kick a rugby ball part-way around the track. I didn't do too poorly but our team came in third.

To turn on the "cultural analysis" switch for a second, I think Sports Day is all about the broader theme here of working for the good of the group, stressing community over individual. The jump-rope event is all about an entire home room, which is always together anyway, jumping in unison as many times as they can. Another event, a centipede raise, stresses groups walking in unison. The opening ceremony features students dressed exactly the same marching in unison. Everyone has to participate, even the kids who aren't at all athletic. I can't imagine such an event being held in the U.S.

This post will have to be continued later.

Adios