七戸中学校大運動会

That's Shichinohe Junior High School Field Day/Sports Festival

A couple weeks ago I was asked by an assistant teacher if I would like to attend their 'undoukai'. My first question (as usual) was 'what's that?'. The teacher then proceeded to look it up in her electronic dictionary.
'Field day'. Ok, but what *is* it?

She got a panicked look on her face and fetched the English teacher for some assistance.

Eventually I get a little snapshot of what's involved... "The kids run races and their parents come by and watch. Please wear something with your team colour on it" Although I still had no idea why my schools needed to rehearse a field day...  I try to explain the Canadian ones I'd been to, how they're much more laid back, there's no marching, it's not on a Saturday... it's just an afternoon in June where we run around outside. I seem to recall some days spent in the park with hot dogs for lunch, but I don't think that was track and field related, I think that was just 'it's too nice to stay inside these schools without a/c, let's get the kids to run around outside'... or else it was girl guides, I honestly don't know at this point. Anyhoo, point is, as usual, Japan does it up with a lot more pomp and circumstance than we Canucks.

They had been preparing for weeks (at least 2) getting their marching down and practicing their events to wow the friends and family who came out to watch the fun. As with any Japanese event, there are opening ceremonies. Here's a sampling:

As always, I wore the wrong thing, even after asking what I should wear that day... I sported my gym clothes (yoga pants and tshirt), while some of the other teachers (including fellow JET Tim) wore costumes and the colour of their team. ... 

Three teams, White, Yellow and Red. Each grade was divided up for each team. 

There were a number of events that you would expect at such a gathering, 100m dash, relay races, Tug'O'War... and a few stranger ones. The very first event was one where there was a basket on the end of a pole and each team was trying to get the most bean bags inside in about 30 seconds. The PTA (and JETs) had a similar event, only it the basket was on the back of one of teachers, who ran around the circle... sadly my team got no beanbags in the basket. There was another event where all three teams competed at once, everyone had their left foot attached to the right of the person next to them and they had to get from one side of the track to the other. A variation of this I saw at one of my other school's rehearsal where the loops were attached to a rope that ran between everyone's legs and the students

There were also a few obstacle courses relays, one in particular my 3rd year boys were awesome at. A team of 5, in two hula hoops, they had to jump over a pole hung on two big pylons, dribble two basket balls, sink at least one in a box at the far end of the course (if they missed both times, they had to retrieve one of the balls and keep trying until they succeeded). The yellow team's 3rd year (grade 9) boys were flying over the pylons. It was awesome.

Just before lunch, everyone changed into their club outfits (running club, tennis club, brass band, baseball team etc) and did a lap of the track. While they were doing this, they had to be doing something... memorable. The Judo team ran around with a gym mat, Kendo club were chasing one or another of their members, the track team did a stop-motion-inspired tableau of a runner going around the track, falling and getting back up again. I managed to get a shot of the Baseball player sliding to the base left at the start of the lap. 

While the families at outside on the grass, the teachers went inside and ate the bento lunches that the school had brought in. As usual, waaaaaaaay too much food. 

Starting at the top: 2 cookies, green tea, vitamin/energy drink
Middle: boiled chicken (with skin), steamed veggies, raw cucumber, 1 tempura shrimp, 2 pieces of friend chicken, pickled..something
Bottom: Lettuce, 3 pieces of sweet egg omelet (Tamago), salmon steak, mini-sausage, spaghetti noodles in tomato sauce, a meatball, noodle salad with sesame seeds...
And a giant container of sticky rice. 

After lunch, it was time for each team to perform their cheers. Now, due to my exposure to North American pop-culture, I assumed that if there is any part of it directed at a competitor  that it will be trash talk. Not so, I'm told. Apparently they wished the other teams good luck and gave them words of encouragement. Nice.
The cheers are also a lot more choreographed than I remember anything I ever saw in JHS. For your viewing pleasure... the White team's offering.

The rest of the afternoon was filled up with tug'o'war, another set of relay races and the (mandatory) closing ceremonies.

We lucked out with the weather, nice and warm in the morning, and cooler and overcast in the afternoon (lots of my students have fun tan lines this week from wearing their coloured headbands on their foreheads).
Great fun, and I can't wait until next year!