From: htakeda@Bonnie.ICS.UCI.EDU
Subject: Japanese School III
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Date: 17 Oct 92 02:50:06 GMT

Here it is!!! the much awaited JS suree.  Or maybe the post that nobody
reads (just kidding.  thanks for all the positive replies.)  BTW are
there any topics that you would like for me to write about.  I can to
comparisons to education in Nihon, US, and Canada :)> (that gotie(sp?)
never really come in too well)  I am already thinking of talking about
text books and torchures (sp? it's too late at night).  That is things
you had to do if you were bad.  There are more interesting ones than
just holding buckets...ever heard of the tori yaki?


			Japanese School III


			  Undoukai(sports festival)

	This is probably one of the most awaited events of the year for
the students.  It's a sports day in which you get to compete to win
recognition and pride in various events.  The Undoukai usually takes
place in October (fall) going along with the saying 'Undou no Aki'
('Fall is for sports'-don't ask me why).  Lately(since the early 80's)
there have been schools who have this festival during the spring semester
but traditionally it's done during the fall semester.
	The events building up until the festival are choosing people to do
different tasks, choosing representatives for the relay, making hachimaki,
making otedama, praticing some dance, practicing some events, and getting
excited.

Kakari - There are various tasks that have to be done and the Kakari are
usually chosen and performed by the upper classmen (4,5,6 graders).
The various kakari are:

yougu(Dougu) Gakari - people who take care of objects for events.  They
get the stuff out of the storage room and take them out for various
events.  Very tiring and hard.  Needs power work so boys usually got
this task.
Tokuten Gakari - People who keep score.  I really don't know how they work.
Housou Gakari - People who announce stuff through the speakers, such as
events coming up and scores etc.
hoken gakari - basically the first aid people.
Ouendan - This really isn't a kakari but its a pep squad or cheering squad
for the 2 teams.  If you get onto this you have to wear a uniform and lead
the cheering for your team.  These people would usually practice every day
after school for about 2-3 weeks.  It is mostly vocal cheering though.
Sometimes with a big taiko(drum) too.
There are probably some others that I overlooked.  But about 2 weeks prior
to the event we pick these kakari.

Representatives for the relay - We usually picked 4 representatives for
the relay race from each class.(remember each grade is divided into classes
of about 40 students called kurasu or class, so I don't mean the whole grade)
2 boys 2 girls.  About 2 weeks prior to the event in gym class we would
all race and pick these representatives.  It was kinda like an honor to
represent your class in this way.

Making hachimaki, otedama - The whole school is divided into 2 teams for
this event.  The Akagumi(Red) and Shirogumi(White).  If the school has
kouhakuboushi(red-white hats that are interchangeable) then there is
no need to make the Hachimaki(Headband).  Usually again about 2 weeks
prior to the event we are assigned which team we are on and we have our
mothers make us a hachimaki of that colour.  The otedama is a small
bean bag made of cloth with uncooked beans or rice in it.  It is used for
the Tamaire which I'll explain later.

Praticing a dance - Each grade has some kind of folk dance like presentation
that they do at this event.  We may do acrobatic stuff like making a
human tower, or make human formations on the field, or do some folk dance.
This event was always lame and I think everyone hated it.  I still think
they sould eliminate it.  But I guess it builds character.  You see we
all practiced this presentation for about 3 weeks in taiku(gym) class and
it was very boring.

Practicing an event - some events we practiced.  The Kibasen(which I'll
explain later) is considered very dangerous and needed some practice.

Well then after a lot of anticipating this event occurs at most schools
on some sunday in october.  At 6:00 AM the school will shoot up 2 fire
crackers that just make a BOOM type noise.  This means that there will
be the undoukai.  If nature doesn't permit there will be no boom and
we'll all have to go to school even though it's a sunday.  The next
day (Monday) is a temporary holiday though and they'll reschedule the
event.
	Mom is usally up making obento(picnic lunch) for the whole family.
The kids leave for school at the regular time, except for the kakari
people who have to get there a little early.  The event starts at 9:00 am
and the whole family will be there to see there sons and daughters.


	Around 8 am the ceremony takes place.  There's the opening
ceremony which includes the traditionally boring speech by the principal,
the commitment by one student representing everyone to play fair under
sportsmanship, the singing of the school song(not the national anthem),
the return of the flag by last years winner, the preparatory exercises
(in which the audience also participates), and then the students disperse to
there respective seats.

	Then there are the events.  Each event is competed by a different
grade.  The first event may be tsunahiki(tug of war) done by the 4th grade
for example and then the 2nd grade will get the next event such as the 100m
dash.  Here are some of the traditional events.

100 m dash - every grade (1-6) will compete in this event at some point of
the day.  The first grade may be at 11 am, 5th grade at 2 pm and so on.

Tamaire - Some of you probably have seen this.  It's kinda like basketball.
A teacher for each team holds a basket on a stick that is about 12 feet tall.
The kids try to make as many otedama (explained earlier :rice bags about
2-3 inches in diameter) into the basket in a time frame.  The winner
is the team with the most in the basket.  Usually done by 1st, 2nd, or
3rd graders.  This was sometimes a good oppurtunity to get back at the
teacher holding the basket.  We'd sometimes douse him/her with the otedama.

Karimono Kyousou - This is a race in which you borrow something.  You
run to the middle of the field and pick up an envelope.  The envelope
would say something like 'cup' and you'd have to run to the audience
and borrow a cup and go to the finish line.

Shougaibutsu kyousou - basically a obstacle course race.  You have to jump
over bars, eat doughnuts on a string, dive under nettings, etc.

Kibasen - an event where each team has groups of 4.  Each 4 man team builds
a horse in which there is one man in front, two in the back right behind the
front mans shoulders.  The rear right man would put his left hand on the
front mans right shoulder.  The same for the left man but with the other
hand.  The right hand of the front guy and the right hand of the right rear
guy are connected in a cup, and the same with the left guy.  The 4th
guy gets on top.   The feet go into the cups, and he sits between the
shoulders of the guy in the back.  The object is to knock the other teams guy
off, or get his hatckmaki(hat), or destroy the horse by bumping into them.
Gets really confusing and dangerous.  5th 6th graders participate.  Boys and
girls are separated.

I'll post the rest later.