Back to School! Second Semester Kicks off with Sports Day!

Back to School! Second Semester Kicks off with Sports Day!

A typical sports day event in Japan.

Here in Japan, September means returning to school after five weeks of a homework and club activity filled summer vacation. Unlike the states, this is the start of the second semester of the year. What with all the homework and club activities making the kids come to school every single day of the summer anyway, it was hardly a break was it? Still, at junior high the school starts the second semester with an opening ceremony and all periods devoted to practicing for the sports meet (called 体育祭 taiiku sai in junior high, 運動会 undoukai in elementary school) on the Saturday at the end of the week (it varies between schools, but at least within the few weeks). 

Unlike the U.S., sports day is a big event, perhaps the biggest of the year, and the reason it’s held on Saturday is so the whole family can come to cheer on their kids. Or maybe just to make everyone come to school on Saturday. Anyway, families set up chairs and tents and bring a big spread for lunch.

Due to students’ privacy I can’t post pictures of my school’s sports day, but here are general ones to give you an idea of the wacky events that go on. None of the boring old javelin, shot put, 100 meter dash to be seen here! No sir, this is Japan.

Here’s the program guide for that day.

A packed schedule, carefully calculated to ensure plenty of time for bowing.

The event started, naturally of course, with a lot of speeches, bowing, raising of the flag, bowing, speeches, and more bowing. First event up was class jump rope – meaning the whole class has to jump at the same time! They had a minute or two to get as many jumps as they can. Next was a relay race – but not just any relay. There are tons of relays during sports day, so they get really creative with them. For this, one boy and one girl from each team run to the middle and draw a card telling them to either jump rope, throw a soccer ball in a pail, or run around a baseball bat with their forehead pressed to the end. Then they tie their legs together and run to the other side so the next pair can go.

This requires excellent leg muscles...and a really long rope.

Up next, human centipede – the class lines up with everyone’s ankles tied together. Goal is to move as fast as you can in coordination without falling all over making a fool of yourself. Relay number two: two girls run with a soccer ball between tennis rackets, the next person waiting runs with a soccer ball, then goes under a net and hands it off to the next pair, who run piggy back while one of them holds on to the ball. At the very end a student has to throw the soccer ball into a tire, so if may not matter if you finished the relay first if you have trouble with this.

Human centipede

Following that was something called “typhoon” – three girls run with a pole around three cones, then run back toward the waiting team. The middle member peels off and the remaining two bend down the pole while the other students jump over it, then come back and pass it off to the next group of three. Be careful which position you chose, because the student on the outside has to do the most work running around the cones! Relay 3: four kids run with an exercise ball pinned between two poles, then run around two cones to the other side and pass it off to the next four. Pretty easy to let that ball drop is both sides don't apply the same pressure.

The next is called “surfing” – This looks way fun! But also a boys only event. One person pulls a board while another student stands on it holding a soccer ball. Then as sort of an intermission event, all the elderly people gather and throw balls in the nets, I guess to give them something to do. At my elementary school's sports day there was an "event" where all the grandparents came and received "presents" for some reason, which turned out to be just a box of tissues wrapped up in shiny paper. Not really sure what the point of this is except perhaps to prepare the family for spring allergies, as it's held in May. 

This was followed by tug of war – about the only recognizable sports day event to Americans besides the relay race. Only the team has to run around half the field first! So whoever is the first to make it to the rope has the advantage. After that was the same exact event the grandparents did, only students from the opposing team can try and block the bean bags with fans.

                                  

The final event before lunch break was the best – Dress up the Teacher! Girls only event. Another kind of relay, just to make it more interesting; the girls have to run different props back and forth to the teacher (there may or may not be waiting in a little makeshift changing room). At the end the silly outfits are revealed and everyone has a good laugh at the teachers’ expense. Last year there was a Where’s Waldo (or Wally, as it's known here). But the male teachers became Elsa, Ariel, a Gothic Lolita character, and a teen idol. Hilarity ensued. This year there was Korosensei from the wildly popular anime Ansatsu Kyoshitsu, TV personality/drag-queen Matsuko Deluxe, the Gari Gari kun popsicle guy, the robot girlfriend from female comic duo Nippon Erekiteru Rengo ("dame yo dame dame"), and the beloved Anpanman.

How'd you like to be dressed up as these guys? Way to take a hit for the team 3rd year teachers!

After lunch the students dress up in their club uniforms and parade around the field, followed by more speeches and of course lots more bowing. The afternoon proceeds with a tug-of-war pitting the PTA against the teachers – even I got to participate. We won, with my help of course. Next up is another sort of race. The whole class lines up and bends over. Then the smallest, runtiest kid, pretty much guaranteed to be a boy, runs along the backs of the other students who have to race around to the front to keep the line going. Probably the most potential for injury, which is why the small student wears a helmet. After this was “grab the tires” , each time trying to steal as many tires as they can and drag it over to their side. They range between five and ten pounds, but the bigger ones are worth more points. Students will gang up on anyone with a tire and it turns into a tug-of-war from there.

Grab dem tires!

After this was human centipede again, for the third years, and this time they actually run. The final event was a simple baton relay, each grade competing separately. The day concludes with a closing ceremony filled with, you guessed, it more speeches and bowing announcing the winning classes and handing out certificates. I admit I was a little disappointed that a really interesting event from last year wasn’t there. It’s something akin to a shirtless chicken fight – boys only. They take off their shirts, then form groups of four, with one boy with a headband on top, and face off against the other team to try and knock them off or steal their headbands for points. The reason for taking off their shirts – no, it’s not for the ladies – is apparently so not to end up with tattered shirts at the end, as things can get rather violent.

Things can get a little...crazy at sports day.

Another thing missing from last year was the club relay – another relay race pitting the various clubs against each other! And…obviously it’s biased towards the track team. What’s more, each club has to carry an object from their club activity, meaning the art club has to run with a giant picture frame, while the track team has a tiny baton. The worst is the kendo club, which has to run around the track while wearing their heavy armor. So I guess it’s not really about who wins, since that’s a given, but about laughing at the poor clubs carrying ridiculous objects. Even Japanese people need a good laugh at others' expense sometime.

Otherwise everything was pretty much the same, with slight variations. Elementary school has similar events, the biggest difference being that it includes dances for each grade. I suppose once they get to junior high they're not so cute dancing anymore. But it's fun to watch. I never liked sports day, but if we had all these awesome events I might have!

Elementary students dancing at their sports day.

So, what's the point of all this? Foster camaraderie, boost each class's cooperation, have fun? A little of each. Japan takes their sports seriously. As much as they place emphasis on academia, they place equal or even more expectations for sports clubs. Elementary school has other sports events, and all elementary students have a school-wide jump rope competition as well, meaning before-school practice. There's even a Health/Sports day held in October (体育の日Taiiku no Hi) and celebrated as a holiday to commemorate 1964 Summer Tokyo Olympics. With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics coming up in only five years, sports are becoming even more important. To think, some of my kids could end up competing in the Olympics! I just hope they keep up on their English studies, as that's what my company is hiring more teachers for to prepare the Japanese for the influx of English-speaking tourists.

What are your thoughts on sports day in Japan? How does this compare to your country?