Undokai!!!
This past month has been busy. Not only did my students, fellow teachers, and I have to get back into the swing of things after the summer, but we had to prepare for the undokai (sports festival). Since I am an AET at three schools this year, I was expected to go to all three undokais. Unfortunately, the two Elementary Schools that I go to had their undokai's on the same day , so I only went to two (actually, I feel pretty fortunate about this). This is my second year to go to the Junior High undokai, but it was my first time to go to the Elementary one. You can swing over and take a look at some of my pictures of the events, but I am going to elaborate a little on the amazingness and the exhaustiveness of this event.
The undokai is usually held on a Saturday or Sunday so that parents and school officials can come and watch the students compete against each other. As with most things that are going to be shown to other people outside of the school (e.g. parents, education board officials, etc.), teachers and students spend an amazing amount of time preparing and "practicing" (I call it rehearsing) for the undokai. It starts during the summer break with students making team flags and choreographing dances and making "fures" (cheers Japanese style). Once school starts, there are classses, but they are on a shortened schedule and the afternoon part of the days are spent "practicing" (again, rehearsing) the events the students will compete in. Oh, I forgot to say, there are two teams - white and red. This is usually an even split of the students with an equal amount of each grade on each team. The sempeis (upper-classmen) usually take the great leadership roles of being the leaders of the their teams since this is their last year in Junior High/Elementary School.
Anyways, the weeks up to the event itself seem pretty stressful to the students and especially the teachers. I wouldn't know the full extent of the stress because, being a foreigner, I am usually forgotten about (which really doesn't offend me. It comes with the package here and I quite understand how much time it would take them to explain everything and they are just busy anyways.), so I usually sit by and watch and try to help when I see it is needed (the Japanese way is to help when their is an opportunity. You aren't usually asked to help.). This year, I was happy that I could understand more of what was going on because I had already experienced an undokai last year and my Japanese was better.
The day of the event came along with everybody up and at the school really early on Saturday morning. There was the usual opening ceremony (they seem to have a ceremony to begin most things in Japan) then the fun began. My students performed cool Japanese stlye dances, had cheers and dances for each team, and competed in some very interesting games. My favorite for the boys is what I've called the "Horse Game". Three boys would make a horse through linking arms where a fourth boy can sit in. This fourth boy has a bicycle helmet on with a Japanese paper balloon on it. He also has a rolled-up wad of newspaper in his hand and the whole point is for the boys to run around and pop the balloon on top of the other team's heads. Of course the boys just swing that stick of newpaper as hard as possible and sometimes the horse boys and the rider himself were smacked in the head and face. It seemed pretty dangerous to me, but it was great fun for the boys and really fun to watch.
In fact, us foreigners often talk about how the events at the undokai would never fly for any event involving kids in America. There would be a lot of sueing going on. For example, there is a popular past-time event they play every year at most Junior Highs. It is like the three-legged race except you tie up a whole bunch of students in a line instead of just three. I just happened to be at school the day they first started "practicing" this event, and there were some pretty nasty spills. It was scary and hilarious all at once to watch a whole line of them running with their legs tied together and then fall over onto the ground in a domino effect kind of way because one person got tripped up. Its amazing how the idea of what's "safe" in one country is totally different in another.
This is becoming a very long, boring blog, so I will just wrap it up in saying that the Elementary School undokai was similar except there was a lot more parent attendance and participation (from the fourth grade down, parents participated with their children in the events). Both of the undokais I attended were held on different Saturdays, and after each undokai, all of the teachers went to a "nomikai" (drinking party) to relax and say "otsukaresamdeshita" (something like "good job, you worked really hard and now your work is finished"). Someday, in a different blog, I will talk about Japanese nomikais.
The undokai is usually held on a Saturday or Sunday so that parents and school officials can come and watch the students compete against each other. As with most things that are going to be shown to other people outside of the school (e.g. parents, education board officials, etc.), teachers and students spend an amazing amount of time preparing and "practicing" (I call it rehearsing) for the undokai. It starts during the summer break with students making team flags and choreographing dances and making "fures" (cheers Japanese style). Once school starts, there are classses, but they are on a shortened schedule and the afternoon part of the days are spent "practicing" (again, rehearsing) the events the students will compete in. Oh, I forgot to say, there are two teams - white and red. This is usually an even split of the students with an equal amount of each grade on each team. The sempeis (upper-classmen) usually take the great leadership roles of being the leaders of the their teams since this is their last year in Junior High/Elementary School.
Anyways, the weeks up to the event itself seem pretty stressful to the students and especially the teachers. I wouldn't know the full extent of the stress because, being a foreigner, I am usually forgotten about (which really doesn't offend me. It comes with the package here and I quite understand how much time it would take them to explain everything and they are just busy anyways.), so I usually sit by and watch and try to help when I see it is needed (the Japanese way is to help when their is an opportunity. You aren't usually asked to help.). This year, I was happy that I could understand more of what was going on because I had already experienced an undokai last year and my Japanese was better.
The day of the event came along with everybody up and at the school really early on Saturday morning. There was the usual opening ceremony (they seem to have a ceremony to begin most things in Japan) then the fun began. My students performed cool Japanese stlye dances, had cheers and dances for each team, and competed in some very interesting games. My favorite for the boys is what I've called the "Horse Game". Three boys would make a horse through linking arms where a fourth boy can sit in. This fourth boy has a bicycle helmet on with a Japanese paper balloon on it. He also has a rolled-up wad of newspaper in his hand and the whole point is for the boys to run around and pop the balloon on top of the other team's heads. Of course the boys just swing that stick of newpaper as hard as possible and sometimes the horse boys and the rider himself were smacked in the head and face. It seemed pretty dangerous to me, but it was great fun for the boys and really fun to watch.
In fact, us foreigners often talk about how the events at the undokai would never fly for any event involving kids in America. There would be a lot of sueing going on. For example, there is a popular past-time event they play every year at most Junior Highs. It is like the three-legged race except you tie up a whole bunch of students in a line instead of just three. I just happened to be at school the day they first started "practicing" this event, and there were some pretty nasty spills. It was scary and hilarious all at once to watch a whole line of them running with their legs tied together and then fall over onto the ground in a domino effect kind of way because one person got tripped up. Its amazing how the idea of what's "safe" in one country is totally different in another.
This is becoming a very long, boring blog, so I will just wrap it up in saying that the Elementary School undokai was similar except there was a lot more parent attendance and participation (from the fourth grade down, parents participated with their children in the events). Both of the undokais I attended were held on different Saturdays, and after each undokai, all of the teachers went to a "nomikai" (drinking party) to relax and say "otsukaresamdeshita" (something like "good job, you worked really hard and now your work is finished"). Someday, in a different blog, I will talk about Japanese nomikais.
posted by Jessica Graumann @ 12:08 PM
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