The Coolest Thing I have ever seen

I am a lucky ALT.

First, I get placed in Tohoku, where the traditional spirit of Japan still lives without being tainted with too much modernity. Then I am put in one of their largest cities that saves me the sanity of having to go tens of kilometers just to get face cream or avocados. Then, I am based in the highest academic school in the city, nay, the entire prefecture. These students are motivated and have a purpose for themselves. I can speak in a slower, but still natural way and these kids are smart enough to catch on and understand what I'm trying to get at.

Now I'm almost done with my boasting.

In the schools in Japan they have what's called an Undoukai (運動会）which is a competition day. A day of various relays with different teams. There are tug of wars, class jumproping, a "Capture the Flag" sort of thing, and running relays. It's a day where students can stop thinking about their studies and just enjoy themselves. Well, this in itself is a great event to watch, but my school, Ichi-ko takes it one hilarious step forward.

Since the beginning of the new school year, the first year students have gone through an intensive month long initiation. Since Ichi-ko is the oldest school in the area and is killer hard to get it, they are allowed to do this. So, since the first day, the first years have after school activities of learning the 10 school songs overnight and then singing to the top of their lungs in a group while the second and third years taunt them like Boot Camp. Students are losing their voices, getting sick, throwing up. It's a bit ruthless. After the two weeks of memorizing the songs, they then learn a dance to prepare for the Undokai. Girls and boys learn separate dances. Then a couple days before the festival, I noticed that many of the boys started to wear school scarves on their heads. I figure it was a part of school spirit. Apparently, the senior students take a hair razor to the boy students. Zing! Zing! Zing! With only patches of hair gone. The day before the festival, I go outside of the school and my boy students are painted up in red and blue paint with grass skirts on. The girls are wearing decorated smocks to look like Japanese Kindergardeners. On this day, they have to walk 10 km around the city and do their dance for anyone who will watch. I tagged along. It was crazy. Not only did the first years have to dance, but the second and third years also dressed up, but in cuter outfits. There was crazy cross-dressing goin on.

Then the day of the festival, the games were ruthless, but everyone's spirit shone crazy bright. I myself dressed up like a Kindergardener and another teacher and I crashed the girls dance and started to dance along with them in front of the school. Once my students realized it was me, there was an insane roar of cheering. I felt so proud and popular. I guess they do like me.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC2PacfQqL8
By the end of the day, I was completely bubbling up with joy. Apparently, no other school goes to the lengths of Ichi-ko for their Undokai. I felt so blessed to be a part of this school and enjoy their activities. I'm so glad I'm staying longer.