At my junior high school in Aomori City, Sports Day has always happened to fall on a bright, sunny Saturday morning. As customary in Japan, the event begins with an opening ceremony which includes a few obligatory speeches, bowing, and clapping. Next, everyone stands up and sings the surprisingly short but lovely national anthem (君が代, kimigayo). Lastly, the students quickly organize into lines for rajio taiso (ラジオ体操, lit. 'radio exercises'), which refers to warm-up calisthenics. This stretching routine is learned and memorized by all Japanese at a very young age, and besides promoting good health is also meant to raise morale and build group unity. Seeing hundreds of students performing these warm-ups simultaneously is quite a spectacle to watch. I also tend to catch elderly people doing it in the crowd as well, along with the students. Once the exercises are finished, the day's activities begin.
Here are the various races, activities, and competitions that take place during Sports Day at my junior high school:
1. Track Events (100m, 200m, 800m, Relay)
Track events make up a substantial part of Sports Day and include distances between 100 meters and 800 meters, as well as relay races. The vast majority of students put their full effort into these races and clearly take pride in winning. Along the track their respective teams admirably shout and cheer for their teammates to do their best.
2. TRY and Guru-Guru (TRYアングルグル)
One of the more lighthearted activities of Sports Day is a race called TRYアングルグル. Roughly pronounced like, "triangulu-gulu," it seems to me like it's a play on words for, "try and guru-guru." The latter word pair is just one of many Japanese onomatopoeia (擬声語, jiseigo), or words that sound like their meaning. In this context, "guru-guru" means, "spinning or revolving," and indeed it's pronunciation is supposed to mimic such an action. This activity starts with a baseball bat spin, where participants spin around a bat while placing their head on it to make themselves dizzy. Then they must make their way through some simple obstacles and finally to the finishline.
3. Magic Carpet (魔法のじゅうたん); also called Flying Carpet (空飛ぶじゅうたん)
The magic carpet race is performed by multiple teams simultaneously. The objective is to quickly reach a designated finish line while doing so on top of a large blue tarp, or "magic carpet." In order to accomplish this, several students tug the blue tarp forward while their 20+ teammates attempt to jump up and down in synchronous intervals. If timed correctly, the sheet can be pulled forward while all students are in mid-jump. [This event is exclusive to the first graders]
4. Team Jump Rope Competition (せいのうでぇーぽん, sei-nou-de pon, as it's called at my school)
The rules are very simple for this jump rope competition. Each team of approximately 35 students must achieve as many consecutive jumps as possible within two minutes. In regards to my school's name for this event, sei-nou-de pon is the equivalent of saying something like "1, 2, 3… jump!" [This event is exclusive to the second graders]
5. Human Centipede Race (恐怖のムカデ競争, lit. 'fearful centipede competition')
In this particular race, each team uses a single, long rope fitted with consecutive ankle loops which students step into forming a connected line, or "human centipede." While holding the shoulders of their classmates in front of them, students must coordinate their movements in order to jog forward in unison and reach the finish line as quickly as possible without falling. [This event is exclusive to the third graders]
6. Tug-of-War (色別対抗一文字綱引き, lit. 'Straight-line Tug of War by Opposing-colors Teams')
Traditionally, tug-of-war competitions involve two teams pulling opposite sides of a rope in an attempt to drag the opponent past a central point. But in Japanese junior high schools, the format is much different. Here, each team starts roughly 10 meters away from the rope and faces it perpendicularly on either side. When a starting pistol is fired, a mad dash towards the rope ensues as students try to grab hold of the rope as quickly as possible. The teams start pulling the rope towards their starting positions, where a flag is centrally located. The team team that successfully reaches their own flag--with any part of the rope--is declared the winner. [All grades participate in this event]
7. When to Borrow? Have a Meeting! (いつ借りるの？会でしょ！)
Similar to the Try and Guru-Guru activity, this is a more casually-inspired competition in which students are randomly directed to find one of their designated classmates to retrieve something while navigating a simple course and ultimately try to reach the finish line as quickly as possible.
8. Cheering Battle by Opposing-colors Teams (色別応援合戦)
This is one of the events that students prepare and practice for long in advance of Sports Day. All students of the school must participate in cheering groups, or oen (応援). In the competition, each group showcases a unique cheer performance or chants, dances, walking formations, drums, and a variety of colorful handmade items like pompoms or folding fans. Each team demonstrates their school spirit and cheers for their particular team (white, red, blue, and yellow at my school). Thus, these cheering groups are almost entirely unrelated to the Western notion of, "cheerleaders," but aren't meant to be in any way. It's a thoroughly entertaining event and good fun to watch.
By mid-afternoon, the final events wrap up and the closing ceremony begins. Trophies and awards are given out, and another round of speeches, clapping, and bowing ensues. As the student body stands in formation and listens to the speeches, it's a bittersweet moment for some. A number of students in their final year can be seen wiping tears from their faces as they realize it's their last Sports Day at his or her particular school. And frankly, it's easy to understand why--Japanese students make significant physical and emotional investments in these large school events. They are engulfed in school spirit and form great bonds with both their peers and their teachers.
When I was a student in the US, we also had a sports day (called, "Field Day") but it was entirely different in nearly every way imaginable. Of course it was very fun, and we certainly interacted with our friends and teachers during various athletic competitions like in Japan. Yet it felt smaller and less significant. It was also based on much more individual or small group activities rather than classes or large groups. For most students, there was basically no preparation leading up to the event for the US Sports Day. And although I believe the majority of students put some level of effort into most events, it didn't come close to that of Japan's Sports Day. In the States, it was a day we all looked forward to because we didn't have to study, we got to spend the whole day outside playing games with our friends, and we got to eat watermelon. In Japan, students and teachers prepare long and hard for it, they look forward to the real competitive nature of the event, and by the time it's over feel exhausted but have accomplished something important. Ultimately, I can look back to when I was a child and remember such fond memories of my Sports Day. But it's also great to see it here in Japan and realize just how different it is--like so many things I have the special opportunity to experience while living here.
When I was a student in the US, we also had a sports day (called, "Field Day") but it was entirely different in nearly every way imaginable. Of course it was very fun, and we certainly interacted with our friends and teachers during various athletic competitions like in Japan. Yet it felt smaller and less significant. It was also based on much more individual or small group activities rather than classes or large groups. For most students, there was basically no preparation leading up to the event for the US Sports Day. And although I believe the majority of students put some level of effort into most events, it didn't come close to that of Japan's Sports Day. In the States, it was a day we all looked forward to because we didn't have to study, we got to spend the whole day outside playing games with our friends, and we got to eat watermelon. In Japan, students and teachers prepare long and hard for it, they look forward to the real competitive nature of the event, and by the time it's over feel exhausted but have accomplished something important. Ultimately, I can look back to when I was a child and remember such fond memories of my Sports Day. But it's also great to see it here in Japan and realize just how different it is--like so many things I have the special opportunity to experience while living here.
