We had to be at the school at 8am (on a Sunday), which is a little early for a weekend, but we made it there in time to get seated underneath the faculty tent, with time to spare. When we walked through the gates of the school...we passed a very long line of parents/spectators waiting to get inside. Teachers told me that some of them had been there as early as 2 or 3am (and parents did that last year too). About twenty minutes before the festivities kicked off, the stampede of those spectators flooded through the gates and into tents with chairs set-up. Brandon compared the eager crowd to a group entering a Rolling Stones concert...except this was parents just wanting a good view of their child's high school performance. Sure enough, if you looked around, you would have seen camera tripods set-up everywhere! The entire event took place on a gravel field, with arena seating around the outside. We had great seats...third row!
The line-up of 'Sport's Day' included an opening and closing ceremony (with the kids marching, chanting and forming straight lines...very impressive!!). The teachers were even asked to do a stretch routine with the students before the official start of events. Brandon and Caitlyn thought that was pretty funny to see me out there stretching to this classical music (the only white person and I was wearing a BRIGHT RED shirt...so I stood out quite a bit).
The school was divided into three groups: red, blue and yellow. The three teams competed in several events all day and each event was scored or timed. One event was a dance routine from the girls of each group and it was entertaining because they used several well-known American songs, like 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight?' (Lion King) and 'My Heart Will Go On' (Titanic)...and then more fast-paced music. The guys performed a stick dance to upbeat music which was also entertaining because they were very synchronized.
They also did a tug-of-war, 100 meter run, relays and a chicken fight (not sure of the exact name, but it looked exactly like a chicken fight, except not in 4 feet of water in a swimming pool)! 
There were some other traditional Japanese events that were fun to watch like a 'stick pull.' 
Each team would start on opposite sides of the field and once the whistle was blown, they would run to a long stick and try to pull it toward their direction (it's in the family with 'tug-of-war'). It was funny to watch!
Brandon and I were even asked to participate in an event (an audience participation relay) where we did a three-legged race. We each tied a foot together and then we had to kick a soccer ball around a few cones. We were one of 3 teams with about 10 people per team, so we each had a turn, with our partner, dribbling the ball in between the cones. Our team came in second! It was a lot of fun, though!
One of the most impressive parts of the day was when the students did their 'card routines.' They all sat in bleachers (each of the teams had their own set of bleachers and separate routines) and they had choreographed exactly what cards to display and at what time....which created words, pictures and Japanese characters. When you watch something like this it's amazing at how good their timing and creativity is.
Here's footage from the kid's routine, but just a warning...the video is shaky!
This is Sano Sensei & I (her name will come up a lot!) She's an English teacher & her desk is right next to me. She makes me laugh all the time & she brings me sweets constantly (she knows I love them!). Not to mention, she's a great English speaker (she reads American novels and watches American movies quite a bit).
Caitlyn, Me & Brandon. Then, there's Brandon being his goofy self...however, I'm not sure what that look is supposed to mean?!
We all enjoyed it and now I am ready to enjoy the weekend (since I worked Saturday and Sunday this week, I am off Monday and Tuesday). The teachers at school organized a 'Sport's Day' party for later that night. I had asked if Brandon could go, but they said it wasn't a good idea (a lot of times they won't mix business and personal lives....so it's unusual to see spouses of the teachers at a school party like this). I wanted to go to see what it would be like and so I wouldn't seem anti-social (the cost: $50). It was a little awkward for me, at first, when I arrived because I was sitting at a table full of non-English speakers and we didn't know how to communicate (Nakashima-Sensei kindly picked me up from home and brought me....these ladies are soo sweet. This is the third or fourth time one of the women teachers has picked me up to go somewhere). However, one of the English teachers sat next to me and was able to explain each dish as we received it. Raw fish was first on the menu!! Yummmmm! haha, actually this was a first. It was a raw tuna (Not like tuna fish in a can....because that's what I originally think of as tuna) on a bed of lettuce, with some salad dressing. I won't lie, it really wasn't bad. If they season it well, it doesn't taste fishy. I also tried tofu (two or three different ways) and sake (rice wine--it burned alllll the way down my throat, but I drank it!). I didn't particularly care for either of those. Food wise, the highlight of my night was when they brought a fruit plate out (fresh pineapple, oranges, grapes)....it was like the heavens were singing down!! Now that was delicious! I really didn't mind the other stuff, but when something really familiar is sitting in front of you, it's very refreshing. So, after all the food tasting, I did go home full that night :)
~Sarah
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I love your blog!
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