Undokai

A report from your sister city: Kanayama, Japan
by Doug Osborne

The picture to the right is the cover from this month's Kanayama magazine, and it shows Junior High girls competing at last month's Undokai.

The Undokai is a huge event where all 304 Junior High students split up into three teams (red, white and blue) and compete in 21 different events. The Undokai started early on a Saturday morning with speeches, flag raising and the lighting of the Undokai torch (just like the Olympics). It lasted until late in the afternoon, the red and white teams tied for first place.

The events range from relays, tug-o-wars, cooperative jump roping, etc. The event on the cover shows the girls from the red and white teams competing in the "bamboo grabbing game". I have no idea what it is really called. Anyways, the girls line up in a straight line about 50 feet from 20 large bamboo poles. When the referees (all kids from the different teams with adult advisors) blow the whistle, the girls run to the poles and grab them and take them back to their team's starting line. The team with the most bamboo sticks wins the event. As you can see from the picture, girls from both teams arrive at the bamboo sticks at the same time, so it becomes a bamboo tug of war. It's very exciting.

This year the 15th event was the PTA ball toss. Luckily, I was able to participate in that event. Teachers and parents were divided into two teams - red and white. I was on the red team and I was instructed to toss as many little bean bag type of balls into a bucket that sat atop a 20 foot pole. Both teams of 25 or so adults threw the ball feverishly. Despite me not being able to get a single ball in the basket after seven disappointing attempts, our team won and I was the first to yell "In your face, white team, we're number 1!" I will get a chance to redeem myself on November 3rd in the Adult Undokai. Adults from the six different neighborhoods in Kanayama will compete in this annual city-wide event.

Two weeks after the Junior High's Undokai the four elementary schools put on their sports day events. Shortly after that the Nursery School kids had their Undokai. The picture above is from Kanayama Nursery School, maybe three, four and five year olds. The kids are very cute and the crowd is filled with proud parents taking pictures and videos.

I've found the people of all ages here to be kind and hosptitable. Our sister city is an interesting place and I've had a wonderful time living here, attending Undokais, and taking pictures. To all the people at WISH, Kanoe, the schools, and all over Ketchikan, I hope you are having a great fall.

In Peace and Friendship,
Your sister city correspondent,
Doug

P.S. My counterpart in Ketchikan is Kei (pronounced Kay) Watanabe, he is working at Schoenbar and other elementary schools. Please lavish him with small town hospitality. If you see him on the street, perhaps you could stop him and say "Tell me about your Junior High Undokai." He will be shocked. If he asks you how you know about the Undokai you could laugh and say "I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you." He will be shocked again, then you can drink tea with him.