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Kibi Junior High School |
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These are some pictures I took at some of the school related activities I had the pleasure (ahem!) of attending. They pretty much reflect some of what goes on in a typical Japanese School. Whether that`s a good thing or not I leave up to you! |
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Kibi Junior High School, my place of work four days a week. 500 students, 50 or so staff members and a lovely carp pond in between the two main buildings! |
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Welcome to the taiikusai (sports day), held every year in September! The first thing that has to be done before the sports can begin is this, when the entire school performs a warm-up routine following instructions broadcast over the speakers. Quite funny/ baffling when you first see it 500 students plus all the teachers doing it, especially when it doesn`t seem to be that much of a warm-up at all! |
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As the final part of the opening ceremony, all the flag bearers must present their flags to the school principal as a sign of respect. Fair to say, it`s all very militaristic! |
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Next comes the opening ceremony, when each class troops out in two files (boys and girls), with a girl holding a sign with the class grade on, and a boy walking with a big flag that the students in that class designed and made themselves! |
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Some of my favourite students (second years then), with a couple of their friends, just after cheering on their class mates in the relay race that finishes the second day of events. |
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In November comes the bunkasai, or culture festival. Not too sure how much culture there is in it, as most of the day is spent singing songs that the classes choose to perform (usually whatever`s popular in the charts that year). This picture is of the school`s English Club performing their award winning interpretation of Sleeping Beauty! Fortunately no singing was involved in this! |
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Some of my then first and second years during an intermission in the lively, exciting performances! Note that every single one of them is doing the `peace` sign, a mystifying tradition among the Japanese any time a camera comes out! |
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Christams Time at last! the four students in the back were the special needs students, who for one reason or another did not participate in mainstream classes. This was taken at their Christmas Party to which I was so graciously invited! |
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Ah, here we have the most important tradition I came across. The enkai - basically a time when teachers get together after school events/ ceremonies, let their hair down and get as wasted as possible! This is me with the principal of Goryo Elementary School (one of the three elementary schools in Kibi) sipping sake together after the end of the school year in March, 2002. |
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Back to Life in Japan |
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Back to main page |
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