Sports Day
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The opening parade of classes
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The courier relay

As I type this now (November 2nd) it feels like Sports Day was a long time ago but I will try to recall some of the events an explain what its all about to you.

Every school year in September, students in Japan (elementary and high school too) have a sports day festival.  This isn't the typical let the kids run around and play games for a day type event like you see at elementary schools in Canada; this thing is a big deal.  The kids practice for 1 to 2 weeks every afternoon for 4 hours or so to make sure that everything is planned perfectly to guarantee a spectacular show for all of the spectators who come to watch the event.  The event itself is held on the weekend so working parents can attend with the whole family.  The parental support as well as the support from the community is, from a Canadian teachers eyes, nothing less than fantastic.   

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Tug of war
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The sports teams parade

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Parents and people from the community get involved
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The brass band

The day starts out with the homeroom classes paraded onto the field in military style for the opening ceremony and the group stretching activity.  After that the fun begins.  The kids compete as a class against the other classes of their grade.  At the end of the day all of the points are tallied up and the winning teams get trophies and certificates to post on their classroom wall.  But most of all they get bragging rights.  

There are events for the parents and for the community and teachers to get involved as well.  The day itself is an opportunity for all of the parents and such to come and see what is going on at the local school and it gives them a chance to be a part of the kids social lives.  Parents help out their kids in the tug of war and teachers participate with the parents in relays and such.  It is an excellent opportunity not only for the kids to develop teamwork but also for the parents and teachers to get to know each other better.

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Pop drinking relay C

All the different sports clubs and the brass band put on a show for everyone as well.

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piggy back fights another fun relay

Although this was not the first time I had seen a sports day in Japan, it was definitely the most well put on and best attended one that I have been at.