Sports Month

I don't really like sports.

But most people do. And the Japanese are not exempt. And fall is a big time for sports. September 5th rang in the new semester with the school Sports Day (運動会). The entire last month has been chock-full of training and practice for the inter-school athletic competitions that run for three days and cancel out two full days of regular classes. And, in a couple of weeks, we'll have a public holiday devoted simply to health and fitness (体育の日), and who's going to complain about that?

Personally, I've enjoyed cheering my students on in all their athletic endeavors for the past month. It's a much more interesting perspective from the sidelines than it was a year ago, when I was still convinced that all my students looked exactly the same and all their names sounded exactly the same and learning to tell them apart was flat-out impossible and I should just give up now. Yes, Japanese kids still look a lot more alike than American kids, and their names still do sound the same; but now I really can put names and personalities with their uniquely recognizable faces, and my heart goes with them each time they swing at a baseball or race toward a finish line.

I got into the spirit of the season and went with a sports-themed English bulletin board for September. And the response was favorable. I actually had a student make the point of telling me that she thought the information on my board was very interesting! That's never happened before! I guess I'm finally getting to know my audience.



For this bulletin board: I polled my third-year students earlier this year to find out their favorite sports, subjects, and musical groups, so I made a pie chart demonstrating the most popular sports at Yamazaki J.H.S. Then I went online and found data stating the top three most popular sports in different countries, knowing that some of these were going to be sports that my students had never even heard of. I also printed out pictures of people from the countries playing these sports. I mounted all of this information in front of a large world map. Ta-da!

Saying Goodbye

I had the privilege of attending the pool-closing ceremony at one of my elementary schools yesterday, during one of my regular visits. The event marked the end of an important summer pastime as the activity now passes officially into hibernation until next July. The entire school (no less than seventy-some students with the teachers and staff) gathered barefoot around the edge of the pool and hung their heads solemnly in memory of the times they’d had there over the last two months.

The principal opened the service with a few somber words, encouraging the mourners not to be too downhearted about the passing of their beloved swimming pool. She spoke of other sports that they would enjoy in the upcoming months—sports better suited to the autumn and winter weather. She congratulated the congregation on their achievements this summer, and encouraged them to find consolation in training hard for the upcoming Sports Day.

Next, six students—one representative from each grade level—lined up along the deep end of the pool, the bright blue waters spread out longways before them and reflected off their similarly moist eyes. One by one, they said a few words of their own.

The first and second-grade students kept it short, stating simply that they’d had fun swimming this summer. The third-grade student shared how he’d broken his former time on the 100 meters, and a girl from the fourth grade reminisced about the fun games she and her classmates had played. The fifth-grade girl, on her turn, stepped forward and recited a short speech detailing her enthusiasm for the fun times she anticipated having in the pool next year when it reopens. And the boy from sixth grade, with head bowed and shoulders quaking ever so slightly, lamented that this had been his last time to swim in the pool at elementary school.

All gazed stoically across the vibrant blue rectangular expanse, knowing that, within the span of their yet brief lives, they were witnessing the end of an era: the school maintenance man had already pulled the plug on the filtration system. In a month the vibrant blue would give way to a rich and marshy green, and the pool, in the height of its glory, would exist only as a fond memory in their tender little minds.

At least, that is, until next summer.



So long, fair swimming pastime: gone before I ever had the chance to appreciate you. You brought so much joy into the lives of those around you. I only regret that I didn’t get to know you better. Next time, I won’t let you get away so easily.