Ryuushidan

Trip Start Jul 27, 2006
1
16
93
Trip End Ongoing


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Saturday, September 30, 2006

A quick explanation for all those wondering why I've been in to work for the second day in a row. I told many fellow JETs in Kobe that I had to go back into work this Saturday to redo Sports Day because the students did not do a good enough job the first time. This comment was met by many dropped jaws, and followed by comments like, "only in Japan" or "that is sooo Japan." But the truth is, I did not go back a week later to repeat Sports Day. This Saturday was explained to me as an educational/cultural event for our students. It seems like this sort of thing is arranged once or twice a year for the students and the activities vary year to year. This year the students were able to enjoy a dragon dance and a 'Chinese lion dance' (quoted from the textbook.)

In the morning we had classes as usual and in the afternoon the 2nd year students and 3rd year students were ushered into the gym Dancing Chinese Lion
Dancing Chinese Lion
 . The 1st year students had to watch the performance via video from their classrooms because their wasn't enough room. However a large section of the gym was roped off for friends and family to attend.... Seemed a little unfair to me but.... I guess it's all part of the punishment of being young.

The event was absolutely amazing. Members from a specialized high school in Kobe came and performed 3 separate dances/shows to the students. The event lasted about an hour and a half and I think my face showed just as much awe as the students. For the last event they closed all the windows and drew the curtains in the gym. They shut off all the lights and turned on black lights along the floor. It was really cool because the performers were all dressed in black so you could barely see them but the dragon was full of neon color and came alive under the black light. I wasn't able to take any shots of this because my camera made too much light in the dark gym. :(

I dreaded coming to school on a Saturday but in the end I was glad that I had this opportunity. The event was amazing and I know my pictures don't even do justice to the rhythm of the taiko drums and the vibration of the cymbals as the fit students jumped here and there- their feet all in unison. As I sat in the dark gym, next to my students who kept looking at my face to see if I understood the Japanese that was occasionally spoken between shows, I couldn't help but smile. This is why I love Japan!
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