On your mark, yoi-don!

It is now October.

October means Sports Day!

Well, nowadays, more and more schools hold it in May, June, or September, but originally, most schools in Japan held Sports Day in October.

The reason why it was originally held in October is because October 10 was established as "Sports Day" in 1966. The reason for the October 10 date is that the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics was held on this day.

 

By the way, do those of you living abroad have athletic meets?

Perhaps some of you may be asking, "What is a field day?" It is an event in which school classes are divided into several teams, regardless of grade, and compete in events such as a footrace and a cavalry race.

 

It was quite a long event, now that I think about it, from around 9:00 a.m. until about 4:00 p.m. with a lunch break in between. During the lunch break, I enjoyed a different lunch than usual, eating lunch with the families who had come to see the event and greeting the families of friends who were nearby.

 

As the competition progressed, there were team competitions and mixed grade relays, and everyone had a great time shouting and cheering for each other, happy or sad. It is now a good memory for me because I don't usually get to talk with students from different grades and cheer for the same goal.

 

It was also a good memory that we practiced using our physical education classes before the event.

In competitions that required teamwork, we all talked and made strategies even during breaks, and we decided the order in which we would run in the relay, and I feel that my relationships with my classmates deepened.

 

Looking back in this way, I think that although club activities may be fine for just exercising, it is a good memory to have all classmates, who usually study together at desks, work together toward some goal.

 

So, this time I wrote about the Sports Day.

I feel like I haven't written much about my own memories, but they are good memories that I can only experience during my school days.

See you again in the next blog!