"Sports day, called undokai in Japanese, is usually held on a Saturday or Sunday in Japanese schools. During weeks preceeding the sports day, students practice their events which they would like to show their parents and friends, within their class of physical education, which often includes tamaire, performances by the school band, and presentations by various school clubs as well as individual and group competitive events. These practices, and the sports days themselves, normally take place on the schools' fields, which provides little relief from the heat and sun."
That last bit about the sun is true, I think I went through at least half of my sunscreen, but both days were worth it. First was my little sister's sports day, she's a 3rd year middle school student (in Japan middle school and high school are both only three years long) and the festival was really neat with all the kids running around and doing various tasks. The second festival was my host cousin's at their elementary school, which had six grade levels and kids doing dances and lots of other fun things. My favorite part of both days was a game created back when Samurai were around, Kibasen! The kids are either riding atop a couple kids' shoulders or on the ground, and the goal is to get the other teams hats off. Sadly, I wasn't able to video record it but here's a video I found on youtube:
My camera died just as I got to my cousin's sports day, but here are some photos from my sister's.
I'll be post again soon, but for now make sure to check out my photos (just click on the slideshow in the sidebar!)
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My dad is going to see this and he's an ex marine, so be nice.