Saturday, May 01, 2010

The Bukatsudo Shokai.

The introduction of the club activities. Every year the 2nd & 3rd graders give a presentation to the new 1st graders to lure them into their respective, supercool club activities. It's pretty cool, seeing the kids show off a bit.
The band warming it up.

Oh, so militaristic. Cover! Align!


Video Highlights

Tsuyazaki Jr High Bukatsudo Shokai, April 2010 from Rob Pugh on Vimeo.


Boy's b-ball has some hops.

My personal fave - judo!


Art club.

Softball...

Hitting Each Other w/Big Sticks. Um, I mean kendo.
Baseball... unfailingly, the most popular/numerous club in Japan.

Running agility drills.

Girls b-ball...

...and volleyball.

Soccer.

Boys and girls table tennis...


...and finally boy's v-ball.

The new kids brave one last sales pitch heading back to classes.



Wife rubs elbows with the Secretary of State; officially sworn in as a Foreign Service Officer.

How awesome is she, I ask you?

Bacon Wrapped Goodness.

Basically, if you wrap anything in bacon, I will buy it and eat it.

Parents-in-law visiting Japan, Wkend I.

Some Adachi womenfolk.


I do not know what mom is looking at here.

Crazy hats.

I have stolen a crazy hat.

Walking Sticks of Fury.

Obligatory hiking.

And photography.


Nice scenery.



The Peace Sign - different meanings, different cultures.


Good pic.

Witness the power of the onigiri!


Reservoir Dogs.

Cute.

The Whole Clan [for the day, leastways.]

Starbucks irony in Japan.

The little brown cup holder sleeve is there, to my understanding, so you don't have to double up the cups, saving paper.

Served to me as standard last wkend - sleeve + a second cup. Both of which bear a Starbucks "Shared Planet" message for bonus irony.

Compliments are nice...

Fellow [Japanese] English teacher - "Your coffee cup is appropriate for you. Coca-Cola is American, but this is also Japanese. Like you." WIN.

Later, different English teacher on the new 1st graders compliments me on how much English they know from my elementary school classes. Certainly can't take all the credit for all the kids, surely, but I'll cop to having taught a lot of them a lot of what they know. So, yeah, yay me.

Jr High beginning of the year enkai.

Last call, kids...


Final, for reals, farewell speeches from the outgoing teachers...



And the new folks.

You have to love the Japan tradition of providing transport for all the drinkers.

The nijikai/2nd party...

...where you pour alcohol from a lava rock.

And the next AM's mandatory dose of grease and coffee. You know, to balance the system out.