Bunkasai

Last weekend my Jr High School had their annual bunkasai, or culture festival. For two weeks the kids prepare plays, dances, displays, and music presentations. It's really pretty cool. I can't think of anything comparable in the states that lets kids tap into their creativity the way they get a chance here. For all the myths of the Japanese school system, regarding oppressiveness and conformity [and make no mistake, sometimes it's a true mythology], the kids are given some opportunities to be stunningly creative and entertaining. We had re-imaginings of Snow White and Cinderella, and a kooky little play where a pair of suicides are put on trial after death, complete with angels and devils taking part.

And the absolute best was the close of the festival, where there was, I kid you not, a Soul Train line to the music of Earth, Wind and Fire. That is about as close to awesome as you can possibly get.

Precision choreography and dance is so popular here amongst the kids it borders on a national mania. They're not bad though, especially considering they're just in Jr High.



Where the sannensei [third graders] put on plays, music and dance performances, the ichinensei and ninensei [1st and 2nd graders] make art displays in their classrooms.

The ninensei [2nd graders], a few weeks ago, had a "career week" where they spent a week working at various businesses around the city. Part of their bunkasai project was making posters detailing all they did.



Sleeping Beauty, post-mortem trial by devils and angels, and Cinderella... in that order.



There was also, oddly, a great deal of cross-dressing in all the plays. Boy to girl, that is. Not bound by traditional western gender roles, obviously. Funny bit was that this poor kid's wig wouldn't stay on at all. He spent most of the play struggling with it falling off. Clearly, blondes don't always have more fun.

The sanensei also decorated a bunch of t-shirts and hung them in the gym. Pretty neat.

Witness the awesome power and majesty of the Soul Train line!

Post-bunkasai you once again realize the role of the ALT in Japan - to be a goofball and entertain the kids, of course. Internationalization at its finest, indeed. Which of course translates to, when they ask you to wear the silly wig, you wear the silly wig. And you be happy about it, dammit.


More pics here, if that's you're kinda thing.