Ok big post:

Instead of breaking this into two posts I wanted to write it as one big post. On September 20th and on the 27th (yesterday) a group of us LC students and other foreigners got the privilage to visit a Japanese elementary school (Sho-gaku). The experience was one I’ll never forget. The school was loud and bustling and the kids were awesome. This is how it all went down…

In the afternoon of the 20th, our guide took us by taxi to a elementary school in Sapporo. We showed up at the door and were instantly met by the vice principal. The drill was that we were to take off our shoes and put on these slippers. Like always the slippers weren’t big enough and they always slipped off.

After putting on these slippers, we were escorted like a gaijin parade through the school. Elementary kids from all over stared at us and some were eager to meet and greet us. They were all over us laughing and wanting to shake our hands. Sticking together, the VP took us to a big Office where the plaques on the wall displayed a long heritage of being an “outstanding school.” This was the Principal’s office, a fine place with two big sofas. It was obvious he hosted guests often here, however this time he was gone on some business trip. The VP’s assistant was quick to serve us tea and we told the VP where we were from and why we were there. By then, I was quite familure with the “Gaijin Questionare.” If you ever come to Japan there are simple questions Japanese people will ask you:

1. What is your name?
2. Are you from America? If so, Where in America? (they know Seattle “Ichiro”, San Francisco, and L.A.)
3. How old are you?
4. How long are you staying?
5. Why have you come to Japan?

Roughly you get at least those questions. Sometimes you’ll be asked more, but usually never less then that. So be prepared!

After the interview, the elementary school teachers came to bring us to their classes. They carefully called out our names in broken english and then escorted us to their room(s). Out of the five or so teachers, about 2 of them spoke a little english. Unfortunately my partner and I did not get either of them. It was still fun though.

The classroom design is not like an American design. If you think back to elementary school, you might recall that the classroom had a door and that it was a separate space then “the school.” To change rooms you went out one door and into another. This school was different, the classrooms had three walls and one side was open. It looked like an oversized cubical building with separated spaces which we’re designed to be class spaces, instead of classrooms. I later asked the VP about this design, he told me that this design was the “old Japan” style and that about 10 years ago the school was more like an American school with closed rooms. He said that when he was a teacher (15 years ago) he thought that the closed room style was good, but to loud. In Japan, decipline of elementary schoolers often doesn’t happen. The schools are loud and the kids are often rambunkous. Open classes allow the sound to disperse into open air. My opinion was that it was really loud from the start to the end.

As we walked in the kids got really excited to see us. They looked at us with wide eyes and talked amongst themselves. The teacher motioned and told us in Japanese to introduce ourselves. My Partner and I were unsure whether to speak Japanese or English so in trying to represent America and make sense, we did it in both Japanese and English. When we spoke Japanese the kids were awe struck that we could speak their toung. However (as I later found out)… Japanese elementary kids are like American elementary kids, the Japanese we spoke was “adult” Japanese and the kids spoke kid Japanese. The teacher was very nice and ended up translating a lot of our Japanese into kid Japanese. It was fun language lesson for all of us involved.

After introducing ourselves we were to teach the kids an American/English song. We both agreed on teaching the kids Itsy Bitsy Spider because it had good hand motions and it was fun to hear the song in a Japanese accent. Teaching the kids was plenty of fun. After two or three attempts and a lyric guide the kids finally sang along with us and it was a bunch of fun.

In return they taught us a song they leaned “the number rock” or something. And then it was time for an interview. I can’t say whether the interview came first or the song, it doesn’t matter, as I write it is really just a big blur. The questions we were asked were written in English, Katakana, and then in Japanese. The kids asked nerviously what kind of music we liked, if we liked Japan, and some other ones. There were also questions that were undeciferable and it took a great effort to translate the question and then answer it. If ever there was a language gap it was there in that room with my electronic dictionary, the teacher, and a confused kid who didn’t really know what he wanted to ask. Ahhh elementary kids they were so cute and I was hard pressed to leave when I did. They all said goodbye till next time and followed us down the hall.

The second trip…

The second trip went down like the first with the meet and greet at the door, the shoes, and the interviews. This time, however, the President was there to meet us instead of the VP and he asked around and was very happy to have us there. Out teachers arrived and escorted us again to the three walled rooms where the kids again gawked at us, except this time a lot of them sprung up in jeer and were so excited to see us they nearly blew up with joy. My parter and I sat and the class began with them singing us the “hello, hello, hello very glad to meet you” song. It was definately the best thing ever. Next they told us that they were going to teach US a song, a Japanese song, “Sakura, Sakura.” Like our song, Sakura had hand motions simular to paddy cake, paddy cake baker’s man. The first round they sang, the second round we sang, the third round they did the hand motions, the fourth round we repeated. The next 5th, 6th, and 7th rounds kids were eager to do the motions with me. It was uber fun to learn and play along with these kids who took it so seriously.

Next, my partner and I were to teach the kids an American game. My choice… Red Rover, Red Rover. That’s right.. Some might say this was a mean choice to make Japanese kids have to say four “R” words, but I say if you teach them hard english words now they’ll gr
ow up with hard english words not being a problem to pronounce (or so was my dream).

Like the song, the teacher had game rules translated into Japanese. The teacher formed the class like troops in a battalion. In an instant these kids went from hooligans to orderly. As the kids sat in eagar anticipation; the teacher, my partner and I hashed out how this game was going to work.

Ok.. two lines, one line calls out “red rover, red rover send _____~san over.” Got it? good.
Ok let’s go!

The kids sprung up and formed two lines. My Partner played side A and I played side B. I huddled the group of kids around us and they shouted names at me. Using the boy scout leadership skills in me, I decided quickly on a kid and told them let’s pick him ok? Ooo K! Back in the line I felt like I was on the front row of a battle field. We gathered our strength as we yelled out our battle cry, “weh-doh ba weh-doh ba sen-do HIRO~KUN!!! Ohh-baaaaa!” Like flash lightning Hiro~san ran at our line and broke though like an olympic runner in his last heat. We had failed, but our spirit was still intact. The other team huddled and repeated the chant calling out for Tanaka~san. Tanaka-san charged up and rushed the A side like a blazing wind, but the otherside tightend up and literally clotheslined Tanaka san to the floor. The boy hit the ground like a WWE wrestling match. The tears began to well and I thought it was all over, but the teacher knew better. The teacher squat down and said something to the boy, and like clockwork everything was better and he was back in the game like nothing had happend…. With the situation clear, our turn was next. We huddled once again and picked another kid. This time I coached them to stand strong and to not let them pass. My advice worked too, not one person for the entire game broke our line. Five or Six rounds went by before the teacher gave us the time’s up one more round, our team got together and made our pick. We went and our player broke their line, they went and didn’t break our line. We had won! and I was very proud of the little buggers… Good job team! maybe we should go pro?

Time to go and they said goodbye, except they also prepared a thank you card. The card was 7 green construction papers thick and full of thank you’s in simple hiragana/katakana. It almost made me want to cry, but I held it in and deeply expressed my graditude by bowing low and saying “Arigatoo Gozaimasu” lots of times. They all ran up to us and shook our hands, it was cool, very cool.

Coming back we were greeted again by the principal who escorted us to his office. We sat down and began to chat again. In chatting, the principal told us that he or someone he knew was an origami master. To prove it we brought out a really awesome piece that is supposed to represent the universe and all things in it. I didn’t really get it, but I thought it was cool enought to snap a pic of it.

As we left the kids watched and waved, we got our shoes on back to the taxis on our way to school. I began to read the thank you notes and felt really good that I participated in this little foreign relations exchange with the future generation of Japan.

~J out

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