Hello, I am Yoshi from NILS Japanese language school. Today’s topic is “Sports Day (運動会/うんどうかい).”
Here in Japan, we have sports day at school, a set program of play and games that is unique to Japan. Sports day is usually held in autumn, sometime between September and October. Let’s take a look at the games most Japanese people experienced when they were at school.

[Sprint]
This is one of the main events of sports day. Students start the sprint with the call of “Ready, go!” and with a bang of gunshot.

[Tug of war]
Two teams pull a rope from opposite ends, and the teams must pull the rope a certain distance to win the match.

[A mock cavalry battle]
Three people carry one person on their shoulders as a “general (大将/たいしょう).” Each team fights to get caps or other items from generals of opposing team, and the team who gets the most items is a winner.

[Group gymnastics]
Some people get together, hold hands with each other, stand on each other’s shoulders, and balance together in different forms. It is very important for team members to work together effectively.

September 30th News, from NILS Japanese language school.