Taikusai - The amazingness which is...

Well, the Junten Taikusai (sports festival) was today, and it was amazing. Nothing like sports day back in St.Aidans. It was held almost like an olympic event with speeches, tons of ceremonial activities, fanfare (supplied by the band) while the Japanese and Junten flags were raised, handing over of team flags, some crazy jogging military march (ichi, ni, shichi, SO-RE - or some such) by the student judges, and, ending the longest sentence ever written, even student 'staff' who took their jobs ridiculously seriously.

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All formality was soon dropped, although dropped doesn't really cover it... maybe dropped, spat on, set alight and then thrown down the well of informality and unadulterated crazy only to slowly die a painful death at the jaws of insanity. Or something like that. Merging that with the fact that this is Japan can only mean one thing - the opening event was a dancing show meant to warm the audience up, featuring crossdressing male maids, schoolgirls with horses heads and pikachu. The most awesome opening to a sporting event ever.

I essentially spent the entire day lazing around, talking to students, getting people to sign my 1-6 class t-shirt with crazy messages and watching kids (in official sporting events) beat each other over poles and hats. Class, pure class.

Here's a few descriptions of events to give you an idea of how a typical Taikusai might go:

Kibasen - Piggyback 'horse riding' event. Teams ride fellow classmates into battle to steal someone's hat. Basically, 3 people carry you, the hat wearer. Now go and steal the enemies hat, use fists if you have to. Some pics:

Tower-defence - Two teams. Two giant poles. Twenty students defending each pole. Twenty students attacking each pole. Simultaneously. Flying kicks allowed... no, mandatory. Oh and helmets also mandatory. Why allow needless injuries in mindless bloodsport? It's immoral.

Club races - Practice your sport with a partner for a minute. Now run to the starting line, carry your partner in your arms for 50 metres. Carry them on your back for 50 metres. Now switch to wheelbarrow mode. Now go for some good old 3 legged racing. Baseball and basketball teams seemed to win every time. Shorinji? Last. Good old Shorinji.

Yokasoi - Traditional Japanese dancing. Unless you're a third year senior in which case you dance to some crazy club remix of a traditional Japanese song.

Team skipping - 26 people on one skipping rope. Awesome madness.

Tug of war - not so interesting really.

Relay - ditto.