What is the Japanese school event "Sports Day"?

"Sports day" is a school sports event held at Japanese elementary and junior high schools.
Students are divided into classes and grade levels and take part in events such as relay races, ball throwing, and dancing, learning the importance of cooperation and hard work.
Parents and local residents often also participate, making it a festival-like event that gets the whole school excited.

There are athletic events called "Sports Day" or "Field Day" all over the world, but Japanese sports festivals have several unique features.

For example, in Japan, there are many events that require team cooperation, such as relay races, ball throwing, horse-riding battles, and group gymnastics.
In addition, all the students often dance or folk dance together, so it is characterized by including not only sporting elements but also cultural elements.

There are also differences in cheering styles; in Japan, people are divided into red and white teams and cheer with all their might.
In addition, on the day of the event, the whole family eats the lunch prepared by the parents together, and connections with family are also valued.
On the other hand, sports days overseas focus on individual events, and even if there is cheering, it is not as extensive as in Japan, and parents mainly serve as spectators.

In this way, Japanese sports days are unique school events that emphasize not just sports, but cooperation, culture, and connections with family.

Originally, sports days were generally held in the fall (September to October).
However, recently, more and more schools are conducting the test in the spring, such as in May or June.

this is,
・Measures to prevent heatstroke caused by the summer heat (extreme heat)
- To balance events and classes
For these reasons, the dates of the event have changed.

Japanese sports day is one of the events that symbolize Japanese school culture.
It may seem a little unique to foreigners.