Post by Hatsuharu Souma on Jul 12, 2005 21:34:52 GMT -5
Homework over Summer Vacation
Summer vacation for most elementary and middle schools in Japan lasts from July 21 to August 31. Although it's the longest vacation of the year - about 40 days - it's not all just fun for the kids. The Japanese school year begins in April, and summer vacation falls between the first and second terms. To make sure the students don't forget what they learned during the first term, teachers give out homework in various subjects. Some of the homework is also aimed at engaging students in activities that can't be done when school is in.
Summer homework for elementary school students is simple - usually either a handicraft project (using such material as paper, wood, and clay) or a research report on a subject of the student's choice.
Basically all middle schools give out homework in the five major subjects of Japanese, English, math, social studies, and science. The amount varies between schools, but it is usually enough to take several days if a student tries to do all of the homework at once.
There are largely two types of students in the way they tackle their summer homework. The first type finishes the assignments early in the vacation, and spends the rest of the summer without worry; the second type enjoys the vacation to the fullest, then remembers about homework toward the end and panics. One teacher says that the second type is far more common than the first; perhaps that's why fewer children are seen playing outside around the end of August.
Nebuta Festival
The Nebuta Festival takes place from August 2 to 7 in the city of Aomori, which is located at the northern tip of Japan's main island, Honshu. It used to be part of the Tanabata Festival, which was traditionally held on the seventh day of the seventh month on the old Japanese calendar. That date roughly corresponds to August 7 on the calendar that's used today.
The Nebuta Festival features a parade of huge lanterns in the shape of samurai warriors. The lanterns are made with wooden or bamboo frames and covered with brightly colored papier-mâché. Most of the warriors depicted are historically famous generals or are characters from well-known kabuki plays. Some have eyes that look like they're glaring right at you! And there are even some that are painted by kids.
The lanterns are illuminated as dusk approaches, and they become a spectacular sight as darkness deepens.
Sizes vary, from small lanterns carried by children to those measuring as high as 8 meters (26 feet) and as wide as 15 meters (49 feet). These lanterns are placed on floats that are pulled by anywhere from 4 to 50 people. Around each float are hundreds of male and female dancers called haneto, who parade around town to the accompaniment of flutes and drums chanting "Rasse-rah, rasse-rah." Anyone - including kids - can join the fun as a haneto by renting a costume from a local shop.
The festival in Aomori usually features around 20 floats. They begin parading along a 2.5-kilometer (1.5 mile) course around 6:30 in the evening and finish up around 9 p.m. The peak comes on August 5 and 6, when the largest number of floats are out.
On the final day -August 7 - the floats begin their procession in the afternoon. Later that the evening, three floats judged to be the best are taken to the sea and placed on ships for a cruise around the port of Aomori.
Nebuta means drowsiness. It's thought that the festival began as a way of waking up sleepy souls with the fall harvest season coming up. There are Nebuta Festivals in various places in the Tohoku district, although the one in Aomori is the most famous. Last year, some 37 million sightseers came to the city for the festival. A number of Nebuta floats have been shown abroad, and the festival is probably one of the best known in Japan.
Awa Odori
There's a unique type of dancing that's performed in the area around Tokushima City on the island of Shikoku. It's called Awa odori (dance), and people gather from across the nation from August 12 to 15 both to dance and watch. Awa is the old name for Tokushima Prefecture.
Awa odori is part of the Bon festivities, which are held to welcome one's ancestors back to this world for a few days. Though Bon dances are usually performed in a circle, Awa odori participants march in a straight line.
The dancers are grouped into teams called ren, which are usually made up several dozen dancers. They march through the streets in unison to music performed on the shamisen, flute, drums, and bells singing "Odoru aho ni miru aho; onaji aho nara odoranya son son!" (It's a fool who dances and a fool who watches; if both are fools, you might as well dance!).
Because of this chant, Awa odori is sometimes called the "fool's dance." The movements are really simple; all you have to do is keep your legs and arms moving forward with as much vigor as possible.
Men dance in tabi (split-toed, rubber-soled socks), while women wear sandals, their heels not touching the ground. One rule you have to observe is to keep your hands and arms above your shoulder while dancing. This is quite unusual, since most dancing styles in Japan emphasize downward motion. Awa odori is upward oriented.
Bon holidays
The Bon Festival is held to pray for the repose of the souls of one's ancestors. It's one of the biggest traditional events during the year, along with New Year's. It's sometimes called o-bon or urabon. In the past, it was held in the middle of the seventh month on Japan's traditional calendar.
Some regions therefore celebrate it in mid-July, although the old date is closer to mid-August.
People send lanterns down rivers to "see off" the spirits of their relatives.
Deceased family members are believed to revisit the homestead during Bon to be reunited with their family. To guide the souls back, a small bonfire is lit outside the house. This is called the mukae-bi, or welcoming flame.
The house is cleaned and dusted, and fruits and vegetables are offered at family altars. When Bon ends, the spirits are sent off with another bonfire, called okuri-bi. Some regions release small lanterns down rivers or into the sea as part of the okuri-bi ritual.
Many Buddhist temples hold a service called urabon'e during this time, and so a lot of people think Bon is a Buddhist tradition. But historians now think that indigenous Japanese practices combined with Buddhist concepts to give shape to the Bon customs observed today.
The biggest event of the Bon season is the Bon odori (dance), which is held throughout Japan. One of the most famous is the Awa odori of Tokushima. People usually go to the neighborhood park or shrine in yukata (summer kimono) and dance in a circle to recorded music.
Mid-August comes during summer vacation for elementary and middle school students. A lot of companies, too, now offer their workers time off by closing their factories and offices during Bon. Urban residents take advantage of the holidays to return to their hometowns and participate in Bon events.
Fireworks displays
From late July to late August, fireworks displays are held in various parts of the country. This is a tradition that goes back several centuries in Japan. Watching the burst of colors against the nighttime sky can make Japan's hot, humid summers seem more tolerable.
Fireworks are something kids look forward to as a highlight of their summer vacation. Fireworks are hand-made by artisans, who devote most of the year to preparing for the summertime pageantry.
Fireworks first reached Japan's shores in the late sixteenth century, when they were brought over by Portuguese sailors. During the Edo period (1603-1868), craftsmen specializing in making fireworks appeared, and fireworks displays become a common summertime treat.
There are about 4,000 to 5,000 fireworks displays around the country during the summer months. Around 250 are large-scale events, of which 50 are held in and around Tokyo.
Fireworks are a thrilling sight in the skies of summer.
Some fireworks are specially designed so that when they burst they take the shape of flowers, animals, and waterfalls. A display in the city of Tondabayashi, Osaka Prefecture, is famous for the "Niagara," which rises to a height of 50 meters (55 yards) and stretches across the sky for 1 kilometer (1,100 yards)! It's the biggest "special-effects" firework in the world. The display itself is on a gargantuan scale, featuring some 120,000 rounds of ordinary fireworks.
Watching big displays is a lot of fun, but another way of enjoying fireworks is to ignite them yourself. A variety of fireworks are sold in stores. These generally aren't the types that explode in the sky but are sparklers around 50 centimeters (20 inches) long; they burn brightly and in different shapes when lit. They can be enjoyed with family and friends in one's backyard or on camping trips.
