Japan is all about the ceremonies! The entrance ceremony for elementary school is a BIG deal. Both parents and kids come in formalwear. Because the kids are still little, the ceremony is fairly short and somewhat entertaining. Usually the new 2nd graders (who were, themselves, 1st graders one year ago) perform a song and/or show off some skills to impress the little guys like jumping rope or playing kendama. Sometimes, the teachers perform a little skit. Afterward, there are a lot of photos - of the new class with their teachers, of the kids with their parents, etc. It seems a bit stressful for the teachers, from what I've seen. There's no possibility of rehearsal, so you have no idea what's going to happen. Will some kids cry? Will you lose a kid who wanders off unnoticed? Will there be any parental problems?
The entrance ceremony is here, yo!
Post-ceremony group photo time
Letters of congratulations from local politicians and the various kindergartens & daycares the new 1st graders graduated from.
I'm looking forward to meeting all my new students! Granted, some of them will definitely be in the "pain in the @$$" category, most of them will be super adorable and ready to learn English.
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