Sports Day

Today was Sports Day, the all-school games extravaganza on the beach.  Here is a picture of me and my friend Kumi, who works in the office at school, has been super helpful with my settling-in issues, and is really fun!  She came to watch the friendly competition on Momochi Beach.  
All 200 students were divided amongst 6 teams and assigned a color for the day.  Some of the games we played required the participation of all team members, from the preschoolers to the 12th graders.
It was really fun spending the day with all of the students!
I was one of the captains of the black team, thus no pictures of us in the tug-of-war competition when I was busy pulling on the rope!
I did let go of a hand to take some pictures of my team during the "pass the hula hoop" game.  
Here the students are working together to cross the beach while stepping only inside the hula hoops.
Teams raced to move the giant ball across the beach without letting the parachute touch the sand.  
These second graders loved the three-legged race!
Here the high school girls are trying to knock each other out of the circle while hopping on one leg.  Good times!

I had a great time at Sports Day, even though it was bloody hot on the beach!  I loved seeing all the students having fun and working together in the games.  After Sports Day the teachers had an afternoon party at the Head of School's apartment.  Good times!  

To compensate for "working" today (Saturday), we don't have school on Monday.  Tuesday is another Japanese holiday (probably something to do with honoring ancestors) so we have three days off.  Tomorrow morning I plan to board the bullet train for Hiroshima.  Stay tuned for tales of my trip to the Inland Sea!