In Japan, the hot and humid summer has gone, and now October is the best month to participate in many different kinds of sports. Health Sports Day is a national holiday observed on the second Monday in October, chosen as it was the opening day of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. As a result, many schools in Japan choose to hold school sports day in October.<\/p>\n
Popular events at school sports day include running races, obstacle courses, tug-of-war, mock cavalry battles (where students ride on the backs of others), and the final main event, the relay race. Typically, ball games are not part of the day\u2019s events.<\/p>\n
The school sports day is not only a festival for the school but also for the community as a whole. Schools, especially primary schools, play a central role in communities and municipalities. The students\u2019 parents and other people often attend.<\/p>\n
Western-style education was introduced in Japan around 140 years ago. Municipalities set up primary schools and, in a sense, school administration was and still is a fundamental task of Japanese local governments. The Japanese greatly respect and understand the importance of sound education. Although running a school is one duty of the board of education, most mayors attend and speak at school sports days and other school-related events, underlining the importance of schools and education. Primary schools (years 1-6) and junior high schools (years 7-9) are mostly operated by municipalities. Senior high schools (years 10-12) are managed at a prefectural level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In Japan, the hot and humid summer has gone, and now October is the best month to par…<\/span><\/p>\n