Indispensable Item for primary school #4

 

Red-and-White CAP

Although a red-and-white cap is  standard uniform when Japanese elementary school students take gym class, we are very conscious of Red or White on sports festival day!!!

Japanese elementary school students split into Red team and White team at sports festival. Then we compete in a variety of games, then determine whether Red or White won. This style is longstanding sports festival style.

Red and White are the Japanese flag color, Red and White are also festive colors in Japan.
But, at sports festival, almost Japanese imagine Red flag and White flag of the Genpei war what is the civil war that happened about 830 years ago.
Because, we have the special match called KIBASEN game toward the end of the sports festival.
  
KIBASEN game is a game which the man who lift 3 people to his feet scrambles for a red-and-white cap.
Survivor's players decide victory or defeat by single combat. That is excited very much.
After sports festival day, early elementary school children who were thrilled by KIBASWN of 5^th and 6^th graders start to ape KIBASEN. So did my son, too!
 

Indispensable Item for preschooler

Edison chopsticks

Edison chopsticks is the training chopsticks for preschooler etc.

We can use this very easily, only have to insert each finger into rings. We just use it until hold chopsticks correctly becomes second nature. There are for right-handers and left-handers.

When child can’t use chopsticks correctly, they have to use Edison chopsticks at Coo’s preschool. So Edison chopsticks is an indispensable item!!! When I and Coo went to the park near the preschool with two Coo’s friends, all children use the same Edison chopsticks…

Of course there is Edison chopsticks for adult who become hold chopsticks strange gradually, like Roo. It is hard to keep a good second nature…

Indispensable Item for primary school #3

Special notebooks

Japanese primary schoolers use different workbooks by grades or subjects.

Japanese workbooks are divided into some squares. Furthermore, workbooks for Japanese and Kanji (Chinese character) are drawn supporting lines in each square.

After I told my son “When I was a primary schooler, we had to write Kanji on a full-page every day”, my son tried to practice it in the same way. But it is only 3 days…

His character is becoming like my personality that give up easily. I don’t tell Roo.

Roo, you didn’t have to resemble it…

Indispensable Skill for primary school

Appointment

Most young children can't make an appointment with friends nicely. Especially year one students are... In spite of the other engagement, they make an appointment, and they forget the appointment easily..... So parents of year one studens often are swayed by their appointments. Of course, they are unusual to see their friends at meeting spot.

Although children who couldn't see friends feel very sad, through that experiences, Japanese year one students learn good appointment skills.

Go for it!

Indispensable Item for primary school #2

School bag (RANDSEL)

Almost all Japanese primary schoolers buy RANDSEL what is Japanese original backpack for primary school. That backpack is very tough, we usually use it for six years until elementary school graduation.

When I was a child, black backpacks should be for boys and red ones should be for girls. Now school children can choose a variety of colors.My son chose the color of Choco. He said the chocolate-colored backpack will be good smell! If I lick it, it will be sweet!!!

Of course, his backpack is not chocolate, it's not sweet and any flavor. But, every backpack is filled with hope, I think.

Indispensable Item for primary school

Disaster-prevention Item
(hood and cover)

As Japan is a country of many earthquakes, Japanese primary-schoolers have to prepare special hoods for disaster prevention. In case an earthquake occurs in school, children get under desks first, and then they put on their hoods. Then they have to wait their teacher's directions.My son has been getting that training from preschool too.

Therefore, I prepared his special hood and special cushion covers to put it in. Again I took the sewing machine out of the closet.....

Japanese custom

Return Home



Many Japanese travel for returning home during Bon holiday (mid-August) and New year holiday. As many of us reserve seats in train or plane more than one month to coincide with release , most trains and planes which go from city to country are nearly full booked on that release day.
Families with small children like me return home in good season, dealing with boisterous children by myself.
If you are thinking of traveling to Japan, I think it's better to avoid it during the period. Although Thokyo may be much less crowded than usual. hee-hee.