All-school Marathon

This happened last Friday. Keep in mind, it is the middle of winter.  Normal day activities were keeping me busy at work when I noticed that all the teachers were eating lunch about 1.5 hours earlier than normal. So I asked a JTE what was going on. He told me that everyone was getting ready for the marathon. Of course, being left out of the loop until last minute as usual (not that I mind), I was unsure what he meant. He told me that the students would be running in the annual school marathon.

Still not sure what he really meant by THE students, I went home quickly to grab my lunch (and my camera) and then back to school. By the time I got back, the teachers and students were all gone except for a few 3rd grade teachers. The 3rd grade students have already finished school and are at home "preparing" for college entrance exams and graduation in March. Anyhow, I got a ride from a 3rd grade teacher over to Mori Kouen, where the marathon was to take place.

When I arrived, I see ALL the students in their gym clothes. Luckily, for them, it was actually a nice day. There was heavy snow the day before, but the sun was out now and the snow on the roads had melted. So, ALL the 1st & 2nd year students (~500 students) were in shorts and t-shirts and waiting (IN WINTER) to start the marathon. The run was supposed to be 7.2 kilometers, which I can imagine wouldn`t be a problem for the more athletic kids, but what about guitar club and cooking club people?

I was asked if I wanted to join. Of course I said, "No sank you."

The boys and girls were separated and the boys took off first, with the girls following a couple mins after. I have a video (I think I will put it on youtube), so check it out if you want to see a flood of Japanese students being forced to run over 4 miles.

Some interesting notes:
- The first boy out of the gate and around the turn is on the T&F team. He finished 124th. Afterward, I asked him what happened. He responded 「まちがいった」, which means "I made a mistake."  P.S. He is a sprinter.
- The T&F distance runners (boys and girls) all came in the first several spots.
- I called out, in my head, which boy would be last. I was right. Until the end. Somehow he got up to 2nd to last.
- EVERY student made it to the end.

Can you imagine this taking place in the U.S.? At my high school, there would have been a student body uprising and we, in turn, would have forced the teachers to run in our stead. And, if the students were made to run, half of us would not make it to the end.

The emphasis on discipline and conformity in education here continues to amaze me...

Only in Japan