While slice-of-life comedy anime series like Lucky Star and Azumanga Daioh depict the ins and outs of Japanese school life, many non-Japanese fans are probably not very familiar with the various Japanese school festivals and events that are held throughout the year. Perhaps the most iconic of these is the Cultural Festival, or Bunkasai. It’s annually held in most schools across Japan and usually invites people from outside the school to see the work of the students.
Different classes, groups and clubs transform their rooms and the gymnasiums into various themed areas. Making them into restaurants and cafes that serve food are so common that they’re clichéd. Likewise, the idea of making a room into a haunted house is a cliché and these two concepts are often depicted in anime and manga as the first few ideas student through out as for what they are going to do during the culture festival.
For those of us who are only familiar with the idea of Field Day competitions, the fact that many Japanese schools feature a weeklong version will probably come as a shock. The festival-like atmosphere that surrounds the so-called Sports Days can often become as strange as it is competitive. Often times, all regular classes are canceled the week that precedes the events, and students are given time to practice their competitions.
From Monday to Saturday, students practice and prepare. Then on Sunday, the actual event is held. Since the fields of school grounds have little protection from the sun, these weeks are often scheduled for cooler times of the year. Some of these sports are rather off the wall, like games involving giant balls. There are also often cheering contests, to see which groups can get the loudest.
Presentations by clubs and a performance by the school band are also usually featured, though there are also more traditional, festival aspects to the event. For instance, the day will usually close with a non-competitive Japanese folk dance.
The graduation ceremonies are usually held during March, and usually include an assembly with a distribution of graduation certificates and a presentation by class representatives. Aogeba Totshi, or Song of Gratitude is commonly played as a graduation theme. Interestingly enough, another graduation theme is Hotaru no Hikari, and this piece is played to the music of Auld Lang Syne. This same song is sometimes played by Japanese businesses at the end of the day to usher out their customers!
With school festivals being such an important part of the school life stereotype in anime and manga, they will sometimes come up even in series that usually wouldn’t show something like a minor celebration. However, in series that they fit into well, such festivals often add a dose of over-the-top humor. Few fans can forget the cheerleading session that the girls from Lucky Star perform at their very own school.
