卒業式 (graduation ceremony)

My beloved children graduated last week without you even knowing. Ah, the little demons will now head out into the Great Beyond: a life of drudgery at cellphone shops and pachinko parlors for most of them, no doubt. The carefree days are over: Adulthood is here. This horribly sad event occurred last Thursday. Almost all of my favorite classes are 3rd year, so I too was depressed about my future. Luckily I've got 2 or 3 classes that keep me going in the second years.... first years are all just bad uns.

It was a graduation ceremony not unlike our own in America.

I say that. But who am I to talk? I sooo didn't go to my high school graduation. Ok, I have no idea if it's similar or not, but I would bet you that there was certainly a lot more bowing involved here. As the tinkle-tinkle music box song played in the background, every single kid got their name read, bowed to the teacher, got the certificate, bowed again, walked down the stairs, bowed to the administrative head and VP, bowed to the teachers, sat down. I got so bored after a while that I started counting things.

*Number of students who tried to bow and walk at the same time and fell down the stairs: 8

*Number of students who stopped at the top of the stairs and yelled something inappropriate at the top of their lungs: 12. Like, a high pitched, "GINOWAN HIGH IS AAAAAWESOME!!!!!!" giggle giggle run away.

*Number of kids who actually fell asleep in their seats during their own graduation ceremony: about 1/5. Yeah, my kids are sleep-in-their-seat MEISTERS. If there's one thing you ever learned from my blog, let it be never go up against a Japanese kid when it comes to sleeping. And those are true words of wisdom.

Above, you see a Japanese graduation tradition called the 花道 (hanamichi) Road of Flowers. After the graduation ceremony, all friends, family, and peers wait along the sides of the walkway and the 3rd years all do a spectacular slow-mo exit of the gym. Flowers are pressed upon them from all sides! Strategically placed bubble-blowing-girls work hard to create an atmosphere of mystical heroism! And most bizarrely of all, necklaces made of strung together candy bars are draped around their necks by their peers.

Then, there was the Graduation Party. This is the equivalent to the American PROM. Except that it is nothing like the prom. Though once again, I find myself talking out of my ass. I didn't go to my prom OR my graduation. I was Disgruntled Youth. Well, I was pleased to be invited to the Graduation party by the students at any rate. I was told that it would take place from 6-9pm at the ugly building next to the fire station, and Id get free snacks but that there would be no dancing, no one would talk to me, and beyond that female and male students wouldn't talk to each other. So I was unsure what to expect. It surely didn't sound like a prom. No dancing? What were they going to do? I figured they'd all just show up in their school uniforms and chow down for a few hours. Boy was I wrong. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking that people cant dress fancy just because their party is in an ugly building with folding chairs. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for having chosen to wear a skirt instead of jeans (yeah, bad ideas like that seem really good to me at times) when I walked in and found 100s of spectacularly garbed students. I didn't recognize most of them without their school uniforms, natural hair, and seating numbers. It was certainly the prom. Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of the really good ones. Some of the girls, for example, where wearing tiaras and ball gown get ups. Some interesting fashion differences that I shall note for you here between American and Okinawan kids:

* boys like to wear large, fake jewel earrings. Like a big multi-faceted amethyst stud. And I mean, BIG. Usually 2 in one ear.

* No matter what the rest of their outfit looks like, girls will have a shawl draped around their shoulders. Showing boob outline must be a big big no-no here. I mean, they had slits up to their panties in the dresses, 3 inch heels, insane extensions in their hair but a jacket or shawl was always present.

Something I found funny was that between the time that school graduation ended (about 2pm) and the party started at 6pm, nearly 20% of the boys had bleached their hair blond.

I am an adult! Hear me ROAR! This statement cries, in this culture. In reality it cried,

I have bad taste and ugly hair now! I know never to trust Shouhei again with powerful chemical substances near my scalp!

But it makes sense. School kids aren't allowed to wear earrings or dye their hair, even highlights. Thus the tawdry glass earrings and blinding hair.

Above, Junko sensei with 3 boys from her homeroom class, as well as her daughters.

So, they were right about the party being a bit lame. I sometimes forget that Japanese kids are way behind American in inter-gender relations. They really didn't talk to each other at all. They must have spent hundreds of dollars doing their hair and nails and buying their outfits but the only thing that happened was that the girls stood on one side of the room, the boys on the other, they giggled, then they toasted cola, they wished that they were courageous enough to talk to each other and did a lot of blushing, then they ate, then the big party event. The real fun. The true excitement.... yeaaaaaa you know whats coming.....

WE PLAYED BINGO!!!!!