PE and the latest

This is what PE class looks like at a public Junior High.  The students are all uniformed and lined up.  Instructions are generally shouted through a megaphone and a whistle is used.  The students shout responses in unison and do most of the activities together.
The other week they had "sports day".  The preparation took place all day Saturday, then sports day on Sunday, and generally the schools had Monday and Tuesday off.
During sports day the school was split into 3-4 teams and they competed with team work.  Everyone had to participate (it seemed).  One of the events I watched outside of the fence with many of the parents involved a race where one student walked along the backs of other students who would bend at the waist, get stepped on, and then run to the front of the line to get stepped on again in a continuous centipede-like motion until they reached the finish line.
In another event, 4 groups of 3 boys holding another boy on their shoulders would go up against another group of 4 boys from the other team and the boys being carried would try and rip the opponent's hat off their head.   ....all the while with intense, competitive music in the background.
It was interesting.
We just returned last weekend from Aomori city where Amber had 3 days of "orientation"--a month after she's already been working.  It was nice to get out and see the city on the water in the bay surrounded by peninsulas of mountains.  They specialize in scallops and we ate our share of fried, grilled and fresh raw scallops.  yummy!
We also got to know a lot more english ALT teachers from the area and will spend this weekend 'camping' and bbq-ing with them.
     Just this past weekend we took a day trip to Misawa Air Force Base for their annual air show.  Drinking in public is ok in Japan, so it was fun to carry a beer onto the runway and inside of a C-17.
The weather turned out well and the tactical maneuvers were impressive.  It was interesting to see the base....burger king and all.
I started a part time job last week to break up the monotony of shopping, cleaning, exercising, cooking, reading, drinking and watching movies.  It's been a good time for us so far and we have a big trip scheduled in 10 days to the northernmost island of Hokkaido.  ....backpacking, Sapporo brewery, bears, hot springs, cheese factories, beaches, mountains, lakes, and winery photos soon to come!