文化祭 – Bunkasai or the School Culture Festival

by Sonali Dutta

As an Assistant Language Teacher, you have a set work schedule from Monday to Friday. So how curious that you are summoned to your schools on a weekend day. Stranger still that instead of being empty as you might expect if there are no lessons, your school is buzzing with students and local people. You may hear music as you get closer to the building. And your eyes are drawn to brightly coloured displays, posters and your nose to the smell of doughnuts…

It`s (one of the) most wonderful times of the year! Each year, schools and universities in Japan put on a culture festival (known as 文化祭, bunkasai in Japanese). These often stretch across one or two days and are open to the local community. Students and teachers work hard to create art works, performances, activites and games. It`s nice to see the school community come together as they devote hours preparing for the event. The students teamwork and pride in their schools and individuals home rooms (forms) is also impressive. Bunkasai is a uniquely Japanese experience that every ALT should experience during their time in Japan.