School ties

I really felt like I was in Japan today. When you spend most of your day teaching English, speaking English, reading English papers and websites and watching Premier League football (did you see the cracking match in the Champions League a couple of days ago that Liverpool justly won 4-2 against Arsenal?) it is easy to forget that you are actually the other side of the world. But today, I sang the Japanese national anthem Kimigaiyo (well, others sang, I stood respectfully,  thinking how similar the tune is to "Zou-san, Zou-san" - a Japanese children's song about an elephant). Why the sudden taste of patriotism? Because it was K-chan's first day at primary school and she went through nyugakushiki - the school entrance ceremony. It was sort of a cross-between a British school speech day and a parish council meeting. It involved speeches from the headmaster, PTA representatives, city hall representatives, telegrams from the mayor and local nursery schools, and there was a perfunctory inspection of K-chan's new classroom. K-chan performed brilliantly, no tears and she raised her hand and said "hai!" at the right moment when her name was called in front of the assembled 200 or so parents. While I was a little concerned about the weight and difficulty of the standard-issue text books and rigid system of numbered desks all facing the teacher - no open-plan, non-hierarchical nest of tables here - K-chan was delighted with it all. She loved all the books and the fact she has her very own desk - right in front of the teacher. Even better, she's next to her nursery pal Tama-chan. Here, she is pictured showing off her new school equipment to Emma-chan in our front garden. I have also included a picture of the proud parents, not out of vanity, but to mark the occasion - it is the first time in almost a year that I have worn a tie (since quitting my job at the Derby Evening Telegraph on May 18, 2007, actually, but who's counting?)