One of K. International School Tokyo’s guiding beliefs states that: “The language, customs, traditions and cultural beliefs of our host country, Japan, serve as an important resource in enriching the learning experience.” In line with this belief, the school celebrates a number of traditional Japanese cultural events during the year.
On January 28, the students and staff celebrated Japanese New Year. This annual event provides an opportunity to welcome the New Year while introducing aspects of Japanese culture. Once again this year, students took part in a mochi pounding activity in which they made Japanese rice cakes to eat, and also participated in mock bouts with sumo wrestlers who visited the school from a local sumo stable.
Then on February 3, students from K1 to K3 (3 to 5 year olds) celebrated setsubun by singing a song together in Japanese, chanting phrases in Japanese and throwing beans to oust three colorful demons.
With a student population representing just over 50 different nationalities, including Japanese, celebrating these and other traditional Japanese events helps students to understand more about the culture in which they live.
