In Japan, many schools hold an annual event called Sports Day, where students participate in various athletic competitions between classes and grades.  Events are quite varied, from fun two-legged hopping events to obstacle courses to more serious track and field events.  We had the privilege of seeing a few events in which the students competed in an obstacle course, a tug-of-war, a relay race, and performed a choreographed dance. 


In addition to the competition and performances during Sports Day, we found it amazing that the students pretty much organize and run the entire event themselves.

Sports Day

Saturday evening, our teacher took us to her home town, Kobe, where we rode up the Shin-Kobe ropeway for a beautiful view of Kobe Port from the mountains.  Built into this mountain is Kobe’s Nunobiki Herb Gardens, where you can see, smell, and feel many species of herbs, fruits and flowers, and visit a museum of various herbs and spices: