"Sports Day" in schools - Mandatory?

So, I know Japanese schools, from Elementary to High School, have these "Sports Days" (or Sports Week) where it's like a cultural festival, but instead students play games and participate in sports matches against one another while the town comes out to watch.

My question is...is this mandatory? I mean, what if you're not the athletic type or good at sports? You're forced to perform horribly and make a fool out of yourself in front of everyone?

It seems like a lot in Japan is very communal, like you should put other's needs before your own, which is very nice, but at other times, it seems like Japanese society doesn't care that much about the individual.

Anyway, can someone please tell me what sort of things students have to do at Sports Festivals, if it is mandatory, etc. Thank you very much!

Well, I'm one of those that are horrible at sports, lol but it's part of the school curriculum anyway, so yes, you have to participate. During your regular gym classes for the several weeks prior to the festival, you need to practice together with your classmates for the sports festival anyway... I must admit I hated those festivals.

But to me, later on come to think of it, sports festival day was the day when kids who aren't really good at other subjects but fabulous athletics could show their talent and be the heros, so I'd say that's fair :) I've heard, though, that more recently some schools have been so "sensitive" about ranking kids according to their athletics capabilities (well, track competition is about who's number one, number two... inevitably with someone coming in last) that they are reducing competitive matches and putting in more emphasis on "doing things together" on this occasion.

By the way it's not really that the whole town comes to watch, it's more the chilldren's parents and (if at all) relatives.

I can't tell you how much I hated gym class and sports overall. Sadly, same goes for my child.

But Sports Festival (which is not necessarily held on "Sports Day" a nationaly holiday) was one of the better days for me, since it was more like a festival than a sport.

The whole idea is to build teamwork among your mates, mates meaning something bigger than your best friends you were picky enough to choose, but also all the dorks and nurds in class that you normally wouldn't even speak to.

The even better part was that since there were a variety of activities included, for example, you may not have fun with running, but you can have fun rolling gigantic balls. Opposed to this, I never overcame "Ball Sports Festival" where the only choices you had was ball-related games such as tennis, soccer and most typically volleyball.

The best part of the Sports Festival is that you get to have a picnic with your family under the trees in the playground. Nowadays however, some schools forbid this in consideration for those whose parents cannot come.

I'm not sure if the participation counts on your daily grades or not, but if you are absent, it will go into your record. Teams and individuals are awarded if their achievement is huge. Something worth while for those who are good at sports but bad in reading and math.

On a related note, I went to elementary schools both in L.A. and Tokyo, and relatively speaking, I slightly liked gym class in Tokyo better than L.A. This was because in Tokyo, they actually taught me how to do things while in L.A. we were practically left to ourselves to play dull games of softball week after week, and at the end of the 4 years I spent there I still didn't even no the rules. Now, that was traumatically boring.

I grew up in New Zealand and athletics days were absolutely compulsory up until we were about 15, as were the swimming races. It doesn't matter there if you are slow and non-sporty, what matters is that you participate and try.

I personally am not very athletic and apart from the year when I was twelve when I was taller than all the other girls and won the long jump, I often came last or second to last in races. I wouldn't say it has scarred me, it was probably character building!

In any case New Zealand is a very sports-oriented nation and to ask not to participate would mark you as kind of odd- I never considered it.

As for Japan's undokais, I used to teach at a kindergarten and there it was just a fun day for the kids- the races were more like games than competitions, there were songs and dancing as well and the kids looked like they were having a blast.