 Dorm rooms have beds, desks, and shelves, but no TV. English is "team taught" by a Japanese and native-speaking teacher to give even beginners a feel for talking in English. Works of art by students are found all over the campus. Rugby is a school sport, and the high school team has won the national championship. |
Meikei
High School
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The
School Day Since the school's founding, rugby has been part of the physical education curriculum for boys. It's also the school sport. The high school rugby team has won the high school national championship, and the middle school team has recorded three consecutive victories in the eastern Japan regional tournament.
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Ken Takahashi, the teacher who
supervises the club, observes that "the looks on the students' faces grow
intense when they're playing a game." Konosuke Kitsuta, a ninth grader
who joined the club because his older brother also plays rugby, describes
the sport's appeal in this way: "Whether you're tall or short, a fast
runner or not, there's a position for you. That's what's good about rugby.
Plus, it's so much fun running with the ball in your arms."
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Activities 2:
Calligraphy Almost all of the 50 or so club members, both middle and high schoolers, are girls. Four ninth graders and one tenth grader are attending practice on this day. Using a thick brush with a diameter of about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches), they are writing phrases of their choice, such as "yuun kyoryu" (a dragon flying in the sky is startled by a cloud floating by) and "shuro nyoju" (dewdrops on autumn leaves are beautiful like pearls), on large pieces of paper.
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Koji Kuboyama, the teacher supervising
this club, writes the examples. Each student practices the same set of
characters for one or two months until he or she can write them beautifully.
"Sometimes I come up against a wall, and I can't do well however many
times I write the characters," says Shoko Hosoda, a member of the club.
"When I feel that I've improved, though, it makes me very happy." Calligraphy
demands a high level of concentration, so the sense of accomplishment
when one can finally write beautifully is that much greater.=> Classes |
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At 4:30
p.m., as the sun begins to set, rugby practice begins. Of the 117 club
members, the middle schoolers play touch rugby on the school grounds,
passing the ball from one to another, while the high schoolers work
on weight training. 
Time flows quietly in the
calligraphy room, away from the bustle of everyday life, permeated by
the smell of ink and the sound of brushes gently gliding across paper.
