School Festival: Day 3

A totally normal card game... in Japan

Ridiculously awesome drawing by a student.

Professional Wrestling

This is the aforementioned beer case wrestling wring hand built by students.  Everyone is dressed up in ridiculous costumes (or lack thereof) and they make a real big show out of it.  A lot of it is slapstick comedy but they had some serious moves and actually do some pretty impressive wrestling throws.  The whole thing is accompanied with commentary by a panel of 3 judges who are also professors.  One in particular I told was making a number of dirty jokes.  He’s apparently known for being openly dirty and there was a lot of laughter coming from the audience (probably some nervous uncomfortable laughter as well).

Yeah.... no words.

Double trouble.  Told you they loved to be in their underwear.

Art Exhibition

This exhibition was really amazing.  It’s going to be difficult to even come close to doing it justice, but I’ll describe it to the best of my ability.  The building with the auditorium is turned into a gigantic labyrinth.  Every inch is designed, and every detail is painstakingly thought out.  The foam core boards directing the path is slightly raised so that under glow light shines through from underneath.  The lighting fixtures and everything inside is handmade and done from all affordable materials like spot lighting made from cardboard and aluminum foil.  Nearly every sense is satisfied in the exhibit.  Upon entry into a dark tunnel, there is a short digital animation film.  Through a door you wander through a maze and up stairs where the echo of your own footsteps are reverberated back with a slight delay.   Upstairs, a virtual forest is simulated with cardboard trees that reach up to the ceiling.  The ground is littered with ripped up cardboard to resemble fallen leaves.  The thick layer of torn cardboard brings you back to a time of happy childhood memories playing in piles of fallen leaves.  Through the forest and around the corner is a field of wheat complete with a water wheel and a digital projection to enhance the ambience.  Down the stairs is a beautifully lit cardboard structure that looks like a splash of water.  And then you enter the main gallery space which now houses a giant cardboard tree with hundreds of artistic “leaves” overhead.  A single red apple hands from a branch of the tree.  The name of the exhibit is simply named “N” which stands for Newton.  I’m not sure I understood the true significance of the exhibit but it was almost spiritual in its effect.  On three continuous large projection screens, a series of beautiful images played accompanied by calm music.  Just the technical aspect of how these KIDS were able to achieve such an extensive and professional exhibit blows my mind.  They apparently have hundreds of kids in dozens of groups working together for months to accomplish this feat and keeping in mind this all set up and torn down in one day and only for one day.  The exit passage is a winding path in a dark room filled with custom designed columns and tables that glowed with light.  I would never have guessed that it was the same space I had been in the day before.  I went back two more times and enjoyed every time just as much as the first time.  Good job Ohashi students.

It's much better to be experienced than to be caught on film.