January 9, 2018
Happy New Year 2018 from Seiritsu!
A belated happy new year to everyone!
Although there have been extra classes thorough the winter holiday, today is the official first day back at school for staff and students alike at Seiritsu. We hope everyone has had a relaxing end of year break.
This year in the Japanese calendar is Heisei 30, and is a year of the Dog. Dog in Japanese is inu (pronounced 'ee-nuu'), but the kanji (written character) for the usual pet poochie (犬) and the zodiac hound (戌) are different!
In Japan there are several traditions associated with New Year. One of them is Kagami Biraki, or breaking the kagami mochi (rice cake) ritual. More detail on it can be found here. Every year I take part in the kagami biraki ceremony at the Nippon Budokan, the national hall for martial arts. This is a special ceremony because it invites various styles of martial arts to all practice together in the center arena.
Lots of exciting things are planned for this year, and the countdown to Tokyo 2020 Olympics is well underway! We are also hoping for lots of visitors, so if you are thinking of coming to Tokyo and want to experience life in a Japanese high school, please get in touch and let us know!
Peter Williams
International Department Coordinator