The Undokai（運動会）Songs in Honour of International Day of Play

Wikimedia Commons
by Tetsuro Kurata

 

It's another Hump Day this week and as has occasionally been the case, I like to put up an Author's Pick article just to liven the middle of the week up. Today, I found out that June 11th is the International Day of Play according to the United Nations. Now, I wasn't sure what they meant by "play"; was it referring to board games, gaming or sports? Well, I should have known since we're talking about the UN here that it was about kids' having that right to play for health and development.

As such, I've been reminded of the undokai (Sports Day) that I attended while I was on the JET Programme over 35 years ago. Mind you, the sports day festivities took place in the autumn but they do reflect about what the International Day of Play is all about: getting the kids together to do all sorts of activities such as relay races and ball tosses throughout the day. Because I was in a village, Sports Day took on even bigger meaning as a good chunk of the population came out to cheer on the kids at my junior high schools. Afterwards, when the kids went home to rest and shower, the parents and staffers headed out to imbibe copious amounts at the local izakaya in what could have been called the International Day of Drink (followed by the International Night of Gastrointestinal Distress and Headaches).

Regardless, I heard a number of songs played repeatedly during those Sports Days on the loudspeakers as BGM or tunes accompanying some of the events. I'm listing a few of them here along with a couple of Western oldies.

Princess Princess -- Diamonds

Bakufu Slump -- Runner

Toshinobu Kubota -- Ryuusei no Saddle (流星のサドル）

George Washington Dixon (perhaps) -- Turkey in the Straw (known as "Oklahoma Mixer" in Japan)

Leroy Anderson -- Bugler's Holiday (known as "Trumpet Fuki no Kyujitsu" in Japan)