A Very Sunny Day

After a very wet day yesterday, we were concerned that today's sports event at the elementary school would be postponed. The fourth graders made 101 "sunshine dolls" (teruteru bouzu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teru_teru_bozu ) to ward off the rain and they worked a little too well. It was so sunny and hot that the teachers announced a special break halfway through the morning to get the kids out of the sun for a short time and let them drink cold barley tea in their classrooms while the spectators roasted away outside. This was a first in our eight years at that school. I'm glad I used sunscreen and wore sunglasses.

The school was divided into two teams, red and white, to play against each other. L and N were both on the white team this year, fortunately, and they lost 601 to the red team 626 points. The difference was small enough that all the kids seemed to have fun and nobody was too excited about winning or losing. Some of the events were non-competitive, like dancing or gymnastics. We're all a little tired after a long day in the sun.