Nagara Senior High School JAPAN 502-0071 Gifu-Shi Nagara Saigo-cho 1716-1 Tel: + 058 231 1186 Fax: + 058 231 1188 nagaraHS@zzz.or.jp jelede@yahoo.co.uk	Nagara Senior High School
View of Mt.Kinka from school

Hello ! We are going to introduce a typical day in Nagara High school to you. First, we get up at six everyday. A Japanese saying is "Hayaokiwa sanmon no toku ". It is like the English expression : "The early bird gets the worm ". We come to school by bicycle and it takes 30 minutes but it takes other people up to 40-45 minutes. Now in November the mornings are cold and we get tired. We have to be at school by 8:25am. Then we have English listening time for 10 minutes every morning. At 8:50 the first class begins. We have four classes before lunchtime. One class is 50 minutes and we have a short break for 10 minutes at the end of every class. At 12:40 lunchtime starts- it lasts for 40 minutes. We eat home- made lunchboxes ( Japanese OBENTO ) or we buy something from the snack shop. It sells many kinds of breads and drinks. For example tuna rolls, red soybean donuts, pastries, riceballs, and sandwiches. It is very popular with students. At 13:20, the fifth class begins. We are sleepy in the fifth class. At 15:10 , the last class finishes. And we have cleaning time for 15 minutes. After cleaning, we go to club activity or back home. Written by Natsuki and Sachiko
We eat lunch in our classrooms	Our school lunch shop	Hello ! My name is Kaori Morimae. I'm 15 years old and a first year student in Nagara High School. I enjoy my school life very much. Because first, the environment around my school is very wonderful. Alot of mountains and beautiful rivers are there. We study and are surrounded by beautiful nature. I specially like the sights such as the sunset. Secondly I have good friends in my school. We talk together at lunchtime. So our lunch is very lively. Sometimes I have a sad moment but I soon become happy. Send me letters please ! See you ! Kaori.

	Hello ! I'll introduce our school's club activites. Our school has 30 clubs. My club is E.S.C. (English speaking club ) There are 6 members in our club. Until September there used to be 9 members, but the 3rd graders have exams in January, so they graduated from our club. I'm very sad.In our club, we play English communication games , watch movies, eat snacks and talk about things. In Nagara High School, our popular clubs are baseball, soccer, basketball and volleyball club.They are very strong. They often get first prize in city cups. Next I'll introduce Japanese sports clubs. They are Kendo and Judo clubs. Kendo is a martial art which uses a pole made of bamboo to beat the enemy. Judo was created in Japan but has spread to the rest of the world. Maybe those clubs are very strong too. Other clubs include: Table tennis club, Tennis club, Swimming club, Brassband club, Handball club and Newspaper club. We start club when classes are over about 3:30 pm and finish around 6pm.		Soccer practice
	Kendo practice

Judo practice	Hello ! This is Shusuuke Kitagawa. How have you been ? In my school, we have the mid-term examination in two weeks. So we have to study harder. By the way, the other day, a volley ball tournament was held at our school. We were all excited. Everyone worked together. It's important not to win , but to pull together! See you in another mail.
	Our annual school volleyball tournament

	Hello ! My name is Ayami Shimizu. I'm going to tell you about my school life. I'm a first year student in Nagara High School. The other day we had a volley ball tournament. All the students played volleyball. Our team lost in the first game. We were very frustrated so we played harder and won in the second game. We also won the third game. We cried out with joy , " We've made it, we've made it !". In the end, we won 6 games and lost 2 games. The boys in our class won many matches so we came top in the first year !! Well that's why I enjoy my school life. My school life is exciting every day. See you! Ayumi	Volleyball Tournament Day

The SENPAI System In Japanese High Schools by Hitomi Maruyama In Japan it's often said : " The friends who you knew in your high school days will be your friends for the rest of your life " . This saying shows us that, Yes! we do have lots of fantastic opportunities to get to know people in school through club activities, school committees and so on. But usually, we spend most of our time in the classroom with classmates. Most students belong to a small group, (this is because of the group mentality peculiar to Japan). These groups consists of 2-4 people in general. But, I don't know if they get along with their friends on a frank level or not. (I wrote how it is difficult to know people on a frank level in the last newsletter). I'd like to introduce you to a type of relationship at school. It is influenced alot by Japanese society. Also it is a very important part of Japanese society. Are you curious ? It's called "JYOUGE KANKEI" .It's based not on Buddhism but on Confucianism . "Jyouge" simply means high and low, "kankei" means relationship .I have no idea how to translate it into English directly , so I will try to explain it. Are you ready ? There are people who are called 'Senpai' and 'Kohai'. Senior students are called Senpai, junior students are called Kohai. Well I'm in 2nd grade here, so when I talk to someone in the 3rd grade, I call them "Senpai" like with kinda admiration instead of using his or her name. On the other hand, when I talk to someone who is in the 1st grade, I call them "Kohai" with a kinda sincerity. What's more , people called 'Kohai' have to use polite words and be polite to Senpai. In club, Kohai must go to places before the Senpai arrive. Kohai must pay attention to Senpai all the time. Like this way : Kohai must prepare, serve and clean up stuff for Senpai, and be sure not to leave before the Senpai leave. Most people who are Kohai think these issues a nuisance. However they must obey this issue even while they dislike it. But as time passes, they are accustomed to this terrible issue gradually. And when they become Senpai, they can't help wishing for their Kohai to do the same things for them. So these circumstances repeat again and again. No one has changed.. That's why this issue "Jyouge - Kankei " seems to be kind of a traditional Japanese issue. However, "Jyouge kankei" is becoming more friendly I think. Japanese people have become more open to different ways of doing things. Young people are starting to use the internet so they can get massive information without anyone's help. People are spending less time as a group so they do not respect their seniors so much. Why don't you tell me what you think of this phenomena ?

Kaori and Ayumi
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH !