The sounds of summer

In Hokkaido June is the season of the undokai. Literally translated as 'exercise meeting', it approximates the school sports day back home, though without the edgy glamour of the egg and spoon race. Sanae's school has their undokai this coming Saturday with Cian's following a week later. 

I will have more to write about this over the next fortnight or so as events unroll (most of it in complaining mode about PTA conscription), but for now I want to talk about music. And dance.

Yes, I know, not something you would traditionally associate with a sports day, but from observing both my wife and son over the last couple of days, it seems to be by far and away the most important part of the undokai. There has been singing, there has been dancing, there has been singing and dancing. And there has, sweet merciful Jesus, been a lot of it.

Apparently each class in school 'must' perform its own unique song and dance routine on the day. Why? I have no idea. This is Japan. They don't explain that sort of thing to us foreigners. 

Anyway preparing for this little bit of Broadway takes an inordinate amount of time, sweat and body beat coordination. As a home room teacher of second class, Sanae has spent pretty much the past month choosing a song, choreographing an accompanying dance, practicing it, refining it, practicing it again, and finally teaching her students how to do it. 

I'd like to write that the girl has got her groove down, but I can't lie to you dear reader. The end result is  a sort of frenetic mishmash of random limb movement and some heavy panting. Like you were being attacked by an aroused octopus off its head on ecstasy. Set to music. Ahh the music. This is where she really went wrong. She chose the song 'PONPONPON' by that well known Japanese chanteuse, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. 

You can experience it in all its bewitching, melodic glory here. Now, try dancing to it.

Cian meanwhile has been concentrating on his own 'Lord of the Dance' routine. He is quite coy about the dancing, but he has revealed that he will be 'bustin out the mad moves' to a song entitled 'shake sanba', or in English, the 'Salmon Samba'. 

I swear I am not making this up. You can see one interpretation of it here. It helps though if you go out to your car, pop open the petrol tank cap and inhale as much fumes as you can before watching it. 

I have no idea, none, whatsoever as to what is going on in that video. Maids and the serial killer from Scream. Like I wrote; this is Japan. They don't explain that sort of thing to foreigners.