A Flock of Fogies - Part One

Hi Granny - I'm up here on stage!

The Chief introduced me very nicely indeed to the kindergarten hall - packed to the rafter with Japan's other most needy age group the retired. Yes, today (and tomorrow) is Grandparents' Day. School invaded for the morning by the not so agile - but did I see any of them getting wellied in the Cods? Nope...

I said my scripted piece, which The Chief then interpreted for the assembled bespectacled throng - easy, as she wrote my intro in the first place...except I adlibbed :)

The idea is to rattle heart strings, and therefore purse strings, as often granny & grandpa help out with kindy fees/child-sitting if/when mum & dad have work obligations. I actually think this is a very nice idea, but it is also very contrived in that classes across the country are saying exactly the same thing to their grandparents, and being given exactly the same advice in return - "eat your greens" in rough translation. This another event that Fuji Film would have been sponsoring 20 years ago, as it is shutter-frenzy...nowadays shakey phone camera images & an unedited slideshow on the flatscreen TV during dinner this evening.

But, the teachers did lead the children through a lovely morning, starting with the small ones. I do really enjoy seeing I, A & M senseis at work; always smiling and focussed on their kids. Yes, a performance drill but that is how kindy teachers have been trained for the last 50 years or so - they all do the same songs & crafts - but these three are lovely.

Psychedelic us, baby!

The slightly bigger ones dazzle with tie-dyed t-shirts and a UV show on the ceiling (an expensive paint job I would say), and tear-jerking songs that despite the generation gap are familiar! I guess it is nice that there is still a connection, whereas in my country there would be an enormous disconnect between modern culture (even of kindy kids) and the greyer ones.

After the set piece assembly, classes went back to base followed by the oldies, where a smaller class performance ensued; a couple of songs (seated) while the glowing ones looked on from around the room. I felt very incongruous blocking the view. Do I join in with the half-remembered hand gestures? Do I mumble along with words I don't know? Solution = hold hands with shy kid next to me whose grandparents not here today...but then don't I look even wierder?

Thank you, granny & grandpa

The room was overwhelming full - mouldies out-numbering in-mates. Handmade memorabilia were given to the respected aged, hugs avoided mostly but a bow and a stiff 'thank you' rendered. And an early hometime for half the class - tears from several of those neglected today. Obviously the same will happen tomorrow!

A quiet afternoon shift then, with half the school gone home? Sadly not. My on-the-spot solution to "do somehting fun, Jim sensei" was The Hokey Kokey. Now I know this gets out of hand, but I was kind of hoping the teachers would lend me a hand in accident prevention. Am sure this song actually banned in UK schools due to Health & Safety issues? With over 40 participants the rowdier boys had a field day clattering into each other. Well, I started so I'll finish...only one minor concussion. My work is done.