THE FACTS The sunny, crisp air of autumn in Japan whets the appetite not just for food but also for cultural and artistic refinement. For kids, autumn is a time for bunkasai, or school-sponsored cultural festivals. Virtually all middle and high schools in Japan hold such festivals between late October and November. The festival is usually held on a Saturday or Sunday, and sometimes on both days. It's a chance for kids to show off what they've learned at school to their families and neighbors, and it offers students a change of pace from their normal school routines. Most festivals feature exhibits and skits. In many cases, the students themselves write scripts for the skits, choose the cast, and build scenery and props. Through this experience, the students learn to pool their talents and energies in creating something by themselves, gain a sense of satisfaction, and experience the joy of presenting what they created in front of others. The festival provides students with a rich harvest of fond memories and valuable experiences. The exhibits, meanwhile, are usually held in classrooms and feature works created in industrial arts classes, such as radios and toolboxes, and paintings drawn in art classes. THE SCENE The Number 7 Middle School in Adachi-ku, Tokyo, has a very long school festival tradition. It held its thirty-second festival on October 26 in 1997. Preparations began two weeks earlier. An eighth-grade class performed a skit about bullying, which has become a big problem in many Japanese schools. The theme was chosen as a way of getting more people to think about this problem. Work on the script, which was written by the students, began in the summer. This effort paid off, as the presentation met with a big round of applause. One classroom featured pottery made and fired by the students. After-school clubs also showcased their achievements; the illustration club exhibited the works of its members, while the computer club demonstrated software it developed. Ninth graders reported on what they learned over summer vacation about the schools they hope to enter. The presentations included photos of prospective schools and information about their history, distance from the nearest train station, and school uniforms. The reports not only gave students experience in investigating a topic but also provided them with data useful to their lives. Photo: A display of pajamas students made in home economics class. (Kaori Yamamoto)

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