Ohnominami Middle School
The things we do differently from other schools

Distinctive Features

Here some of the students of Ohnominami give their personal views of school life and the friendships what matters most to them. You will also discover what the students' favorite activities are, as well as what they keep in their school bags.

=> The Ohnominami Rankings
=> Our Favorite Things


Messages from Students


Plain Old Everyday Life in Class 2-6

Sho Okuda, Second-Year Class 6
Okuda pays close attention in class.
Hello. Today I would like to tell you about class 2-6. At 8:30 in the morning, after the clubs have finished holding their morning practice sessions, the teachers go to the front gate to get the students who are about to be late to class. In class 2-6, there are two or three students who arrive late just about every day. They casually appear about halfway through first period (after homeroom is over), nonchalantly take their seats, and start listening to the class. The teachers have just about resigned themselves to this behavior, and their attitude toward these students is, "Well! Glad you could make it!"

Class 2-6 is a little bit too lively. Well, we're not so much "lively" as just plain noisy. Teachers get mad at us repeatedly during the day.

Being the class that we are, we get really enthusiastic about special school events, but we lose interest quickly. Still, some things leave an impression on us, and what leaves the biggest impression on me is the Ohnominami Festival. This is a two-day festival consisting of one day of athletic events and one day of cultural events. The athletic competitions take place on the first day, and on the second day classes present theatrical productions and compete to see who can put on the best performance. Our results in this year's athletic competition were pitiful, but in the cultural competition our play, The Kind Devil, won second prize. I think our class can really pull together when the occasion calls for it.

Our class may be a bunch of slackers who skip the end-of-the-day homeroom and run off as soon as classes are over, come to class late, and so on. But at least we live up to our class motto "dokonjo" (fighting spirit) by putting our best into every day. And with a lively class like ours, at least there's never a dull moment.


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Ohnominami Middle School

Ayumi Takahashi, Second-Year Class 5
Kids work to keep their school clean.
Hello. To give you an idea of how much fun we have at my school, Ohnominami Middle School, I would like to tell you about the special event that is most important to me, a school-wide festival called the Ohnominami Festival. This festival is divided into two parts: an athletic festival and a cultural festival.

In the cultural festival, students put on theatrical performances and compete for prizes. Each class chooses its own show to put on, and there are three kinds of stages: large, medium, and small. Our class performed a puppet show called Aladdin on a small stage. We made everything by hand, from the sets to the costumes. This involved quite a lot of preparation, which brought everyone in the class closer together.

The other component of the Ohnominami Festival is the athletic competition. I find this very exciting, partly because I enjoy physical activity. The atmosphere is very lively, and I enjoy that too. The students, from first-year through third-year, are divided into teams of three colors, red, white, and blue. Every year without fail, the most hard-fought event is the relay race. Each color team picks its fastest runners. In the race, the baton is passed from the first-year students to the older students. The relay race is worth many points, so this event offers teams that have been flagging a chance to make a comeback. There is a lot of pressure on the runners to do well. For example, if one runner drops the baton and his or her team loses the relay as a result, the knowledge that the loss is his or her fault might make the student break down and cry. But at times like these, I'm conscious that these are the best days of our lives, and I get an exhilarated feeling.

Our school has a lot of other special events: choral concert, ball games tournaments, and so on. They're all a lot of fun, and everyone gets excited around those times. Classes, recess, and after-school activities are fun too. I try to make every day enjoyable and fulfilling, and I think all the other students feel the same. Everyone is always trying to make Ohnominami Middle School an even more enjoyable place.


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A Message to Middle School Students Outside of Japan

Haruko Fukuda, Second-Year Class 6
Students practice for an upcoming chorus recital.
Hello. My name is Haruko Fukuda. I live in Japan, in a place called Kanagawa Prefecture. On a clear day, we can see Mount Fuji from our school.

Right now, we're really busy practicing for a choral recital that is happening next week. We even sing together during morning homeroom, whenever we get a little time to spare.

Pretty soon, Japanese schools will take their winter break. Winter break lasts from December 25 through January 7. What with Christmas, the New Year, and so on, it's a lot of fun despite the cold. At Christmas, we exchange presents with our families and friends. Around the New Year, we decorate our homes with special New Year's pine decorations, receive gift money from our family, and eat traditional Japanese New Year's foods. My personal favorite is sticky rice cakes called mochi. If you get a chance, be sure to try them. Which foods are good to eat in the place where you live?


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From Personal Friendship to World Peace

Tetsu Ito, Second-Year Class 6
Members of the Kidsweb Welcoming Committe discuss what kind of page it would be interesting to make.
Hello, all you people out there in the world. I really like my school, Ohnominami Middle School. The wonderful thing about Ohnominami Middle School is the very close friendships among students. In that sense, our school is truly rich. The students have a strong sense of unity, and they build good relationships with each other. Do all of you have true friends, who you really feel close to? And what is a true friend, anyway? Just because you play together and talk with each other, does that mean the person is a true friend? I can't put it into words very well, but to me, a true friend is someone whose feelings you are sure of, and who you can laugh and cry with. And at Ohnominami Middle School, a person can make a lot of true friends. I hope that all of you make a lot of good friends, as I have. If everyone does this, the word "war" will disappear, and the world will be at peace.


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