Kids' Activities 02-1

Song and Dance to Mark 50 Days Before World Cup

As the World Cup gets closer and closer, an event was held around Kashima Stadium in the city of Kashima, in Ibaraki Prefecture, to mark 50 days before the start of the tournament. Many families turned up to enjoy the celebration, which was titled "50 Days to the World Cup: We Can't Wait!"

A variety of events took place with the aim of teaching people about the six countries that will play matches at Kashima Stadium - including Argentina and Italy - as well as the two host nations, Japan and South Korea. The goal was to boost people's sense of excitement as the host city of Kashima looks forward to welcoming soccer fans from around the world.

To show their support for the six teams that will play in Kashima, kids from 12 elementary schools in Kashima gave performances on a specially built stage. This was part of the "one school, one country" initiative. Also, a line of food stalls served typical dishes from different countries, including fish and chips from Ireland, beef soup from Croatia, andheamooljeong(Korean pancakes) from South Korea. These stalls were staffed by members of a women's group from the Kashima region, and each of them proved very popular, with lines of people waiting to try out the foods.

Kids read out messages of support for their favorite teams in various languages and also performed songs and dances to cheer on the players. For example, kids from Kashima Elementary School and Takamatsu Elementary School supported Ireland by performing an Irish dance accompanied by music from a harp. (Ibaraki Shimbun)

Photos courtesy of Kashima Junior Chamber International