Aye Aye Captain!

There is a stereotype that started probably somewhere around the time of WWII and has since been provoked by anime, that Japanese girls wear sailor outfits to school.

Well I am here today to completely confirm these reports. My students sport these super traditional outfits that have probably never been modified since the schools open some 50 years ago now.
They have actually two different outfits: a summer outfit and a winter outfit. The girls have a white short-sleeve affair during the summer. Their shirt has a sort of a collar/black flap with cream detail around it. The shirt zips up in the front and is embellished with a scarf they wear about their neck (but under the back flap) and ties around front. They all wear a navy blue skirt of varying heights, but that is only because they hike them up. Lastly, they also sport black (or white but that is extremely unpopular and only seen as a last resort) knee high socks. In the winter the color of their top changes to a navy blue with long-sleeves and a red detail about the collar. When it gets really cold, they will wear a cardigan over their outfit that is often black, navy or brown (colors for which is not mandated).
Of course the men have two different outfits too, just theirs are hardly any different. Their summer outfit is black pants and a white short-sleeve button down, while their winter one is much of the same, only with a long-sleeve white t-shirt and an added black overcoat with gold buttons with the symbol for middle school on each (中).
All of the students of any gender and grade have a little colored plastic name plate that says their last name sewn upon their lapels. The older students who have since ripped theirs off, have glued safety pins to the backs of theirs. The colors of the plaque represent grade level of the students. The colors are blue, white, and green. The students do not get new plaque each year with new colors, rather the old colors are recycled and the new students will get the graduated students old color.
In addition to normal schools clothes, students get a set of P.E. clothes that are navy shorts with red strip detail down the sides as well as a shirt that sports their name and often class number. The P.E. clothes also have a pants set especially for the winter. If students are in a club they may acquire other gear and clothing through that club, but those are put through special order and are not school assigned. They are also typically a little nicer looking.
A little about changing. My schools is extremely old as I mentioned, therefore this practice may be out of date for newer and nicer and certainly private schools. But at my school, when it is P.E. time, it is a combined effort of two classes. All of the girls will file into one room and the boys into another. There are curtains to block the windows that face the corridor as well as the outside, so that no one can see them changing. Though for the girls many of them might wear their gym outfit under their school outfit, especially when it is cold.
Students only get one set of clothes and must wear them all week and not get them dirty. They are also mandated to wear them at all times on the campus. I cannot say how many set of P.E. clothes they get, but seeing how dirty they get after playing volleyball one afternoon, I certainly hope it is more than one.



Other schools, newer ones, have adopted other manner of dress for their students. Really cute uniforms in my opinion. A high school near me has their students sporting sweater vests and has bows around their necks. Of course with skirts and blazers (in the winter) as well. The mens suits are upgraded as well and slightly more professional looking and blazer-like jackets. This particular schools does a rather cute thing and the different colored bow-ties and bows all represent a different grade, so there is a mustard yellow, a navy, and a deep red. I don't know which color is for which grade as I do not work there, I just live really close to see them all the time.

Our winter outfits!

And in summer:

Closing time

A time when emotions duel each other for excitement and tears.

I was just party to my first Japanese Junior High School graduation.

The graduation consisted primarily of what you might expect. The handing out of certificates. The official seal of completion from a school. With 300 students this took about as long as you would expect, with the calling out of the names (about an hour). But what surprised me most was how efficient and orderly the students were. There was always a line of only 5 people ever waiting, who would mount the stage one at a time preceding their call and face the audience. At that time they would respond 'Hai!' to the calling of their name, cross the stage, bow to the principal, receive their diploma, and exit stage front. There were certain pathways they took which all made it seem very orderly, I really wonder just how must practice went into it.
The stage itself was decorated with a very elaborate arrangement of flowers, styled with symbolic meaning in a very Japanese traditional fashion. In addition it also had the school flag as well as the Japanese flag.
The students themselves were decked out in their usual. The winter school uniform. They also had a special addition of a fake flower corsage that decorated their name pin. This corsage was blue for the male crowd and pink for the ladies. In addition their teachers had corresponding real flower corsages pinned upon their breast.
When Japanese suit up they really suit up. Of course I was wearing a suit, what are you talking about. But they wore suits. They have elaborate silk ties with blingy chains adorning them and sparkly hair decor for the ladies. Nearly everyone had their finest piece of jewelry on.
Nextly, speeches were made...in Japanese...of course
I sat next to the new student council who sniffled and made soft noises the entire ceremony.
For the last act the 3rd years set up and mounted the bleachers and sang the school song. Now this is apparently a singing school and as such they sang a bit more and a bit more. A nice total of 3-4 songs. But if you look closely, I am pretty sure some of the men are just faking it.

Afterwards
There is a tradition that is pretty familiar to most schools where the students teachers and parents all form two rows making a pathway for the 3rd years to walk through. This is their grand exit. The pathways starts out in the field and leads straight out the front gate, where they should never have to enter again.
During this walk there is much hugging and crying and gift giving. The young ones give gifts as memorials and well wishes to their sempais as forget-me-nots. Photos, towels, cards, and small gifts were seen in everyone's hands. And finally they reach the outer limit, where all their parents are waiting, camcorders at the ready, their eyes glistening at the corners. And to home they go.
Goodbye my 3rd years. And good luck!