“Britain is chaos.” That was Emily’s blunt reaction after watching a Japanese elementary school 運動会 (undoukai), or sports day, for the first time. According to Hint-Pot, the British mother said the event felt completely different from what she knew in her home country.
Emily and her Japanese husband, Naruki, share daily family life and cultural differences between Japan and Britain on their YouTube channel, 「ハーフキッズの日常 | 日本と家族になる」. In a recent video, the couple went to watch the 運動会 (undoukai) at the elementary school attended by their daughter Leila. Emily said she was genuinely surprised the first time she saw one.
A school event with a very different atmosphere
As they headed to the school, Emily looked back on the experience and said that sports day in Britain feels more like a fun event where everyone plays games together. The mood, or 雰囲気 (fun’iki), is centered on enjoyment.
In Japan, she felt the event was much more formal. Students practice carefully, 競争 (kyousou), or competition, is taken seriously, and the whole day feels “more like a proper ceremony.” She said the 雰囲気 (fun’iki) was completely different from Britain.
From opening ceremony to closing ceremony
What stood out most to Emily was how the event was organized. There was an 開会式 (kaikaishiki), then the competitions, and finally a 閉会式 (heikaishiki). She was surprised by how clearly the whole flow of the day had been planned.
Emily contrasted that with Britain, where she described sports day as much freer and noisier. She said many events include both parents and children, and even if something goes wrong, people tend to think it is fine as long as everyone is having fun. For her, the two styles felt 対照的 (taishouteki), or sharply contrasting.
Naruki added that in Japan, there is a strong feeling that the program should go exactly as planned, almost as if mistakes are not allowed. He was also impressed that the actual schedule matched the planned time perfectly.
For Emily, watching the school event became a clear moment of seeing how the same kind of day can be enjoyed and run very differently depending on the country.
Learn Japanese from This Article
Vocabulary
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 運動会 | undoukai | sports day; school athletic event |
| 見学 | kengaku | observation; attending to watch |
| 雰囲気 | fun'iki | atmosphere; mood |
| 競争 | kyousou | competition; race |
| 開会式 | kaikaishiki | opening ceremony |
| 閉会式 | heikaishiki | closing ceremony |
| 対照的 | taishouteki | contrasting; opposite in character |
Grammar Spotlight
〜とはまったく違う: completely different from ~
From the article: 母国とはまったく違う光景とは Bokoku to wa mattaku chigau koukei to wa “What was the scene that was completely different from her home country?”
Example: 日本の運動会はイギリスの運動会とはまったく違います。 Nihon no undoukai wa Igirisu no undoukai to wa mattaku chigaimasu. “Japanese sports days are completely different from British sports days.”
Example: その雰囲気は、私が知っている学校行事とはまったく違いました。 Sono fun’iki wa, watashi ga shitte iru gakkou gyouji to wa mattaku chigaimashita. “The atmosphere was completely different from the school events I knew.”
Use this pattern when you want to make a strong comparison. 〜とはまったく違う stresses that something is not just a little different, but completely different.
〜ことに驚く: to be surprised that; to be surprised by the fact that
From the article: 一連の流れがきちんと組み立てられていることに驚いた様子でした。 Ichiren no nagare ga kichinto kumitaterarete iru koto ni odoroita yousu deshita. “She seemed surprised that the whole sequence was properly organized.”
Example: 予定の時間と実際の進行がぴったりだったことに驚きました。 Yotei no jikan to jissai no shinkou ga pittari datta koto ni odorokimashita. “I was surprised that the actual progress matched the scheduled time exactly.”
Example: 子どもたちがしっかり練習していたことに驚きました。 Kodomotachi ga shikkari renshuu shite ita koto ni odorokimashita. “I was surprised that the children had practiced so carefully.”
Use 〜ことに驚く when the thing that surprised you is a whole fact or situation, not just a single noun.
Useful Expressions
ちゃんとした式典みたいな感じ Chanto shita shikiten mitai na kanji “It feels like a proper ceremony.”
雰囲気がまるで違う Fun’iki ga maru de chigau “The atmosphere is totally different.”
みんなが楽しんでいれば、まあ良いか Minna ga tanoshinde ireba, maa ii ka “If everyone is having fun, that’s fine.”
Continue Learning
- Cultural Nuances in Language: The Power of Context: Want to use 〜違う from this article yourself? Our Cultural Nuances in Language: The Power of Context lesson covers it.
- Time and Dates: Tense-Free Expressions: To understand more about 時間, explore our Time and Dates: Tense-Free Expressions lesson.
これからもよろしくお願いします。 Kore kara mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.