Bye-bye Bunkasai - no more Cultural Festival at the local Junior High School

A few years ago, our local public Junior High School started scaling back on "Bunkasai", the long-loved "Cultural Festival" tradition in Japan. It won't surprise anyone that the shift started during the pandemic.  However, unlike many other schools, even after 2022 they never really brought the tradition back. Instead, they quietly removed what had once been the second biggest event of the year; only slightly less of a landmark than the ubiquitous "undōkai" sports day.

It turns out our local school is far from unique. Many schools nationwide have begun scaling back or abandoning their cultural festivals altogether. A key reason seems to be Teacher Workload Reform (Hatarakikata Kaikaku), the Ministry of Education’s effort to rein in chronic overtime, an issue that has plagued teachers for decades. Mandatory classroom hour requirements further influence how much time schools feel they can devote to festival preparation.

I’m torn about the fall of the bunkasai. The reasons make sense; the festival placed a huge burden on students and an even heavier one on teachers. But at the same time, the cultural day brought a kind of joy that’s hard to replace. There was pride in finishing something big, a spark of excitement in the air, and a wonderful chance to see students shine creatively through their art, performances, and quirky little projects.