Commentary by Hank F. Miller Jr.
October 10 is Sports Day:
It was added to the list of national holidays in Japan in 1966 to commemorate the 1964 Olympic Games.
It was on October 10 1964.That date was chosen because that was when the opening ceremony of the 18th Summer Olympics games. The games were held at the national stadium in Tokyo.
There is nothing more important than good health. In fact, both physical and mental health is most valuable treasures to us all.
Sports Day is designed to make people aware of the importance of good health and urge them to develop healthy bodies and healthy minds through taking part in sports
and socializing together.
Both public and private organizations throughout the country sponsor a number of sporting events on October 10th so that people, both young and old, men and women, can take part in them.
Partly because of such efforts on the part of the central and regional governments and partly because of people getting increasingly health-conscious, the number of Japanese who go in for sports has been constantly on the rise in recent years.
While my children were attending kindergarten at St.Joseph\’s it all started for us on October 10th.yes, the whole family had to become involved it was a must each year. Throughout the children\’s school life, from kindergarten, elementary, school through junior high school, many years were involved.
We used to go to the school grounds put down a large mat to sit on and take a large lunch and cool drinks to enjoy with the children at 12:00 noon for about an hour.
During the events we used to watch them taking part in various events. Such as relay races, dances all kinds of track and field events etc.It all began at about 09:00 a.m.to about 3:30 p.m. We used to all have a real great time of it taking pictures etc.
Sports Day is a very big and planned event
for everyone.
After junior high school, our children went on to the states, for high school. Lucas our eldest went to stay in Westville, New Jersey with my sister Rosemarie Fisher Collins, Lucas attended Gateway High School.
Our other son Max and daughter Rachel, went on to attend Beaverton High School located in Beaverton, Oregon.They resided with a very close and good friend of ours,
Beaverton is a suburb of Portland, Oregon.
Presently Lucas is 25 years old he is anArmy PFC. stationed at Al Asad, Iraq.
Max is a 21 year old Marine coporal stationed at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan; he has already served one tour of duty at Al Asad,
Iraq like his brother is doing now.
Rachel is 19 years old and is presently attending Portland State University, In Portland, Oregon.
Actually, we really miss all the memories we had when our kids were growing up here in
Japan, but together with our kids it was a lot of family fun.
Thus Sports day ended for us every year after the children left home, until just recently. One of our good neighbors started a neighborhood Sports Day program here in our area at the local park, for the adults and it all started over once again for us, can you believe that? But we do stay in shape and we do work hard at it too.
Warm Regards Form, Kitakyushu City, Japan.
Hank, Keiko, Lucas, Maxie & Rachel Miller
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