Category - Geography
With the Rugby World Cup being on in Japan, it was a good time to learn more about the history, culture and geography of what is a fascinating country. The children in Rang a Cúig and Rang a Sé learned a lot during class and then were split up into groups to produce projects on various aspects of Japanese life. Below, see the fruits of their labour and learn a thing or two about Japan also!
Clothes and Costumes
Japan has a great variety of traditional clothing.
Did You Know? An obi is a wide sash which is tied around the waist to secure the kimono (a traditional Japanese dress)
Japanese Festivals
Japan holds many festivals each year such as Hinamatsuri, Kodomo-no-hi and a kite-flying festival.
Did You Know? The Dolls Festival or Hinamatsuri takes place on the 3rd of March each year. Children (mainly girls) put special dolls on display in their houses.
Japanese Arts
Japan is home to unique musical instruments and art.
Did You Know? In Japan people often use a hanko or personal seal instead of a signature on important documents.
Japanese Food – Gohan
Japanese cuisine is famous the world over. Raw fish is a common part of the Japanese diet.
Did You Know? Before you start eating it is polite to say, ‘itadakimasu’.
Japanese Theatre
Japan has its own unique theatre, the most famous of which are kabuki, noh and bunraku.
Did You Know? Kabuki, Japan’s most famous theatre, literally means ‘bizarre behaviour’
Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji is one of the most famous sites in all of Japan. The Japanese believe it is a sacred mountain.
Did You Know? For years, Japanese women were not allowed to climb Mount Fuji. The first Japanese woman to climb it was disguised as a man!
Religion in Japan
Japan’s two main religions are Shinto and Buddhism.
Did You Know? In Japan 80% of people practice Shinto and 70% of people practice Buddhism. This means that many people practice both!
Shinkansen – The Bullet Train
The bullet train, or shinkansen in Japanese, is one of the world’s fastest trains.
Did You Know? The Japanese are testing new technology which will bring the top speed of the shinkansen up to 600kmh! These new shinkansen will be ready in 2027.
Japanese Sport
Sports such as baseball and soccer are very popular in Japan. Martial arts such as karate and kendo are too. The national sport is sumo wrestling.
Did You Know? A sumo tournament is called a basho.
4 th class have spent the year in St Mary’s Hall. They thought it a good idea to find out a little bit more about this important building in our parish and to share what they learned with their school mates.
Our Spelling Bee Champion, Sara O’Grady, recently took part in the Carlow County Final of the Eason Spelling Bee. Read her account below.
We were delighted to welcome our former student, Rosealice Byrne, back to Ballyconnell NS last week to regale our 4 th , 5 th and 6 th class students with details of her recent trip to The Gambia in West Africa.
Cathal and Peter tell us all about their day at the Credit Union All-Ireland Final, Ballyconnell NS’s first appearance at the finals since 2001.
Rang a 4 recently did some planting with Ms Ryan. Sarah tells us more!
Rang a 5 student and team member Florrie Cosgrove regales us with the nerves and excitement of Ballyconnell NS’s recent Credit Union Quiz triumph