Tanabata, or the ‘Star Festival’ ,is a summer festival in Japan. The powerpoint, traditional story, and craft activities included in this lesson introduce KS1 or KS2 students to the festival’s origins and the customs associated with it. The Tanabata story tells of the annual reunion of two lovers in the Milky Way and the characters who represent two stars (Vega and Altair). After listening to the story, students will identify key events, characters and locations before learning how Tanabata is celebrated in Japan. The festival is also famous for large, colourful decorations and students can make their own paper decorations, or wish cards, (called tanzaku) for display in the classroom using the worksheet and/or templates. Instructions for additional paper decorations are also included. An editable version of the PPTs are available on request - contact education@japansociety.org.uk. More resources related to Japanese culture are available from The Japan Society website.

This PowerPoint presentation introduces Japan, Japanese culture and the Tokyo Olympic games to KS2 students and includes a short quiz and fun facts. Show students images of Japan as they learn about its location, climate, different islands, and preparations for the postponed Olympic games. There are accompanying notes for teachers with brief explanations of some aspects of Japanese culture to read to students (including origami, sumo wrestling, kimono and the popularity of baseball). This can be used as part of a standalone lesson about the olympics or linked to other lessons about Japan. It be followed by the Japanese Sports and Martial Arts quiz for a sports themed lesson or any other Japan Society resources. An editable version of the PPTs are available on request - contact education@japansociety.org.uk. More resources related to Japanese culture are available from The Japan Society website.

The quiz and script introduces students to six traditional Japanese sports and martial arts (Karate, Judo, Kendo, Kyudo, Yabusame, and Sumo). The true or false powerpoint quiz is short and suitable for all ages. The accompanying PDF teacher script gives more facts and information about each sport and is best suited for use with KS2, KS3, and above. Students get the chance to answer using the Japanese gestures for true (maru) or false (batsu) just as Japanese students might! The quiz can be integrated into a longer lesson about Japan or Japanese culture, or used as a standalone activity and more teaching resources are available from the Japan Society website.

The Japanese Sports Day Games Pack contains illustrations, instructions and equipment lists for 14 typical games that are played at a Japanese school sports day, making it easy to organise a Japanese-style sports event at your school. The Japanese Sports Day (undokai in Japanese) is a popular event in the school calendar; it’s a fun-filled day with an emphasis on teamwork and collaboration. The games in the pack can be used as standalone activities, incorporated into P.E lessons, or to plan your own event. The clear game instructions and field set up guide can be used by students so that they can help set up and run events. Also included are variations for each game, giving suggestions for how they could be adapted for different levels of ability or age groups. More resources related to Japanese culture are available from The Japan Society website.