Halloween in Japan
Do you like Halloween? Well of course you do, if you're North American then Halloween is a prime holiday. You can wear a costume of your choosing. Be sexy, be interesting and be creative if you want. You can get tons of candy if that's what you desire. Back in the day the candy aspect was a huge highlight for me but nowadays, given my dedication to my eating pattern, the idea of sitting down and eating an entire box of Halloween candy is less appealing. You'll have a party maybe and dress up for work. All in all, Halloween is a great time!
In South Korea Halloween was basically non-existent. But in Japan, if you like Halloween, then you're in for a treat!
Japan has taken most of the commercial aspects of Halloween. They don't do trick or treating but that's mainly because of the context around trick or treating is something they've missed out on. However, the excuse to party and eat spooky themed treats is one that that enjoy!
You'll find tons of themed food! Mr. Donut had Halloween doughnuts.
Starbucks had a Halloween drink. Baskin Robbins had tons of themed ice cream!
At the 100 yen shops you can find cute decorations and also some basic costume props and pieces. Unfortunately you may not be able to dress up for your school. There can be various situations. 1. You may be at a school that actively wants you to dress up and wants to participate in dressing up! 2. You might be at a school that allows you to dress up if you ask but won't participate, thus you'll be the only one in costume. 3. Your school might not permit you to dress up.
My school was not one that had costumes. I didn't ask to dress up because I knew no other teachers would be doing it. I'm already the center of attention whenever I'm in the halls and I don't need to be laughed at for my costume. However I still wanted to be festive! How? Well I saw at Daiso (a popular 100 yen store) some hairties with ribbon. I bought one and then wore it in my hair. I also wore my long black dress with the moon pattern on it. It looks rather witch-y and it worked! The students loved the ribbon and the dress was a huge hit. Then in the evening, for a little get together with other ALTs, I wore a clip in hat and some striped socks. (Halloween filters make it look even better)
So, treats are a yes but costumes might not be something you see a lot of. However, as an ALT there is something you should expect: the HALLOWEEN LESSON!
This can definitely vary depending on your school. Maybe they have something in mind or a lesson plan from previous ALTs...maybe they don't. Maybe they want you to take the whole class time, maybe they don't. You really have to get a feel for it.
Junior High
For my junior high school I was expected to make up a Halloween lesson completely on my own. I'd have the entire class period. Since my students had done so many speaking assessments recently I wanted something where they could learn something new, practice their listening and then practice their reading. I made a powerpoint that included several videos: "This is Halloween" and two videos of Ellen Degeneres scaring the pants off of people. For "This is Halloween" we did a fill in the blanks of the lyrics. The song was a big hit and students are still asking for it again. The Ellen videos also filled the class with uproarious laughter. At the end of the class I gave 10 minutes for a word search. It was the quietest I've ever seen these classes. Not a peep.
Elementary School
For these schools I had flash cards and a lesson plan but I was allowed to be flexible. I would do the flash cards, play a matching game and then I made a craft. We made origami pumpkins and the younger classes also made ghosts (since vocab is really tough for them). All in all it was great and the students loved the pumpkins!
In South Korea Halloween was basically non-existent. But in Japan, if you like Halloween, then you're in for a treat!
Japan has taken most of the commercial aspects of Halloween. They don't do trick or treating but that's mainly because of the context around trick or treating is something they've missed out on. However, the excuse to party and eat spooky themed treats is one that that enjoy!
You'll find tons of themed food! Mr. Donut had Halloween doughnuts.
My school was not one that had costumes. I didn't ask to dress up because I knew no other teachers would be doing it. I'm already the center of attention whenever I'm in the halls and I don't need to be laughed at for my costume. However I still wanted to be festive! How? Well I saw at Daiso (a popular 100 yen store) some hairties with ribbon. I bought one and then wore it in my hair. I also wore my long black dress with the moon pattern on it. It looks rather witch-y and it worked! The students loved the ribbon and the dress was a huge hit. Then in the evening, for a little get together with other ALTs, I wore a clip in hat and some striped socks. (Halloween filters make it look even better)
This can definitely vary depending on your school. Maybe they have something in mind or a lesson plan from previous ALTs...maybe they don't. Maybe they want you to take the whole class time, maybe they don't. You really have to get a feel for it.
Junior High
For my junior high school I was expected to make up a Halloween lesson completely on my own. I'd have the entire class period. Since my students had done so many speaking assessments recently I wanted something where they could learn something new, practice their listening and then practice their reading. I made a powerpoint that included several videos: "This is Halloween" and two videos of Ellen Degeneres scaring the pants off of people. For "This is Halloween" we did a fill in the blanks of the lyrics. The song was a big hit and students are still asking for it again. The Ellen videos also filled the class with uproarious laughter. At the end of the class I gave 10 minutes for a word search. It was the quietest I've ever seen these classes. Not a peep.
Elementary School
For these schools I had flash cards and a lesson plan but I was allowed to be flexible. I would do the flash cards, play a matching game and then I made a craft. We made origami pumpkins and the younger classes also made ghosts (since vocab is really tough for them). All in all it was great and the students loved the pumpkins!
That's Halloween in a nutshell. Pretty fun overall!
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