introduction of oookaminami elementary school
Numazu is one hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen and two hours via the Tokkaido Line. By car the journey is also one hour on the highway.

Numazu is in the east of Shizuoka prefecture and Ohokaminami Elementary School is to the east of Numazu City. The Numazu area has a gentle climate and snow is rare. The population of Numazu is 209, 489. To the south can be found Suruga Bay and the Kisegawa River. To the north, Mt. Fuji overlooks the city. The view of the famous mountain is very beautiful, especially in spring. To the east of Numazu is the nearby Kakida River which has the most water in the whole of Asia.

The philosophy of Ohokaminami Elementary School is to help children to be healthy in both mind and body, and to create a sense of independence and confidence. The three keywords of the school are friendship, health and intelligence. The Principal is Tadashi Sakaguchi. The staff of the school includes a vice principal, 24 teachers, 1 care teacher, 2 clerical staff, 1 dietician, 5 qualified chefs and 1 caretaker. There are 384 boys and 351 girls, including 1 Brazilian, 1 Peruvian and 1 child from the Philippines. The school has 21 classes, 4 classes to each grade.

The first semester begins on April 7th and finishes for a five week vacation on July 18th. The second semester starts on August 27th and finishes on December 25th. The winter holiday lasts for two weeks. The third semester starts on January 6th with the school year coming to an end on March 19th. There are 204 teaching days in the school year, four periods before lunch and two after lunch, Monday to Friday. All children come to school on foot with their brothers, sisters, and friends. The children don’t have to wear a uniform but years 1, 2 and 3 have to wear a yellow hat to be safe when they walk to and from school. They also carry a satchel.
　
Children study Japanese, Society, Mathematics, Science, Music, Art, Domestic Science, Physical Education, Moral Education and English. The teaching of English at Ohokaminami began in 2006. At lunchtime students can eat a delicious meal provided by the school. After lunch they have free time to play. The children enjoy playing football, basketball, dodgeball, riding on unicycles, climbing on climbing frames and skipping to name but a few activities. Everyday, following their lunch break all the children must help to clean the school, except on Thursdays. Each year the students go on three excursions to enjoy education outdoors. The security and safety of the children is always of the utmost importance to the school in all activities, both within the school itself and on these excursions.
Maij address= oookaminami-e@numazu-szo.ed.jp