The Japanese school year starts in April and ends in March. All my 3rd year middle schoolers (the equivalent of 9th graders in the United States) are moving on up to high school.
You can't tell from the picture, but that morning there was a bit of a flu outbreak. About a third of the 1st and 2nd year kids stayed home (and these kids never stay home, that's how I keep getting sick myself) and at least half the graduating kids had the flu. Throughout the ceremony (which was entirely too long for a 40-kid class) teachers had to escort kids out that were breaking into sweats and passing out. It was worrying.
During the time of feudalism in Japan, often the local prefects had to spend every other year in the capital. This was meant to prevent revolution or somesuch. Naturally this tradition carries over to the modern school system.
Every two or three years, teachers get shuffled around. They have little more than a week to pack and move their entire families to some arbitrarily designated corner of the prefecture. About half of my coworkers have to move this week, including a couple of teachers that I do team-teaching with. So of course there was a party.
Presents were given out
Speeches were made
Some of them were pretty goofy
And afterwards there was a "second party" - we went to a karaoke place
There was a lot of singing
楽しい
