The Japanese Cultural Festival (文化祭 bunkasai) is an annual event held by most schools in Japan, from Nursery schools to universities at which their students display their everyday achievements.[1] People who want to enter the school themselves or who are interested in the school may come to see what the schoolwork and atmosphere are like. Parents may also want to see what kind of work their children have been doing.
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According to Curriculum guidelines by the Ministry of Education, cultural festivals are part of special activities and are defined as 'events which aim to use the results of everyday learning to heighten motivation'.[2][3][4]
The Cultural Festivals are parts of regular lessons in elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools, so the students are obligated to attend for graduation. In universities, the cultural festivals are placed as extracurricular activity, so attendance is not required.
Traditionally, most schools hold Bunkasai on or around Culture Day (November 3), a national holiday.[5] Normally it is held on a Saturday or Sunday sometimes even both.
"The Cultural Festival"(Bunkasai) and "The University Festival"(Daigaku-sai) are common nouns in Japanese, so the names of cultural festivals depend on each school in reality. For example, the festival at the University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus is named Komaba-sai.
| School | English name | Japanese name |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery school | Daily life exhibition | Seikatsu-Happyou-kai(生活発表会) |
| Kindergarten | Daily life exhibition | Seikatsu-Happyou-kai(生活発表会) |
| Elementary School | Literary arts exhibition Learning exhibition |
Gakugei-kai(学芸会) Gakushū-Happyou-kai(学習発表会) |
| Junior High School | Cultural festival | Bunka-sai(文化祭) |
| High School | Cultural festival | Bunka-sai(文化祭) |
| University | University festival | Daigaku-sai(大学祭) |
The Cultural Festivals of junior high schools and high schools are sometimes named differently:
| English name | Japanese name |
|---|---|
| School festival | Gakuensai(学園祭) |
| School festival | Gakuinsai(学院祭) |
| School festival | Gakkōsai(学校祭) |
Festivals are held to display the students' learning, but many visit the festivals just for fun. Food is served, and often classrooms or gymnasiums are transformed into temporary restaurants or cafés. Dances, concerts and plays may be performed by individual volunteers or by various school "clubs" such as the dance club, the orchestra club, the band club and the drama club.
The Cultural Festivals are intended to be a fun event, but it is also the only opportunity each year for students to see what life is like in other schools. It is also intended to enrich people's lives by increasing social interaction.
Cultural festivals are frequently depicted in anime and manga.