Hyaku nin yi sho

The first and second year students took part in a school event named hyaku nin yi sho (literally translates as a hundred people one song) today. This is a traditional Japanese game/competition. The third year students are excluded because they're taking the nation-wide common university entrance exams.

It is basically a competition of knowledge, memory and speed. There are a hundred traditional poems called waka (similar to haiku but longer). Students learn these wakas in their classical Japanese lessons.

A "professional" obasan reads these wakas in a sing-song manner (very difficult to decipher what she is saying)

Students compete in pairs. Each pair is given 25 cards. Each card has the second verse of a waka. First person to grab the correct card for the waka being read keeps the card. Player with the most cards at the end wins.

Students carefully studying their cards before the match begins. Half of the cards face one player and the other half faces the other player.

The atmosphere is really tense during the competition, but once in a while you will hear a squeal when a student narrowly loses a card to the opponent or nervous laughter when a student grabs the wrong card.

The students on the stage are the best 3 players of every class, chosen after a preliminary round.

If one player has a clear lead, that player will usually give one of his/her cards to the opponent after snatching one of the cards facing the opponent. This gives the weaker player a handicap since the cards will be closer and facing the right way (and wrong way for the stronger player).

This girl was awarded the second-year Most Valued Player.