Hello everyone.

Today, in the fifth period, we held a Yume no Mori fun party.

This party was planned by the upperclassmen to deepen friendships with the new members of Yume no Mori. Let's look back on this fun exchange.

As soon as lunch was over, the game started.

The game was "hide and seek for everyone." There was no need to explain the rules.

The new members hide, and the veteran members search.

Will the new members be able to hide against a strong opponent who knows the ways of Yume no Mori?

At exactly 2 o'clock, the veterans gathered in the Book Square.

It seemed that the new members were already hiding.

"Are you ready?"

I called out loudly, and heard a small voice from somewhere far away.

"Not yet."

Suppressing my restless heart, I asked again.

"Are you ready?"

"..."

It was silent and lonely.

Taking the silence as a signal that it was OK, the children rushed out of the square like a swarm of spiders.

"We found them!"
Bouncing voices echoed from all sides.

"We've already found them."

The children returned with wry smiles, and the staff "restrained" them in the center of the library plaza.

The restrained children were expected to sulk, but

"Where were you hiding?"

They happily discussed the results of their short battle.

The time limit was five minutes.

"One more!"

The pursuers' pace naturally quickened as the voice announced the time.

"Five, four, three, two, one, done!!"

"That's enough. Come out!"

The three who had been hiding until the end.

When they emerged triumphantly, they were met with generous applause.

"Hide and Seek"  You might think this is a child's game. I was also worried that the older students would get hooked. But it was surprisingly fun. Everyone, including the second-year junior high school students, was sweating and searching for the characters. The younger students were just playing hide-and-seek, but the older students were probably getting excited by translating the laid-back Japanese expression "hide-and-seek" into "pursuit of the culprit" in Chinese. I also rediscovered the fun of hide-and-seek. Until now, I thought, "You're alone while hiding, and you're not cooperative...", but when you play it seriously, it's more fun than I imagined. I became interested and looked into it, and found that there is an organization called the "Japan Hide-and-Seek Association" that is working to design new communication through hide-and-seek. There are also international competitions, and 80 countries participated in the 2017 Italian competition. It's not something to laugh at.These are the words of the representative of the Japanese hide-and-seek team "Kakure Japan".In a hide-and-seek competition, a split-second decision by the Oni and other players can be fatal. The skin-tingling tension when the Oni stares at you, the relief when the Oni passes by safely, the excitement of the challenge, the joy of reaching the goal - these are all fun experiences that you can never get with current virtual technology.I love hide-and-seek.In today's Japan, outdoor play, including hide-and-seek, is probably considered unproductive and a waste of time, right?I don't think so.Hide-and-seek is not only fun, but it can also be a way to express yourself, a communication tool, and a way to get more exercise. Above all, the sense of freedom you get from playing outside is a valuable activity that gives tired adults the mental space they need most.

From an interview with Masaru Takayama, president of the Japan Hide-and-Seek Association

It seems like a new world awaits you when you play hide-and-seek seriously.

When playing hide-and-seek, if you hide in a place where no one can find you, the fun of the game may be halved. As the president says, the best part of hide-and-seek is enjoying the balance of tension and relief, the tension of "maybe you'll be found" and the relief of the footsteps fading away.

Let's go back a little.

Today is the time for "whole school math" where we learn freely at Yume no Mori.

"Yay! 100 points again!"

One student shouts loudly.

Impressed, I peered in and saw that he was solving the same problems over and over again as the younger students.

"Now, let's move on to the next step," I said. "It's difficult, I don't want to do it. Let's try again!" the student said.
I see, it's important to have many successful experiences to build self-confidence. He may be feeling unstable right now and trying to maintain his self-esteem in this way...
I hesitated, not knowing what to say, so I watched him leave.

After half a day, I finally came to a conclusion.
Why don't I give it a try?