Hell Called Dodgeball ~Japanese School Culture and My Memories~
In Japanese elementary schools, dodgeball is commonly played during PE classes, lunch breaks, and after-school activities.
It’s a simple game that only requires one ball, and for athletically gifted kids, it might be an engaging and exciting activity.
But for me—it was absolute hell.
Seemingly “Fair” Unfairness
Dodgeball is often conducted as “recreation” during PE classes, but I think it’s actually quite an unfair game.
Kids who are good at sports, fast runners, and those high up in the school social hierarchy laugh and shine while playing.
On the other hand, for kids on the opposite end of that spectrum, all that remains are memories of pain, suffering, and fear.
I Was the “Fleeing Field Mouse”
I was always the type who just ran around trying to escape.
The sight of boys with the ball in their hands, eyes gleaming as they decided who to target, looked like birds of prey to me.
As for me, I felt like a small animal left behind in an open field, trembling with fear about when the ball would come flying at me.
It Was Nothing But Violence
Dodgeball also clearly reveals physical differences between genders.
Most games are mixed-gender. Fast and strong boys would mercilessly aim for the legs of slow girls who couldn’t escape.
When I got hit and was sent from the inner court to the outer court, it was actually a moment of relief.
But then came the job of ball retrieval.
Even when I wanted to pass to the strong boys on my team in the inner court, the opposing team’s boys would steal the ball, and I’d end up getting scolded by my teammates—it was a continuous cycle of pressure.
For me, dodgeball was nothing but violence.
I don’t have a single memory of ever thinking it was “fun.”
And Now, If I Were to Become a Parent…
It’s been a long time since I graduated from school and had any connection to dodgeball.
But recently, when I heard that “parents sometimes play dodgeball together with their kids during school visits or parent-child participation events,” I honestly felt terrified.
If I have children in the future and encounter this culture again, I might remember that fear and humiliation from back then.
And I find myself questioning, just a little, why this continues to exist as a “culture.”
Final Thoughts
Dodgeball is certainly part of Japanese elementary school culture. But was this “culture” really equal and enjoyable for all children?
I believe that the voices of children like me, who had no connection to the emotion of “fun,” are also essential when discussing culture.
In recent years, there have been more voices of concern from parents as well, and it seems that the frequency of dodgeball in schools has been decreasing.