Photo/Illutration Students leave school after class the day before the start of the school summer holiday on July 20 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. (Takaki Furusawa)

In the opening scene of the manga series "Chibi Maruko-chan," it's the day before the start of the school summer holiday, and Maruko is coming home with a load of junk she accumulated at school over the course of the April-July term.

Kicking herself for not bringing the items home bit by bit over the last few days, she grouses: "The silly doll I made in the craft class is sticking out of my backpack, and I must look like an idiot. And look at this pot of 'hechima' (sponge gourd). I never took care of it, but it's grown so big. How cheeky."

The scene jogs memories of my own boyhood.

Normally, schools in Japan would be holding their end-of-term ceremonies around now. But that's not the case this year because of the shorter summer holiday, with many schools still holding classes.

According to the education ministry, this year's summer holiday will be shorter than two weeks in 25 percent of municipalities where schools were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nothing lasts forever, of course. But when I was a child, the start of the summer holiday gave me a taste of eternity.

In some districts, schoolkids are only going to get nine days off this summer.

That's no eternity for certain. In fact, it's just about what working grownups can expect. And to make matters worse, holiday trips and other activities are going to be substantially restricted by infection-prevention measures.

In an essay, author Kikuko Tsumura recalls her feelings from her childhood when the end of her summer holiday drew near.

When there was only one week left, she notes, she made herself feel better by imagining it was around New Year's Day during the winter holiday.

And when it was down to the last four days of the summer holiday, she told herself she was just starting the holiday-studded Golden Week of late April to early May.

It's the quality that counts, not the number of days, so enjoy the short summer holiday to your heart's content.

But I suspect Maruko-chan would probably just pooh-pooh this "lecture" of mine.

Still, I can say this with conviction: The heat of this summer, which you will be sharing with your friends at school, will remain special in your life.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 21

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

Related News