■The Day a Turtle Transforms into a Rabbit

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The beautiful islands of Micronesia make you want to sigh, "Ah, if only I could live on such an island." However, a Japanese person who actually lived on one of these islands for several years said, "I'm going back to Japan soon. It's a wonderful island, but I can feel my actions becoming slower day by day living here. I'm not in a hurry anymore. I don't run anymore. And I've gained weight. If I stay here any longer, I won't be able to reintegrate into society," and decided to return home.

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Indeed... when you look at the islanders, it seems like "not rushing" and "not running" are fundamental principles, and "gaining weight" is also quite understandable. This is because, although all the girls are slim and beautiful in their teenage years, once they marry and have children, their beauty is buried somewhere, and they put on a lot of weight.

These women, who have become auntie-like, seem concerned about their weight gain (they sigh when they look at the scale), but they don’t engage in exercise or jogging.

However, there comes a day when these sumo wrestler-sized women suddenly start jumping and hopping around. It's the annual village sports day. On this day, young and old alike jump with all their might (or so they think) and sprint as if "the turtle has transformed into a rabbit."

The sports day originated during the Japanese colonial era, and due to this legacy, it is still called "Undokai" in Japanese in Micronesia. The timing and frequency of the event vary by island, but what they all have in common is that it is not a serious competition for points or speed; rather, it is a fun event for everyone to enjoy together.

　■A Cheerful and Simple Undokai

Every September on Kosrae Island, each village holds a sports day event as part of the "Liberation Day" celebrations. Normally calm and gentle, the people of Kosrae become incredibly enthusiastic on this day.

The main events include volleyball, softball, basketball, sprints, and baton relays, with additional activities like canoe races, tug-of-war, and ladder obstacle races depending on the district. Most of these events are divided by gender and age groups. Recently, the sports day has been shifting towards indoor events held in gymnasiums, but the traditional sports day held in schoolyards remains the most entertaining to watch. While there is a risk of weather interference, the open-air atmosphere greatly enhances the enjoyment of the event.

The Tofol district, the center of the island, hosted the "Micronesia Games" in 1996, bringing together people from all over the Micronesian islands. A splendid gymnasium was built for the occasion. The residents of this district now play basketball indoors, tennis on the courts, and track events on the field. However, in other districts, people still play grass baseball and have foot races in the small schoolyards. When a squall hits, the participants get soaked, and if they fall, they end up covered in mud. Even so, the island's sports day, filled with cheers and laughter, continues throughout the day.
　

In the sports day, all events are contested between "teams," which are called "Ichikumi," "Nikumi," and "Sankumi" in Japanese. This is reminiscent of the old Japanese "Tonarigumi" (neighborhood associations). When the announcer calls out "Ichikumi and Nikumi," the auntie athletes, perhaps to boost their spirits, enter while singing their own cheer songs. The leader of the aunties steps forward and dances energetically. Once the excitement dies down, the competition suddenly starts.

Even though it's a team competition, the participants are all relatives or friends, so when someone makes a mistake, everyone, regardless of team, bursts into laughter and it turns into a big commotion. If a husband participating in baseball makes an error, his wife might rush onto the field to smack his bottom, or if he makes a great play, she might hug and kiss him. It's total chaos.

That's why the most fun part to watch is not the competitions themselves, but the cheering squads enthusiastically encouraging everyone from the sidelines.

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The sight of the aunties, each team wearing matching uniforms (red, blue, or pink T-shirts), singing and performing together is truly something. Since these aunties regularly sing in church on Sundays, they are very good at choral singing. They beautifully harmonize Kosraean songs, dividing into parts like a gospel choir. After finishing their songs, they start shouting again, fully engrossed in the cheering competition.

Some even suddenly rush onto the field and bang their umbrellas on the ground. They aren't angry; this is just a Kosraean way of encouraging the athletes (which is why umbrellas sell well as Christmas gifts). Occasionally, an auntie with a physique like Konishiki's appears, shaking her hips as she dances, or even starts running alongside the athletes on the field. The whole scene becomes a grand stage for the enthusiastic aunties. The entire venue feels like it's buzzing with excitement.

Thus, the grand sports festival "Undokai", where people run, jump, and laugh for two days, relieving a year's worth of physical activity and stress, comes to an end. By the way, the prizes for the winners are things like bags of detergent or sugar. In some districts, there are even "cash prizes," but they are cute little amounts like fifty cents or one dollar.

Then, if the day after the sports festival is a Sunday, the aunties go to church with composed expressions, as if nothing had happened, and this time they sing hymns instead of cheer songs, which is quite astonishing. The only thing that indicates the previous day's heated events were not a dream is the schoolyard littered with broken umbrellas and flip-flops, resembling the aftermath of a battle. And so, the island returns to its usual peaceful and laid-back days, until the next "Undokai" in September.

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