Yochisha —Jump Rope—

On a winter morning at Yochisha, the sound of jump ropes echoes through the crisp air. Spanning over half a century, the 52nd "Jump Rope Record-Making" event is more than just an activity; it is a sacred time that passes the Yochisha spirit to the next generation. This initiative began in the 1950s as part of winter physical education classes. It took its current form in the 1960s, and traditions such as double unders, triple unders, quadruple unders, quintuple unders, and unique techniques devised by Yochisha students themselves—like "Kaisen-aya," "Aya-kaisen," and "X-double"—have been passed down. In the 2025 academic year, there was a historic drama with the birth of four new records. Among them, eight sixth-graders who dedicated themselves to early morning practice for six years and continued to break their personal records embodied "independence and self-respect" through friendly competition with their peers. What Yochisha truly values is not just the numbers in the records. It is the "process" itself of posing one's own questions and repeating trial and error. Alumni see their own formative experiences reflected in the sight of their juniors jumping with all their might. The "hands-on experience" of sweating in the same place becomes the "power to believe in oneself" when facing life's difficulties after graduation. This bond of "jinkan kosai (society)" that resonates across eras is the steady light illuminating the future of the younger students.