It is a tradition in Japan, but like so many things in Hawai'i, it is done a little differently here.

On Monday, Waialae Japanese School held the annual Undo-Kai at Kilauea Park in Kaimuki. In Japan, Undo-Kai is a picnic day in which students play games such as tsuna hiki (tug of war) and ninin sankyaku (three-legged race, but with more legs).

In Japan, Undo-Kai doesn't include prizes. In this Hawai'i version, there are lots of prizes, and they're for everyone, not just the winners.

Aya Takada, mother of eighth-grade student Ty, managed to come up with 1,200 prizes with a budget of $500. The prize booth was loaded with beach balls, water guns and costume jewelry. During the morning, parents came up to donate more prizes, including a new backpack and a handful of toy snakes (which the boys loved).

The school exists between cultures and eras. This is not the Japanese school of Hawai'i 50 years ago, but yet it is. The lessons are the same, even the teachers are the same. The biggest difference is the diverse student body. Japanese is the subject matter, not necessarily the demographic.

Waialae Japanese School used to be held at Waialae Baptist Church, but later moved next door to Wai'alae Elementary. Helen Fujita has taught at the Waialae Japanese School for 55 years. Several of her students are the grandchildren and even great-grandchildren of former students.

The classes are after school Mondays through Fridays and follow the calendar of the Wai'alae Elementary school year. When the elementary school is on break, Japanese school is on break. Tuition for kindergarten through grade nine is $55 a month. Enrollment has gone down over the years, but there are still more than 100 students.

This year's Undo-Kai was on Memorial Day so parents who had the day off could join in. After lunch, parents took a turn playing games. The adults got to choose from prizes such as vegetables; Takada says the parents got very excited choosing their potatoes or carrots.

At the end of the day, each family received a "household gift" as a thank-you for their support. The gift bag included a package of ramen, a pudding cup, rice crackers, freezer pops and a roll of toilet paper. Everybody laughed about the toilet paper but everyone accepted the goody bag with gratitude. After all, it is a gift for the family, and in recent years, it has become another little school tradition.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.