Ironically enough, for my beginning post, I'd like to talk about endings. Japanese school years tend to end and start up again all within the period of about 2-3 weeks, compared to the long 2-3 month summer breaks that the US has.
This means that the end of the school year tends to coincide with cherry blossom season. 桜 (さくら-sakura) tend to represent rebirth or new beginnings in Japanese culture, and I think it's very poignant that graduation and closing ceremonies tend to occur when the flowers are fully bloomed, petals gently falling from the trees like snow.
But, I'm not here to talk about the beauty of sakura (though I may talk about hanami at some point). I'm here to talk about some traditions or things that an ALT might experience at the end of a school year, especially when they plan to leave the school. A good amount of the time, if a teacher is leaving a school, he or she may need to give a good-bye speech. And...yes...this is in front of nearly the entire school. My first school that I worked at in Hokkaido...I put a lot more effort into it than I would do in my later years. Writing out an entire speech in English and then translating to Japanese, with help from the resident English speaking Japanese teachers.
It can be nerve-wracking, but from what I've learned, any effort made to express how grateful you are to the school- students and teachers alike...is greatly appreciated.
A lot of the time, students that you made a good impression on may give you letters or gifts! And often times, the schools themselves will give flowers to teachers who are leaving.
I've been lucky to get many lovely gifts from the various schools I've worked at.
If the school REALLY liked you, you might even receive a 祝儀袋 (しゅうぎぶくろ-shuugi-bukuro), which is a special envelope that contains a money gift and is wrapped with a cord called 水引 (みずひき-mizuhiki).
Schools also tend to order special bento box lunches for the teachers to have a last-day lunch (you have to pay for it of course, they range anywhere from 1500-3000 yen or so, depending on the quality)
All in all, the last day or so at your school can be bittersweet. Full of gifts and goodbyes. Enjoy it though! The schools always appreciate the hard work of their ALTs, and they are happy to show it!
~ブリちゃん