Tsubomi has an array of extracurricular activities geared toward improvement of the self, working in groups, gaining skills, civic improvement, and/or friendly competition. Due to the family-less nature of the bulk of the student body, such activities are very important to keep children focused on things they are interested in and to keep their minds and bodies active. Different activities start at different points in the student’s life, depending on the level of complexity and responsibility involved. Some elements also feed back into the school system itself to improve it and aid the student body in nurturing or leadership roles. These activities are small and flexible in time management, and a student may belong to multiple clubs. Activities which go hand-in hand with each other tend to schedule their events to allow for participation.
Sports are popular sports in Tsubomi and are some of the extracurricular activities available starting in Elementary School. They often build concepts of teamwork and playing a role in a larger group, important lessons for a culture such as Yamatai. The first thee years of most sports are only ward-level, preventing the students from having to travel exceedingly far and from distracting their studies too heavily during first, second, and third grades. After that, the grades are mixed between latter Elementary, Lower Secondary/Junior High School, and Upper Secondary/High School. The teams compete at the city level at this point, and the winners of that competition can go on to compete against other groups. It is not uncommon for staff or even alumni who have graduated from the school and the club to act as coaches, advisors, or managers.
More complex or demanding sports work the same way, but are sometimes only available starting halfway through Elementary School. Of note is that hovering capability is forbidden and grounds for disqualification in most sports, save those specifically created for it.
Various martial arts are represented in Tsubomi to train in, and most students are encouraged to learn at least one. Students who plan for a career in the military or the police in particular tend to participate in these roles. Those who aspire to become like the Ketsurui Samurai also often train in such arts. There are competitions between them, but most of these are actual combat forms and are regarded as such. Various protective measures are taken, such as the use of wooden blades called bokken or various other bamboo or wood tools instead of standard metal weapons, but the risk of injury still exists. The basics are generally taught in Elementary School, but the finer arts are withheld until Lower Secondary/Junior High School or even Upper Secondary/High School depending on the student’s progress. Some of the more dangerous arts can only be started in Lower Secondary/Junior High School, and some even with participation in another martial art as a prerequisite.
It should be noted that the use of gravity manipulation and other enhanced abilities vary, and are sometimes not accepted as legal in traditional arts. This is especially the case if the opponent lacks such ability. When restricted, these abilities are watched for carefully with sensors and may permit disqualification. No such restriction exists, however, in the collective forms referred to loosely as Yamataian Martial Arts – the modern forms used by the police and military forces of the Empire. It should be noted that those who train in Yamataian Martial Arts also often take Marksmanship training.
Martial arts taught include:
Traditional Arts are loosely defined, but are typically ancient knowledge which is considered culturally important to the Yamataian people. Many such elements are in danger of being lost or forgotten amid the high-technology in the Empire, and are intended to help the student be well-grounded in the culture of their people. Martial Arts differ from Traditional Arts in that these are usually not combat-oriented, though both play an important role in culture. Competitions may be held for these arts, but are typically not the primary focus.
Marksmanship is a more modern addition, which deals with accuracy and speed of the discharge of both projectile and energy weaponry. Due to the nature of the sport, only Lower Secondary/Junior High School students and older may participate. These practices and competitions take place well outside the city, and the weapons have tracking systems installed. Strict inventory and scanning are conducted to avoid having the firearms escaping into the populace. Many prospective soldiers and police officers participate in this program as students, to build their skills. This is often paired with Yamataian Martial Arts.
Various weapons used by the Star Army of Yamatai are used, including but not limited to:
Various clubs exist for other interests which cannot be readily be defined under specific criteria nor are considered traditional or ancient. Competitions between these clubs are common, but not required, as the merits of the club may not be as quantifiable as they are felt. Still, these groups tend to have some merit. Sometimes the club members can parlay their club choice into training for a career, such as those clubs which produce machines like robots or mecha to compete.
These clubs focus on diverse but generally beneficial interests such as music, art, literature, traditional ceremony, writing, science, engineering, and other such interests.
Student Council is an ongoing program where students must be elected by their peers to serve in their interests in various ways. This includes helping to manage some extracurricular activities, interacting with the student councils of other levels of education, planning events, and negotiating with the school staff. They also provide important feedback to the school staff on the wants and needs of the student body. Another important function they serve is to tech the student body as a whole about the election process.
Because of their interaction with other tiers of the school system, and their responsibilities planning events with them, this could also be considered in part to be a Senpai/Kohai Programs. It is primarily directed toward peers, however, for the latter half-Elementary, Lower Secondary/Junior High, and Upper Secondary/High School years.
Nursery Assisting is a rather broad program where those responsible youths interested in child rearing and assisting young children are permitted to do so. This requires a Lower Secondary/Junior High School student which has shown an affinity for dealing with children and has sufficient grades in their psychology classes. This activity is common among those who have siblings in nursery school and wish to help care for them anyway, those who plan to have children of their own, or those students who are expecting a younger sibling from parents in the service and wish to learn the skills needed to help them should they also come to Tsubomi. Students wishing for a career in education, psychology, or medicine also tend to consider this.
Senpai Visiting is an activity where someone from a higher tier in the school system visits one of the lower tiers, helping to give them an idea of what their experience is like and also aiding the students by contributing their experiences. Students may be more willing to listen to someone who is also a student rather than a teacher regarding some experiences and aspects of life, and this focuses on that. A student from a higher grade can give directly applicable advice on their experiences when the younger students’ age, as well as what is to come. Sometimes, a visiting Senpai will aid a specific student particularly often, like a counselor, if necessary.
Various groups exist which are dedicated toward both the betterment of themselves and the communities in which they live. Often such groups are less specifically about one role, and more toward general growth of its members as individuals and as a functioning civic-minded group. Such programs start early in Elementary school and last throughout Upper Secondary/High School, though some who have finished Upper Secondary /High School may return to help lead the younger generation in their endeavors. These groups often do things such as generally aiding those around them, keeping their area of the city tidy, tutoring other students, learning survival skills, fundraising for local events and causes, and assorted other good deeds. These programs also introduce a structure and ranking system loosely derived from that of the military, and for some is the first taste of positive discipline in life outside of a classroom.