What's in a Name?

At some point in the early stages of modernizing a certain fishing town, which was faced with a growing population and the subsequent needs produced, new school buildings were built and brought under the overarching umbrella of a branch in the city government known as the Board of Education (BOE). Those of the elementary and high school variety were given names deemed appropriate to their location or specialty. The business of naming junior high schools, on the other hand, must have been presented at the end of a long and tiring day consisting of too many dissenting opinions, too many bottles of tea consumed, and the rapid approach of the hour designated for the year-end company party.

At least, this is what I imagine whenever I am, in response to a polite inquiry, obligated to list three out of the eight schools my husband teaches at; 5-chu, 7-chu, 8-chu, using the respective Japanese pronunciations for the numbers.

In English this would translate roughly into “Junior highs five, seven, and eight”.

The buildings are depressing enough from the outside, with the cold, somber concrete walls, dirt lots and overall feel of a prison building rather than an institution of education. It seems a shame to not even have a unique name to boast of.

Now, I know the buildings themselves are not a result of the thinly-stretched budget of a city in the throes of its twilight years, but are rather a recognizable standard throughout the country. What I wonder is if they too, are known only as a number in their respective municipalities.