Ibaraki Golden Golds Tsukuba Series
If you want to experience the fun of watching a baseball game but you don't want to go all the way to Tokyo to do so, you can watch some teams from the Japanese Baseball Association play right here in Tsukuba.
The "Ibaraki Golden Golds" are an amateur baseball team managed by Kinichi Hagimoto. The team is playing a series of games in Tsukuba over the next few months.
Saturday, May 17 from 1:30pm
Saturday, June 21 from 1:30pm
Saturday, July 26 from 1:30pm
Wednesday, August 20 from 6pm
Saturday, September 27 from 1:30pm
Saturday, October 25 from 1:30pm
The games all take place at the Sakura Baseball Diamond, which is just beside the Sakura Branch of the City Hall (where you do alien registration). Tickets are 500 yen, 1300 yen, or 1800 yen. You can get a 300 yen discount on the 1300 yen and 1800 yen tickets if you buy them ahead of time.
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Japanese Fencing (Kendo) and Archery (Kyudo) Lessons
I found a flyer advertising Kendo and Kyudo lessons as a part of the Open University courses offered by the University of Tsukuba, so I thought I would share the information.
平成21年度筑波大学公開講座
2009 University of Tsukuba Open University
Japanese Fencing (Kendo) and Archery (Kyudo) Lessons
Kendo Lessons: Spring 2009
Dates: April 25 to June 27 (Every Saturday, except for May 2 and May 16)
Time: 9:30am to 12:30pm
Duration: 8 days in total, 24 hours
Participants: Anyone above Elementary School 3rd Grade, limited to 50 people
Location: University of Tsukuba Kendo-jo
Fee: 9300 yen
Insurance: 600 yen for Junior High Students or younger, 1600 yen for
High School Students and older -- valid for all University of Tsukuba
Open University Courses during the 2009 school year
Kyudo Lessons: Spring 2009
Dates: May 9 to May 31 (Saturdays and Sundays)
Time: 1:30pm to 4:30pm
Duration: 8 days in total, 24 hours
Participants: Anyone above High School, limited to 40 people
Location: University of Tsukuba Kyudo-jo
Fee: 9300 yen
Insurance: 600 yen for Junior High Students or younger, 1600 yen for High School Students and older -- valid for all University of Tsukuba Open University Courses during the 2009 school year
You do not need to have any special equipment to participate in these classes. Just show up in clothing that is easy to move in.
For more information about these courses and to apply, please see the University of Tsukuba Open University page (in Japanese).
Deadline to apply: Friday April 3, 2009.
If you are looking for something fun to do this Spring, please think about joining one of these classes. (And if you want to do something a little less aggressive, try square dancing!)
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Joso brings back SOIL OF KOSHIEN after disappointing early exit
It's a summer ritual here that I immediately took to. Watching the Koshien (甲子園) High School Baseball Tournament which takes place in sweltering Osaka. In my hometown New York, I had always closely followed The Boys of Summer, and by that I mean Major League Baseball. Since my first summer in Japan, however, more than watching the professionals, I have joined the millions of Japanese who, with beer or barley tea in one hand and a hand-held fan in the other, spend the dog days of August cheering on the Bozu of Summer (bozu, 坊主, is a term used to refer to a young boy), the high school baseball players who have made it into the Koshien Finals. There are 49 teams (representing each prefecture, with 2 teams from both Tokyo and Hokkaido) in all who battle it out in single elimination. If you are not a baseball fan, now is probably the time to become one, because no matter what, if you turn on the TV during the next couple of weeks that is about all you are going to see. In fact, I have a game on in front of me right now, and it's so exciting that I can hardly type!
Koshien is a perfect way to show hometown spirit, and many of your friends who live in Tsukuba now are probably rooting for their home prefecture team. Native Ibarakians and others who have grown to love the Land of Hitachi (Hitachi no Kuni) have always had a lot to cheer about since this prefecture has often fielded very strong teams. The most famous of these is Joso High School which is located just near Tsukuba City. Once again (for the 3rd straight year) their manager Yukio Kiuchi, who is now 77 years old, has taken them to Osaka for the finals after an incredible extra-inning win in Mito on July 27th. This is a very impressive feat considering the hundreds of schools in the prefecture. Maybe attribute this success to what has been dubbed KIUCHI MAGIC.
Holy cow! This game that I'm watching! The Tokushima team has just come from behind to win! Incredible! Pandemonium! Unbridled joy! Tears (looks more like sobbing) of defeat! Slouching, bent over players. Dirty, sweaty uniforms. Wait! This is the part I love best. The winning team belting out their school song, singing with their bodies and souls making it known to the world that they are making an effort!! They go into their victory sprint. And now, the losing team is scooping up some soil from the infield, a memento of their fleeting moment on the Big Stage. Certainly the game will be replayed in their heads over and over again, probably for their whole lives, with thoughts of how it would have been if things had gone the other way.
Sorry for the digression. Let me get back to my main point. High school baseball fans in Ibaraki have been looking forward to watching Joso play and maybe even win the tournament and some people I know even went down to watch today's game. Unfortunately, things did not go as expected and our local boys were blown away in their first game, by a Tokyo team (even more frustrating). Thus, Kiuchi's bozu, as with all losing teams, could be seen after the game, scooping up the Sacred Soil of Koshien. So much for Kiuchi Magic. But... wait till next year!
Don't be surprised then if you see more than the usual depressed, sulking Ibarakians this week. They were hoping to see their team do better.
And of course there are other ways of looking at this High School baseball madness. I, myself often cringe when I hear about the boys' PURE SPIRIT. Like everyone else they are in it for the glory (and the girls?).
Another aspect to think about is the PROFESSIONALIZATION of the game in a similar way to what has happened in college sports in the US. Thus many teams, including Joso recruit players using certain incentives. Many students DO NOT get the high school education they should be getting, and will be stuck after graduation. So the coaches, administration, etc., come out ahead, but what happens to the boys who have spent their school years playing ball and not preparing for exams?
Anyway, they sure WANT to play, and they do it well! That's what makes it so much fun to watch.
For Koshien games just turn on your TV and flick through the channels.
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Nova Hall and Capio Schedule (February 2008)
February 2: Cello Recital, Nova Hall
February 3: Volleyball Tournament, Capio Arena, FREE
February 3: Zero First Concert, Capio Hall, FREE
February 8: Shamisen Concert, Nova Hall
February 8: Ballads in Wood, Capio Hall
February 9: Gymnastics Festival, Capio Arena, FREE
February 9: Symposium Mt. Tsukuba Renaissance, Capio Hall, FREE
February 10: Folklore (South American Music) Concert, Nova Hall, FREE
February 10: Wind and Percussion Ensemble Concert, Capio Hall, FREE
February 11: Ensemble Verde, Nova Hall
February 15: Energy Symposium, Capio Hall, FREE
February 16: Guitar, Mandolin Recital, Nova Hall, FREE
February 17: Trombone Club Recital, Nova Hall, FREE
February 22: Ballads in Wood, Capio Hall
February 23: Tunisian Night, Capio Hall
February 23, 24: Street Dance Program, Nova Hall, FREE
February 28: Rakugo, Nova Hall
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Nova Hall and Capio Schedule (March 2008)
The Tsukuba Cultural Foundation used to send out an English version of the Nova Hall and Capio schedules every month. I don't know why they stopped doing that, as it was a wonderful service to the community. Anyway, I found the schedules in the City Hall newsletter (Japanese version) and thought that I would give you a minimal translation so you could get an idea of what is happening this month.
March 1: Street Dance Recital, Nova Hall, FREE
March 1: Challenge Art Festival, Tsukuba Capio Hall, FREE
March 2: Ibaraki Piano Concert 2008, Nova Hall
March 2: Piano Recital, Tsukuba Capio Hall, FREE
March 4: Aragaki Tsutomu Concert, Nova Hall
March 8: Kikuchi Music School Recital, Tsukuba Capio Hall, FREE
March 9: Boris Berezovsky Piano Recital, Nova Hall
March 9: Coleman Violin Recital, Tsukuba Capio Hall, FREE
March 11, 12: University of Tsukuba Drama Circle Performance "Sayonara", Tsukuba Capio Hall
March 15: Ballet, Contemporary Dance Recital, Nova Hall, FREE
March 15: Tsukuba Noh, Kyogen "Shikisai"
March 16: University of Tsukuba Wind and String Ensemble Concert, Nova Hall
March 16: Tsukuba Dance Group Recital, Tsukuba Capio Hall, FREE
March 20: Tsukuba Gakuen Music School Recital, Tsukuba Capio Hall, FREE
March 22: Takezono High School Wind Orchestra Concert, Nova Hall, FREE
March 22, 23: V-Challenge League Men's Volleyball, Tsukuba Capio Arena, FREE
March 23: Suzuki Method Piano Recital, Nova Hall, FREE
March 29: Charity Concert, Nova Hall
March 30: Suzuki Method Violin Recital, Nova Hall, FREE
Please have a look at the source document for times and prices.
Does anyone want to volunteer to do this sort of thing every month? (Or is there any chance that the Tsukuba Cultural Foundation will start doing it again?)
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