Volume 39, Number 15
Features
Athletic Inspiration
Have your own Olympics in Tokyo
by Danielle Tate-Stratton
While at first glance summer in Tokyo may not seem like the ideal time and place to workout, with heat and humidity regularly reaching scorching levels, we all know that staying active—year round—is truly what’s best for our bodies and minds. Besides that, if beach (and therefore bikini) season being in full swing isn’t enough to motivate you, then surely the perfectly toned and athletic bodies of the nearly eleven and a half thousand athletes competing in the Beijing Olympics this month will inspire even the most avid armchair athlete to action! Given that the athletic endeavors we stick to tend to be the most enjoyable ones, here’s a roundup of the sports and activities available to expats in Tokyo, from the typical (soccer, tennis, volleyball), to the more unique—laughter yoga anyone? With the range of activities available there will be something suited to every member of the family.
Water Sports
Perhaps the most logical of all ways to get active in Tokyo this summer is in and on the water. If your family is involved with TAC, consider signing up active ‘water babies’ for their Mudsharks swim team, or one of a variety of children’s classes. Parents can also look into the Masters swim programs available. For casual swimmers, there are plenty of places in Tokyo to beat the heat. Try, for instance, the Shibuya Children’s Castle pool in Aoyama, which is open to those of preschool age and up (from ¥100). For parents with young children, this could easily be combined with a day at the castle (www.kodomono-shiro.or.jp/english).
Outdoors, try the pool at Shiba Koen, run by the Minato ward office and open from July 1–September 15 (the rest of the year it plays double duty as a futsal field). Entrance (for two hours) ranges from free (preschoolers and those over 65 who reside in Minato-ku or who hold a Shinshin shogaisha techo) to ¥400 for adults. There’s also a complex with both lap and lounge pools in the Meiji Jingu complex (nearest station is JR Sendagaya), costing ¥1,000–¥1,500 for the day. In addition, most wards operate their own pools; check with your local ward office for more details.
Those interested in diving can visit the Yokohama area, home to one of Japan’s largest aquatic complexes, the water arena. www.waterarena.jp (in Japanese).
If you’d rather be on the water, Tokyo’s bayside location is ideal for that as well. The Tokyo Sail and Power Squadron group (www.tspsjapan.org) is a unit of the United States Power Squadrons and offers courses, safety certification, and regular events to get you out on the water.
Fun and Funky
If traditional sports aren’t your thing, yet you’d love to be more active, Tokyo offers a few great ways to do just that. For example, we’ve all laughed until our stomach muscles hurt, but did you know that laughing is actually a form of exercise? According to www.laughteryoga.jp, twenty minutes of laughing is equal to ten minutes on an exercise machine but a whole lot more fun! A typical session of laughter yoga is about an hour long and made up of thirty minutes of laughing along with yoga-style stretching and breathing. There are several laughter yoga clubs, operating in English and Japanese, which meet regularly at parks and other locations in Tokyo. Visit http://www.laughteryoga.jp/ for schedules and more information.
If an hour of laughter hasn’t made you happy enough, try one of Deanne Tonking’s Hoop Dancing classes and take yourself straight back to your childhood hula hooping days; with a decidedly circus-esque twist. As one might imagine, hoop dancing is essentially dancing, but with large, decorated hula hoops. Deanne teaches plenty of classes at all levels, with beginners quickly learning waist, chest, angle, and off-body hooping. Best of all, this is a fabulous total body workout and a no-impact one at that. More information and the class schedule can be found at www.hooplovers.com.
For children interested in learning how to flip and fly, Lance Lee’s I Can Gymnastics (www.igcjapan.com) is a good place to start. With nearly 30 years of experience, Lee’s program is designed to be non-competitive, fun, and rewarding. He runs classes and camps out of several international schools here in Tokyo, visit his website for more details.
Finally, for a very ‘only-in-Japan’ workout that combines both culture and a surprisingly good workout, why not pick up the sticks and learn some taiko drumming? The Akaoni Daiko group (www.akaonidaiko.com) has been around since 2000 and is made up of members from around the world. They offer workshops for new drummers—contact them through the website for more details.
Court Sports
Some of the most traditional in the sporting world, court sports dominate Tokyo’s athletic landscape. Fans of basketball can get on the court with the American Basketball Club, who welcomes expats and Japanese of all levels to join their weekly games just ten minutes from Shibuya. To join, email Sam Arnold at sabatokyo@hotmail.com, or tel. 070-5578-7404. Well-known expat activity group the Tokyo Gaijins also offer weekly pickup games on weekdays as well as weekends. These games are for all levels of men and women and all nationalities. Send an email to basketball@tokyogaijins.com to find out more and be put on their mailing list.
While tennis courts in Tokyo are notoriously hard to book as an individual, thanks to the power of numbers, tennis enthusiasts have plenty of places to rally this summer. For a more structured environment (and a place for your kids to play), look no further than Krissman International Tennis School (www.tennisintokyo.com), which offers adult classes in various locations around Tokyo and with group, semi-private, and private formats. Krissman is also the perfect place for the very youngest of Federers and Williamses to get their start—with United States Tennis Association-certified coaches, soft balls, and mini racquets, the Little Tennis Program is designed for kids as young as three. If you’re someone who just wants to knock the ball around, the Tokyo Gaijins are, again, a great solution. Offering fairly regular games around Tokyo, this drop-in group arranges sessions based for all levels. Visit www.tokyogaijins.com to sign up for the mailing list and read the tennis club’s guidelines as to each level.
For an indoor court sports, try badminton, where the casual player may find their perfect home with the Tokyo Badminton Club in Setagaya, which promises: “Short-time participation, and being late, or leaving early is OK.” Don’t let that fool you though; while the club certainly seems to cater to beginner and intermediate players, there are sessions open to those with advanced and higher skills as well. Visit the website, http://bad80.hp.infoseek.co.jp/iudexE.html, to read a detailed description of what the club considers to be each level and to find out when and where they’re playing next.
On the Field
If your favorite sport involves kicking or throwing a ball out on the field, there are plenty of ways to do that as well. Thanks to Tokyo’s weather, many teams and clubs hold practices in the evening, perfect for work schedules and beating the heat—sort of.
The world’s favorite sport is soccer, and since the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, the beautiful game has proliferated in Tokyo as well. While full field 11-a-side games might be rare, due to obvious space constraints, there are plenty of places to play futsal. Sporty girls should check out the Onnabelievables, a female-only soccer team made up of about two-thirds expats and entirely conducted in English. The team practices once a week, usually on Wednesdays, and also travels to regular tournaments across Japan. For information or to sign up, email Tessa at tessacobb@hotmail.com.
The rest of the family will find the perfect place to play through Footy Japan, which runs a fairly serious league for men. Through Footy Japan you can also contact the British Football Academy, which offers classes for kids 3–15, with something for the most casual kid to the serious athlete hoping for a scholarship in the US. They also run regular camps in conjunction with local international schools as well as ladies training sessions each Sunday afternoon. Footy Japan also regularly organizes tournaments throughout Tokyo, visit www.footyjapan.com to find out about any of these programs.
If a rough and tumble field sport is more your style, look into rugby, of which there are several teams in Tokyo. Try, for instance, the Tokyo Crusaders Rugby Club, who are looking for players of “any nationality, size, speed, skill level, and IQ.” Email: join@tokyocrusaders.com. More serious scrum-halfs might want to look into the Tokyo Gaijin RFC, who are Tokyo Cup First Division semi-finalists and Hong Kong 10s Plate Winners. Email newjoffa@aol.com for information.
Girls looking to leave it all on the pitch are invited to try Gaelic football with the Japan Gaelic Football Association, which holds regular training as well as traveling to tournaments such as the Asian Games. Yes, guys, there’s a team for you too. Find out more at www.japangaa.com.
If getting down and dirty in a scrum is a bit much, consider donning your whites and joining Chiba-based cricket team the Ichihara Sharks, who train year-round at their indoor nets and then play in a spring league. Find out more about joining in on this refined sport when you visit www.ichiharasharks.com. A little bit closer to home, Paddy Foley’s also has a team involved in two cricket leagues around town. Visit www.paddyfoleystokyo.com/pfc for more info.