Sports grant provides Kiwi basketball players insights into Japanese culture

"...there was always a sense of “reigi tadashii” (politeness) and respect, and we were always greeted with a smile and a genuine sense of warmth."

The teams' training camp was in Atsugi, a city of some 225,000 people 45-minutes by train from Tokyo. The Tall Ferns were in Japan to play a qualifying tournament for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the Tall Blacks were there preparing for the 2019 FIBA Word Cup.  

While the focus of any tour is the on-court performances, this year a greater emphasis was placed on gaining a deeper understanding and connection with the Japanese culture and people.

The Tall Ferns were scheduled to visit Mt Fuji but due to a sudden change in weather – the temperature dropping from 35 degrees to 5 degrees – a last-minute decision was made to head instead to Asakusa, one of the many districts of Tokyo.

 Following extensive damage caused during  the Second World War, much of the area was rebuilt and preserved, with traditional craft shops and street-food stalls.

Today, Asakusa is one of the most popular sight-seeing areas in Tokyo, famous for Senso-ji, a Buddhist temple built in the 7th century.

At the entrance to the temple, the team was met by the great paper lantern of Kaminarimon, or the “Thunder Gate” – a giant lantern around four meters high and 3.5 meters wide.

The team was free to explore the temple grounds and surrounding shops that specialise in kimono and traditional sweets.

Some players joined the line to throw a five-yen coin into an offertory box and pray, while others drew omikuji (fortune slips); if their omikuji was deemed to be bad luck, they left it there, tied to a series of steel rods.

Sightseeing around Asakusa was an opportunity for the team to soak in a bit of the Japanese culture and interact with the locals. Being in this area gave them a glimpse into past traditions of the Edo period (old capital) before Japan opened-up to Western influence.

Both the Tall Ferns and Tall Blacks finished their stint in Atsugi City with a dinner and a show at Motoyu Hot Springs Inn.

The menu was specially tailored by the chef, who provided a delicious range of specialty dishes with elements all supplied and sourced from local suppliers – including grilled Ayu (sweet-fish), Atsugi pork, and a wide a range of locally produced vegetables.

Already familiar with the Western sushi, tempura, kobe beef and teriyaki, the chance to delve into some authentic, traditional cuisine was a highlight.

During the meal, the teams were treated to a traditional dance. Wearing kimono, the performers treated the teams to four traditional dances and gave insight into Japan’s strong theatrical tradition.

The evening was capped off with most of the players heading off to the onsen (baths), where they enjoyed the relaxing outside hot-springs with the scenic mountain range and river in full view.

Following a meal the teams got to experience a traditional Japanese dance

Asked to run a coaching clinic for a group of young ballers, the players jumped at the opportunity. 

They were greeted by around 80 young boys and girls all enthusiastic to test their skills and learn a few tricks from the Kiwi basketball players.

“It’s pretty special to be able to give back to your host nation like that. The kids loved it; lots of them didn’t speak any English, but they were beaming and luckily basketball’s an international language so we all had a really good time,” says Tall Black Jarrod Kenny.

Basketball New Zealand's Melinda Hodgson says, "Despite the language barrier, there was always a sense of “reigi tadashii” (politeness) and respect, and the team were always greeted with a smile and a genuine sense of warmth.

"These values somewhat resemble manaakitanga and tikanga that we strive to uphold as individuals and a team.

"It was refreshing to experience this first-hand and be able to relate and share such common themes of our two cultures."