Chupa Chups

It is Sports week here in Visual Anthropology and that means that I will be sharing with you the oh so sporty things I do. After skimming the posts of my fellow classmates, I was a bit discouraged by the statistics Melissa posted from What Japan Thinks on her blog. There was not a single mention of Tennis. I have played the game seriously since High School, and I took some lessons as a kid. Now a days, I just play whenever the opportunity presents itself.
At Gaidai I am in one of the tennis circles, Chupa Chups. Quite an interesting name don't you think? The name is in honor of lollipops, because all of the circle's members have personalities as various as Chupa Chups has flavors. There is the largest concentration of international exchange students in Chupa Chups, making this statement a valid one. My personal count of ryugakkusei in the circle is up to five (including myself). One reason for this could be the relative closeness of the tennis courts to the seminar houses. The courts are not only close to seminar house, but close to Gaidai as well. Apart from the courts on campus, this circle has the next closest meeting ground, a key point for recruiting new members.
Speaking of circles, clubs, and new members, that is just what has been going on around campus for the past couple of weeks. With the new semester starting up, clubs are eager to grab as many members as possible (especially 1st year students). Trying to be an active member of the group, I devoted some of my time to this recruitment process. Occupying the central spaces of campus, many groups have been setting up their tables religiously. There are an intimidating amount of clubs/circles as well as people with signs, confronting total strangers about their interests. Clubs and circles are so important to academic institutions that here at Gaidai there is a building devoted to hosting these groups. Before coming to Japan, I had never seen such support for extracurricular activities.

Having just seen the video in class about High School Base Ball in Japan, I can see why the significance of sports is attached to academia's hip. Thanks to years of watching anime, and Japanese anthro. classes, I know that starting in Jr. High School clubs establish important Sempai/Kouhai relationships. A sense of responsibility and teamwork is created, preparing the individual for any social circumstance. In high school tennis teams especially, many new members will just end up being ball fetchers. This is a major con that can drive people away from the sport. Thankfully though, the circles and clubs are more relaxed.
What I find to be a big hindrance to the popularity of tennis in Japan is the issue of playing space. It is no mystery why this is a major problem, Japan is a densely populated country. With there being very few public courts, the average Taro can't even get his game on. Unless presented with the opportunity at a school's club/circle, or the work place, one might never get to play tennis in their lifetime. The first public court that I've seen here, happened to be in Osaka. I have yet to find any in Hirakata, although I haven't really given this search much effort. I've mostly been getting my fix in some very sandy courts with Chupa Chups members.
The fact that I rely on circle activities to play tennis presents another interesting point. I feel that Japan relies too much on its schools and universities to provide the necessary space for recreational sports. The problem at hand is that these places are very difficult bubbles for outsiders to penetrate. Even at my home university there are issues I encounter with court usage. Although my university has some nicely renovated courts, they are strictly reserved for the tennis team and club. For recreational use there were one too many times that my friends and I were required to scale a twelve foot fence.
In my opinion it is the focus of one's career that gets in the way of recreational sports. I have been told that even some seniors members will drop out of their clubs to focus on entrance exams, and finding work. With base ball dominating the popularity scene of any other sport in Japan, I have only had the pleasure of seeing Komatsu's company base ball league. I would assume that this trend is followed in many other places of work too. Perhaps basket ball is a good winter sport too, but that is just a guess. Tennis does not build teamwork quite as well as the aforementioned sports do, and any work place needs good teamwork. Japan is quite keen on the concept; there need not be any "nails that stick out", the ideal sport is one where collective efforts pay off. Therefore, tennis is losing in a national popularity contest.