Shooting Straight?
Starting Off
You're Outta Here!
Knocking Someone Out
Concentration
High-Tech Wristband
Lining Up a Shot
While out walking around a neighborhood of farmhouses along the river one morning, I found a small, well-manicured dirt field hidden in a little knoll near the side of the road. When I saw the four wickets, I knew immediately what it was - a gateball field.
Gateball is similar to racquetball and is popular among older people in Japan. Eager to see them in action, I checked out the event calendar they had hanging in the shack there and went back when they were scheduled to play.
It turned out to be a lot of fun. All of the people were local farmers who were extremely friendly and (seemed) happy to have me there. I spoke at length with several of them, asking about their families and history of the area. It turns out that many have farmed locally - everything from tangerines to onions - for many generations and many continue to work their fields even now.
It's amazing to think that we Americans typically look to retire in our 60's while these folks are still toiling well into their 70's and 80's. It was fun to hear some of their stories and a few even wanted to practice their English with me. One of the gentlemen used to be a photographer, so I spent a while explaining the aspects of digital photography to him. To him, the idea of taking hundreds of photos on a memory card without film and printing them from a computer instead of a darkroom seemed to be a foreign concept.
As we enjoyed some snacks and tea they even invited me to an upcoming tournament, to take place in a nearby town, where they will play against other teams from all around the local area. They even told me that if I come back then they will teach me how to play gateball.
With these folks, I think that it would be fun...
Hina at Oshima
At Rest
Tea and Gumi
Essential Tools
Taking a Break
Go, Go, Go!
Shady
The Gateball Crew