Visit to Street Handball Japan friends in Hakodate and Japan Handball Association in Tokyo

Street Handball International visited Japan, Hakodate and Japan Handball Association in Tokyo and had some awesome days,especially the city of Hakodate on the north island of Japan called Hokkaido.

It was awesome to meet the local people with love for Street Handball in Japan.

After 4 Days in Tokyo with my family I took the plane to Hakodate. When I arrived at the airport Hiroyuki Watanabe and his Street Handball friends were ready to show me the sights. It was such warm and friendly welcome at the airport I had never dreamed about. Hiroyuki, his wife and I drove to Hamazusi Restaurant and we found out very quickly that Google translate was a big help for us when communicating. :D

One day I went to the highlights of the week to see how they train Street Handball in a sports hall and they really played and called it street handball. Twice a week, 2 hours each time. It was so much fun to see how 17 children played and had fun across sexes and ages with the Street Handball Japan T-shirt on.

Suddenly I was asked to take the training, after around half an hour it was my turn to show how I teach street handball with small games and street handball with fair play rules. I will never forget how easy and quiet the children were to play with. Here Danish children could learn a lot how to be quiet and to listen and respect an adult instructor.

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See video above click the play button

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Another day we went to YUTO High School. Here YUTO Handball Team 17-18 ages boys had a training lesson.

They train 6 days a week and around 3 hours each time. I learned a lot of by seeing how the coach allowed the players to control the training for most of the time and he came with only few intructions. It looks like they have big social fun together.

I thought I should take care of myself and be a tourist on my own. But Hiroyuki Watanabe had made an awesome schedule for me with his friends Tomohiro Naya, Mika, 宮田建一 (Miyatada), Daisuke Yamauchi and they were my guides for the next 3 days:

Hakodate area with snow every where, Capsule Hotel Hakodate a very cheap, good and newly renovated hotel, Hakodate Sports Arena, The food Ramen, hotspring spa, a little shipyard, Yasuo Kogoshi president of Hokkaido Handball Association, visit and dinner with a local family, Lucky Pierrot a restaurant, Market, Goryokaku Tower, Dinner with Street Handball friends, Fish market, Hakodate Botanical Garden and monkeys, Mount Hakodate and a visit to USHIO Sports Club conference room. ;D

The first day I arrived by airplane in Tokyo I had a meeting with Akihiro and Japan Handball Association, they gave me a warm welcome and they were very kind to me. We talked for an around an hour and finally prizes were awarded by way of a draw. Two of them won a street handball from Street Handball International.