Japan Cricket- A Brief Introduction
If you’re being really picky…
Although you could argue that cricket has a reasonably long history in Japan, it would actually be a fairly hollow argument. Yes, British traders living in Yokohama, back at the turn of the century (the turn of the twentieth century, that is) did play, and in fact established the Yokohama Cricket Club (now the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club, where cricket is still played). However, cricket has really only existed as an organized sport, one played by foreign resident and Japanese alike, for the last twenty years or so.
Representing cricket in the Archipelago
The official representative body of cricket in Japan is the Japan Cricket Association, generally referred to as the JCA. Much of their web site is in Japanese only, as one might expect, but English versions of pages are now being added to regularly and can be accessed from the Japanese site or directly here. A useful source of current information about the JCA's activities and Japanese cricket in general is their newsletter, Stitch, which anyone interested can sign up for.
The JCA is a fully-recognized non-profit organization (NPO) which secured ICC (International Cricket Council) Associate Membership status for Japan in June 2005 (Japan was hitherto an Affiliate Member). The JCA also oversees Japan's participation in international tournaments, and organizes selection and tours, etc., for Japanese representative teams. The Japanese national side won the East-Asia Pacific Cricket Cup in Vanuatu in September 2005 and participated in the EAP Cricket Trophy in Brisbane, 27th June to 2nd July 2006. This tournament was part of the preliminary qualifications for the 2011 Cricket World Cup, so things are picking up rapidly for Japanese cricket on an international level. The women's game too has a healthy number of incredibly dedicated players and they feature strongly in their part of the cricketing world.
The Scene and Season
Although it is still a sport in its infancy here in Japan, in the last decade or so cricket, itself, has really progressed, and now there are a number of leagues and competitions being played; there are teams from Hokkaido down to Kyushu! Some of these competitions have been established for Japanese university-based teams (both men's and women's) and others are organized on an open basis.
The cricket season here in Japan is (usually) between March and October, generally encompassing the summer months. It is not, however, unknown for games to be played in the winter; indeed, one Australia Day match has already made its way into Shark legend! Rather more seriously, a charity eight-a-side tournament was played on the banks of the Edogawa in December 2005 and raised the equivalent of $40,000 dollars for the earthquake victims in Pakistan. This event was recognized by the ICC, as you can read here on the site of the Kanto Cricket Association.
The Competitions
Our team, Ichihara Sharks, plays in the following competitions:
The JCA One-Day Competition (J1C)
This is an important part of the JCA's plans for a fully coordinated national system of leagues which will eventually encompass all levels throughout Japan from grass-roots recruitment (including children and youths) through to the national squad.
The JCA has access to two cricket-dedicated grounds (with artificial turf pitches) in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture, which provides Mt Fuji as an awesome and unique backdrop for the game. The Sharks organize transportation from Chiba and Tokyo by car, minibus or train to get out there, and while it is a bit of a hike, it's always a good day out. Whilst the facilities are minimal in comparison to the norms in most long-established cricket-playing countries, the playing surfaces are good and far superior to the Flicx surfaces used elsewhere.
The KCL
The Kanto Cricket League dissolved in 2006 and in early 2007 a new version of the competion was established which uses the same name but is constitutionally and in many other respects completely different from the original KCL. This league differentiates itself from the JCA by allowing anyone with a love of the game to play. By distinction, one must have a valid visa to participate in the JCA. The Ichihara Cricket Club supports the KCL in its endevours to take the game to all and sundry and in doing so, makes no presumption upon anyone who choses to play in that competition.
We at the Sharks play for the love of the game: We strive to present our members with as much cricket, in as friendly and competitive environments, as possible.
A Veritable "U.N." of Cricket
Whilst these and other cricket competitions in Japan feature a majority of foreign resident-based teams, the JCA's competitions in particular feature an increasing number of teams who are comprised predominantly of Japanese players. Japanese players are also beginning to appear in greater proportions in ex-pat teams and, just to complete the symmetry, non-Japanese players feature as stalwarts in some of the predominantly Japanese teams. In fact, Japanese teams are more than competitive and regulary finish in the tops of the rankings. The Sharks actively recruit Japanese players, who enjoy the game tremendously and present a fantastic opportunity for langauge exchange to boot!
On the whole, cricketers here in Japan represent a pretty wide spectrum of countries, and depending on the team, on a given day you could find yourself playing against/with (in no particular order) Japanese, Indians, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, British and a number of not insignificant others: Makes playing cricket here a pretty cool experience.
We hope that the above account gives you a good idea of the cricket scene here in Japan. It is still young, but full of people (including many Japanese) very keen on the sport - in fact the playing population could easily extend into the thousands.
Still scratching your head?
For more information about cricket in Japan, please see the web sites mentioned above, or ask us at: info@ichiharasharks.com
Original text by David L.
Refreshed by Ian A. (2006.07.03)
Refreshed by Markus A. (2008.04.22)