In Sports Anime and social media, i have seen people playing basketball in Japan. As well as it being said to he the 2nd most popular sport. However over 3 years in Japan, and i’ve been searching for an outdoor basketball court with no hope. I live next to a huge park with an area for 2 baseball pitches, loads of paths, wide areas for picnics etc. and not a single hoop.
The worst is when i do find a hoop its the most scuffed thing ever. Like a metal spring shape with the tiniest backboard and sand floor.
Does anyone else have this problem? ive been told in the past the courts used to attracts degenerates or something but i hardly doubt thats still the case.
17 comments
I don’t recall ever seeing an outdoor basketball court in this area. You might have better luck looking for an indoor court.
Were the sports cartoons set in a magical prince university, by chance?
ya gotta find a basketball club/circle…check the municipal sports complex.
very, very few places in Japan to hoop it up outdoors.
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The only proper outdoor court I’ve seen so far here was in Sannomiya, so if you happen to live close by, you’re in luck.
Otherwise, googling 屋外バスケットコート + your city will give you more info.
The public outdoor courts near my house are always packed. There was like 50 people last time we swung by on Sunday, so I noped out of there. Plenty of outdoor, free courts if you know how to google
Things in anime aren’t real? *shocked*
I haven’t seen any outdoor basketball court here either. Even the big “sports” park near the place I lived before had a tennis court, soccer court, skate park, gym, 1km run loop, and a swimming pool but no basketball court.
Basketball is still the 2nd or 3rd most popular sport in Japan. Many people play it at school/uni. There’re some basketball clubs for adults but they usually play it in a gymnasium. It’s more like an indoor sport here. Street basketball is pretty uncommon.
There are always people playing pickup games at Yoyogi if you are in Tokyo.
Look for athletic parks or complexes? We got a new outdoor court near a big park here that is next to the prefecture-run gym.
Nishi Toyama Park between Takadanobaba and Shin Okubo
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There used to be outdoor courts in Kaihin Makuhari, but they were removed a few years ago and replaced with…. more parking.
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This [previous thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/10sk3m1/finding_freepublic_basketball_courts/) may help you.
I ball every week. Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays and Fridays. Indoor at sport centers in Yokohama.
There’s a nice park near shin Yokohama with 4 full courts.
There’s also 2 courts at a park in Shibuya.
Several of the large parks in my city have them, but I think the weather really limits the numbers. When 6 months out of the year it’s either crippling heat or near freezing conditions, indoor sports would be more popular since the space could be used year round
I know this sub is pretty Tokyo-centric, but we have outdoor courts here and there in Okinawa. Araha Beach has some that are pretty popular and recently renovated – https://goo.gl/maps/VS5PS48mSWDWfxdZ8.
I used to think the same thing until I stumbled upon them around the town. For context I live in the inaka. On happenstance I found one, which then lead me to finding another just down the road. 2 years later I know now of 7 hoops. They are in the corners of neighborhoods, like by train track/ overpasses. Two are located out by the ports.