Golden Week in Japan is the Rising Sun’s longest holiday period of the calendar. Consisting of five national holiday days, the Showa, Constitution, Greenery and Children’s Days (plus a substitute holiday for good measure), the first week of May is considered to be one of rest, reflection and celebration for one of the world’s most hardest working nations.
There is always something to do in Tokyo, regardless of the season. About a month or so ago, the best baseball player of all-time Shohei Ohtani made his Japanese homecoming for the World Baseball Classic. Last week, K-Pop supergroup BTS were in town to knock it out of the park in the same Tokyo Dome. Living in the city is a wonder. Sometimes you have to choose between a big concert or a major sporting event in the same night. Or maybe your pockets coming up with lint makes your decision for you. A far cry for someone who is just a small-town boy.
Sandwiching a concert in-between a three-day weekend of street hoops, BasketballBuzz was in town, a weekend after taking in the FIBA 3×3 action at the yearly Utsunomiya Opener a prefecture over. May just may be, the month for hoops in Japan, all whilst Shibuya and neighbouring Yokohama are forging a force of celebrations, and creative costumes, to the Star Wars May the 4th celebrations, bringing a whole world of cult classics together.
Putting a Spring in this season’s step, the ALLDAY event, spanning from Saturday to Monday, played host to men and women’s (take notes, Utsunomiya Opener) tournaments, literally all day from 10am to 6pm. A shift of incredible competitive basketball and enthusiastic crowd participation, all the way to its epic end that didn’t need Tuesday’s rain day. Not when the water wet jumpers were finally sinking off the multicoloured Jordan brand backboards.
Supported by Tokyo 23 and played out on the creative courts of Harajuku’s hallowed Yoyogi Park, close to the mesmerizing Meji Jingu shrine, an Olympic stadium from Tokyo’s 1964 Olympics and a couple of cat cafes, everyone was all in for the ALLDAY event. From the players on the colourful concrete, to the future of the game playing courtside. As some kids, inspired by the NBA likes of Rui Hachimura and Yuki Kawamura, were seen balling on a nearby hoop, their own court, with all energy, and no brakes or breaks.
A mobile hoop that was then raised to its highest position, let’s say a couple of Wemby’s, as a line of people tried to make a trick shot for a pair of Jordan’s. Aim for the trees, guys. Aim for the trees.
Did I try? I’m a basketball writer, not a player. What do you think?
As for the action on the court, marking the 50th tourney in 20 years of this programme’s operation, it didn’t disappoint. MC MAMUSHI was working the crowd as only this local legend can, as a new all-welcome open format greeted an event postponed from October in order to regroup. We saw a landmark 50th men’s champion, and the fourth women’s team to be crowned, after three terrific days of dominance.
LiiiiNY beat XD 27-14 in Monday’s women’s final, thanks to strong play from Yumi Takakuwa and Tokyo Haneda Vickies player Manami Okada. But in the baby blue, it was fellow Vickies player Esther Chikamso who took home the MVP trophy thanks to her paint play.
In Sendai, a place famous for beef tongue, the Sendai Daikannon Buddhist statue stands 100-meters-tall, overlooking the town and garnering comparisons in the clouds to a big boss in a video game. Well, the Street Hoops Union of Sendai was just as dominant in the men’s game, winning the three-days behind MVP Takatoshi Fujimura who stopped his opponents tongues from wagging.
This shining start to Japan’s Golden Week won’t even be eclipsed by the hot and humid summer to come.
Jordan Brand’s ‘Our Turn’ campaign in Japan is not waiting for permission to start. Even in baseball’s backyard, nothing hits quite like hoops.
