HIGASHI-OSAKA, Osaka -- A year ahead of the Tokyo Paralympics, wheelchair sports are flourishing in Higashi-Osaka, Osaka Prefecture.
The Higashi-Osaka Wheelchair Sports Hiroba opened in autumn 2017 as a practice field where people with and without disabilities can play wheelchair softball and a variety of other competitive sports.
Meanwhile, an outdoor stadium for wheelchair sports that can be used at night is scheduled to open next autumn on the grounds of Hanazono Rugby Stadium in the city.
Getting back the feeling
Every Saturday, Higashi-Osaka Wheelchair Sports Hiroba echoes with the sounds of people playing wheelchair softball. They are members of Kansai Unbalance, which uses the field as a home base.
The Unbalance is the Kansai region's first wheelchair softball team. It was formed in 2016, spearheaded by a former high school baseball player whose lower body was paralyzed in a traffic accident and other members who wanted to enjoy the feeling of chasing after a ball again.
At first they practiced at a junior high school gymnasium, meeting about once a month. Wheelchair softball can be played by anyone who can use a sports wheelchair, regardless of disability, age or gender.
Their activities caught the eye of Higashi-Osaka's Strategy Office for Sports-based City Planning, which has been involved in efforts to use sports to promote development of the neighborhood around the rugby stadium.
In October 2017, the office rented about 4,600 square meters of a former paved parking lot to create the plaza.
"We wanted to encourage sports that both disabled and nondisabled people could enjoy," said Takahiro Matsuo, assistant general manager of the office.
Aspiring Paralympian
Three women and five men on the 20-person team have no disabilities. One of them is the team's ace, 23-year-old Mikuri Iwamoto, a graduate student at Ritsumeikan University.
Iwamoto joined the team in April to learn about sports for people with disabilities. "Everyone likes to feel they are helping a team," she said.
There are about 20 wheelchair softball teams around the country, but having a dedicated practice field is apparently rare. "Other teams are jealous of us at tournaments," said Masanao Akai, 44, the team's coach and captain.
The team is steadily getting better. Its achievements include placing second at the national tournament in Saitama Prefecture in September.
The field has places to practice a variety of sports. Its users include Tomohiro Ueyama, 32, an archer who lives in the city and is expected to compete in the Tokyo Paralympics.
However, few residents know the city is putting resources into wheelchair sports. Seiichiro Kakiuchi, 27, was no different. That is, until the Higashi-Osaka native injured his spinal cord in a snowboarding accident in February 2018. He heard about Unbalance while in the hospital and decided to join the team.
"There are a lot of people like me who don't know [about the wheelchair sports field]. I want more people to learn about it," he said.
Hands-on events popular
The city is steadily working to get the word out. On Sept. 14, the general public was allowed to experience wheelchair softball at a local festival planned by the Higashiosaka Tourism Agency. Adults and children, both Higashi-Osaka natives and visitors, played catch at the event.
Meanwhile, the practice facility the city plans to open next year at Hanazono Rugby Stadium will be outfitted for rugby, tennis, basketball and other sports.
"If wheelchairs become easier to use thanks to increased awareness through sports, it will make the world more convenient for a lot of people, including the elderly," said Kyoya Itoga, representative director of the Japan Wheelchair Sports Association, which manages the plaza.
-- Wheelchair Sports Hiroba
The Higashi-Osaka Wheelchair Sports Hiroba is located at 8-25 Wakakusa-cho in Higashi-Osaka, about 1 kilometer from Kintetsu Hyotan-Yama Station.
By car, it is about 30 minutes from Osaka city. It is about 200 meters north of the Rokumanji intersection on National Highway Route 170.
It is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (7 p.m. in summer) on weekends and national holidays. For more information, call the Japan Wheelchair Sports Association at (080) 4764-0707.
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