The Rugby World Cup in Japan is using stadiums where the playing fields are also having a starring role, reflecting the passion of the professionals who grow and manage the surfaces. The well-groomed grass or hybrid turf are supporting the international, 20-team tournament from the ground up.
The City of Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, uses the "grass of reconstruction" grown by Seiichi Otsubo and others in Yamamotocho, Miyagi Prefecture, which was hit by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. The turfs had its first taste of the RWC during the pool-stage match between Wales and Georgia on Monday.
"Is there anything that I can do for my hometown?" thought Otsubo, 79, after his parents' house was washed away by the tsunami and he saw his hometown totally changed.
Otsubo runs a company in Sendai that manages and constructs athletic facilities, so he came up with the idea to grow grass that is resistant to salt damage and easy to grow.
He convinced those who were hesitant to resume agriculture in lands that were hit by tsunami and established a firm to produce grass in 2013. The firm sowed grass on farmland that had become sandy and dug wells at equally spaced intervals so that it is watered frequently.
At that time, Otsubo encountered a person connected to the City of Toyota Stadium who was searching for "well-drained turf that is resistant to intensive sports." Otsubo's firm repeatedly made improvements and grew turf that is resistant to wind, rain and changes in temperature. It supplied the turf to the stadium this June.
Otsubo also has connections to rugby, having first played the sport at a local high school in Miyagi Prefecture. Even now, he is a member of a local club team.
"I won't be able to fight back my tears," he said about watching teams play on the surface during the RWC. Just imagining the moment made Otsubo feel a surge of emotion.
Hybrid turf from NFL
The playing field at Tokyo Stadium in Chofu, Tokyo, is managed by Shoji Ikeda, 67, a groundskeeper who specializes in taking care of turf. It was on that field that the Japan national team won its opening pool-stage match against Russia on Friday.
Ikeda became involved with turf in 1989 when he was running an event company. He had to suddenly prepare natural turf near the place National Football League players were staying ahead of an exhibition in Japan. At the time, he was instructed by an American lawn professional, who invited him to come to the United States. There, Ikeda studied the techniques and spirit behind making lawns, and served as a groundskeeper at 23 Super Bowls.
Currently, Ikeda runs a company to grow and manage turf. The company deals with turf management at 17 facilities, including Komazawa Olympic Park in Tokyo and the National Training Center (J-Village) in Fukushima Prefecture.
As rugby is an intense sport, Tokyo Stadium introduced hybrid turf, a mixture of natural grass and artificial turf that is resistant to high-intensity use, this August. Since then, Ikeda has tenaciously continued to water the turf and cut it to an even height.
After the opening ceremony Friday and during halftime of Japan's game at the stadium, Ikeda and about 20 staff members checked the condition of the turf.
"I hope players will display their best performances on this stage we have created," he said as he watched the game from close to the playing field he was keeping an eye on.
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