The power of Japan's bukatsu

The power of Japan's bukatsu. July. 06, 2024 07:38. .
The Japanese under-20 American football team defeated the U.S. You read that correctly: Japan beat the U.S. in American football by double the score. On June 26, Japan defeated the U.S. 41-20 in the semifinals of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Junior Championship held in Canada. This was the first time a Japanese national American football team, across all age groups, had defeated the U.S.

For Japanese "baseball boys," Koshien, the National High School Baseball Championship, is the stage of their dreams. Similarly, for "football boys," there is the "Christmas Bowl." This game, the final of the Japanese National High School American Football Championship, is held around Christmas time, which is how it got its name. The manga "Eyeshield 21," which tells the story of a protagonist who aims to participate in this tournament through club activities (bukatsu), is also popular in Japan. There are 105 high schools in Japan with American football teams, comparable to the 106 high schools in Korea with baseball teams.

If you look at the number of teams registered in each sport with the Japan High School Athletic Federation, you will see results that are hard to imagine in Korea. As of November last year, there were 4,194 boys' high school basketball teams and 3,617 girls' teams in Japan. In Korea, there are 30 boys' teams and 19 girls' teams. Additionally, there are 2,756 boys' high school volleyball teams and 3,689 girls' teams in Japan. South Korea has only 23 boys' teams and 17 girls' teams. Therefore, it might not be surprising that there is a significant skill gap between Korea and Japan in these two sports. The number of boys' high school soccer teams in Japan (3,844) is nearly 40 times higher than in Korea (100). The last time Korea was ahead of Japan in the FIFA rankings was in June 2018.

The main reason why there are so many sports clubs in Japan is that students who dream of becoming professional athletes and those who want to play sports as a hobby can sweat it out together through bukatsu. In other words, even students who aspire to be professional athletes must study. In contrast, joining a sports club in Korea means going "all-in" on sports. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find parents willing to send their children to sports clubs.

There are people in South Korea who are trying to seek change through club teams. However, so-called "elite" athletes often look down on these efforts with cynicism. When the high school baseball club team Bundang BC announced its intention to withdraw from the weekend league due to player recruitment issues, a sports media outlet even published a column titled "Don't create club teams carelessly."

On the contrary, there should be an abundance of club teams, fostering an inclusive sports culture. This would create an atmosphere where students who don't participate in sports are in the minority, just like in Japan. This way, our children can live healthier lives. There is no reason why everyone who falls in love with a sport in their childhood needs to aim to become a professional athlete or an Olympic gold medalist. Still, some will dream of defeating the U.S. in American football and will work hard to achieve that dream. That is the power of sports. Let's give our children the freedom to sweat, instilling hope and optimism for a more inclusive sports culture.