“Saori Miyazaki” and “Ako Himawari” have also been confirmed to appear!
Pick Up Playground (Representative Director: Akiba Naoyuki), a general incorporated association that works to promote basketball in Japan from parks and streets, will be holding “PICK UP PLAYGROUND SUMMER CAMP HOKURIKU 2024 supported by Beaver” for children and young people in the Hokuriku region on Saturday, August 17th and Sunday, August 18th in Uchinada Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, as part of its support for the recovery efforts following the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
This event was created when the FIBA Basketball World Cup was held in Okinawa last year, and was held with the aim of conveying the various charms of basketball to children by gathering together “basketball heroes” from across genres, including top players from the B.League and W.League, professional players from Okinawa, and basketball icons active on the street and on social media. This year, the second year of the event, the stage was moved to the basketball court in Uchinada Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was renovated in June with independent funds without tax as a symbol of support for the Noto Peninsula earthquake reconstruction, creating an opportunity for children and young people to experience various types of basketball during the summer vacation. For children and young people who have found it difficult to play basketball due to the earthquake, we will convey a powerful message that if they continue playing basketball, they will definitely meet again someday. In addition, we hope that this court will not only become a symbol of reconstruction in the local area, but that by widely publicizing the existence of the court through the event, more people from outside the prefecture will visit the court, which will lead to medium- to long-term reconstruction support.
This year’s “PICK UP PLAYGROUND SUMMER CAMP” will once again bring together “basketball heroes” from various genres, but the highlight of the event will be the appearance (August 17th) of women’s basketball players Saori Miyazaki (ENEOS Sunflowers) and Himawari Ako (DENSO Iris), whose recent struggles in Paris are still fresh in our memory. Himawari Ako will be making a triumphant return to her hometown following the basketball court donation ceremony held in June, and together with her national teammate Saori Miyazaki, she will convey the charm of basketball to children in the Hokuriku region. Other notable members who will be participating include Chris Sasaki, who is well known as a commentator and analyst for the NBA and B League, Tomoya Ochiai of the 3X3 Japan national team, and Mao Okada, a former W Leaguer, making this a two-day event where various types of basketball will gather in the Hokuriku region. Participation is free, and participants will receive an original basketball tank as a gift. As sports fever grows after the fierce battles in Paris, keep an eye out for “PICK UP PLAYGROUND SUMMER CAMP HOKURIKU 2024 supported by Beaver,” which is being held as part of support for the recovery efforts following the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
For details on “PICK UP PLAYGROUND SUMMER CAMP HOKURIKU 2024 supported by Beaver” and to apply, please click here
SpaceBall Mag BASKETBALL SPECIAL CAMP/Dunk Contest by BBall Truck
8/17 SAT 12:00-13:30 @UCHINADA PARK PLAYGROUND
Number of participants: 30 / Guest: BANG LEE
English Basketball
8/17 SAT 13:00-14:30 @Uchinada Town Gymnasium
Number of participants: 30 / Guest: Chris Sasaki
A special clinic will be held for “Eigo de Basketball”, a basketball school produced by NBA commentator Chris Sasaki. Chris Sasaki, who played for the Chiba Jets and Tokyo Sunreves during the bj League era, has covered many NBA Finals and star players as a commentator since retiring. He is also active as an official analyst for B.LEAGUE. This clinic is open to those who are not familiar with English or have difficulty with it! Through the clinic, where children speak English in conjunction with basketball movements, why not experience being better at both basketball and English than before you came, and having more fun than before you came?
Freestyle Basketball Special Camp
8/17 SAT 14:00-15:30 @UCHINADA PARK PLAYGROUND
Number of participants: 30 / Guest: BUG!?
3×3 Special Camp
8/17 SAT 15:00-16:30 @Uchinada Town Gymnasium
Number of participants: 30 / Guest: Tomoya Ochiai
BASKETBALL SPECIAL CAMP
8/17 SAT 16:00-17:30 @UCHINADA PARK PLAYGROUND
Number of participants: 30 / Guests: Saori Miyazaki and Himawari Ako
D’eep Inside
8/18 SUN 12:00-13:30 @UCHINADA PARK PLAYGROUND
Number of participants: 30 / Guest: Daisuke Fukuda
SAKURA CAMP
8/18 SUN 12:00-13:30 @G.O.A.T Park
Number of participants: 30 elementary school girls / Guest: Mao Okada
PICK UP PLAYGROUND
8/18 SUN 14:00-15:30 @UCHINADA PARK PLAYGROUND
Number of participants: 30 people/ゲスト：BUG!?, Daisuke Fukuda, TORU
SAKURA CAMP
8/18 SUN 14:00-15:30 @G.O.A.T Park
Number of participants: 30 junior high school girls / Guest: Mao Okada
SOMECITY SPECIAL EXHIBITION GAME
8/18 SUN 16:00-17:30 @UCHINADA PARK PLAYGROUND
Number of participants: No application required, free viewing / Guests: TORU / SOMECITY CREW
For details on “PICK UP PLAYGROUND SUMMER CAMP HOKURIKU 2024 supported by Beaver” and to apply, please click here
「HOKURIKU PLAYGROUND Renovation Project」
This project is part of the “47 Prefecture Playground Project,” which is a partnership between the Pickup Playground Association and Hasegawa Sports Facilities Co., Ltd., a major general construction company for sports facilities, to increase the number of outdoor basketball courts in parks across the country, and the court in Uchinada Town is the first court in this commemorative project. A crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for part of the renovation costs raised a total of 7,005,000 yen from 343 supporters, attracting great interest in the use of basketball to support reconstruction efforts. The court’s design is based on the design motif of the stone paving and red latticework characteristic of Ishikawa Prefecture’s townhouses, with the blue of the Sea of Japan, gold leaf gold, and orange reminiscent of the iris gate and basketball as the main colors. The aim is not only to encourage local children and young people through basketball, but also to increase the number of visitors by transforming the court into a unique tourist resource, which will lead to medium- to long-term reconstruction support for the Hokuriku area.
About Pickup Playground General Incorporated Association
One of our activities is a signature event called “PICK UP PLAYGROUND”, which is held for the future of basketball courts in parks and courts increasing throughout Japan. In other countries, a game played by a diverse group of players who gather in a park and form impromptu teams is called a pickup game, but we named it “PICK UP PLAYGROUND” to include the act of picking up trash around the court.
All players who gather at the event, regardless of age or gender, play pickup games together, and after the game is over, all participants pick up trash. Through these events, people get to know each other better, and conversations are sparked during everyday use, which in turn fosters a community. The community gives the court autonomy, and the rules for using the court are created by the morals of the users. This is the future we envision. In two years, this activity has spread to 80 locations nationwide.
As part of our activities, we also renovated the basketball court in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, in October 2022. This court, widely known both domestically and internationally as a “holy ground” for Japanese street basketball, was facing the issue of deterioration. This project was carried out without using any tax money, and was carried out independently together with past users, players, and all those who love basketball. We received a lot of support and, with everyone’s help, we were able to successfully revitalize this “holy ground.”
In 2024, our third term, we have partnered with Hasegawa Sports Facilities Co., Ltd., a major general construction company for sports facilities, to launch the “47 Prefectures Playground Project” to increase the number of outdoor basketball courts in parks across the country. The first court will be in Uchinada Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was renovated as part of the Noto Peninsula earthquake reconstruction support, and we are now looking for local governments that want to create pick-up playground courts. By providing advice on court construction, court design, and supporting community building after completion, we envision a future in which playgrounds are self-governed and operated by the community, and basketball culture takes root throughout Japan.
Official website:https://pickupplayground.jp/
YouTube：https://youtu.be/qkS5U-H7lWw?si=gxxL6HhIkk6cDtqu
[Inquiries regarding this matter]
PICK UP PLAYGROUND PR Office: Nishikawa / Ericson / Darling
TEL：03-5778-8755 / 090-1431-4912 MAIL：pr@boomer.co.jp
For official materials, please see the following URL:
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