As a foreigner, it may seem intimidating to get into tennis in Japan, but by following these simple steps, you’ll be on a court in no time!
If you’re a tennis enthusiast like myself, chances are you’ll start craving a hit if you’re away from the court for too long. This is especially true if you are living abroad in a foreign country where you’ve yet to master the language.
For me, the goal was to play tennis in Japan. I made the effort to bring my racquet with me when I moved here from Australia, and it served as a physical reminder to not lose sight of my dream.
Despite studying Japanese for a year (casually), my fluency is still nowhere near enough to hold a conversation with the locals. Thus, I’ve put together this guide to help non-Japanese-speaking foreigners get involved in the Japanese tennis scene!
Step 1: Find A Friend!
Tennis is a two-man game, so wherever you are around the world, you’re going to need a partner.
Meeting local tennis players in Japan can be hard, especially when everyone is already part of their own tennis club or social group.
To overcome this, jump on the internet and join some online communities for your local area in Japan.
I suggest joining a “foreigners in Japan” type group to increase your chances of meeting like-minded people.
In my case, I joined a Facebook group designed for foreigners in Osaka, and from there I did a page search (CTRL + F) for the word “tennis.”
Fortunately, this led me to one of the member’s posts – a fellow tennis enthusiast looking for tennis partners in Osaka!
From there, we began messaging each other in our beloved English language and organized a time for us to meet!
Step 2: Visit Your Nearest Tennis Court
The next thing you want to do is search for the nearest tennis court in your area and pay them a visit in person. This step is crucial for a number of reasons.
Firstly, Japanese tennis courts are quite saturated with formal tennis schools, official training groups, and long-time members.
As such, their online reservation systems are typically reserved for these “high-priority” groups, and you will need to go through a long administrative process that could take weeks just to get into one of these groups.
The best workaround is to simply show up in person and let them know you want to hire a court.
Use the buzzword “court rental” and the staff will know what you mean!
My new tennis friend and I visited the ITC Utsubo Tennis Center in Osaka and made our inquiry.
Step 3: Book On The Spot!
Luckily for us, the staff were able to speak a degree of English which worked well with my limited Japanese.
They showed us the schedule for the week and presented a few options for court hire that we could take.
Options included casual court hire, private training, and group training.
Being the curious foreigners that we are, we decided to try all three options!
Overall, you can expect to pay higher rates if you go to a high-profile tennis court like the ITC.
In terms of the options, private training was the most expensive, followed by group training, and then casual court hire which was the cheapest.
The great thing about the group training sessions is you get the opportunity to meet new people and don’t have to bring your own tennis balls.
Once you’ve booked, you pay on the spot and are handed a slip with all your booking information including date, time, and court number.
To help ease the court booking process, check out this article on useful Japanese phrases for a smoother experience.
Other Alternatives
If you’d rather not visit the tennis court in person without a booking, there are a few alternative methods you can try.
I found the app Tennis Bear to be quite popular in Japan, giving you access to just about any court across all of Japan’s 43 prefectures.
Unlike other reservation systems, you don’t need to be a member or go through a long administrative process to book with Tennis Bear.
Another alternative is to befriend a Japanese tennis player who is already a member of a tennis club, and he/she can sort out the booking for you.
So there you have it. If you’re a foreigner looking to play some tennis in Japan, follow these simple steps and you’ll be swinging on the scene like a samurai warrior!
Of course, if you are planning to visit Japan, you’ll need a way to get around the country as efficiently and affordably as possible. Japan Rail provides an abundance of travel passes to suit your travel needs. So whether you are traveling individually or as a group, the JR Pass is every traveler’s go-to for getting around and making the most of your time in Japan!