Musuta Kusaka's Everyday Journey with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Japan

(I wrote this report in 2022)

It’s interesting even if you don’t look for it.

Not just in sports, but any time you experience something for the first time, I think it will affect your interest
in it later on. You feel a connection to it, or an encounter.
This is especially true for children.

For me, who doesn’t have any particular disabilities, I have to use my imagination to understand the appeal of parasports and sports for people with disabilities . It requires a bit of thinking. That’s the appeal, but for some people it can be a hurdle.

However, the top league for blind football , LIGA.i , was completely different.

Watching the matches was thrilling, with brutal physical combat. Participants also took part in hands-on classes where they could see for themselves just how superhuman the plays really are. Through these experiences, participants could intuitively and enjoyably experience the excitement of the sport, the incredible abilities of the athletes, and the “invisible world” that they were unaware of. As a result, the sport began to look even more interesting.

Seeing, doing, expanding the world. “LIGA.i” had a mechanism to create such a synergistic effect.
I actually went to the venue and found it incredibly interesting, so I would like to write it down here.

It was way beyond our imagination! The excitement of the top blind football league “LIGA.i”

Did you know that there is a top league for blind soccer in Japan? I didn’t know that. It’s called LIGA.i. It’s a league that decides the best blind soccer club team in Japan.

Apparently LIGA.i was launched this year, but I’ve been curious about it ever since I saw it on some online news.
“A top league for blind soccer? Will people come?”
“Are there really that many teams? Are there players?” I felt like it was a kind of enthusiastic street content, and I was very interested.

Even after the London 2012 Paralympics, which is said to be a great success, I haven’t heard that parasports have become very popular since then (although maybe I just haven’t studied it). What path will parasports in Japan take after the 2020 Paralympics? I was curious about it. So on Friday, September 23rd, I went to watch the third round of the LIGA.i Blind Soccer Top League 2022. The venue was the Fukushi Enterprise Sumida Field in Sumida Ward, Tokyo.

From the moment I entered the venue, I felt ashamed of my lack of knowledge. There were so many people! How is this street content?

I had noticed a lot of people walking in the same direction from the nearest station, but I didn’t realize they were all there to see this. I thought it was a festival or something, but they were actually just people going to this venue. I totally underestimated them.

The reserved seating area was almost full. Considering that it was raining that day, it was a bit threatening. I was

not the only one paying attention. I was extremely arrogant. I was made to face the reality.

Of course, the tickets were SOLD OUT. The best seats were filling up quickly. I’m so glad I reserved my tickets. That was close.

The venue is beautiful. The grass is also beautiful. It’s an impeccable environment for enjoying sports culture. Good vibes!

There are a lot of staff. It’s a big venue. It’s well-run and the system is very reassuring. I had a problem at the ticket gate where my ticket QR code wasn’t displayed, but
the staff were kind and flexible and I was able to get to the game on time without any problems.

The last time I watched a live soccer match was when I went to the final match of the first J-League season when I was in junior high school. My adrenaline was already pumping. I was filled with an extraordinary sense of excitement.

Bang! Guff! The vivid sound of the collision is unique to silent soccer. The first champion of the league is Saitama T.Wings.

This was the schedule for the day. Four teams were participating, so two matches were scheduled: the first championship match and the second place match.

Before the games and between games, there was a performance by the all-star cheerleading team “Team JCDA” from the Japan Cheerleading Association. The all-star team is amazing. They are really good at getting the crowd going. They don’t hesitate to get the older guys going. I couldn’t help but get the crowd going too. I cheered along with the choreography.

1st Match Saitama T.Wings vs Buen Cambio Yokohama

Saitama T.Wings is a strong team that includes the Brazilian soccer world’s dantasista, Kikushima Sora. On the other hand, Buen Cambio Yokohama has yet to score a goal in this league. Contrary to amateur expectations that this was a one-way game, it was a back-and-forth battle.

What I felt again was the incredible movement of the players. It was more than incredible, it was just mysterious. “Can’t you really see it?” I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I could still somehow understand how they could accurately go to where the ball was, where their teammates and opposing players were.

But. What’s unbelievable is that the players run to the spot where the ball will roll and where the opposing players will run. In a straight line, without wavering, and in the shortest distance.
How???
It’s something that would be difficult even if you could see, but they manage to do it without sight. It’s just mouth-opening. This alone makes it impossible to take your eyes off the game. Although you ‘ll find yourself constantly saying things like “Ahhh” and “Wha-aat?”

After the game, Kikushima answered the following in a media interview:
“I feel the ball hit my foot, where it hits. I run while imagining where the ball is going. “
I understand what he’s saying, but I can’t imagine how he does it.It’s an illusion.

Saitama T.Wings has players who are not visually impaired, in other words, players who can “see”.
Whether they are blind or sighted, they are in the same situation if they cover their eyes. They can play together.
That is also one of the great attractions of blind football.

The result of the match was Saitama T.Wings​ 2-0 buen cambio yokohama, Saitama T.Wings​ won. At this point, Saitama T.Wings​ was decided as the first champion.

2nd match Free Bird Mejirodai vs Papercial Shinagawa

The second match followed. This was also the second place deciding match. Both teams, Free Bird Mejirodai and Papercial Shinagawa , were strong teams with good results in the Japan Championships. This match was a physical battle.

Players collide with opposing players. Teammates collide with each other. The ball also hits them in the face.
In other words, there are a lot of collisions on the pitch.
(The opponent’s head often hits the player in the face.)

I think the intense offense and defense between players is a big attraction of blind football. Plays that would be considered illegal in a soccer match are acceptable in blind football. In this respect, there are similarities with martial arts.

Needless to say, blind football is a sport that relies on sound to be played. It is considered good manners to spectate in silence during a match so as not to disturb the bells attached to the ball, instructions from the caller or goalkeeper, or the players’ shouts of “VOY!”

But this silence also helps to heighten the excitement of the spectators. That’s because you can clearly hear the sounds of the players colliding with each other:
“Go!”
“Crack!”
“Grrr…”

Yes. It’s the sound of a collision, or perhaps the sound of flesh hitting flesh. It’s like the sound of bones hitting bones in a sumo match. It can be heard all the way to the stands, quite far away. Of course, it gets your blood pumping, instinctively.

After the match, a player from Papercial Shinagawa answered the media in an interview: “After the match, I sometimes notice that the opponent’s toes are in my calf.” What’s with the toes in my calf! Another player had ice on his face.
“The opponent’s head is in my nose…”
It’s boxing now.

(It was also impressive to see the players apologise to each other. Or rather, I was surprised at how smoothly they were able to go to the person they were apologising to.)

Sprint as fast as you can with your eyes covered. Even if I were told that, I don’t have the confidence to do it. But in blind football, there are opposing players ahead, goal posts, and side panels. And of course the ball is coming. The players are fully aware of this, so they make a mad dash.

No matter how much you train your physical body, it’s not easy to achieve this. In a sense, blind football is also a mind sport. It’s a competition of courage.

The match went into a penalty shootout with both free bird mejirodai and paper recital shinagawa scoreless.
As a result, free bird mejirodai 2-0 paper recital shinagawa (PK) free bird mejirodai won the runner-up.

Award ceremony. Saitama T.Wings becomes the first champion.

After the third round, the LIGA.i Blind Football Top League 2022 results were as follows:
Winner: Saitama T.Wings,
2nd place: free bird mejirodai,
3rd place: Papercial Shinagawa,
4th place: buen cambio yokohama .

The first champions were Saitama T.Wings.

Kikushima Sora won the top scorer and best player awards.
Another appealing aspect of blind football is that it is a mixed-gender match. For some reason, the scenes where female players easily pass male players or powerfully knock them away are thrilling.
“Go! Blast them away!”
Although we didn’t shout out in cheers, I think many of the spectators were excited in their hearts. Am I the only one who thinks this way?

The Brasaka experience and hospitality make watching the game twice as fun. No wonder there are so many children here

In addition to the appeal of blind football, the “LIGA.i” event itself had many attractions, namely the experience and hospitality.

As soon as you enter the venue, you will see information about the blind football trial session. It is located just before the entrance where you show your ticket.

And at their feet was a ball with bells inside, the kind used in blind soccer. As I was taking photos, a staff member said,
“Try kicking it. You don’t get a chance like this very often.”

I actually got to kick it. It was hard. Hard. Hard. It felt more hardcore than I imagined. It reminded me of a blunt weapon (it’s light though).

Is this going to fly…? Blindfolded… Seriously… Scary…

There are no restaurants near the venue. Perhaps out of consideration for that, there were three food trucks at the venue. On this day, there were Hawaiian dishes such as loco moco, Vietnamese sandwich banh mi, and kebab shops. I had a kebab from the shop on the right. “Appetizer kebab.” It had no carbohydrates. I enjoyed it in the audience seats.

You can also borrow a radio for free. During the game, the voice of the commentator can be a distraction. So, the radio. If you can hear information about the team and the players, it will definitely enrich your viewing experience.
It was cute and endearing to see the commentator make a few mistakes. It’s important to be open-minded and not get upset.

There were also many kids at the venue. There were a lot of visitors. I would say that about 10% of the visitors were children. They came with their parents to watch and experience blind soccer. It was impressive to see that not only children with white canes but also “sighted” children came to the event with enthusiasm.

That’s because, in between games, a blind soccer experience class for children is held. It seems that all the reservations were filled. That’s how popular it is. Whether blind or sighted, there is no handicap if you cover your eyes. The children were screaming as they passed the ball around. I’m sure this experience will leave something strong on these children.

The synergistic effect of “watching” and “doing.” Beyond that lies “learning about an unknown world.”

While witnessing the historic moment when the first champions were decided, I had a thought.

Watching blind football always piques your curiosity, making you wonder,
“How do they do it (even though they can’t see)?” 

What’s more, experiences that satisfy that curiosity are available right there. If you try it, watching the game is sure to become several times more interesting. There was a definite synergistic effect between watching (watching) and experiencing (doing). And for children, it also becomes an opportunity to learn about the unknown world of “not being able to see.” I think this will be an experience that goes beyond the framework of watching sports, and raises the level of cognition and thinking a little.

“In blind football, there is no common language. If you don’t put yourself in the other person’s shoes and call out to each other, it won’t work on the pitch,” said Captain Kato of Saitama T.Wings. This is something you can experience with your mind, body and brain. And all while having fun and feeling excited. That was the LIGA.i match venue. There’s no reason not to go with your children. I can confidently say that it’s a leisure activity that makes you think that way.

Another thing that was impressive was the cheerfulness of the management staff, or rather, they just looked like they were having fun. They were in a good mood. Nowadays, adults in a good mood are an endangered species.

It was a scene of adults doing DIY, with happy faces, doing something they love. Even if it’s a sport that’s still in its infancy. Or perhaps it was because of this that there was something precious about having something you love.
I felt that this attitude was also the kind of adult you want to show your children.

Apparently, there will be a Japan Championship in December 2022. 20th AXA Brave Cup Blind Football Japan Championship Preliminary Round . While LIGA.i was held for the first time, this is the 20th. It has a long history.
(It seems that from now on, blind football in Japan will be operated under a double system of LIGA.i and the Japan Championship.)

I definitely wanted to go there too. But Narita? It’s a bit far away… Maybe I’ll wait until Machida in February 2023.

That’s it. Thank you for reading to the end.