Field hockey Kyotamba-cho

Have a great experience of field hokey in kyotamba-cho

Kyotamba-cho is a town located in the central part of Kyoto prefecture and was founded in 2005, when Tamba-cho, Mizuho cho, and Wachi-cho were merged together.

At the 43rd National Athletic meeting held in Kyoto in 1988, two of the three towns were venues for the Field hockey competition. After this event, the towns people fell in love with hockey. The modern game of hockey was created in the UK, with two teams competing against eachother, fielding 11 players respectively. Players use a hockey stick to hit the ball. A goal is scored when a player hits the ball into the opponents goal. This game became popular because of its fast paced gameplay. Kyotamba-cho has been working on increasing the player base for many years. Once a year Kyotamba-cho holds an event called 'sweets hockey' where everyone is invited to partake in hockey and to eat locally made sweets. In March 2019, a small hockey field was created at one of our local roadside stations in order to promote hockey. We also invite domestic and foregin teams to our town to run clinics and interact with our hockey players.

Sweets hockey annual event

In 2018 Kyotamba-cho started a new annual event called 'sweets hockey'. The aim of this event is to encourage people regardless of age, gender or experience to come play hockey. We want everyone to have fun and enjoy hockey. All who participate in the festival are given locally made sweets.

Roadside station Mini hockey field.

In March 2019, a Mini hockey field 1/13th scale was established in the Mizuhos roadside station, Mizuho no Sato Sarabiki. This field was created so that anyone can experience hockey on a smaller scale. No appointment is necessary to use the field. Sticks and balls can be rented at no cost from the roadside station.

Building up the next generation of hockey players.

Kyotamba-cho has 4 elementary school teams, 4 Junior high school teams and 2 High school teams, which participate every year in the West Japan Games and All Japan championship. Previously we have had the honour of having Hiroki Watanabe, U21 Japan Hockey coach, coach in our town. In 2018 we hired a foreign hockey coach, Brandon J Harrison from New Zealand as a SEA (sports exchange advisor) through the JET Programme (Japanese exchange teaching programme) to help teach hockey.

Kyotamba's faciltities that help us reach our goal as a 'hockey town'

Kyotamba's aim of being a 'hockey town' is upheld with our improvements to physical education with help from the Kyoto Training Center. Kyotamba established itself as a 'hockey town' after creating a hockey turf, which has undergone many upgrades in recent years. Our turf boasts a large video tower, allowing teams to video their games with view of the whole turf. A new set of giant lights were built to allow games and practices to be played at night. A set of moveable team dugouts were added to be used for 6 a side and 11 a side tournaments. A new storage facility was fitted to keep our extensive hockey equipment safe and secure. The field hosts a number of tournaments and training camps throughout the year.

Experiencing Kyotamba-cho

Delicious meals and local souvenirs

There are 4 roadside stations spread across Kyotamba-cho, where one can enjoy meals made from locally sourced produce. If you are after Mizuho Juwari Soba, or Kyotambas famous black soy bean and chesnut Yokan, then you can visit Mizuho no Sato Sarabiki. Here you can also enjoy the mini hockey field.

Tamba Markeds is in the heart of Kyotamba, inside you will find an assortment of small restaurants and a supermarket.

Nagomi , which is located at the entrance to Wachi-cho has locally sourced fresh vegetables on sale every day, as well as an abundance of sweets perfect for omiyage(souvenirs). Nagomi is also home to the Ayu garden. The garden is open during the summer and sells Ayu (sweet fish) which are freshly caught every day and then cooked to order while you enjoy the outdoor bbq.

Ajimu no sato, is located near the Kyoto Jukan Expressway and has a lot of information on local sightseeing areas. They also sell our towns mascot Ajimu-Kun. As of 2020 a new hotel was established next to the roadside station for people to stay the night and enjoy our town to the fullest.

Outdoor activities

The Yura river runs though the center of Wachi-cho. Anyone can come experience canoeing regardless of their skill level or experience. The canoe club house is located next to the river, near Nagomi roadside station and can serve group sizes up to 15 people. If mountain scenary is what you are after, then you can rent a bicycle and ride through the quaint countryside and breathe in the mountain air.