{"id":3569,"date":"2026-05-09T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=3569"},"modified":"2026-09-28T19:47:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T10:47:48","slug":"mimasaka-school-clinic","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/mimasaka-school-clinic\/","title":{"rendered":"\u7f8e\u4f5c\u5927\u5b66\u304c\u4eca\u6cbb\u306e2\u5206\u6821\u306b\u51fa\u5f35\u2014\u2014\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u4f53\u9a13\u4f1a\u304c\u702c\u6238\u5185\u96e2\u5cf6\u6821\u306b\u5230\u9054\u3057\u305f\u610f\u7fa9"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Mimasaka University in Tsuyama, Okayama, in December 2024 visited Ehime Prefecture's<strong>the Hakata branch of Imabari Nishi High School (Hakata Island)<\/strong>and<strong>and the Omishima branch of Imabari Kita High School (Omishima)<\/strong>\u306e2\u6821\u3067\u9023\u7d9a\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u4f53\u9a13\u4f1a\u3092\u5b9f\u65bd\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002\u65e5\u672c\u521d\u306e\u5927\u5b66\u6388\u696d\u5c0e\u5165\u6821\u3067\u3042\u308b\u7f8e\u4f5c\u5927\u5b66\u304c\u300c\u770c\u5883\u3092\u8d8a\u3048\u3001\u96e2\u5cf6\u306e\u9ad8\u6821\u306b\u51fa\u5411\u304f\u300d\u3068\u3044\u3046\u4e8b\u4f8b\u306f\u3001\u65e5\u672c\u306e\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u666e\u53ca\u304c\u307e\u3055\u306b\u5730\u57df\u9593\u9023\u643a\u3078\u9032\u307f\u3064\u3064\u3042\u308b\u3053\u3068\u3092\u793a\u3057\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002\u672c\u7a3f\u306f<strong>\u4f53\u9a13\u4f1a\u306e\u5185\u5bb9\u3001\u8b1b\u5e2b\u306e\u7d4c\u6b74\u3001\u702c\u6238\u5185\u3067\u306e\u51fa\u5f35\u5b9f\u65bd\u306e\u80cc\u666f<\/strong>, to read the roadmap for expanding among Japan's younger population.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"index_001\"><strong>What took place over two days\u2014back-to-back sessions at the Hakata and Omishima branches<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>According to Mimasaka University,<a href=\"https:\/\/mimasaka.jp\/news\/event\/art27930\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Official announcement<\/a>\u306b\u3088\u308c\u3070\u30012024\u5e7412\u670811\u65e5\u306b\u611b\u5a9b\u770c\u7acb\u4eca\u6cbb\u897f\u9ad8\u6821\u4f2f\u65b9\u5206\u6821\u3067\u3001\u7fcc12\u65e5\u306b\u4eca\u6cbb\u5317\u9ad8\u6821\u5927\u4e09\u5cf6\u5206\u6821\u3067\u4f53\u9a13\u4f1a\u3092\u958b\u50ac\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002\u4e21\u5206\u6821\u306f\u305d\u308c\u305e\u308c\u4f2f\u65b9\u5cf6\u30fb\u5927\u4e09\u5cf6\u306b\u7acb\u5730\u3059\u308b\u96e2\u5cf6\u6821\u3067\u3001\u3057\u307e\u306a\u307f\u6d77\u9053\u6cbf\u3044\u306e\u702c\u6238\u5185\u5730\u57df\u306b\u3042\u308a\u307e\u3059\u3002\u5ca1\u5c71\u770c\u5317\u90e8\u304b\u3089\u8b1b\u5e2b\u56e3\u304c\u702c\u6238\u5927\u6a4b\u7d4c\u7531\u3067\u611b\u5a9b\u770c\u306b\u5165\u308a\u3001\u3057\u307e\u306a\u307f\u6d77\u9053\u3092\u6e21\u3063\u3066\u5cf6\u5dbc\u90e8\u306e\u9ad8\u6821\u306b\u5230\u9054\u3059\u308b\u79fb\u52d5\u3092\u5b9f\u65bd\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n<p>The session was run by<strong>lecturer Shinpei Kitani<\/strong>\u304c\u62c5\u5f53\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002\u6728\u8c37\u8b1b\u5e2b\u306f\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u30b3\u30fc\u30c7\u30a3\u30cd\u30fc\u30bf\u30fc\u8cc7\u683c\u4fdd\u6709\u8005\u3067\u3001\u5b66\u5185\u306e\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u90e8\u306e\u6d3b\u52d5\u306b\u3082\u95a2\u308f\u3063\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002\u4eca\u56de\u306f\u30d1\u30c9\u30eb\u30fb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u306a\u3069\u306e\u7528\u5177\u4e00\u5f0f\u3092\u5ca1\u5c71\u304b\u3089\u904b\u3073\u8fbc\u307f\u3001\u30eb\u30fc\u30eb\u8b1b\u7fa9\u304b\u3089\u5b9f\u6280\u3001\u30df\u30cb\u30b2\u30fc\u30e0\u307e\u3067\u30921\u65e5\u5b8c\u7d50\u306e\u69cb\u6210\u3067\u5c55\u958b\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002\u53c2\u52a0\u3057\u305f\u751f\u5f92\u304b\u3089<strong>\u300c\u521d\u3081\u3066\u306e\u4f53\u9a13\u3060\u3051\u3069\u3001\u3059\u3054\u304f\u697d\u3057\u304b\u3063\u305f\u300d<\/strong>, and it functioned as a place to feel the sensation of rallies going back and forth.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"index_002\"><strong>Mimasaka University and pickleball\u2014the backdrop of \u201cthe originator of introducing it into university coursework in Japan\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Mimasaka University is the only private university in northern Okayama, a four-year university with a Faculty of Life Sciences and a junior college division.<strong>In 2018 it became the first university in Japan to introduce pickleball as a regular course<\/strong>, and that same year it launched a university-recognized pickleball club. In 2024 it was upgraded to a \u201cdesignated strengthening club,\u201d and it has produced players who have reached the podium at open tournaments in the Kanto region and at the All-Japan Championships. Having faculty who build the coursework and club members who sharpen their competitive ability together on the same campus is a strength still rare among other universities in Japan.<\/p>\n<p>The significance of the trial sessions goes beyond just growing the playing population. It combines a teacher-training context\u2014\u201cstudents in the Department of Child Studies, who will become teachers, gain hands-on experience so they can incorporate pickleball into their lessons\u201d\u2014making it also a mechanism through which<strong>the \u201cpickleball as school PE\u201d model born at Mimasaka University<\/strong>spreads to regional schools.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ogu-h.ed.jp\/news\/2024\/11\/pickleball.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Osaka Gakuin University High School<\/a>\u3067\u30823\u5e74\u751f\u4f53\u80b2\u306e\u6b63\u8ab2\u6388\u696d\u306b\u53d6\u308a\u5165\u308c\u3001\u65e5\u672c\u306e\u9ad8\u6821\u4f53\u80b2\u30b7\u30fc\u30f3\u306b\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u304c\u7d44\u307f\u8fbc\u307e\u308c\u59cb\u3081\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"index_003\"><strong>Why island schools\u2014the compatibility of small-group PE and pickleball<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u4f2f\u65b9\u5206\u6821\u30fb\u5927\u4e09\u5cf6\u5206\u6821\u306f\u3044\u305a\u308c\u3082\u96e2\u5cf6\u306e\u5c0f\u898f\u6a21\u6821\u3067\u30011\u5b66\u5e74\u3042\u305f\u308a\u306e\u751f\u5f92\u6570\u306f\u6570\u5341\u540d\u898f\u6a21\u3067\u3059\u3002\u5c11\u4eba\u6570\u306e\u4f53\u80b2\u6388\u696d\u3067\u306f\u3001\u7528\u5177\u306e\u6570\u3084\u5834\u6240\u306e\u5236\u7d04\u304b\u3089\u5b9f\u65bd\u3067\u304d\u308b\u7403\u6280\u304c\u9650\u3089\u308c\u304c\u3061\u3067\u3059\u3002<strong>Pickleball is based on 4-player doubles on one court, and the court size is equivalent to a badminton court<\/strong>, so two matches can run simultaneously on half a gym. It's easy to secure a lot of rallies even at small schools, and groups with differing skill levels can enjoy it together.<\/p>\n<p>\u702c\u6238\u5185\u5730\u57df\u306f\u9577\u304f\u3001\u30c6\u30cb\u30b9\u30fb\u30d0\u30c9\u30df\u30f3\u30c8\u30f3\u30fb\u5353\u7403\u306a\u3069\u30e9\u30b1\u30c3\u30c8\u7af6\u6280\u304c\u5730\u57df\u6587\u5316\u3068\u3057\u3066\u6839\u3065\u3044\u3066\u304d\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u306f\u3053\u308c\u3089\u306e\u52d5\u4f5c\u3068\u306e\u89aa\u548c\u6027\u304c\u9ad8\u304f\u3001\u30e9\u30b1\u30c3\u30c8\u7cfb\u7d4c\u9a13\u8005\u306a\u3089\u6570\u5206\u3067\u30b2\u30fc\u30e0\u306b\u5165\u308c\u308b\u3068\u3082\u8a00\u308f\u308c\u307e\u3059\u3002\u96e2\u5cf6\u6821\u3067\u306e\u4f53\u9a13\u4f1a\u306f\u3001\u5358\u767a\u306e\u30a4\u30d9\u30f3\u30c8\u3068\u3044\u3046\u3088\u308a<strong>\u201ca class observation plus hands-on session to decide whether to adopt it in next year's PE curriculum,\u201d<\/strong>carrying the character of teacher training as well.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"index_004\"><strong>Summary: key data on the trial sessions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Item<\/th>\n<th>Details<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Host<\/td>\n<td>Mimasaka University (Tsuyama, Okayama Prefecture)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Instructor<\/td>\n<td>Lecturer Shinpei Kitani (Department of Child Studies \/ pickleball coordinator)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dates<\/td>\n<td>December 11, 2024 (Hakata branch) \/ 12th (Omishima branch)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Venues<\/td>\n<td>Hakata branch of Imabari Nishi High School (Hakata Island, Imabari, Ehime) \/ Omishima branch of Imabari Kita High School (Omishima, Imabari, Ehime)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Gear<\/td>\n<td>Mimasaka University brought the full set<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Who took part<\/td>\n<td>High school students at each branch school (grade details not disclosed)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Contact for trial-session requests<\/td>\n<td>Mimasaka University Admissions and Public Relations Office (TEL: 0868-22-5570)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mimasaka University's history<\/td>\n<td>Introduced university coursework and founded the pickleball club in 2018; upgraded to a designated strengthening club in 2024<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"index_005\"><strong>Reactions from stakeholders<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mimasaka University official<\/strong>\u201cWe want high school students to deepen their interest in pickleball and to widen the circle of exchange\u201d (gist of the official announcement)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Participating high school students<\/strong>\u300c\u521d\u3081\u3066\u306e\u4f53\u9a13\u3060\u3051\u3069\u3001\u3059\u3054\u304f\u697d\u3057\u304b\u3063\u305f\u300d\uff08\u516c\u5f0f\u767a\u8868\u3088\u308a\uff09<\/li>\n<li><strong>Osaka Gakuin University High School<\/strong>\u201cWe held pickleball in third-year PE classes and will continue to incorporate it into lessons\u201d (gist of the school's official notice)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u5927\u5b66\u30fb\u9ad8\u6821\u306e\u52d5\u304d\u304b\u3089\u3001\u6388\u696d\u5c0e\u5165\u304c\u5358\u767a\u4f53\u9a13\u304b\u3089\u8907\u6570\u56de\u30b7\u30ea\u30fc\u30ba\u3078\u79fb\u884c\u3059\u308b\u7d20\u5730\u304c\u898b\u3048\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"index_006\"><strong>Impact for enthusiasts and coaches\u2014the \u201cyou can start even on an island\u201d model<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u5730\u57df\u3067\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u666e\u53ca\u3092\u62c5\u3046\u30af\u30e9\u30d6\u306b\u3068\u3063\u3066\u3001\u7f8e\u4f5c\u5927\u5b66\u65b9\u5f0f\u306f\u518d\u73fe\u6027\u304c\u9ad8\u3044\u3072\u306a\u5f62\u3067\u3059\u3002\u7528\u5177\u4e00\u5f0f\u3068\u6307\u5c0e\u8005\u3092\u5730\u57df\u5916\u304b\u3089\u547c\u3073\u8fbc\u3080\u4f53\u9a13\u4f1a\u5f62\u5f0f\u306f\u3001<a href=\"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/jpa-ehime-open-2026-iyo-city-pickleball\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the JPA Ehime Open<\/a>already starting to move in Shikoku. The flow of \u201cstaging a trial session at the host site of an official event to broaden the base of the playing population\u201d directly bears on how regional clubs design their activities.<\/p>\n<p>High schools and junior highs hoping to host a trial session can use the Mimasaka University Admissions and Public Relations Office (TEL: 0868-22-5570) as their contact. The basic arrangement involves dispatching instructors, and the setup where the university provides the three-piece set of equipment, teaching materials, and instructors is a major option for regional schools with limited funds or instructors.<strong>A circuit through which even regional schools outside Honshu can introduce \u201cpickleball as school PE\u201d at low cost<\/strong>is finally beginning to take shape.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"index_007\"><strong>Ripple effects on the industry\u2014signs that university leagues and high-school PE are connecting<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u7c73\u56fd\u3067\u306f\u5927\u5b66\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u5927\u4f1a\u306e\u53c2\u52a0\u6821\u304c\u5897\u3048\u3001\u5b66\u751f\u7af6\u6280\u3068\u3057\u3066\u306e\u6210\u719f\u304c\u9032\u3093\u3067\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002<a href=\"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/college-pickleball-nationals-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Like FAU, which won the 2026 national collegiate championship<\/a>, the U.S. has already established \u201ccollegiate pickleball\u201d as an independent market. In Japan the format of league play is not yet in place, but<strong>the arrangement of universities handling \u201cpromotion activities toward high schools,\u201d as in Mimasaka University's efforts,<\/strong>overlaps with the pattern of U.S. universities being woven into their local communities.<\/p>\n<p>This trial session is better read not as a standalone event but as a move that has begun to sketch<strong>university \u2192 high school \u2192 regional club \u2192 official event<\/strong>\u3068\u3044\u3046\u65e5\u672c\u72ec\u81ea\u306e\u7af6\u6280\u4eba\u53e3\u5f62\u6210\u30eb\u30fc\u30d7\u3092\u63cf\u304d\u59cb\u3081\u305f\u4e00\u624b\u3068\u8aad\u3080\u306e\u304c\u59a5\u5f53\u3067\u3059\u30022026\u5e744\u6708\u306e\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u30b8\u30e3\u30d1\u30f3\uff08PJ\uff09\u767a\u8db3\uff08JPA\u3068PJF\u304c\u7d71\u5408\uff09\u3082\u8ffd\u3044\u98a8\u3068\u306a\u308a\u3001\u6559\u80b2\u6a5f\u95a2\u3068\u7d71\u62ec\u56e3\u4f53\u306e\u9023\u643a\u304c\u4eca\u5f8c\u52a0\u901f\u3059\u308b\u53ef\u80fd\u6027\u304c\u3042\u308a\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"index_008\"><strong>Practical information\u2014for schools and municipalities considering introducing a trial session<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Use<\/th>\n<th>Details<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Trial-session requests<\/td>\n<td>Mimasaka University Admissions and Public Relations Office, TEL: 0868-22-5570<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Gear<\/td>\n<td>The university brings the full set (paddles, official balls, net)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Venue needed<\/td>\n<td>Half a gym or one full court (equivalent to a badminton court)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Time required<\/td>\n<td>Mostly a one-period, self-contained format (around 90 minutes)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Related cases<\/td>\n<td>Osaka Gakuin University High School (held in third-year PE)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Regional tournament<\/td>\n<td>JPA Ehime Open (the only official event in Shikoku)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"index_009\"><strong>Summary\u2014an era when pickleball reaches even \u201can island gym\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u7f8e\u4f5c\u5927\u5b66\u306e\u4eca\u6cbb2\u5206\u6821\u4f53\u9a13\u4f1a\u306f\u3001\u65e5\u672c\u306e\u9ad8\u6821\u30fb\u5927\u5b66\u306b\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u304c\u7d44\u307f\u8fbc\u307e\u308c\u3066\u3044\u304f\u52d5\u304d\u3092\u793a\u3059\u4e8b\u4f8b\u3067\u3059\u3002\u5ca1\u5c71\u306e\u79c1\u7acb\u5927\u5b66\u304c\u770c\u5883\u3092\u8d8a\u3048\u3001\u702c\u6238\u5185\u306e\u96e2\u5cf6\u6821\u307e\u3067\u6307\u5c0e\u9663\u3092\u904b\u3073\u8fbc\u3093\u3060\u4e8b\u5b9f\u306f\u3001\u7528\u5177\u30fb\u30b3\u30fc\u30c8\u30fb\u6307\u5c0e\u8005\u306e3\u70b9\u3092\u5730\u65b9\u5358\u4f4d\u3067\u63c3\u3048\u308b\u30cf\u30fc\u30c9\u30eb\u3092<strong>can be cleared with a \u201cuniversity-based traveling model.\u201d<\/strong>\u3053\u3068\u3092\u793a\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u30b8\u30e3\u30d1\u30f3\uff08PJ\uff09\u306e\u767a\u8db3\u3068\u3068\u3082\u306b\u3001\u6559\u80b2\u73fe\u5834\u3068\u7d71\u62ec\u56e3\u4f53\u306e\u9023\u643a\u304c\u9032\u3081\u3070\u3001\u4eca\u5f8c\u306e\u9ad8\u6821\u4f53\u80b2\u30b7\u30fc\u30f3\u3067\u30d4\u30c3\u30af\u30eb\u306e\u5c0e\u5165\u304c\u5e83\u304c\u3063\u3066\u3044\u304f\u53ef\u80fd\u6027\u304c\u3042\u308a\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"index_010\"><strong>Information sources<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Mimasaka University official, \u201cTrial session held to convey the appeal of pickleball to high school students!\u201d (mimasaka.jp\/news\/event\/art27930)<\/li>\n<li>Osaka Gakuin University High School, \u201cPickleball held in PE class\u201d (ogu-h.ed.jp\/news\/2024\/11\/pickleball.html)<\/li>\n<li>Mimasaka University official \u201cPickleball club\u201d category (mimasaka.jp\/campus\/news)<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mimasaka University in Okayama held back-to-back trial sessions at its two Imabari branch campuses on Hakata and Omishima islands. We map out why this pioneer of classroom adoption is heading to remote islands, and the roadmap for spreading pickleball across Japan's high schools and universities.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ssp_meta_description":"","swell_btn_cv_data":"","pt_pr_sponsor":""},"categories":[30,39],"tags":[123,131,129,64,37],"region":[360,365,2221],"class_list":["post-3569","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","category-trend","category-practice","tag-year-2026","tag-school","tag-trial-event","tag-beginner","tag-japan","region-r-okayama","region-r-ehime","region-okayama-mimasaka-shi"],"acf":{"summary":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3569"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=3569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}