Koshien
There's a documentary on PBS tonight about the Koshien high-school baseball tournament in Japan. It's on the P.O.V. program--check local listings (in Austin, it's showing at 8 p.m. tonight).Here's the website for the documentary, including a three-minute trailer (which is excellent):
Kokoyakyu High School Baseball. You an also pre-order the DVD here if you don't manage to see it on PBS.
If you've never heard of the Koshien tournament, Japan basically shuts down for two weeks in August to follow the tournament. Every single game is televised, and every game sells out--in a 60,000 seat stadium! Here's a description from the website:
One event in particular truly epitomizes the Japanese culture of baseball: the annual National High School Baseball Tournament, known simply as "Koshien". For two weeks every August, the nation turns its attention to Koshien Stadium, home of the Hanshin Tigers and the oldest stadium in Japan. 60,000 fans fill the seats daily in the unbearable heat to witness 49 teams (the finalists from over 4,000 entries) vie for the National Championship. There can be only one winner.
I've read a few articles about the tournament, and it's incredible what kind of pressure these kids are under. And kids play through unbelievable injuries. It's an incredible event with a very dark side to it, and I've always wanted to go to Japan in August to see it for myself.
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