SAGAMI GENERAL DEPOT, Japan – The new multi-purpose sports field adjacent to the installation was opened on October 1st with a friendship event in which American and Japanese children participated together in various athletic competitions.
Sagamihara Sports Recreation Park is built on a shared use area next to Sagami General Depot and includes areas for playing basketball, soccer, tennis, baseball, rugby and more.
Construction of the grounds began a few years ago, and various parts of the grounds were open to the public while they were being built.
Sagamihara Mayor Kentaro Motomura attended the event and made remarks during the opening ceremony. He began by thanking the United States, the US Army and Camp Zama for their understanding and agreement to the construction project.
Motomura said the park was built in hopes of further cultivating a friendly relationship with the U.S. military and overcoming language barriers to help create memories for children from the Camp Zama community and the neighboring town of Sagamihara.
“It is very significant on this opening day to have [U.S. Army Garrison Japan] deputy garrison commander here, as well as American and Japanese children playing sports together in this joint-use area,” Motomura said.
Motomura emphasized that there are three U.S. military facilities within Sagamihara – Camp Zama, the Sagamihara family housing area and the depot, and that bilateral events such as Youth Sports Day help both the city and the U.S. military foster better mutual understanding. .
“The more opportunities we have to interact with each other, the more it contributes to the strengthening of our friendship and continuously deepens our ties,” Motomura said.
The mayor said he hopes the relationship between the military and Sagamihara will become the strongest among all other cities across Japan that have US military installations.
Jennifer Peterson, USAG Japan’s deputy garrison commander, attended the event and even led the opening tip-off for the dodgeball game. She said it was a wonderful experience to be there and show the great partnership that Camp Zama has with its neighboring citizens.
“Since this is a shared use area, all the work that Sagamihara City has done to develop this field and open it up to both the local residents and the children of [Camp] Zama is incredible,” Peterson said. “This will definitely be a great place for them to play well in the future.”
Peterson echoed Motomura, saying the event was a great opportunity for kids to interact and learn from each other, build friendships and strengthen the US-Japan alliance while promoting physical fitness and sportsmanship.
“Sports is a place to build a team for all countries, so I think this is a great example of how we can continue to improve our partnership with the city,” said Peterson.
Tyler Paul, a fourth-grader at Arnn Elementary School, was at the event and said he and his friend enjoyed playing dodgeball and soccer with the Japanese children. He admitted that there was a language barrier, but still said it was fun and a good experience.
Tyler’s father, Major Tyler Paul, assigned to the 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, said the language barrier was very minimal because playing the sport was pretty universal and the kids were there primarily to have fun.
“[We came here] mainly to get out and meet some Japanese people and interact with them,” Paul said. “These types of events help everyone involved to be a little more aware of other cultures and see that we’re all having the same fun.
“Every time you’re exposed to another culture, it improves the relationship you have with them,” added Paul. “Every time it’s one small step, but I think events like this definitely help.”
