Japan’s Olympic Medalist-Producing Girls’ Softball Club! A Look at Their Cafeteria Meal🥎🏫

Japan’s Olympic Medalist-Producing Girls’ Softball Club! A Look at Their Cafeteria Meal🥎🏫

It looks delicious ! (Fukuoka University Affiliated Wakaba High School changed from an all-girls school to a coeducational high school in 2019.) (In the cafeteria kitchen, preparations for lunch for the students have begun.) We fry about 240 of them a day . (We make large quantities of fried chicken, a popular menu item among the students.) This is a katsu-toji bento. We make several every day, so we sell around 60 to 70 bentos. (Fried rice is also a popular menu item, and we make it in a big pot.) I was originally a Japanese cuisine chef (and have been a chef for over 40 years). It must be hard because you have to make a lot at once, right? (Katsu-toji bento 400 yen) (Niku-to-don bento 400 yen) They’re doing great. Many of the students here are in sports clubs, so they’re doing great. They greet each other well. I used to play softball, too. Did you know the softball club here is strong? Yes, I know. They were strong even when I was playing, so I ‘m already 72 years old. (Wakaba High School is known as a school where sports are popular.) (The softball club in particular has a long history, and Yukiko Ueno, who played in the Olympics, was a member of the club.) (I was able to follow the softball club practice closely.) Captain, how’s practice going? It’s hot, but we’re a new team, so it’s fun (we recently lost a third-year student). We’re small, so we’re limited in what we can practice, but we have good teamwork, so let’s stop meditating and cheer up . (Warm-up is over and tee-batting begins.) What’s your best pitch? I think the straight is my best pitch (ball speed is) 85km/h. I started in the fourth grade of elementary school and have been doing it for about six years, so I’ve basically always been a pitcher. What’s your best pitch? It’s the changeup. What do you think of these two? They’re good pitchers. Are they throwing good pitches? Yes . (Manager Kumemoto-sensei) If we’re up against a good pitcher, it’s hard to score runs, so we need to minimize the number of runs we allow and get the pitcher to work hard. We need to play defense well and do various drills, so each person has more time to practice. I think that kind of thinking is possible when there are fewer players. Yukiko Ueno was a player, I think, but were you involved at that time? The manager was there, and I was coaching, so even just watching the bullpen was fun. It was different. Their goal was clearly to win the Olympics , so there was no sense of being forced to practice. It seemed like they understood why they were doing it. How many pitchers do you two throw a day? We throw 150 pitches in two games, so that’s about the same in games , but less than 100 in practice. Captain ? What position do you play? I’m in right field. I think batting is a team issue, so we need to be able to show what we’ve practiced in games, and score runs through batting so we can win . (The third-year high school students have left, so we’re a new team, and we’re continuing to practice in the heat in preparation for the next tournament.) How many types of lunch boxes do you have? There are five kinds, and sometimes we make more. 〈Mapo Rice Bowl Bento 400 yen〉 〈Fried Chicken Bento 400 yen〉 〈Sauce Cutlet Bento 400 yen〉 How much is fried rice? It’s 230 yen, the equivalent of three rice balls. The rice balls are 80 yen, so is this also for the bento?Today’s menu is mentaiko spaghetti 〈Mentaiko Cream Pasta 240 yen〉 〈Preparation for the lunch menu has begun〉 What is this?This is chicken cutlet, Lunch A.This is fried once.What is the difficult part? 。 English: Is it difficult? Of course, food prices are constantly rising, so we can’t reduce the portions just because prices are going up. They are high school students who are growing and want to eat their fill, and the school also wants them to eat their fill , but we still can’t afford to charge high prices, so finding a compromise like that is the most difficult part. We negotiate with suppliers to use as many local ingredients as possible, such as vegetables, meat, and rice, so that we can deliver safe and secure food to the children who will be eating it. (What is rewarding about the job?) I guess it’s when you see the students’ faces as they eat, and they say it looks delicious or that it was tasty. There are a lot of friendly students, so it seems that not only I, but other staff members too, have similar conversations over the counter or in the shop. (We fry the food twice to serve it piping hot.) We want to serve it as hot as possible . (Lunch service has started, and the students are coming to the cafeteria.) Thank you. (Meat udon 440 yen.) (The softball team members have also come to the cafeteria.) (What do you often eat?) We have the daily set meal. What kind of daily set meal do you have? Pork cutlet, rice, etc. The portions are big and look delicious ! Thank you Let’s eat , let’s eat. The batter is crispy and delicious. It’s delicious. I love it. Do you make curry at home? Yes, I do. It’s fun (to eat with everyone). How about talking about classes, club activities, or love ? It’s delicious. What’s your favorite menu item? Pork cutlet. I eat pork cutlet to win the game. What’s your favorite food in the school cafeteria? Curry udon. The curry is delicious. It’s delicious. Shama uma-su. What’s delicious? You use it all the time, don’t you? Everyone says “shama uma” like “shama uma” or “shama uma”? What about “chimu dondon”? My heart is pounding. (Where are you from?) Is it Okinawa? Yes, a lot. Do you teach everyone dialects? Yes, how do you say “super delicious” in Okinawa? “Shiniumai” “Shini” means “very” “Dejiumai” is also used (I’m from) Hyogo. I went back during summer vacation. It’s been a while since I’ve been home. Was the food your mom made for you delicious? It was delicious. Is there anything you pay attention to when eating? Timing of eating I drink protein after training and quite a bit of orange juice. I want to become a catcher who can hit well to recover from fatigue, so I eat foods that will help build up the muscles in my lower body. I eat a lot of salads. I want to lose weight to become a faster runner. By the way, what’s your batting order? I’m number 2. Even during breaks, I only think about softball and I love softball. I’m so happy. ( We asked softball club members what they’re interested in now) I like sports manga, like “Ace of Diamond” and “Haikyu!!” I love how the main characters work hard, and that influenced me to like sports. I go to see horror movies, but this person isn’t scary at all. I can watch them like this, but this person can’t. It’s scary, it’s a good scene, but I’m not watching it anymore, so there’s no point in paying for it, no, I’m watching it properly, it’s not a romance drama or anything, this one, this one, what I’m interested in is music and sweets, right? Music. We live in the dorms and we have three cardboard boxes, but they’re not like these, they’re the size you’d use for a real move, they get close to the expiration date (and I can’t finish them), and I get anxious. Do you like softball? Yes , I don’t know why I like it, but somehow, when I run out of softball, I feel like I have nothing to do, I’m not that bored, well, it feels like I’d have absolutely nothing left. What do you like about softball? I like how a game can be decided by one point. I’m happy when we win, and even if we lose, I don’t give up and I want to fight until the end, so I’m happy. It makes me happy when I score a point with my own feet. How long does it take you to run 50 meters? 7 seconds. Fast, just in a straight line. Is there anything that makes you feel glad about playing softball? 。 English: I’m so happy to have met these teammates . They’re a great captain. (The softball team is currently practicing hard every day in preparation for the preliminaries for the national tournament.) I think the team’s batting line-up still needs more cohesion, so I’m practicing to strengthen that line-up before the preliminaries. I have to play to lead the team’s atmosphere, so I focus on batting even during morning practice. I want to be a batter who can execute a bunt in one try. So that I can get on base and contribute to the team, (in games) I want to focus on control over speed and pitch in good spots. I’ll do my best to win every game. I don’t think we can win if anyone lets their guard down, so I want each and every one of us to be aware of our responsibilities and win the championship . ( We’ll now be practicing in a realistic game setting. ) There’s still a little over a month until the preliminaries, so I think there will be ups and downs, but as a coach, I’m not rushing, and I hope to be at my best by the end of October. (We’ll be focusing on teamwork that simulates actual games.) (What is your dream for the future?) My dream is to be a radiologist, but I often get injured, so I want to support anyone in the same situation. It made me want to become one. My dream for the future is to be a firefighter. My dad is in the fire brigade and I thought it was cool, so I wanted to become a firefighter. (My dream for the future) is to be a hairdresser. I want to cut hair, so what is my dream for the future? Hmm, I want to get a job where I can help people.

00:00 Highlights
00:54 A sneak peek into the cafeteria kitchen
01:59 The veteran chef with 40 years of experience
03:12 Softball club practice
06:14 The history of the softball club
10:05 The commitment to the school cafeteria
14:21 All the club members enjoy their delicious meal together
18:28 The passion for softball
22:03 Future dreams

Fukuoka University Wakaba High School is a private preparatory school located in Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City. It became an affiliated school of Fukuoka University in 2010 and transitioned to coeducation in 2019. The school offers three courses: Super Advanced, Global, and Integrated High School-University Program, providing a broad range of learning opportunities including university preparation and international education.

The softball team is particularly renowned nationwide, achieving outstanding results at Inter-High School Championships, National Sports Festivals, and National Selection Tournaments. Notable alumni include Yukiko Ueno, who played as Japan’s ace pitcher on the world stage and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and Emi Naito, who also has Olympic team experience.

This time, we were permitted to film the meals and practice sessions of the Fukuoka University Wakaba High School Softball Team.

School Name: Fukuoka University Wakaba High School
Address: 3-4-62 Arato, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Website: https://www.f-wakaba.ed.jp/index.html

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